Council Act of 12 March 1999 drawing up, on the basis of Article K.3 of the Treaty on European Union, the Protocol on the scope of the laundering of proceeds in the Convention on the use of information technology for customs purposes and the inclusion of the registration number of the means of transport in the Convention
Date: 1999-03-12
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: agreement (EU), computer systems, customs cooperation, customs regulations, money laundering, transport regulations

31.3.1999

EN

Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities

C  91/1

(Acts  adopted  under  Title  VI  of  the  Treaty  on  European  Union)

COUNCIL  ACT

of  12  March  1999

drawing  up,  on  the  basis  of  Article  K.3 of the Treaty on European Union, the Protocol on the
scope of the laundering of proceeds in the Convention on the use of information technology for
customs purposes and the inclusion of the registration number of the means of transport in the
Convention

(1999/C  91/01)

THE  COUNCIL  OF  THE  EUROPEAN  UNION,

Having  regard  to  the  Treaty  on  European  Union,  and  in  particular  Article  K.3(2)(c)  thereof,

WHEREAS  in  the  interests  of  uniformity  of  the  existing  acts  for  customs  cooperation  purposes
and  of  intensifying  the  fight  against  organised  crime  it  is  necessary  to  widen  the  scope  of  the
laundering of proceeds and to include category ‘registration number of the means of transport’
in  the  data  categories;

HAVING  DECIDED  that  the  Protocol,  the  text  of  which  is  given  in  the  Annex  and  which  has
been  signed  today  by  the  representatives  of  the  Governments  of  the  Member  States  of  the
Union,  is  hereby  drawn  up;

RECOMMENDS  that  it  be  adopted  by  the  Member  States  in  accordance  with  their  respective
constitutional  requirements.

Done  at  Brussels,  12  March  1999.

For  the  Council

The  President

O.  SCHILY

C  91/2

EN

Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities

31.3.1999

PROTOCOL

drawn  up  on  the  basis  of  Article  K.3  of  the  Treaty  on  European  Union,  on  the  scope  of  the
laundering  of  proceeds  in  the  Convention  on  the  use  of  information  technology  for  customs
purposes  and  the  inclusion  of  the  registration  number  of  the  means  of  transport  in  the
Convention

THE  HIGH  CONTRACTING  PARTIES  to  this  Protocol,  Member  States  of  the  European  Union,

REFERRING  to  the  Act  of  the  Council  of  the  European  Union  of  12  March  1999,

HAVING  REGARD  to  the  Convention  drawn  up  on  the  basis  of  Article  K.3  of  the  Treaty  on  European
Union  on  the  use  of  information  technology  for  customs  purposes (1),  hereinafter  referred  to  as  ‘the
Convention’;

HAVE  AGREED  ON  THE  FOLLOWING  PROVISIONS:

Article  1

The second indent of Article 1(1) of the Convention shall
be  amended  to  read  as  follows:

‘—  the  transfer,  conversion,  concealment  or  disguise
of  property  or  proceeds  derived  from,  obtained
directly  or  indirectly  through  or  used  in,  illicit
international  drug  trafficking  or  any  infringement
of:

(i)  all 

laws,  regulations  and  administrative
provisions of a Member State the application
of  which  comes  wholly  or  partly  within  the
jurisdiction  of  the  customs  administration  of
the  Member  State  concerning  cross-border
traffic  in  goods  subject  to  bans,  restrictions
or controls, in particular pursuant to Articles
36  and  223  of  the  Treaty  establishing  the
European  Community,  and  non-harmonised
excise  duties,  or

(ii)  the  body  of  Community  provisions  and
associated implementing provisions governing
the  import,  export,  transit  and  presence  of
goods  traded  between  Member  States  and
third  countries,  and  between  Member  States
in  the  case  of  goods  that  do  not  have
Community  status  within  the  meaning  of
Article  9(2)  of  the  Treaty  establishing  the

(1)  OJ  C  316,  27.11.1995,  p.  34.

European  Community  or  goods  subject  to
additional  controls  or  investigations  for  the
purposes  of  establishing  their  Community
status,  or

(iii) the  body  of  provisions 

at
Community 
common
level  under 
agricultural policy and the specific provisions
adopted  with  regard  to  goods  resulting  from
the  processing  of  agricultural  products,  or

adopted 

the 

(iv)  the  body  of  provisions 

level 
for 

Community 
duties 
and 
importation 
provisions  implementing  them.’

together  with 

adopted 

at
for  harmonised  excise
tax  on
value-added 
the  national

Article  2

The  data  categories  listed  in  Article  4  of  the  Convention
shall  be  supplemented  by  the  following  category:

‘(ix)  registration  number  of  the  means  of  transport.’

Article  3

1. This  Protocol  shall  be  subject  to  adoption  by  the
Member  States 
in  accordance  with  their  respective
constitutional  requirements.

2. Member  States  shall  notify  the  depositary  of  the
completion of their respective constitutional requirements
for  adopting  this  Protocol.

31.3.1999

EN

Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities

C  91/3

3. This  Protocol  shall  enter  into  force  90  days  after  the
notification,  referred  to  in  paragraph  2,  by  the  Member
State  which,  being  a  member  of  the  European  Union  on
the  date  of  adoption  by  the  Council  of  the  Act  drawing
up  this  Protocol,  is  the  last  to  fulfil  that  formality.
However,  it  shall  at  the  earliest  enter  into  force  at  the
same  time  as  the  Convention.

