Proposal for a Council Regulation adopting autonomous and transitional measures to open a Community tariff quota for the import of live bovine animals originating in Switzerland
Date: 2004-08-19
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Switzerland, cattle, import, live animal, originating product, tariff quota

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 19.08.2004 
COM(2004) 568 final 

2004/0190 (ACC) 

Proposal for a 

COUNCIL REGULATION 

adopting autonomous and transitional measures to open a Community tariff quota  
for the import of live bovine animals originating in Switzerland 

(presented by the Commission) 

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EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 

The  bilateral  trade  concessions  foreseen  by  the  "Agreement  between  the  European 
Community  and  the  Swiss  Confederation  on  trade  in  agricultural  products"  need  to  be 
adapted, in order to take into consideration the pre-existing preferential trade flows between 
Switzerland  and  the  new  Member  States.  The  EU-Switzerland  Summit  of  19  May  2004 
indeed  agreed  on  "the  principle  that  the  trade  flows  in  accordance  with  the  preferences 
granted  under  the  pre-existing  bilateral  arrangements  between  the  new  Member  States  and 
Switzerland  should  be  mutually  maintained  with  effect  from  the  date  of  EU  enlargement". 
Hence, there is the need for autonomous and transitory measures, until the entry into force of 
the corresponding amendments to this Agreement. 

The  agreed  minutes  initialled  by  the  Parties  on  18  May  2004  foresee  in  particular  a 
community concession of live bovine animals that requires quota management procedures to 
be adopted in accordance with the provisions laid down in Article 32 of Council Regulation 
(EC) No 1254/1999 of 17 May 1999 on the common organisation of the market in beef and 
veal.  It  is  therefore  proposed  that  the  Council  adopt  the  attached  specific  autonomous  and 
transitional measures to open a Community tariff quota for the import of live bovine animals 
originating in Switzerland. 

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2004/0190 (ACC) 

Proposal for a 

COUNCIL REGULATION 

adopting autonomous and transitional measures to open a Community tariff quota  
for the import of live bovine animals originating in Switzerland 

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,1 

Whereas: 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

1 
2 
3 

Following  the  accession  of  the  Czech  Republic,  Estonia,  Cyprus,  Latvia,  Lithuania, 
Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia, and Slovakia to the European Union, the European 
Community  and  the  Swiss  Confederation  agreed  at  the  bilateral  Summit  on  19  May 
2004 on the principle that the trade flows in accordance with the preferences granted 
previously  under  the  bilateral  arrangements  between  the  new  Member  States  and 
Switzerland  should  be  maintained  after  the  enlargement  of  the  European  Union. 
Parties therefore agreed to proceed with the adaptation of tariff concessions within the 
framework  of  the  Agreement  between  the  European  Community  and  the  Swiss 
Confederation on trade in agricultural products2 (hereinafter called the "Agreement"), 
which entered into force on 1 June 2002. The adaptation of these concessions, which 
are  listed  in  Annexes  1  and  2  of  the  Agreement,  include  notably  the  opening  of  a 
Community tariff quota for the import of live bovine  animals of  a weight exceeding 
160 kg. 

It  has  been  agreed  with  the  Swiss  Confederation  that  there  should  be  no  trade 
discontinuity.  The  procedures  for  adopting  bilaterally  a  decision  to  amend  the 
Annexes 1  and  2  of  the  Agreement  will  not  be  completed  immediately.  In  order  to 
ensure that quota benefit is available until the entry into force of the said decision and 
for reasons of simplification, it is appropriate to open this tariff-quota concession on 
an autonomous and transitional basis. 

Detailed  rules  for  the  implementation  of  this  Regulation  and,  in  particular,  the 
provisions required for quota management should be adopted in accordance with the 
provisions  laid  down  in  Article  32  of  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  1254/1999  of 
17 May 1999 on the common organisation of the market in beef and veal3. 

OJ C […] […], p. […] 
OJ L 114, 30.4.2002, p. 132. 
OJ L 160, 26.6.1999, p. 21. Regulation as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003 (OJ L 270, 
21.10.2003, p. 1). 

