ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES
DELACOMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEEDES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(75)66
Vol.1975/0025

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COMMISSION OFTHESUROFBAN COMÈlUFm& >
COM(75)66 final
Brussels .27February 1975
Recommendation fora
DECISION OFTHECOUNCIL
onthenegotiations ofalegalinstrument
enabling theEuropean Economic Community
to"becomeaContracting PartytotheCustoms
Convention ontheInternational Transit of
goods(ITIConvention )
(submitted totheCouncilbytheCommission )
COIï(75J66final

E"3>Tj.fN/..T0RyNOTE
I.Introduction
Theworkbegunin1967bytheCustomsCo-operation Councilwith
aviewtointroducing anevjCustomstransitprocedure designedspecifically
tofacilitate theinternational transport ofunitised loadsofgoods
resulted inthedraftCustomsConvention ontheInternational .Transit
ofGoods(ITIConvention )doneatVienna7June1971*
II.General m
TheITIConvention appliestotheinternational transport ofgoods
loadedintotransportunits(containers ,roadvehicles ,railwaywagons,
barges...)approvedforthetransport ofgoodsunderCustoms'sealon
theterritory oftwoormoreContracting Parties .-Itisapplicable
■equallytotransport operations carriedthroughout bya„singlemeans
oftransport andtothoseinwhichloadedcontainers arecarried
duringtheoperation bydifferent modesoftransport .
ThustieConvention introduces customsprocedures adaptedtothe
speedofcontainerised transport .
III.MemberStates'attitude totheConvention
TheITIConvention hasnotyetenteredintoforcebecauseithas
not,asyet;received asufficient numberofsignatures oraccessions
withoutreservation ofratification .
ThenineMemberStatesoftheCommunity ,althoughtheytookpart
asmembersoftheC.C.C.intheworkofdrawinguptheConvention ,
haveadoptedacautious approach prompted bythefactthatthereappears
tobenopressing needin'international "commercial quarters -forthis
■newinternational customstransitprocedure andthattheguaranteeing
chainjonessential condition ofthenewprocedure ,hasnotyetbeen'
■setup.'; "= *

TheCommission considers thatitisbecoming moreandmoredifficult
tostandalooffromthisConvention . "
Politicall y.MemberStatesaswellastheCommission (asobservers )
havefullyco-operated inthedrawingupoftheConvention .Theirjoint
actionhasmeant,amongotherthings,theadoption ofprovisions underwhich
theConvention isapplicable toContracting PartieswhichformaCustomsor
Economic Union.Thusthethirdcountry membersoftheC,C.C.finditdiffi­
culttounderstand theCommunity reservation againstthisConvention which,
bearinginmindthevolume -ofcontainerised trafficcrossingtheCommunity ,
meansinpracticethattheITIprocedureisnotused. i
Economically iitshouldbeemphasised thatthisConvention couldbeof
interesttotheCommunity initscommercial relations withnon-European
countries . ...
Finallythetechnical argumentderiving fromthenon-existenceofthe
guarantee systemlosesweightbecausetherearegroundsforthinkingthatthe
International ChamberofCommercewillsucceedintheorganisation ofguaran­
teeingchains. ''
.However ,therearefavourable developments withinthe-Community .All
thedelegations ,atameetingoftheEconomic Questions Groupheldon
13Decembertoconsider alettersentbytheSecretary Generalofthe
CustomsCo-operation CounciltothePresident oftheCounciloftheCommunity
onthequestion ofaccession bytheCommunity totheITIConvention ,favoured
accession bythemaswellastheCommunity tothesaid..Convention .Jutthat
raisesalegaldifficulty .
IV.Problem ofaccession totheITIConvention bytheCommunity
TheITIConvention providesfor-accession byStateMembersofthe
CustomsCo-operation CouncilandStateMembersofthe.UnitedNationsorits
specialised agencies andafteritsentryintoforceanyStatenotaMember
oftheOrganisations referredtoabovewhohasbeeninvitedtodosobythe
Secretary GeneraloftheCourucilattherequestoftheContracting Parties.

-3-
Withoutprejudging thequestion ofwhetherthetransfer ofcertain
responsibilities byMemberStateshasnotalreadygiventheCommunity the
righttoaccedeon.itsownaccount,itisconsidered thatthebest
methodofallowing suchaccession wouldbetheadoption ofappropriate
legalprovisions .TheCommunity couldtheninformtheSecretary-General
oftheCCCofitsintentions andrequirements inthisfieldandcould
negotiate alegalinstrument whichwouldenableittobecomeaContrac­
tingPartytotheConvention *
Conclusion .
TheCommission recommends theCouncil ,underArticle 113oftheEEC
Treatytonegotiate alegalinstrument enablingtheEuropean Economic
Community toaccedetotheCustomsConvention ontheInternational Transit
ofGoods(ITIConvention )doneatVienna,7thJune1971*

Recommendation fora
DECISIOIT OFTHECOUNCIL
onthenegotiations of
alegalinstrument enablingtheEuropean
Economic Community tobecomeaContracting Party
totheCustoms Convention ontheInternational Transit
ofgoods(ITIConvention )
THECOUNCIL OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,
HavingregardtotheTreatyestablishing theEuropean Economic Community
andinparticular Article1135
HavingregardtotheRecommendation fromtheCommission ;
Whereastheworkundertaken bytheCustomsCo-operation Council wasconcluded
inViennaon7thJune1971bytheCustomsConvention ontheInternational
TransitofGoods(ITIConvention )5
WhereasthisConvention hasnotyetenteredintoforce 5
WhereasthisConvention couldimproveinternational trade 5
WhereassincethesaidConvention affects commoncustomslawitisappropriate
thattheCommunity shouldbeablestakingaccountoftheneedsoftheCustoms
Union,tobecomeaContracting Partytotheaforesaid Convention f
WhereasitistimelytoinsertinthetextoftheITIConvention provisions
whichexpressly enabletheEuropean Economic Community tobecomeaContracting
Party1xvhereastothisendappropriate negotiations shouldbeundertaken 5
HASDECIDED :
SoleArticle
TheCommission isauthorised toopennegotiations withtheCustoms
Co-operation Councilwithaviewtotheinsertion intheITIConvention of
alegalinstrument toenabletheEuropean Economic Community toaccedethere­
to.
TheCommission shallconductthesenegotiations inconsultation withthe
speeialcommittee ,forwhichprovision ismadeinArticle 113"toassist
inthistask.
DoneatBrussels FortheCouncil
ThePresident