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COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
/ <"7'v
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ACi-'■/'Jy'
<:?x>'^JWCOM(80)556 final
Brussels,6October1980
Recommendation fora
COUNCILDECISION
authorizing theCommissiontoparticipate inthe
negotiation ofaninternational convention onthe
harmonization ofcontrolsatfrontiers
(submittedtotheCouncilbytheCommission )
C0MC80)556final

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
Introduction -
affecting
TheGroupofExpertsonCustomsQuestion^Transport,undertheInland
TransportCommitteeoftheEconomicCommissionforEurope,aregionalbody
oftheUnitedNations,hasdecidedtodrawupaConventiononthe
Harmonization ofControlsatFrontiers.
Therapporteurs appointed "bytheGroupofExpertsonCustomsQuestions
wereaskedtoconsiderthesubstanceofsuchaConvention.Onthebasisof
theirreport,theExecutiveSeoretaryoftheEconomicCommissionforEurope
hasdraftedatexttoserveasabasisfornegotiations .
TheInlandTransportCommitteeoftheEconomioCommissionforEurope
hasorganizedaspecialmeetingoftheGroupofExpertsinGenevafrom
20to24October1980tocarryoutnegotiations.
PurposeandscopeoftheConvention
ThepurposeoftheConventionistomaketheinternational transportof
goodseasierandquicker,byharmonizing moreoloselytheconditionsfor
-thecontrolscarriedoutbythevariousauthoritiesresponsibleforchecking
goodsatfrontiers,andbyreinforcingcooperation betweentheseauthorities.
Thispurposeistobeachievedby:
–coordinating atnationalleveltheactionofthevariousdepartments
responsibleforcontrols;
v
–settingupthenecessaryframeworkfortheoperationsofthese
departments ;
–givingthemaximumpossiblenationalandinternational publicityto
therequirements oflawsandregulationsapplyingintheareascovered
bythecontrols;
–ensuringinternational cooperation ,including:
mutualrecognitionofdoouments,andsomeharmonization ofthese
documents;

coordinated organization andfunctioning ofdepartments operating
frontier services inadjacent countries ;
bilateral ormultilateral harmonization ofcontrol systems and
procedures .
The competence ofthe Community
Thepurpose ofthis Convention istofacilitate the international
transport ofgoods byimproving theconditions forfrontier controls ,and
itisacontribution ,inthecommon interest ,tothe smooth development of
world trade .Ittherefore comes under common commercial policy .
What ismore ,theConvention applies toseveral matters forwhich
common rules have been adopted intheform ofsecondary legislation .For
example ,thecustoms oontrols andother frontier inspections which arethe
subject-matter oftheConvention areinmany cases theresult ofCommunity
legislation such as:
–Council Directive 68/312/EEConthecustoms treatment ofgoods ,
which stipulates atArticle 2(l)that allgoods entering thecustoms
territory oftheCommunity orcoming from afree zone situated in
theterritory oftheCommunity shall besubject tooustoms control ;
–Council Directive 79/^95/EEGontheharmonization ofprocedures for
(2)therelease ofgoods forfree circulation ,'whioh stipulates at
Article 9"that thecustoms authority mayexamine allorpart ofthe
goods entered .
(1)OJNoL194»6.8.1968 ,p.13.
(2)OJHoL205,13.8.1979 »P*19.

3-
–Council Directive 77/93/^EConprotective measures against the
introduction into theMember States ofharmful organisms ofplants
orplant products ,^which stipulates atArticle 12thatplants
andplant products entering theterritory ofanyoftheMember
States andcoming from non-member countries shall beinspected ;
-Council Directive 72/462/EEConhealth andveterinary inspection
problems upon importation ofbovine animals andswine andfresh meat
2)from third countries , Which stipulates atArticles .12,23and24
that animals andfresh meat must undergo ahealth inspection on
arrival intheterritory oftheCommunity .
TheConvention also deals ,although subsidiarily ,with goods intransit
thuB touching upon anarea thecustoms aspects ofwhich arealmost
exclusively governed byCommunity secondary legislation .
The above remarks show that this Convention covers fields where the
Community external competence isofconsiderable importance .
TheCommunity istherefore entitled totake part inthenegotiation of
this convention andtobeoome aContraoting Party .
Thefollowing clause ,based onthat included intheConvention of
27May1980 onInternational multimodal transport ,could beadopted forthis
purpose :
"Regional eoonomic integration organizations composed ofsovereign
States which aremembers oftheUnited Nations andwhich have competence
tonegotiate ,conclude andapply international agreements onmatters
covered bythis Convention mayalso become Contracting Parties toit."
Moreover ,sinoe theConvention provides foraManagement Committee
whose members would have voting rights ,theabove olause should be '
supplemented asfollows :
"Inmatters within their competence since regional economic integration
organizations shall ,intheir ownname ,exercise therights andfulfil the
responsibilities that this Convention confers ontheir Member States .In
such cases theMember States oftheorganizations shall notbeentitled
toexercise such rights independently .M
(1)OJKoL26,31.1.77 ,P*20.
(2)OJNOL302,31.12.72 ,p.28

