Council Regulation (EC) No 2789/2000 of 14 December 2000 extending Regulation (EEC) No 1657/93 temporarily suspending the autonomous Common Customs Tariff duties on certain industrial products intended to equip the free zones of the Azores and Madeira as regards the Madeira free zone
Date: 2000-12-14
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: Azores, CCT duties, Madeira, free zone, industrial product, suspension of customs duties

L 324/10

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

21.12.2000

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 2789/2000

of 14 December 2000

extending Regulation (EEC) No 1657/93 temporarily suspending the autonomous Common
Customs Tariff duties on certain industrial products intended to equip the free zones of the Azores
and Madeira as regards the Madeira free zone

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

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

(5)

Having regard to the proposal of the Commission,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

Regulation (EEC) No 1657/93 (1) establishes, until 31
December 2000, a temporary suspension of auto-
nomous Common Customs Tariffs for certain industrial
products intended to equip the free zones of the Azores
and Madeira.

the Commission,

As provided for in Article 3 of Regulation (EEC) No
the
1657/93,
competent Portuguese authorities, examined the effects
of the measures adopted on the development of the free
zone of Caniçal (Madeira), which is at present the only
free zone in the outermost regions of Portugal.

consulting

after

Initially, these measures had a positive effect on the
creation and establishment of new businesses and on the
development of a number of industrial activities, espe-
cially in the textiles, plastics and glass sectors. More
recently, economic conditions and infrastructure prob-
lems have led to a slow-down in the emergence of new
industries and paralysed part of the processing sector.
This situation should come to an end once the free-zone
infrastructure and enlargement work presently being
carried out is completed, and new innovative processing
industries are established, alongside those which perform
simpler recycling, packaging and storage tasks.

Madeira free zone, and thus promote the region's socio-
economic development.

Upon detailed examination of
the situation and the
impact of the measures adopted, such an extension of
the time-limit on these measures does indeed appear
likely to give a further boost to the development of
industrial activities in the free zone; the suspension of
the autonomous Common Customs Tariffs for capital
equipment should therefore be extended, as requested by
the Portuguese authorities.

(6)

Nonetheless, in order to avoid directly affecting the func-
tioning of the common market, a time limit must be set
for this measure,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

The suspension referred to in Article 1(1) of Regulation (EEC)
No 1657/93 shall be extended until 31 December 2008 with
regard to the Madeira free zone.

Article 2

In the course of the year 2008, after consulting the competent
Portuguese authorities, the Commission will again examine the
effects of the measures adopted on the development of the
if required, make appropriate
Madeira free zone and will,
proposals.

Article 3

(4)

For their part, the Portuguese authorities have expressed
an interest in extending these measures for a period of
time in no case shorter than that which was previously
granted, so as to encourage industrial investment in the

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

It shall apply from 1 January 2001.

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

Done at Brussels, 14 December 2000.

For the Council

The President

J. GLAVANY

(1) OJ L 158, 30.6.1993, p. 1. Regulation as amended by Regulation

(EC) No 3256/94 (OJ L 339, 29.12.1994, p. 1).