Commission Regulation (EC) No 2727/1999 of 20 December 1999 introducing prior Community surveillance of imports of certain iron and steel products covered by the ECSC and EC Treaties originating in certain third countries
Date: 1999-12-20
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: ECSC Treaty, European treaties, import policy, iron and steel product, originating product, third country

22. 12. 1999

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 328/17

COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 2727/1999

of 20 December 1999

introducing prior Community surveillance of imports of certain iron and steel products covered by
the ECSC and EC Treaties originating in certain third countries

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 3285/94 of 22
December 1994 on common rules for imports and repealing
Regulation (EC) No 518/94 (1), as last amended by Regulation
(EC) No 2315/96 (2), and in particular Article 11 thereof,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 519/94 of 7
March 1994 on common rules for imports from certain third
countries and repealing Regulations (EEC) No 1765/82, (EEC)
No 1766/82 and (EEC) No 3420/83 (3), as last amended by
Regulation (EC) No 1138/98 (4), and in particular Article 9(1)
thereof,

Consultations having taken place within the committees set up
under the Regulations referred to above,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

by Commission Regulation (EC) No 2845/98 (5), imports
into the Community of certain iron and steel products
covered by the Treaty establishing the European Coal
and Steel Community and the Treaty establishing the
European Community were
priori
Community surveillance;

subject

to

a

in accordance with the provisions of Regulations (EC)
No 3285/94 and (EC) No 519/94, products covered by
the Treaty establishing the European Coal and Steel
Community are subject
for
imports and it is therefore necessary that the arrange-
ments for Community surveillance measures in respect
of ECSC products be adopted in accordance with the
provisions of those Regulations;

to the common rules

(3)

since the beginning of 1998 the steel market has been
seriously disturbed by the consequences of the financial
and economic crisis that began in South East Asia;

(4)

available economic indicators show the following trends:

(5)

(A) Production. In 1998, production of crude steel in the
Community remained with 160 million tonnes at
the same level as in 1997. It slowed down between
January and September 1999 by approximately
5,8 %. The increase in imports of certain finished
steel products in the first semester, the rather slow

(1) OJ L 349, 31.12.1994, p. 53.
(2) OJ L 314, 4.12.1996, p. 1.
(3) OJ L 67, 10.3.1994, p. 89.
(4) OJ L 159, 3.6.1998, p. 1.
(5) OJ L 354, 30.12.1998, p. 55.

recovery in individual consuming sectors, the high
level of stocks and a further reduction of exports
should result in a 1999 crude steel production of
about 155 million tonnes. It is expected to increase
slightly in 2000, since consumption is expected to
increase compared with 1999;

(B) Imports.

Imports of ECSC products
into the
Community from all third countries amounted to
18,3 million tonnes in 1998, 50 % above 1997.
imports of
During the first six months of 1999,
ECSC products amounted to 9 million tonnes, a
decrease of 12 % compared with the same period in
1998. Imports of flat products decreased by 29 %,
long products increased by 20 % and semi-finished
products by 8 %;

(C) Exports. Exports of ECSC products decreased by
20 % to 16,8 million tonnes in 1998 compared
with 1997. In the first six months of 1999, exports
of ECSC products amounted to 7,2 million tonnes,
an average decrease of 16 % compared with the
same period in 1998. For 1999 as a whole, the
Community is likely to become for the second year
in row a net importer of steel products. In 1997, the
Community had a net surplus of 8,5 million tonnes
and in 1998 it had a net deficit of 1,5 million
tonnes;

(D) Similar

imports of

trends apply to certain steel products
covered by the EC Treaty: in 1998, production of
steel tubes and pipes increased by 1,5 % compared
with 1997;
tubes and pipes
increased by an average of 17 % in 1998 compared
with 1997;
the first six months of 1999,
imports of steel tubes and pipes decreased by an
average of 11 % compared with the same period in
1998, but over the same period exports decreased
by 32 %;

steel

for

the Community's external trade statistics are not avail-
able within the periods established by Commission
Regulation No 840/96 (6) and whereas it is necessary
that this problem should be addressed urgently;

(6)

the interests of the Community require that imports of
certain steel products
to prior
Community surveillance in order to provide statistical
information permitting rapid analysis of import trends;

should be subject

(6) OJ L 114, 8.5.1996, p. 7.

