Proposal for a Council Decision amending Decision 2003/893/EC on trade in certain steel products between the European Community and Ukraine
Date: 2004-05-18
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Ukraine, accession to the European Union, iron and steel product, negotiation of an agreement (EU), quantitative restriction, trade agreement

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 18.5.2004 
COM(2004) 377 final 

2004/0124 (ACC) 

Proposal for a 

COUNCIL DECISION 

amending Decision 2003/893/EC on trade in certain steel products between the 
European Community and Ukraine  

(presented by the Commission) 

EN 

   EN 

 
 
 
  
EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 

The purpose of this Decision is to amend the Council Decision 2003/893/EC of 15 December 
2003  on  trade  in  certain  steel  products  between  the  European  Community  and  Ukraine  in 
order to take into account the accession of the new Member States to the EU.  

As established in the Act of Accession, the new Member States shall apply the common trade 
policy, including the quantitative limits to the imports of certain steel products. However, as 
referred to in the Act of Accession, the levels of those quantitative limits must be adjusted to 
take into account the EU enlargement.  

The negotiations for a bilateral Steel Agreement between the enlarged EU and Ukraine for the 
year  2004  are  ongoing.  This  Agreement,  once  concluded,  would  replace  the  autonomous 
measures.  However,  pending  the  conclusion  and  entry  into  force  of  this  Agreement,  the 
current quantitative limits introduced by the Council Decision 2003/893/EC of 15 December 
must  be  increased  to  ensure  that  traditional  trade  is  maintained  after  EU  enlargement. 
Therefore, an increase of these quantitative limits is proposed. 

The  methodology  to  increase  these  quantitative  limits  takes  into  account  the  traditional 
imports into the new Member States, via a formula consisting of : 

- the average of the imports of the last three years (2000-2002) into the new Member States of 
relevant steel products originating in Ukraine,  

- adjusted pro rata temporis since the enlargement will be effective on 1 May 2004, 

- reduced by 30%, that is the same reducing factor applied to the quantitative limits already 
adopted for Ukraine as a result of the obstacles to the export of ferrous scrap imposed by this 
country. 

This Council Decision will be repealed when the Agreement enters into force. 

The Council is invited to approve this proposal for a Council Decision amending the Council 
Decision 2003/893/EC of 15 December 2003. 

EN 

2 

   EN 

 
2004/0124 (ACC) 

Proposal for a 

COUNCIL DECISION 

amending Decision 2003/893/EC on trade in certain steel products between the 
European Community and Ukraine  

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 

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

Whereas: 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

As  from  1  May  2004,  the  European  Union  includes  ten  new  Member  States,  which 
are:  Cyprus,  Czech  Republic,  Estonia,  Hungary,  Lithuania,  Latvia,  Malta,  Poland, 
Slovenia and Slovakia. The 2003 Act of Accession stipulates in its Article 6(8) that the 
quantitative restrictions applied by the Community on imports of steel products shall 
be adjusted on the basis of imports of new Member States over recent years; 

By  Decision  2003/893/EC  of  15  December  2003  on  trade  in  certain  steel  products 
between  the  European  Community  and  Ukraine1,  the  Council  adopted  quantitative 
limits on imports into the European Community of certain steel products originating in 
Ukraine;  

Since the negotiations with Ukraine on the conclusion of a bilateral Steel Agreement 
have not been completed, and in pursuance of Article 6(8), third subparagraph of the 
2003  Act  of  Accession,  it  is  necessary  to  provide  for  the  increase  of  existing 
quantitative limits to ensure that traditional trade is maintained after the enlargement 
of  the  European  Union.  This  increase  is  based  on  the  average  of  the  imports  of  the 
relevant steel products by the new Member States over the years 2000, 2001 and 2002, 
adjusted pro rata temporis since the enlargement will be effective on 1 May 2004, and 
further  adjusted  by  applying  the  same  reducing  factor  of  30%  already  applied  to  the 
quantitative  limits  adopted  as  a  result  of  the  obstacles  to  the  export  of  ferrous  scrap 
imposed  by  Ukraine.  These  quantitative  limits  will  be  further  amended  as  necessary 
following the conclusion of an Agreement; 

(4) 

Therefore, Annex II to the Council Decision 2003/893/EC should be amended; 

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS: 

1  

OJ L 333, 20.12.2003, p. 84. 

EN 

3 

   EN 

 
                                                 
Annex II to the Council Decision 2003/893/EC is replaced by the Annex to this Decision. 

Article 1 

Article 2 

This Decision shall take effect on the third day following that of its publication in the Official 
Journal of the European Union. 

Done at Brussels,  

For the Council 
The President 

EN 

4 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
 
ANNEX 

“ANNEX II 

QUANTITATIVE LIMITS – UKRAINE 

Unit :tonnes 

2004 

Year  

Products 

SA. Flat products 

SA1. Coils 

SA2. Heavy plate 

 62 037 

200 104 

SA3. Other flat products 

 66 608 

SB. Long products 

SB1. Beams 

SB2. Wire rod 

 12 481 

 66 828 

SB3. Other long products 

122 170 

“ 

EN 

5 

   EN