Proposal for a Council Regulation amending Regulation (EC) No 1255/96 temporarily suspending the autonomous common customs tariff duties on certain industrial and agricultural products
Date: 2000-04-25
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: CCT duties, agricultural product, industrial product, suspension of customs duties

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES

Brussels, 25.04.2000
COM(2000) 238 final

Proposal for a

COUNCIL REGULATION

amending Regulation (EC) No 1255/96 temporarily suspending the autonomous
common customs tariff duties on certain industrial and agricultural products

(presented by the Commission)

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

During the first quarter of this year, the Commission, assisted by the Economic Tariff
Questions Group, has reviewed all the requests for temporary suspension of autonomous
common customs tariff duties presented to it by the Member States, including requests for
extending suspensions at present in force.

The attached proposal concerns certain industrial and agricultural products.

Requests for suspension relating to the above products were examined in the light of the
criteria set out in the communication from the Commission concerning autonomous tariff
suspensions and quotas (see OJ C 128, 25.4.1998, p. 2).

Following this review, the Commission considers that the suspension or reduction of duties is
justified for the products listed in Annex I to the attached proposal for a Regulation.

Products for which suspension is no longer in the Community’s economic interests or which
are exempt from duty under GATT have been withdrawn and are set out in Annex II.

The two annexes to this Regulation thus correspond respectively, to the list of products for
which suspension is proposed, or for which the wording (including the nomenclature code)
has to be changed, and the list of products removed from the Annex to Regulation (EC) No
1255/96.

Amendments to the description of certain products listed in the Annex to Regulation (EC) No
1255/96, where they have become necessary, have been taken into account as follows:

–

–

addition of the nomenclature code for the product (listed in the Annex to Regulation
(EC) No 1255/96) in Annex II,

addition of the new amended product description in Annex I.

The period of validity of the proposed measure is unspecified, since its purpose is to amend
the annex to Council Regulation (EC) No 1255/96, the period of validity of which is itself
unspecified.

2

Proposal for a

COUNCIL REGULATION

amending Regulation (EC) No 1255/96 temporarily suspending the autonomous
common customs tariff duties on certain industrial and agricultural products

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article
26 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission1,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

It is in the interest of the Community to suspend partially or totally the autonomous
common customs tariff duties for a number of new products not listed in the Annex to
Regulation (EC) No 1255/962.

A number of products which are referred to in the said Regulation should be
withdrawn from the list in the Annex because it is no longer in the Community’s
interest to maintain suspension of autonomous common customs tariff duties, or
because they are exempt from duty under GATT or because the description needs to
be altered in the light of technical developments.

(3)

For the sake of clarity, products whose description needs to be altered should be
regarded as new products.

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

The Annex to Regulation (EC) No 1255/96 is amended as follows:

Article1

(1)

(2)

1

2

The products set out in Annex I to this Regulation are inserted.

The products for which the codes are set out in Annex II to this Regulation are
deleted.

OJ L
OJ L 158, 29.6.1996, p.1. Regulation last amended by Regulation (EC) No 20/2000 (OJ L 8, 12.1.2000,
p.1).

3

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter into force on the third day following that of its publication in the
Official Journal of the European Communities.

It shall apply with effect from 1 July 2000.

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

Done at Brussels, […]

For the Council
The President

4

ANNEX I

CN code & TARIC

Description

Rate of
autonomous
duty (%)

0010

ex0603 90 00 10
ex0604 99 90 10

Flowers, flower buds, foliage, leaves and other parts of plants, not further
prepared than dried, dyed or bleached, for use in the manufacture of pot
pourri of subheading 3307 49 00 (a)

0021

ex1511 90 19 10
ex1511 90 91 10
ex1513 11 10 10
ex1513 19 30 10
ex1513 21 11 10
ex1513 29 30 10

Palm oil, coconut (copra) oil, palm kernel oil, for the manufacture of:

industrial monocarboxylic fatty acids of
subheading 3823 19 10,

mixtures of methyl esters of fatty acids of
subheading 3824 90 95,

methyl esters of fatty acids of heading 2915 or
2916
or

stearic acid of subheading 3823 11 00

(a)

0022

ex2837 19 00 20

Copper cyanide

0058

ex2907 29 00 60

4,4'-(1,3-Phenylenediisopropylidene)diphenol

0064

ex2908 20 00 30
ex3824 90 95 74

6-Hydroxynaphthalene-2-sulfonic acid and its salts

0130

ex2921 19 80 30

Allylamine

5

0

0

0

0

0

0

-
-
-
-
CN code & TARIC

Description

Rate of
autonomous
duty (%)