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Official Journal of the European Communities

22. 12. 1999

(7)

(8)

(9)

(10)

(11)

(12)

(13)

the completion of the internal market requires that the
formalities to be accomplished by Community importers
be identical wherever the goods may be cleared;

release for free circulation of the products covered by
this Regulation should be made subject to presentation
of a surveillance document meeting uniform criteria;

that document should on simple application by the
importer, be endorsed by the authorities of the Member
States within a certain period but without the importer
thereby acquiring any right to import; the document
should therefore be valid only during such period as the
import rules remain unchanged;

the surveillance documents issued for the purposes of
Community surveillance must be valid throughout the
Community, regardless of the Member State of issue;

the Member States
and the Commission should
exchange the information resulting from Community
surveillance as fully as possible;

the issue of surveillance documents, while subject to
standard conditions at Community level,
is to be the
responsibility of the national authorities;

it should be recalled that the delivery of a surveillance
document for certain iron and steel products is subject
to presentation of an export document in accordance
with arrangements established within the framework of
double-checking agreements with certain third countries,
and whereas the present Regulation does not apply to
the products originating in those countries which are
subject to such a double-checking system,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

1.
From 1 January 2000, the release for free circulation in
the Community of iron and steel products covered by the ECSC
and EC Treaties listed in Annex I shall be subject to prior
Community surveillance in accordance with Articles 11 and 12
of Regulation (EC) No 3285/94 and Articles 9 and 10 of
Regulation (EC) No 519/94. This applies to imports originating
in all non-member countries other than in respect of products
originating in countries of the European Free Trade Association
(EFTA), in countries which are parties to the Agreement on the
European Economic Area (EEA), and in Turkey. Products which
are subject to a double-checking surveillance agreement estab-
lished between a non-member country and the Community

shall be subject to the conditions established by that agreement
and not to the present Regulation.

2.
The classification of the products covered by this Regula-
tion is based on the tariff and statistical nomenclature of the
Community (hereinafter called the ‘Combined Nomenclature’,
or in abbreviated form ‘CN’). The origin of
the products
covered by this Regulation shall be determined in accordance
with the rules in force in the Community.

Article 2

1.
The release for free circulation in the Community of the
products referred to in Article 1 shall be subject to presentation
of a surveillance document issued by the relevant authorities of
a Member State.

2.
The surveillance document referred to in paragraph 1
shall be issued automatically by the competent authority in the
Member States, without charge for any quantities requested,
within five working days of presentation of an application by
any Community
established in the
Community. This application shall be deemed to have been
received by the competent national authority no later than
three working days after submission, unless it is proven other-
wise.

importer, wherever

3.
A surveillance document issued by one of the authorities
listed in Annex II shall be valid throughout the Community.

4.
The surveillance document shall be made out on a form
corresponding to the model at Annex I to Regulation (EC) No
3285/94 (1). The importer's application shall
include the
following elements:

(a) the name and full address of the applicant (including tele-
phone and fax numbers, and possible identification number
used by the competent national authorities) and VAT regis-
tration number,

if subject to VAT;

(b) if applicable, the name and full address of the declarant or
representative of the applicant (including telephone and fax
numbers);

(c) the full name and address of the exporter;

(d) the exact description of the goods,

including

— their trade name,
— the Combined Nomenclature (CN) code(s),
— the country of origin,
— the country of consignment;

(e)

the net weight, expressed in kg and also quantity in the
unit prescribed where other than net weight, by Combined
Nomenclature heading;

(f) the cif value of the goods in euro at the Community

frontier by Combined Nomenclature heading;

(g) whether the products concerned are seconds or of substan-

dard quality (2);

(h) the proposed period and place of customs clearance;

(i) whether the application is a repeat of a previous applica-

tion concerning the same contract;

(1) as modified by Council Regulation (EC) No 139/96 (OJ L 21,
27.7.1996, p.7), and taking into account the provisions of Article 2
of Council Regulation (EC) No 1103/97 on certain provisions rela-
ting to the introduction of the euro (OJ L 162, 19.6.1997, p.l).

(2) Under the criteria given in OJ C 180, 11.7.1991, p. 4.

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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(j) the following declaration, dated and signed by the applicant

with the transcription of his name in capital

letters:

the surveillance document by less than 5 % shall not preclude
the release for free circulation of the products in question.

‘I, the undersigned, certify that the information provided in
this application is true and given in good faith, and that I
am established in the Community.’

2.
Applications for surveillance documents and the docu-
ments themselves shall be confidential. They shall be restricted
to the competent authorities and the applicant.

The importer shall also submit a copy of the contract of sale or
purchase and of the pro forma invoice. If so requested, for
example in cases where the goods are not directly purchased in
the country of production, the importer shall present a certifi-
cate of production issued by the producing steel mill.