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(4) 

To  be  eligible  for  the  benefit  of  these  tariff  quotas,  products  should  originate  in 
Switzerland in conformity with the rules referred to in Article 4 of the Agreement, 

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: 

Article 1 

1. 

A  duty-free  Community  tariff  quota  is  hereby  opened  on  an  autonomous  and 
transitional  basis  for  the  period  from  the  date  of  the  entry  into  force  of  this 
Regulation to 30 June 2005 for the import of 4 600 heads of any live bovine animal 
originating  in  Switzerland  weighing  more  than  160  kg,  falling  within  CN  code 
0102 90 41,  0102 90 49,  0102 90 51,  0102 90 59,  0102 90 61,  0102 90 69, 
0102 90 71 or 0102 90 79. 

2. 

The rules of origin applicable to the products referred to in the first paragraph shall 
be those provided for in Article 4 of the Agreement. 

The detailed rules for the implementation of this Regulation shall be adopted in  accordance 
with the provisions laid down in Article 32 of Regulation (EC) No 1254/1999. 

Article 2 

This  Regulation  shall  enter  into  force  on  the  day  following  that  of  its  publication  in  the 
Official Journal of the European Union. 

Article 3 

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

Done at Brussels,  

For the Council 
The President 

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FICHE FINANCIÈRE 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

LIGNE BUDGÉTAIRE: 
Recettes – chapitre 10 – droits agricoles 

CRÉDITS (Budget 2004):
858,975 Mio EUR 

INTITULÉ DE LA MESURE: 
Règlement  du  Conseil  arrêtant  des  mesures  autonomes  et  transitoires  en  vue  de  l'ouverture  d'un 
contingent tarifaire communautaire pour l'importation de bovins vivants originaires de Suisse 

BASE JURIDIQUE: 
Article 133 du traité 

OBJECTIFS DE LA MESURE: 
Accord entre la Communauté européenne et la Confédération suisse relatif aux échanges de produits 
agricoles 

5. 

INCIDENCES FINANCIÈRES 

5.0  DÉPENSES A LA CHARGE 
– 
DU BUDGET DES CE 
(RESTITUTIONS/INTERVENTIONS) 
DES BUDGETS NATIONAUX 
– 
D'AUTRES SECTEURS 
– 

PÉRIODE DE
12 MOIS 

(Mio EUR) 

EXERCICE  
EN COURS 
2004 
(Mio EUR) 

EXERCICE 
SUIVANT 
2005 et suivants
(Mio EUR) 

p.m. 

p.m. 

p.m. 

5.1  RECETTES 

–2,65 

–1,32 

–1,33 

RESSOURCES PROPRES DES CE 

– 
(PRÉLÈVEMENTS/DROITS DE DOUANE)
SUR LE PLAN NATIONAL 
– 

5.0.1  PRÉVISIONS DES DÉPENSES 
5.1.1  PRÉVISIONS DES RECETTES 

5.2  MODE DE CALCUL: 

– 

6.0 

6.1 

FINANCEMENT POSSIBLE PAR CRÉDITS INSCRITS AU CHAPITRE 
CONCERNÉ DU BUDGET EN COURS D'EXÉCUTION 

FINANCEMENT POSSIBLE PAR VIREMENT ENTRE CHAPITRES DU 
BUDGET EN COURS D'EXÉCUTION 

6.2  NÉCESSITÉ D'UN BUDGET SUPPLÉMENTAIRE 

6.3  CRÉDITS A INSCRIRE DANS LES BUDGETS FUTURS 

OUI / NON 

OUI / NON 

OUI / NON 

OUI / NON 

OBSERVATIONS: 

Recettes : 

Perte  en  2004  et  2005  estimée  à  2,65  Mio  EUR  (avant  déduction  des  frais  de  perception)  par  an  sur  les 
importations de 4 600 têtes de bovins vivants (avec entrée en vigueur le 1/7/2004–30/6/2005). 

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