Agreement between the European Economic Community and the Republic of Finland on trade electronic data interchange systems
Date: 1989-12-21
Institutions: European Economic Community, Finland
Subjects: Finland, distributive trades, exchange of information, information network













EUR-Lex - 21989A1230(15) - EN






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21989A1230(15)

Agreement between the European Economic Community and the Republic of Finland on trade electronic data interchange systems  


Official Journal L 400 , 30/12/1989 P. 0007 





AGREEMENTbetween the European Economic  Community and the Republic of Finland on trade electronic data interchange systems THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY, hereinafter referred to as 'the Community', andTHE REPUBLIC OF FINLAND, hereinafter referred to as 'Finland', both hereinafter referred to as the 'Contracting Parties', WHEREAS, by Decision of 5 October 1987, the Council of the European Communities adopted a Community  programme in the field of trade electronic data interchange systems in trade, industry and  administration, hereinafter referred to as the 'Tedis programme'; WHEREAS the Member States of the European Free Trade Association, hereinafter referred to as  'EFTA', take an active part alongside the Community in drawing up European and international  standards in this field; whereas there is a mutual interest in developing cooperation in areas such  as the CD project and telecommunications; WHEREAS the association of Finland with the Community's Tedis programme will facilitate this  cooperation, help to avoid the creation of new technical barriers to trade between the Community  and the Member States of EFTA and contribute to the coordinated development of the electronic  transfer of commercial data throughout Europe; BEARING IN MIND the Joint Declaration calling for the creation of a European economic space (EES),  adopted by Ministers of the Member States of EFTA and the Member States of the Community and the  Commission of the European Communities in Luxembourg on 9 April 1984, HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS: Article 11.  Finland is hereby associated with the Tedis programme under the  conditions laid down in this Agreement. The aims of the Tedis programme are set out in Annex A. 2.  The Commission of the European Communities, hereinafter referred to as the 'Commission', shall  be responsible for the implementation of this programme. Article 2Undertakings, including small and medium-sized enterprises, research institutes and  other bodies established in Finland may tender for and carry out contracts under the Tedis  programme under the same terms and conditions as those applicable to undertakings, research  institutes and other bodies established within the Community. Article 3The results of the implementation of the Tedis programme, in particular those emanating  from contracts concluded in accordance with Article 2, shall be made available to the Contracting  Parties. Article 41.  The financial contribution of Finland deriving from its association with the Tedis  programme shall be established in proportion to the amount available each year in the general  budget of the Community for appropriations covering commitments to meet financial obligations of  the Commission, resulting from the implementation of the programme. 2.  The proportionality factor governing Finland's contribution shall be given by the ratio between  Finland's gross domestic product at market prices and the sum of grossdomestic products at market  prices of the Member States of the Community and of Finland. This ratio shall be calculated on the  basis of the latest available OECD statistical data. 3.  The amount estimated as necessary to carry out the Tedis programme and the amount of Finland's  estimated contribution are set out in Annex B. 4.  The provisions and rules governing Finland's financial contribution are set out in Annex C. Article 5The Commission shall keep Finland informed as to the realization of actions defined in  the Tedis programme. Article 61.  This Agreement shall be concluded for the duration of the Community's Tedis  programme. 2.  Should the Community revise the Tedis programme, the Agreement may be terminated under mutually  agreed conditions. Finland shall be notified of the exact content of the revised programme within  one week after its adoption by the Community. The Contracting Parties shall notify each other  within three months after the Community decisionhas been adopted if a termination of the Agreement  is envisaged. 3.  When a new Tedis programme is adopted, this Agreement shall be renewed by tacit agreement for  the duration of the new programme, unless it is terminated by either of the Contracting Parties  within three months ofthe adoption of the new programme. The provisions of paragraph 2 shall  remain applicable. 4.  Whenever a decision on the renewal of the Tedis programme is taken by the Community, Annexes A  and B shall be amended in accordance with the Community's decision unless otherwise agreed upon by  the Contracting Parties. 5.  This Agreement shall not be regarded as having expired merely because there is a delay in the  adoption of a new Tedis programme. 6.  Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs 2 and 3, either Contracting Party may terminate  this Agreement with three months' notice. The projects and work in progress at the time of  termination and/or expiry of this Agreement shall be continued until they are completed under the  conditions laid down in the Agreement. Article 7Annexes A, B and C to this Agreement shall form an integral part thereof. Article 8This Agreement shall be approved by the Contracting Parties in accordance with their own  procedures. It shall enter into force on the first day of the month following the date on which the  Contracting Parties have notified each other that the procedures necessary to this end have been  completed. Article 9This Agreement shall be drawn up in duplicate in the Danish, Dutch, English, French,  German, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Finnish languages, each of these texts being  equally authentic. Done at Brussels on the seventh day of December in the year one thousand nine  hundred and eighty-nine. For the Councilof the European CommunitiesJean VIDALGianluigi GIOLAFor the Governmentof the  Republic of FinlandLeif BLOMQVIST ANNEX A The objectives of the Tedis programme for 1988 to 1989 are:  1.  coordination at Community level of work going on in the various Member States on the  development of trade electronic data interchange systems;  2.  to alert potential users;  3.  to alert European hardware and software manufacturers to the opportunities offered by  electronic data interchange;  4.  logistic support for European sectoral groups;  5.  consideration on the specific requirements of trade electronic data interchange within Member  States and between the Member States and the Community in telecommunications and standardization  policies; carrying-out of preparatory work for that purpose;  6.  help in the setting-up of conformance testing centres for software and hardware used in trade  electronic data interchange systems;  7.  to seek solutions to legal problems that might inhibit the development of trade electronic  data interchange and to see to it that restrictive telecommunications regulations cannot hamper the  development of trade electronic data interchange;  8.  to study security requirements for trade electronic data interchange systems so as to  guarantee confidentiality of messages transmitted;  9.  to study specific problems caused by the multiplicity of languages in the Community and, to  this end, to examine the possibility, for the purposes of multilingualism, of using the results  obtained or expected under the machine translation programmes Systran and Eurotra; 10.  to study the advisability of promoting the development of the specialized software needed for  trade electronic data interchange; 11.  to list existing or potential sectoral projects on trade electronic data interchange and to  make a comparative analysis of them; 12.  identification of special requirements emerging during the implementation of trade electronic  data interchange systems that could be met more easily with Community assistance; 13.  to make a particular study of the assistance that could be given to small and medium-sized  businesses to help them to take an active part in trade electronic data interchange; 14.  to give thought to possible support for pilot projects the gradual implementation of which  would be likely to encourage solutions, capable of being generalized, to problems of common  interest encountered by most trade electronic data interchange systems. ANNEX B Financial estimates for 1989 Commitment appropriations necessary to carry out  the Tedis programme, less travel expenses and less experts' salaries relating to the Secretariat of  the Edifact Board: ECU 3 840 000. Estimated financial contribution from Finland: ECU 77 568. ANNEX C Financial rules Article 1This Annex lays down the provisions and rules  governing Finland's financial contribution referred to in Article 4 of the Agreement. Article 21.  The financial contribution of Finland shall be administered by the EFTA Secretariat. 2.  Each year, at a time to be agreed upon by the Commission and the EFTA Secretariat, the  Commission shall send to the EFTA Secretariat a call for funds, corresponding to the contributions  of all EFTA countries to the costs under their respective Agreements associating them with the  Tedis programme. 3.  The contribution shall be expressed both in ecus and in Swiss francs, the composition of the  ecu being defined in Council Regulation (EEC) N° 3180/78. The value of the contribution in ecus  shall be determined on the date of the call for funds. 4.  The EFTA Secretariat shall submit to the Commission the contributions of all EFTA countries to  the annual costs under their Agreements at the latest three months after the call for funds is  received by the EFTA Secretariat. Any delay in the payment of the contribution shall give rise to  the payment of interest by the EFTA Secretariat at a rate equal to the highest discount rate  obtaining in the Member States of the Community on the due date. The rate shall be increased by  0,25 % of a percentage point for each month of delay. 5.  The increased rate shall be applied to the entire period of delay. 6.  The financial regulations in force applicable to the general budget of the European Communities  shall apply to the management of the appropriations. 7.  At the end of each year, a statement of appropriations for the Tedis programme shall be  prepared and sent to Finland and the EFTA Secretariat for information.