2001/101/EC: Council Decision of 5 December 2000 concerning the approval of an Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the Community and each of the EFTA countries that grants tariff preferences under the Generalised System of Preferences (Norway and Switzerland), providing that goods with content of Norwegian or Swiss origin shall be treated on their arrival on the customs territory of the Community as goods with content of Community origin (reciprocal agreement)
Date: 2000-12-05
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: EFTA countries, Norway, Switzerland, agreement (EU), certificate of origin, tariff preference

L 38/24

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

8.2.2001

II

(Acts whose publication is not obligatory)

COUNCIL

COUNCIL DECISION

of 5 December 2000

concerning the approval of an Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the
Community and each of the EFTA countries that grants tariff preferences under the Generalised
System of Preferences (Norway and Switzerland), providing that goods with content of Norwegian
or Swiss origin shall be treated on their arrival on the customs territory of the Community as
goods with content of Community origin (reciprocal agreement)

(2001/101/EC)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community, and in particular Article 133 thereof,

Having regard to Article 66(4) and (5) of Commission Regula-
tion (EEC) No 2454/93 of 2 July 1993 laying down provisions
for the implementation of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2913/
92 establishing the Community Customs Code (1),

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

To enable the Community, Swiss and Norwegian
customs authorities to issue replacement Form A certi-
ficates of origin in order to facilitate, in particular, the
movement of goods originating in developing countries
which benefit from the generalised preferences granted
by the European Community, Switzerland and Norway,
an Agreement
concluded between the
Community, Switzerland and Norway under which they
mutually recognise their components as originating in
the developing countries concerned under the bilateral
cumulation of origin rules.

should be

Further to the mandate given by the Council to the
Commission on 29 March 1996, negotiations to that
effect took place between the European Community,
Switzerland and Norway and led to an Agreement in the
form of an Exchange of Letters which it
is in the
Community's interest to approve,

(1) OJ L 253, 11.10.1993, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regula-

tion (EC) No 1602/2000 (OJ L 188, 26.7.2000, p. 1).

Article 1

The Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between
the Community and each of the EFTA countries that grants
tariff preferences under the GSP (Norway and Switzerland),
providing that goods originating in Norway or Switzerland
shall be treated on their arrival on the customs territory of the
Community as goods with content of Community origin (reci-
procal agreement),
the
Community.

is hereby approved on behalf of

The text of the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of
Letters is attached to this Decision.

Article 2

The President of the Council is hereby authorised to designate
the person(s) authorised to sign the Agreement in the form of
an Exchange of Letters in order to bind the Community.

Article 3

The President of
the
Community, give the notification provided for by the Agree-
ment in the form of an Exchange of Letters.

shall, on behalf of

the Council

Done at Brussels, 5 December 2000.

For the Council

The President

C. PIERRET