0175bi

ex2923 90 00 30

Tetramethylammonium hydroxide pentahydrate, containing:

500 mg/kg or less of carbonate,

200 mg/kg or less of chloride
and

5 mg/kg or less of potassium

0214

ex2930 90 70 75

4,4'-[Methylenebis(oxyethylenethio)]diphenol

0215

ex2930 90 70 80

Captan (ISO)

0272

ex2933 69 80 50

1,3,5-Tris(2,3-dibromopropyl)-1,3,5-triazinane-2,4,6-trione

0300

ex2934 90 96 55

Naphth[1,2-d][1,2,3]oxadiazole-5-sulfonic acid

0301

ex2934 90 96 60
ex3824 90 95 41

7-Nitronaphth[1,2-d][1,2,3]oxadiazole-5-sulfonic acid of a purity by weight
of 60 % or more

0333

ex3215 90 80 20

Heat sensitive ink fixed on a plastic film

0409

ex3824 90 95 75

Mixture of 2,2-bis[2-(perfluoroalkyl)ethylthiomethyl]propane-1,3-diols

6

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

-
-
-
CN code & TARIC

Description

Rate of
autonomous
duty (%)

0491

ex3904 30 00 20

Copolymer of vinyl chloride, vinyl acetate and maleic acid, for use in the
manufacture of polyvinyl chloride-metal hot-melt adhesive (a)

0527

ex3907 30 00 40
ex3926 90 99 70

Epoxyde resin, containing by weight 70 % or more of silicon dioxide, for
the encapsulation of goods of heading No 8533, 8535, 8536, 8541, 8542 or
8548 (a)

0575

ex3920 42 91 94

Polyvinyl chloride sheet, with relief printing, of a kind used in the templates
for textile printing

0590

ex3920 62 19 62

Polyethylene terephthalate film, of a thickness not exceeding 12 µ m, coated
on one side with a layer of aluminium oxide of a thickness not exceeding
35 nm

0597

ex3920 62 19 85

Film of a total thickness of 4,5 µ m (± 0,16 µ m), consisting of a biaxially-
oriented polyethylene terephthalate film, of an elastic modulus (in the
machine direction) of 12 kg/mm2 (± 2 kg/mm2) and a tensile strength (in the
machine direction) of more than 28 kg/mm2, and of an anti-adherent coating

0579

ex3920 62 19 88

Laminated sheet, consisting of a biaxially oriented film of polyethylene
terephthalate, covered on one side or on both sides with a layer of
polyethylene terephthalate, for use in the manufacture of identity cards,
credit cards and similar products (including “smart” cards) (a)

0

0

0

0

0

0

7

CN code & TARIC

Description

Rate of
autonomous
duty (%)

0636

ex4811 21 00 10

Impregnated paper coated or covered with a pressure-sensitive self-adhesive
layer, the whole:

of a tensile of 2 700 N/m or more but not
exceeding 3 700 N/m in the machine direction
(as determined by the EN ISO 1924-2 and ISO
3781 methods),

of a stretch factor of 1,5 % or more but not
exceeding 3,0 % in the machine direction (as
determined by the EN ISO 1924-2 and ISO 3781
methods)

0673

ex5603 12 90 60
ex5603 13 90 60

Non-woven of spunbonded polyethylene, of a weight of more than 60 g/m2
but not exceeding 80 g/m2 and an air resistance (Gurley) of 8 s or more but
not exceeding 36 s (as determined by the ISO 5636/5 method)

0689

ex6813 90 90 10

Friction material, of a thickness of less than 20 mm, not mounted, for the
manufacture of
friction components of a kind used in automatic
transmissions and clutches (a)

0702

ex7011 20 00 80

Glass bulb for monochrome cathode-ray tube, of a diagonal measurement of
3,8 cm or more but not exceeding 51 cm and a nominal neck diameter of
13 mm, 20 mm, 29 mm or 37 mm

0723

ex7613 00 00 20
ex8708 99 98 10

Aluminium container, seamless, for compressed natural gas or compressed
hydrogen, wholly embedded in an overwrap of epoxy-carbon fibres
composite, of a capacity of 172 l (± 10 %) and an unfilled weight not
exceeding 64 kg