5.
Surveillance documents may be used only for such time
as arrangements for liberalisation of imports remain in force in
respect of the transactions concerned. Without prejudice to
possible changes in the import regulations in force or decisions
taken in the framework of an agreement or the management of
a quota:
— the period of validity of

the surveillance document

is

hereby fixed at four months,

— unused or partly used surveillance documents may be

renewed for an equal period.

The importer shall return surveillance documents to the

6.
issuing authority at the end of their period of validity.

7.
The competent authorities may, under the conditions
fixed by them, allow the submission of declarations or requests
to be transmitted or printed by electronic means. However, all
documents and evidence must be available to the competent
authorities.

8.
The surveillance document may be issued by electronic
means as long as the customs offices involved have access to
this document across a computer network.

Article 4

The Member States shall communicate to the Commis-

1.
sion:

(a) on as regular and up-to-date a basis as possible and at least
by the last day of each month, details of the quantities and
values (calculated in euro) for which surveillance docu-
ments have been issued;

(b) within six weeks of the end of each month, details of
imports during that month, in accordance with Article 26
of Regulation No 840/96.

The information provided by Member States shall be broken
down by product, CN code and by country.

2.
The Member States shall give notification of any anoma-
lies or cases of fraud which they discover and, where relevant,
the basis on which they have refused to grant a surveillance
document.

Article 5

Any notices to be given hereunder shall be given to the
Commission of
the European Communities and shall be
communicated electronically within the integrated network set
up for this purpose, unless for imperative technical reasons it is
necessary to use other means of communication temporarily.

Article 3

Article 6

1.
A finding that the unit price at which the transaction is
effected varies from that indicated in the surveillance document
by less than 5 % in either direction or that the total quantity of
the products presented for import exceeds the quantity given in

This Regulation shall enter into force on the day of its publica-
tion in the Official Journal of the European Communities.

This Regulation shall apply from 1 January to 31 December
2000.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 20 December 1999.

For the Commission

Pascal LAMY

Member of the Commission

L 328/20

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Official Journal of the European Communities

22. 12. 1999

ANNEX I

LIST OF PRODUCTS SUBJECT TO PRIOR SURVEILLANCE (2000)

7208 10 10

7208 25 00

7208 26 00

7208 27 00

7208 36 00

7208 37 10

7208 37 90

7208 38 10

7208 38 90

7208 39 10

7208 39 90

7208 40 10

7208 40 90

7208 51 10

7208 51 30

7208 51 50

7208 51 91

7208 51 99

7208 52 10

7208 52 91

7208 52 99

7208 53 10

7208 53 90

7208 54 10

7208 54 90

7208 90 10

7209 15 00

7209 16 10

7209 16 90

7209 17 10

7209 17 90

7209 18 10

7209 18 91

7209 18 99

7209 25 00

7209 26 10

7209 26 90

7209 27 10

7209 27 90

7209 28 10

7209 28 90

7209 90 10

7210 11 10

7210 12 11

7210 12 19

7210 20 10

7210 30 10

7210 41 10

7210 49 10

7210 50 10

7210 61 10

7210 69 10

7210 70 31

7210 70 39

7210 90 31

7210 90 33

7210 90 38

7211 13 00

7211 14 10

7211 14 90

7211 19 20

7211 19 90

7211 23 10

7211 23 51

7211 23 91 (*)

7211 23 99 (*)

7211 29 20

7211 29 50 (*)

7211 29 90 (*)

7211 90 11

7211 90 90 (*)

7212 10 10

7212 10 91

7212 20 11

7212 30 11

7212 40 10

7212 40 91

7212 50 31

7212 50 51

7212 60 11

7212 60 91

7213 10 00

7213 20 00

7213 91 10

7213 91 20

7213 91 41

7213 91 49

7213 91 70

7213 91 90

7213 99 10

7213 99 90

7214 20 00

7214 30 00

7214 91 10

7214 91 90

7214 99 10

7214 99 31

7214 99 39

7214 99 50

7214 99 61

7214 99 69

7214 99 80

7214 99 90

7215 90 10

7216 10 00

7216 21 00

7216 22 00

7216 31 11

7216 31 19

7216 31 91

7216 31 99

7216 32 11

7216 32 19

7216 32 91

7216 32 99

7216 33 10

7216 33 90

7216 40 10

7216 40 90

7216 50 10

7216 50 91

7216 50 99

7216 99 10

7225 11 00

7225 19 10

7225 19 90

7225 20 20

7225 30 00

7225 40 80

7226 11 10

7226 11 90 (*)

7226 19 10

7226 19 30

7226 19 90 (*)

7228 10 10

7228 10 30

7228 20 11

7228 20 19

7228 20 30

7228 30 20

7228 30 41

7228 30 49

7228 30 61

7228 30 69

7228 30 70

7228 30 89

7228 60 10

7228 70 10

7228 70 31

7228 80 10

7228 80 90

7301 10 00

Complete CN heading
7304 (*)

