Proposal for a Council Decision on 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 Poland, of the other part, which entered into force on 1 February 1994, extending the double-checking system for the period from 1 January to 31 December 2002, concerning the export of certain steel products from Poland to the Community
Date: 2001-12-28
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Poland, association agreement (EU), export monitoring, iron and steel product, trade policy, transitional period (EU)

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES

Brussels, 28.12.2001
COM(2001) 794 final

2001/0320 (ACC)

Proposal for a

COUNCIL DECISION

on 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 Poland, of the other part, which entered into force on 1
February 1994, extending the double-checking system for the period from 1 January to
31 December 2002, concerning the export of certain steel products from Poland 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-Poland 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 1999 in respect of certain ECSC steel products by means of Decision N° 2/992 of
the Association Council. By Decision N° 1/20003 of the Association Council the system was
extended for the period from 1 January to 31 December 2000. By Decision N° 1/20014of the
Association Council the system was extended for the period from 1 January to 31 December
2001.  Council  Regulation  (EC)  N°  1093/995,  extended  by  Council  Regulations  (EC)  N°
541/20006  and  N°335/20017  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 Association Council Decision N° 2/99 for
the period from 1 January to 31 December 2002.

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6 
7 

OJ N° L 348, 31.12.93, p. 2.
OJ N° L 133, 28.05.99,p. 44.
OJ N° L 67, 15.03.00, p. 34.
OJ N° L 49, 20.2.01, p. 9
OJ N° L 133, 28.05.99,p. 6.
OJ N° L 67, 15.03.00, p. 1.
OJ N° L 49, 20.2.01, p.1

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2001/0320 (ACC)

Proposal for a

COUNCIL DECISION

on 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 Poland, of the other part, which entered into force on 1
February 1994, extending the double-checking system for the period from 1 January to
31 December 2002, concerning the export of certain steel products from Poland 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 13 December 1993 on
the  conclusion  of  the  Europe  Agreement  between  the  European  Communities  and  their
Member States, of the one part,  and Poland,  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
Poland  of  the  other  part,  which  entered  into  force  on  1  February  19948,  met  on  8
October  2001  to  discuss  trends  in  imports  of  ECSC  products  from  Poland  into  the
Community and recognised the need to find appropriate solutions in the framework of
Article 33 (1) 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  102  of  the  Agreement  that  the  double-checking  system
introduced  in  1999  by  N°  2/999  of  the  Association  Council  Decision  should  be
extended for the period from 1 January to 31 December 2002;

(3) 

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

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9 

OJ N° L 348, 31.12.93, p.2
OJ N° L 133, 28.05.99,p. 44.

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(4) 

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 Treaty 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 Poland, of the other part, concerning the export of certain steel products from Poland
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-POLAND ASSOCIATION COUNCIL,

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

extending the double-checking system established by Decision N° 2/99 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  Poland,  of  the  other  part,  which  entered  into  force  on  1
February 1994, met on 8 October 2001  and agreed to recommend to  the  Association
Council  established  under  Article  102  of  the  Agreement  that  the  double-checking
system introduced in 1999 by Decision N° 2/99  of the Association Council 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° 2/99 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

It shall apply with effect from 1 January 2002.

Done at Brussels, 

For the Association Council
The President

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