0730

ex8104 90 00 20

Sections, of extruded magnesium, of a length of 800 mm or more but not
exceeding 2 900 mm and a width of 15 mm or more but not exceeding
70 mm

8

0

0

0

0

0

0

-
-
CN code & TARIC

Description

Rate of
autonomous
duty (%)

0095

ex8536 50 15 32

Rotary switch in form of a wheel with a diameter of between 15 and 16 mm
and contacts for closing the circuit, for a rated voltage of 12 V at 50 mA

0146

ex8543 89 95 57

Frequency converter for the conversion of frequencies of 10,7 GHz or more
but not exceeding 12,75 GHz to frequencies of 950 MHz or more but not
exceeding 3 GHz and operating at a supply voltage of 11 V or more but not
exceeding 20 V

0167

ex9002 11 00 50

Lens unit, having a focal length of 25 mm or more but not exceeding 150
mm, consisting of glass or plastic lenses, with a diameter of 60 mm or more
but not exceeding 190 mm

0

0

0

(a)

Control of the use for this special purpose shall be carried out pursuant to the relevant
Community provisions.

9

CN code

Taric

ANNEX II

ex

ex

ex

ex

ex

ex

ex

ex

ex

ex

ex

ex

ex

ex

ex

ex

ex

ex

ex

ex

ex

ex

ex

ex

ex

0603 90 00

0604 99 10

0604 99 90

0713 33 90

1511 10 10

1511 90 19

1511 90 91

1513 11 10

1513 19 30

1513 21 11

1513 29 30

2924 10 00

2928 00 90

2934 90 96

2934 90 96

3824 90 95

3905 91 00

3907 30 00

3920 42 91

3920 62 19

3920 62 19

4811 21 00

5002 00 00

8543 89 95

9002 11 00

9002 90 90

10

10

10

20

10

10

10

10

10

10

10

30

30

55

60

41

93

40

94

62

85

10

57

50

10

10

FINANCIAL STATEMENT

1.

TITLE OF OPERATION

Proposal
for a Council Regulation amending Regulation (EC) No 1255/96
temporarily suspending the autonomous common customs tariff duties on certain
industrial and agricultural products.

2.

BUDGET HEADING(S) INVOLVED

Chapter 12 Article 120.

3.

LEGAL BASIS

Article 26 of the EC Treaty.

4.

DESCRIPTION OF OPERATION

Suspension of the common customs tariff duties for the above products.

7.

FINANCIAL IMPACT

In order to reduce the economic problems arising from the period of validity of
previous Regulations, Council Regulation (EC) No 1255/96, now in force, does not
have an expiry date.

This proposal contains only the amendments which must be made to the annex to the
existing Regulation in order to take account of the following:

1.

2.

new requests for suspension which have been presented and accepted;

technical product developments, economic trends on the market and the GATT
agreement, resulting in the lifting of certain existing suspensions;

3.

amendments to Nomenclature codes.

Obviously only the amendments described in 1 and 2 have a financial impact.

Addition

This Annex, in addition to the amendments resulting from changes to CN codes,
contains 17 new products. The uncollected duties corresponding to these
suspensions, calculated on the basis of expected imports into the requesting Member
State for 2000, total MEUR 1.5.

On the basis of the existing statistics for the preceding years, it would appear,
however, that this amount must be increased by an average factor, estimated at 1.8,
to take account of imports into other Member States using the same suspensions.
This means a loss of revenue of some MEUR 2.7.

11

Withdrawal:

6 products have been withdrawn from this annex reflecting the reintroduction of
customs duties. This represents an increase of MEUR 3.1 in resources, as
calculated from requests for suspension or available statistics (1998).

Estimated cost of this operation

Taking available statistics (1998) as a basis, the impact on the loss of revenue
resulting from this Regulation may therefore be estimated at 2.7 - 3.1 = MEUR -0.4,
then a decrease of loss of revenue, with a total loss estimated for 2000 of 597.1 -
0.4 = MEUR 596.7.

The shortfall in traditional own resources will have to be made up by the Member
States by topping up the GNP component.

8.

FRAUD PREVENTION MEASURES

Checks on the end-use of some of the products covered by this Council Regulation
will be carried out in accordance with Articles 291 to 304 of Commission Regulation
(EEC) No 2454/93 laying down provisions for the implementation of the Community
Customs Code.

12