Complete CN heading
7306 (*)

7307 93 11 (*)

7307 93 19 (*)

7307 99 30 (*)

7307 99 90 (*)

(*) Products covered by the EC Treaty

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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ANEXO II — BILAG II — ANHANG II — ΠΑΡΑΡΤΗΜΑ ΙΙ — ANNEX II — ANNEXE II — ALLEGATO II —
BĲLAGE II — ANEXO II — LIITE II — BILAGA II

LISTA DE LAS AUTORIDADES NACIONALES COMPETENTES

LISTE OVER KOMPETENTE NATIONALE MYNDIGHEDER

LISTE DER ZUSTÄNDIGEN BEHÖRDEN DER MITGLIEDSTAATEN

∆ΙΕΥΘΥΝΣΕΙΣ ΤΩΝ ΑΡΧΩΝ ΕΚ∆ΟΣΗΣ Α∆ΕΙΩΝ ΤΩΝ ΚΡΑΤΩΝ ΜΕΛΩΝ

LIST OF THE COMPETENT NATIONAL AUTHORITIES

LISTE DES AUTORITÉS NATIONALES COMPÉTENTES

ELENCO DELLE COMPETENTI AUTORITÀ NAZIONALI

LĲST VAN DE BEVOEGDE NATIONALE INSTANTIES

LISTA DAS AUTORIDADES NACIONAIS COMPETENTES

LUETTELO TOIMIVALTAISISTA KANSALLISISTA VIRANOMAISISTA

LISTA ÖVER KOMPETENTA NATIONELLA MYNDIGHETER

Belgique/België

France

Ministère des affaires économiques
Administration des relations économiques
Services ‘licences’
Rue Général Leman 60
B-1040 Bruxelles
Fax (32-2) 230 83 22

Ministerie van Economische Zaken
Bestuur van de Economische Betrekkingen
Dienst Vergunningen
Generaal Lemanstraat 60
B-1040 Brussel
Fax (32-2) 230 83 22

Danmark

Erhvervsfremmestyrelsen
Søndergade 25
DK-8600 Silkeborg
Fax (45) 35 46 64 01

Deutschland

Bundesamt für Wirtschaft, Dienst 01
Postfach 5171
D-65762 Eschborn 1
Fax: (+49) 6196 40 42 12

Ελλάς

Υπουργείο Εθνικής Οικονοµίας
Γενική Γραµµατεία ∆ΟΣ
∆ιεύθυνση ∆ιαδικασιών Εξωτερικού Εµπορίου
Κορνάρου 1
GR-10563 Αθήνα
Φαξ: (30-1) 328 60 94

España

Ministerio de Economía y Hacienda
Dirección General de Comercio Exterior
Paseo de la Castellana 162
E-28046 Madrid
Fax: (34) 915 63 18 23
(34) 913 49 38 31

Service des industries manufacturières
Digitip
12, rue Villiot — Bâtiment Le Bervil
F-75572 Paris Cedex 12
Fax: (33) 153 44 91 93

Ireland

Licensing Unit
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Kildare Street
Dublin 2
Ireland
Fax: (353-1) 631 28 26

Italia

Ministero del Commercio con l'estero
Direzione generale per la politica commerciale
e per la gestione del regime degli scambi
Viale America 341
I-00144 Roma
Fax: (39) 06 59 93 22 35/06 59 93 26 36

Luxembourg

Ministère des affaires étrangères
Office des licences
BP 113
L-2011 Luxembourg
Téléfax: (352) 46 61 38

Nederland

Centrale Dienst voor In- en Uitvoer
Postbus 3003
Engelse Kamp 2
9700 RD Groningen
Nederland
Fax (31-50) 526 06 98

Österreich

Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Angelegenheiten
Außenwirtschaftsadministration
Landstrasser Hauptstraße 55-57
A-1030 Wien
Fax: (+43) 1-715 83 47

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Portugal

Ministério da Economia
Direcção-Geral das Relações Económicas Internacionais
Avenida da República, 79
P-1000 Lisboa
Fax: (351-21) 793 22 10

Sverige

Kommerskollegium
Box 6803
S-113 86 Stockholm
Fax (46-8) 30 67 59

United Kingdom

Suomi

Tullihallitus
PL 512
FIN-00101 Helsinki
Faksi: + 358 9 614 28 52

Department of Trade and Industry
Import Licensing Branch
Queensway House — West Precinct
Billingham, Cleveland
TS23 2NF
United Kingdom
Fax: (44-1642) 53 35 57