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Conformém ent au règlement (CEE, Euratom) n° 354/83 du Conseil du 1er février 1983 
concernant l'ouverture au public des archives historiques de la Communauté économique 
européenne et de la Communauté européenne de l'énergie atomique (JO L 43 du 15.2.1983, 
p. 1), tel que modifié par le règlement (CE, Euratom) n° 1700/2003 du 22 septembre 2003 
(JO L 243 du 27.9.2003, p. 1), ce dossier est ouvert au public. Le cas échéant, les documents 
classifiés présents dans ce dossier ont été déclassifiés conformément à l'article 5 dudit 
règlem ent. 
In accordance with Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 354/83 of 1 February 1983 
concerning the opening to the public of the historical archives of the European Econom ic 
Communit y and the European Atom ic Energy Communit y (OJ L 43, 15.2.1983, p. 1), as 
amended by Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1700/2003 of 22 September 2003 (OJ L 243, 
27.9.2003, p. 1), t his file is open to the public. Where necessary, classified documents in this 
file have been declassified in conformity with Article 5 of the aforementioned regulation.  
In Übereinstimmung mit der Verordnung (EWG, Euratom) Nr. 354/83 des Rates vom  1. 
Februa r 1983 über die Freigabe der historischen Archive der Europäischen  
Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft und der Europäischen Atomgem einschaft (ABI. L 43 vom  15.2.1983,  
S. 1), geändert durch die Verordnung (EG, Euratom) Nr. 1700/2003 vom 22. Septem ber 2003  
(ABI. L 243 v om 27.9.2003, S. 1), ist diese Datei der Öffentlichkeit zugänglich. Soweit  
erforderlich, wurden die Verschlusssachen in dieser Datei in Übereinstimmung mit Artikel 5  
der genannten Verordnung freigegeben.  
COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
C O M (84 ) 4 3 4  final 
Brussels, 6  Septem ber 1 9 8 4
C O M M U N I C A T I O N  F R O M  T H E  C O M M I S S I O N  T O  T H E  C O U N C I L  
M eth o d s of application of the system  for coking coal an d  
coke for the C om m unity's iron an d  steel industry
C O M (8 4 ) 4 3 4  final

M eth o d s of application of the system  for coking coal 
and co k e for the C om m unity's iron and steel industry
1. Introduction and s u m m a ry
C om m ission Decision N o  7 59/84/E C S C  m odifying Decision N o  73/287/E C S C  
o n  coking coal and coke for the C om m unity's iron and steel industry 
w a s published in O J  N o  L  8 0  of 2 4  M a rc h  1984, page 14.
In the course of preparatory discussions within the Council m achinery and 
in the Consultative C om m ittee a  n u m b er of questions w ere raised w ith regard 
to the m ethod of application following from  Decision N o  3544/73/E C S C  
(O J  N o  L  3 6 1  of 2 9  D ecem b er 1973, page 19).
H aving consulted the industries concerned, the C om m ission envisages certain 
adaptations.
T hese concern, first of all, giving the operators a  m ean s of adapting, as 
necessary, their long-term contracts (an important elem ent of the coking 
coal system ) to n e w  supply requirements. This will enable the retroactivity 
of Decision N o  759/84/E C S C  to 1st January 1 9 8 4  to manifest all its effects 
during the period of application ending o n  3 1  D ecem b er 1986.
It w o u ld  also b e appropriate to encourage the use of coal b y  direct 
injection into the blast furnace.
T o  cover the tw o  points above, the C om m ission considers it necessary to 
m odify Decision N o  3544/73/E C SC .
M oreover, the C om m issio n  proposes to provide so m e  supplementary information 
to the E C S C  undertakings through the m e d iu m  of a  C om m unication published 
in the Official Journal, as w a s done in similar circumstances in 1 9 7 4  ; at 
the sa m e  time, the internal rules relating to the calculation of the guide 
price w o u ld  be modified and transparency increased in this area.
./2