-4-
Itisalsoimportanttoconfinetheapplication oftheConventionto
theCommunity'sexternalfrontiers,sothattradebetweentheCommunity
MemberStateswouldstillbeexclusively governedbythenationallawsof
theMemberStatesorbyCommunitylaw.TheConventionshouldtherefore
includeaprovisionstipulatingthatContractingPartiesthatarepartofa
regionaleconomicintegrationorganization maynotifytheSecretary-General
oftheUnitedNationsthattheConventionappliesattheexternalfrontiers
onlyoftheterritoryofthisorganization ,
Leftalbasis
ThemainpurposeoftheConvention–tofacilitateandencourage
international tradeingoodsbysimplifyingformalitiesatfrontiers–is
inlinewithsomeaspectsofcommoncommercialpolicyasdefinedin
Article113oftheTreaty,Whatismore,theConventiondealsmainlywith
subjectsonwhichtheCommunityhasadoptedrulesoftheformofsecondary
legislationservingthecommoncommercialpolicy#
Article113of"theTreatywouldthusappeartobethemostappropriate
provisiontobeusedasabasisforthenegotiation andconclusionofthe.
ConventionbytheCommunity,
Conclusions
TheCommissionrecommendsthattheCouncil,pursuanttoArticle113of
theTreaty,authorizeittotakepartinthenegotiation oftheInternational
Convention ontheHarmonization ofControlsatFrontiers,
TheCommissionwouldalsourgeupontheCounciltheneedfor
representations totheExecutiveSecretaryoftheEconomicCommissionfor
Europetodemonstrate beyonddoubtthattheCommunityhascompetencein
respectofthematterscoveredbytheConventionandtoensurethatthe
Communityisinvitedtothenegotiations undertermswhichenableitto
exeroiseitscompetencefully.

Recommendation foraCouncil Decision authorizing theCommission to
participate Inthenegotiation ofaninternational convention onthe
harmonization ofcontrols atfrontiers
THECOUNCIL OPTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,
Having regard totheTreaty establishing theEuropean Economic Community ,
andinparticular Article 113 "thereof ,
Having regard totherecommendation bytheCommission ,
Whereas negotiations aretobegin inOctober 1980 within theEconomio
Commission forEurope todraw upaninternational convention onthe
harmonization ofcontrols atfrontiers ;
Whereas thepurpose ofthat Convention istofacilitate theinternational
transport ofgoods ;
Whereas thedraft ofthat Convention contains provisions concerning not
only customs matters ,butalso other fields where goods aresubject to
control ,inparticular thefields ofhealth ,plant health ,veterinary
matters andquality andstandardization ;
Whereas these fields aregoverned bycommon rules intheform ofsecondary
legislation andconsequently fall within theCommunity *s competence ,
HAS DECIDED ASFOLLOWS :■.■ .
Sole Article
TheCommission ishereby authorized toparticipate ,onbehalf oftheand
Community ,/within theUnited Nations Economic Commission forEurope ,inthe
negotiations fortheconclusion ofaninternational convention onthe
harmonization ofcontrols atfrontiers .TheCommission shall conduct such
negotiations with theassistance ofaspecial committee composed of
representatives oftheMember States and inaccordance with thedirectives
annexed hereto andwith suoh directives asmaybeissued toitsubsequently
Pone atBrussels ,
FortheCouncil ,
The President

AnnexI
Directives issued "bytheCounciltotheCommission
TheCommissionshallendeavourtoensurethatthedraftConventions
(a)isconsistentwiththeprovisionsadopted "bytheCommunityin
respectofcustomsmattersandintheotherfieldscoveredbythe
Convention ;
(b)doesnotcontainanyprovisionsonthecontrolofpersons;
(c)isdrawnupinsuohawayastoallowofflexibleapplicationofthe
principlethatcontrolsatfrontiersshould,inthemain,be
organizedandcarriedoutmainlyinconjunction withcustomscontrol
(d)containsaprovisiontotheeffectthatregionaleconomic
integrationorganizations composedofsovereignStateswhichare
membersoftheUnitedNationsandwhichhavecompetencetonegotiate
concludeandapplyinternational agreements onmatterscoveredby
theConvention mayalsobecomeContractingPartiestotheConvention
that,inmatterswithintheircompetence,suchregionaleconomic
integrationorganizations shall,intheirownname,exercisethe
rightsandfulfiltheresponsibilities thattheConvention
confersontheirMemberStates;andthatinsuchcasestheMember
Statesoftheorganizations shallnotbeentitledtoexercisesuch
rightsindependently ;
(e)containsaprovisiontotheeffectthattheConventionapplies
exclusivelytotheexternalfrontiersoftheterritoriescoveredby
suchregionaleconomiointegrationorganizations .