Notice to importers — Imports into the Community of textile and clothing products after 1 May 2004 following the Enlargement
Date: 2004-03-18
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: import, originating product, quantitative restriction, textile product, third country

C 68/10

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

18.3.2004

Imports into the Community of textile and clothing products after 1 May 2004 following the
Enlargement

NOTICE TO IMPORTERS

(2004/C 68/08)

By the present notice, Community operators are informed that from 1 May 2004, the new Member States,
namely Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Lithuania, Latvia, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia,
will apply the EU Commercial Policy, including the quota and surveillance regime on imports of textile and
clothing products from certain third countries.

To this end, the Community is publishing in the Official Journal of the European Union a new regulation as
an amendment to Council Regulation (EC) No 3030/93 (1) with the quota levels applicable as from 1 May
2004. Shipments of textile and clothing products into the enlarged European Union released for free
circulation as from 1 May 2004 shall comply with the quota and surveillance management system under
the provisions of Council Regulation (EC) 3030/93.

The release for free circulation in one of the new Member States acceding to the European Communities
on 1 May 2004, of textile and clothing products, which are subject to quantitative limits or to surveillance
in the Community and which have been shipped from the supplier countries to the new Member States
before 1 May 2004 and enter the new Member States on or after 1 May 2004 shall be subject to
presentation of an import authorisation containing the elements prescribed in Annex III of Council
Regulation 3030/93 (surveillance document). Such import authorisation will be granted automatically
and without EU quantitative limitation by the competent authorities of the new Member State concerned,
upon adequate proof, such as the bill of lading, that the products have been shipped before 1 May 2004.
Such import authorisation shall be communicated to the Commission by the competent authorities of the
new Member State concerned.

The release for free circulation in one of the new Member States acceding to the European Communities
on 1 May 2004, of textile products, which are subject to quantitative limits in the Community, and
shipped outside one of the new Member States before 1 May 2004 for the purpose of outward processing
traffic and destined to be re-imported in the same new Member State on or after 1 May 2004, shall not be
subject to Community quantitative limits or import authorisation requirements, upon adequate proof, such
as the export declaration, that the products have been shipped out of the new Member States before 1 May
2004 for the purpose of processing and subsequent re-importation into the same Member State. The
competent authorities of the Member State concerned shall provide information on those imports to the
Commission.

An updated list of competent national authorities, including those in the new Member States, is published
separately on the same day as this Notice in the C Series of the Official Journal of the European Union.

(1) Council Regulation (EC) No 487/2004 (OJ L 79, 17.3.2004, p. 1).