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2 . E lem en ts of the provisions of a  D ecision m o d ify in g  D ecisior
N o  3 5 4 4 /7 3 /E C S C
2.1. In  Article 3  (2 ) of this D ecision it is stipulated that actual 
deliveries m a y  differ fro m  the fixed tonnage, w ith  a  m a x i m u m  
deviation of 1 0  % .
A s  the steel production quotas assigned to individual undertakings 
co u ld  give rise to a  variation in  c o k e  requirem ents ex ceed in g  the 
fixed rate, originally envisaged, the contracting parties co u ld  
agree to substitute this sliding variation for the fixed deviation.
2.2. A  period for negotiation should b e  available to the tw o  industries 
in  order to facilitate the adaptation of existing contracts to the 
c h a n g e  in  requirem ents, resulting principally fro m  the restructuring 
of the steel industry a n d  its technical developm ent, w ith  retroactive 
effect to 1  January 1 9 8 4  as envisaged in  the D ecision prolonging
the c o k in g  coal sc h e m e .
A  slightly longer period should b e  allow ed for the conclusion o f 
n e w  contracts.
2.3. F o r  the application of the sy stem  it appears justifiable to take 
into account a n  im portant aspect of technical d ev elo p m en t in  the 
biast furnace sector.
T h e  hydrocarbons w h ic h  are injected at the biast furnace tuyéres to 
achieve optim al functioning a n d  efficiency, b u t w h ic h  h a v e  b e c o m e  
m o r e  a n d  m o re  expensive since 1 9 7 5 , h a v e  b e e n  progressively replaced, 
first o f all b y  c o k e  ch arg ed  to the m o u th  of the furnace, a n d  then 
b y  coal injected at the tuyéres.
T h is coal replaces a  part of the coke, o v er w h ic h  it h a s several 
e c o n o m ic  a n d  technical advantages :
- it is a  ch eap er r a w  m aterial w ith  a  m o r e  diversified sup p ly  ;
- -  i t s  use enables investm ent in  c o k in g  plant to b e  reduced w h ile 
m aintaining the profit fro m  g as production ;
- each  tonne o f co al injected substitutes m o r e  than a  tonne equivalent 
of coal u se d  in  the fo rm  o f co k e .
.  /3

- 3  -
It em erges fro m  these considerations that allowing injected coal to 
benefit from  the aids intended for coking coal w ould have the effect 
of accelerating the adoption of a  process that is beneficial in all 
respects for the steel industry while reducing the overall am o u n t of 
aid. In particular the C o m m u n ity  financing established for exchanges 
could turn out to b e reduced.
T h e  draft provisions appear in A n n e x  I.
3. Information material for the C ouncil and the Consultative C om m ittee
T h e  C o m m ission proposes to give to the E C 3 C  undertakings and associations 
of undertakings, through the Official Journal, an  updating of the 
indications given in similar circumstances in 1 9 7 4  (1). It will spe­
cify that the dispositions of the system  d o  not prevent the practice 
of alignments in conformity with the dispositions of Article 6 0  2  b), 
last indent, of the Treaty.
A  draft C om m unication is given in A n n e x  II.
In addition, the prices of long-term contracts for coking coal origi­
nating from  Poland will, in future, b e taken into account in calcula­
ting the guide price ; the quantitative and qualitative elements of 
this calculation will be subject to increased transparency.
4. Procedure
T h e  C om m ission is thus led to set in m otion the procedure envisaged 
in Article 1 2  of Decision N o  73/287/E C S C  and to consult both the 
C ouncil in the context of Article 28.2 of the Treaty and the 
Consultative C om m ittee in the fram ew ork of Article 1 9  of the draft 
provisions given in A n n e x  I.
(1) S ee C om m unication, O J  N o  C  1 6 0  of 3 0  D ecem b er 1974, page 1 .

A n n e x  I
D R A F T  P R O V I S I O N S  O F  A  D E C I S I O N
m odifying Decision 3544/73/E C S C  im plem enting 
Decision 73/287/E C S C  o n  coking coal and co k e (1)
Article 1
Decision 3544/73/E C S C  is hereby am en d ed  as follows :
1 . Article 3  (2) is supplem ented as follows :
"  c) T h e  agreem ent relating to a  fixed tonnage m a y  also provide that
the variation fixed in accordance w ith the dispositions of paragraph 
2  a) above m a y  b e replaced b y  the percentage variation that m a y  arise 
betw een the annual average of steel production quotas assigned to the 
purchasing steel producer o n  the one hand for the period of the 
contract and, o n  the other h an d  for the reference period running 
from  1st July 1 9 8 3  to 3 0  June 1984."
2. Article 3  (4) is am en d ed  as follows :
"  a) W ithout prejudice to the conditions o n  duration defined in subparagraph 
1  and 2  (a) above, current contracts m a y  b e am en d ed  to com ply w ith the 
above criteria b y  am endm ents or extensions for 1 9 8 4  and 1 9 8 5  until 
3 1  October 1984,
b ) Likewise, n e w  contracts fro m  1 9 8 4  to 1 9 8 6  (three year contracts) 
and later (contracts for four or m o re years) m a y  be concluded until 
3 0  N o v em b er 1984. "
3. Article 1 3  is supplemented as follows :
"  4. T h e  am ount of coal injected directly into the blast furnace is included 
in the am ount of coking coal capable of benefiting from  production or 
sales aid with effect from  1st January 1 9 8 4  in so far as the supply 
of such coal is covered b y  a  long-term contract notified in conformity 
w ith Article 1  an d  conform ing to the criteria of Article 3  of the present 
Decision. T h e  contribution of the iron and steel industry shall b e cal­
culated b y  adding the consum ption of coal injected into the blast furnace 
to that of blast furnace coke.
(1) 0  J  N o  L  3 6 1  of 29.12.1973, page 1 8.