Article  4

1. This Protocol shall be open to accession by any State
that  becomes  a  Member  State  of  the  European  Union.

2. The  instruments  of  accession  shall  be  deposited  with
the  depositary.

3. The  texts  of  this  Protocol  in  the  language  of  the
acceding State, drawn up by the Council of the European
Union,  shall  be  authentic.

Article  5

Any State that becomes a Member State of the European
Union and accedes to the Convention in accordance with
Article  25  thereof  shall  accept  the  provisions  of  this
Protocol.

Article  6

1. Amendments  to  this  Protocol  may  be  proposed  by
any Member State that is a High Contracting Party. Any
proposed amendment shall be sent to the depositary, who
shall  communicate  it  to  the  Council.

2. Amendments  shall  be  adopted  by  the  Council,  which
shall  recommend  them  to  the  Member  States  for
adoption 
respective
in 
constitutional  requirements.

accordance  with 

their 

3. Amendments  adopted  in  this  manner  shall  come  into
force  in  accordance  with  Article  3.

Article  7

4. This  Protocol  shall  enter  into  force  with  respects  to
any  State  that  accedes  to  it  90  days  after  the  date  of
deposit  of  its  instrument  of  accession  or  on  the  date  of
entry  into  force  of  this  Protocol  if  the  latter  has  not
already entered into force upon expiry of the said period
of  90  days.

1. The Secretary-General of the Council of the European
Union  shall  act  as  depositary  of  this  Protocol.

2. The depositary shall publish in the Official Journal of
the European Communities the  notifications,  instruments
or  communications  concerning  this  Protocol.

Hecho  en  Bruselas,  el  doce  de  marzo  de  mil  novecientos  noventa  y  nueve.

Udfærdiget  i  Bruxelles,  den  tolvte  marts  nitten  hundrede  og  nioghalvfems.

Geschehen  zu  Brüssel  am  zwölften  März  neunzehnhundertneunundneunzig.

˛γØν(cid:229)  (cid:243)(cid:244)Øς  ΒρυŒ(cid:229)(cid:139) λλ(cid:229)ς,  (cid:243)(cid:244)Øς  (cid:228)ω(cid:139) (cid:228)(cid:229)κÆ  ΜÆρ(cid:244)(cid:221)(cid:239)υ  ł(cid:221)λØÆ  (cid:229)ννØÆκ(cid:222)(cid:243)ØÆ  (cid:229)ν(cid:229)νη(cid:139) ν(cid:244)Æ  (cid:229)νν(cid:229)(cid:139) Æ.

Done  at  Brussels  on  the  twelfth  day  of  March  in  the  year  one  thousand  nine  hundred  and
ninety-nine.

Fait  à  Bruxelles,  le  douze  mars  mil  neuf  cent  quatre-vingt-dix-neuf.

Arna  dhe´anamh  sa  Bhruise´il  an  dara  lá  de´ag  de  Mhárta,  míle  naoi  gce´ad  noacha  naoi.

Fatto  a  Bruxelles,  addì  dodici  marzo  millenovecentonovantanove.

Gedaan  te  Brussel,  de  twaalfde  maart  negentienhonderd  negenennegentig.

Feito  em  Bruxelas,  em  doze  de  Março  de  mil  novecentos  e  noventa  e  nove.

Tehty  Brysselissä  kahdentenatoista  päivänä  maaliskuuta  vuonna  tuhatyhdeksänsataayhdek-
sänkymmentäyhdeksän.

Som  skedde  i  Bryssel  den  tolfte  mars  nittonhundranittionio.

C  91/4

EN

Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities

31.3.1999

Pour  le  gouvernement  du  Royaume  de  Belgique
Voor  de  regering  van  het  Koninkrijk  België
Für  die  Regierung  des  Königreichs  Belgien

For  regeringen  for  Kongeriget  Danmark

Für  die  Regierung  der  Bundesrepublik  Deutschland

ΓØÆ  (cid:244)ην  κυ(cid:226)(cid:229)(cid:139) ρνη(cid:243)η  (cid:244)ης  ΕλληνØκη(cid:139) ς  ∆ηµ(cid:239)κρÆ(cid:244)(cid:221)Æς

Por  el  Gobierno  del  Reino  de  España

31.3.1999

EN

Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities

C  91/5

Pour  le  gouvernement  de  la  Re´publique  française

Thar  ceann  Rialtas  na  hÉireann
For  the  Government  of  Ireland

Per  il  governo  della  Repubblica  italiana

Pour  le  gouvernement  du  Grand-Duche´ de  Luxembourg

Voor  de  regering  van  het  Koninkrijk  der  Nederlanden

C  91/6

EN

Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities

31.3.1999

Für  die  Regierung  der  Republik  Österreich

Pelo  Governo  da  República  Portuguesa

Suomen  hallituksen  puolesta
På  finska  regeringens  vägnar

På  svenska  regeringens  vägnar

For  the  Government  of  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and  Northern  Ireland

31.3.1999

EN

Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities

C  91/7

DECLARATIONS

1.  The  Kingdom  of  Spain  declares  the  intention  to  include  data  in  the  Customs  Information
System after having considered, in each case, the principles of legal security and presumption
of  innocence,  in  particular  when  the  data  to  be  included  relate  to  fiscal  matters.

2.  Denmark  declares,  as  far  as  it  is  concerned,  that  Article  1  will  only  apply  to  the  predicate
offences  in  respect  of  which  at  any  time  receiving  stolen  goods  is  punishable  under  Danish
law,  including  Section  191a  of  the  Danish  Criminal  Code  on  receiving  stolen  drugs  in
connection  with  smuggling  of  a  particularly  aggravated  nature.