Proposal for a Council Decision on the position to be taken by the Community within the EU-Czech Republic Association Council established by the Europe Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Czech Republic, of the other part, which entered into force on 1 February 1995, extending the double-checking system for the period from 1 January to 31 December 2002, concerning the export of certain steel products from the Czech Republic to the Community
Date: 2001-12-21
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Czechia, agreement (EU), customs inspection, iron and steel product, originating product

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES

Brussels, 21.12.2001
COM(2001) 791 final

2001/0307 (ACC)

Proposal for a

COUNCIL DECISION

on the position to be taken by the Community within the EU-Czech Republic
Association Council established by the Europe Agreement between the European
Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Czech Republic, of the
other part, which entered into force on 1 February 1995, extending the double-checking
system for the period from 1 January to 31 December 2002, concerning the export of
certain steel products from the Czech Republic to the Community

(presented by the Commission)

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

The  aim  of  the  double-checking  system  is  to  improve  transparency  and  to  avoid  possible
diversions  of  trade.  It  is  founded  on  the  provision  in  the  EC-Czech  Republic  Europe
Agreement1 which allows either Party to introduce an administrative procedure having as its
purpose the rapid provision of information on the trend of trade flows. The Parties agreed to
establish such a system in 1998 in respect of certain ECSC and EC steel products by means of
Decision  N°  3/972  of  the  Association  Council.  By  Decision  N°  7/983  of  the  Association
Council  the  system  was  extended,  with  amended  product  coverage,  for  the  period  from
1 January  to  31  December  1999,by  means  of  Decision  N°  1/004  of  the  Association  Council
the system was extended for the period from 1 January to 31 December 2000 and by means of
Decision N°  1/015  of  the  Association  Council  the  system  was  extended  for  the  period  from
1 January  to  31  December  2001.  Council  Regulation  (EC)  N°  87/986,  amended  by  Council
Regulation  (EC)  N°  248/997,extended  by  Council  Regulation  (EC)  N°  567/008  and  Council
Regulation  (EC)  N°239/019,  established  the  corresponding  implementing  legislation  for  the
Community.

At  its  meeting  on    8  October  2001,  the  Contact  Group  agreed  to  recommend  that  the
Association Council should extend the double-checking system for the period from 1 January
to 31 December 2002.

The  attached  proposal  consequently  seeks  to  extend  Decision  N°  3/97  of  the  Association
Council, amended by Decision N° 7/98 of the Association Council and extended by Decisions
N°  1/00  and  N°  1/01  of  the  Association  Council,  for  the  period  from  1  January  to
31 December 2002.

1 OJ L 360, 31.12.94, p. 2.
2 OJ L 13, 19.01.98, p. 99.
3 OJ L 29, 03.02.99, p. 26.
4 OJ L 69, 17.03.00, p. 53
5 OJ L 35, 6.2.01, p. 37
6 OJ L 13, 19.01.98, p. 43.
7 OJ L 29, 03.02.99, p. 1.
8 OJ L 69, 17.03.00, p. 1
9 OJ L 35, 6.2.01, p. 3

2

                                                
2001/0307 (ACC)

Proposal for a

COUNCIL DECISION

on the position to be taken by the Community within the EU-Czech Republic
Association Council established by the Europe Agreement between the European
Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Czech Republic, of the
other part, which entered into force on 1 February 1995, extending the double-checking
system for the period from 1 January to 31 December 2002, concerning the export of
certain steel products from the Czech Republic to the Community

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

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

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Having regard to the Decision of the Council and the Commission of 19 December 1994 on
the  conclusion  of  the  Europe  Agreement  between  the  European  Communities  and  their
Member States, of the one part, and the Czech Republic, of the other  part, and in  particular
Article 2(1) thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