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T h e  obligations of the undertakings and the M e m b e r States with regard 
to the information to b e transmitted to the C om m ission concerning coking 
coal and coke are extended to coal injected into the blast furnace ; 
such information shall b e com m unicated in printed form  in a  m an n er 
to be determined b y  the C om m ission."
Article 2
This Decision shall enter into force o n  the day of its publication in the 
Official Journal of the E uropean C om m unities.
It shall apply w ith effect from  1  January 1984.
This Decision shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable 
in all M e m b e r States.

I
A n n e x  II
COMMISSION
. \ ■
Communication from the Commission to associations of coal and of iron and  
steel undertakings and to.the individual undertakings in the E C S C  concerning  
the implication of provisions relating to long-term contracts in the specific
system of aids for coking coal
and also of aids b y  M e m b e r States an d  of the pricing rules in
the coking coal system  (*)
Commission Decision’  No 73/287/ECSC (') of 25 July 1973 relating to coking coals _ a n d _  
coke intended for the Community’s iron and steel indust
w a s  last modified b y  C om m issio n  Decision N o  759/84/E C S C  of 2 3  
M a rc h  1984, w hich applied fro m  1  January 1 9 8 4  and extends 
the form er Decision to 3 1  D ec em b er 1986.(2)
Decision 73/287/E C SC  provides under Article 2  (c) that "the aids 
m a y  b e paid only w here deliveries of coking coal and blast furnace 
co k e are m a d e  under a  long-term contract"
Commission Decision No 3544/73/ECSC of 20 December 1973 implementing Decision
No. 73/287/ECSC { * )  on coking coal and coke (3) defined, in particular, the criteria that 
transactions relating to the delivery of coking com or cqke were required to meet in order to 
be regarded as being long-term contracts.
Article 3  (1) and (2) of Decision No 3544/73/ECSC stipulated the minimum periods to be 
, covered by these agreements and gave permitted variations according to the period.
Article 3 (4) allowed certain lead times intended to facilitate the amendment of current 
contracts or the conclusion of new contracts during the introductory period of the system
of aids for coking coal. ·
T h e  sa m e  questions arise for the rem aining period of coverage 
of the Decision and it is for this reason that the C om m ission, 
anxious to faci li-
tate the develprnent and maintenance of commercial relations between-the-interested 
parties, stipulates below the conditions of duration which new transactions or additional 
„  clauses to current transactions must satisfy in order to qualify for aids and price rebates eventually 
applicable  during the period of validity of the system.
As far as nev^ transactions are concerned, they must conform to the characteristics 
provided for urçdcr Article 3 (I) and (2) even if this means covering a  period which 
extends beyond 31 . December 1978, the date on which Decision No 73/287/ECSC ceases 
tc be operative ; their conclusion m a y  b e realized up to  30 N o v e m b e r 1984.
In the case of an' additional clause designed to extend a current transaction, the new dura­
tion v/ill be constituted by the supplementary period covered by jhe additional clause, 
together with the delivery period of the current agreement unexpired at the time of 
signing thc-additiqnal clause. This new duration must meet the minimum requirements 
of Articles 3 (1) according to the type of contract even if this necessitates going beyond 
the date limit of 3l December 1978 and will determine the variations applicable by virtue 
of Article 3 (2) of Decision No 3544/73/ECSC.
(*) S ee 0 J N o  C  160, 30.12.1974, p.1.
{') OJ No L-259, 15: 9. 1973, p. 36.
(2) Decision N o  759/84, O J  N o  L  3 0  of 24.3.1984
(3) 0 J N o  L  3 6 1  of 29.12.1973, page 1 8 .

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A n y  a m e n d m e n t w h o se  purpose is to m odify the tonnages specified in 
a n  existing transaction m u st b e concluded b y  3 1  O ctober 1 9 8 4  if 
the partners w ish it to b e retroactive to 1st January 1 9 8 4 .
W ith  regard to the aid system  an d  the pricing rules, the C om m issio n  
em phasizes that Decision N o  73/287/E C S C  does not prevent undertakings 
from  aligning their prices in accordance w ith the last subparagraph 
of Article 6 0  (2) o n  conditions offered b y  undertakings outside the 
C o m m u n ity  ■