The Contact Group  referred  to  in  Article  10  of  Protocol  2  of  the  Europe  Agreement
between the European Communities and their Member States of the one part and the
Czech Republic of the other part, which entered into force on 1 February 19951, met
on  8  October  2001  to  discuss  trends  in  imports  of  ECSC  and  EC  products  from  the
Czech  Republic  into  the  Community  and  recognised  the  need  to  find  appropriate
solutions in the framework of Article 34 (2) of the Agreement in order to ensure that
the attainment of the objectives of the Agreement will not be jeopardised;

The  Contact  Group  therefore  agreed  to  recommend  to  the  Association  Council
established  under  Article  104  of  the  Agreement  that  the  double-checking  system
introduced  in  1998  by  Decision  N°  3/972  of  the  Association  Council,  amended  by
Decision  7/983  of  the  Association  Council,extended  by  Decisions  N°  1/004  and
N°1/015of the Association Council, should be extended for the period from 1 January
to 31 December 2002;

1 OJ L 360, 31.12.94, p. 2.
2 OJ L 13, 19.01.98, p. 99.
3 OJ L 29, 03.02.99, p. 26.
4 OJ L 69, 17.03.00, p. 53
5 OJ L 35, 6.02.01, p. 37

3

                                                
(3)

(4)

The Parties are desirous to promote the orderly and equitable development of trade in
steel between the Community and the Czech Republic;

The  Association  Council,  having  been  supplied  with  all  relevant  information,  has
determined  that  the  solution  acceptable  to  the  two  parties  which  least  disturbs  the
functioning of the Agreement is the extension of the double-checking system, without
quantitative  limits,  for  the  import  into  the  Community  of  certain  steel  products
covered by the ECSC and EC Treaties for the period from 1 January to 31 December
2002,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

The position to be taken by the Community within the Association Council established by the
Europe Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one
part, and the Czech Republic, of the other part, concerning the export of certain steel products
from the Czech Republic to the European Communities, and in particular the extension of the
double-checking  system,  shall  be  based  on  the  draft  decision  of  the  Association  Council
annexed to this Decision.

Done at Brussels,

For the Council
The President

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DECISION N° ......./2001 OF THE EU-CZECH REPUBLIC ASSOCIATION COUNCIL

of .................... 2001

extending the double-checking system established by Decision N° 3/97 of the Association
Council for the period from 1 January to 31 December 2002

(2001/...../EC)

THE ASSOCIATION COUNCIL,

Whereas:

(1) 

The Contact Group  referred  to  in  Article  10  of  Protocol  2  of  the  Europe  Agreement
establishing  an  association  between  the  European  Communities  and  their  Member
States, of the one part, and the Czech Republic, of the other part, which entered into
force  on  1  February  1995,  met  on  8  October  2001  and  agreed  to  recommend  to  the
Association Council established under Article 104 of the Agreement that the double-
checking system introduced in 1998 by Decision N° 3/97 of the Association Council,
extended by Decision N° 7/981 thereof for the period from 1 January to 31 December
1999,extended  by  Decision  N°  1/002  thereof  for  the  period  from  1  January  to  31
December 2000, extended by Decision N° 1/013 thereof for the period from 1 January
to  31  December  2001  should  be  extended  for  the  period  from  1  January  to  31
December 2002;

(2) 

The  Association  Council,  having  been  supplied  with  all  relevant  information,  has
agreed with this recommendation,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS :

Article 1

The double-checking system established by Decision N° 3/97 of the Association Council shall
continue to apply for the period from 1 January to 31 December 2002. In the Preamble  and
Article  1  (1)  and  (3)  of  the  Decision,  references  to  the  period  ‘1  January  to  31  December
2001’ shall be replaced by references to ‘1 January to 31 December 2002’.

This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption.

Article 2

1 OJ L 29, 03.02.99, p. 26.
2 OJ L 69, 17.03.00, p. 53
3 OJ L 35, 6.02.01, p. 37

5

                                                
It shall apply with effect from 1 January 2002.

Done at Brussels,

For the Association Council
The President

6