Commission Regulation (EC) No 1806/2006 of 7 December 2006 amending Regulation (EC) No 1613/2000 derogating from Regulation (EEC) No 2454/93 in respect of the definition of the concept of originating products used for the purposes of the scheme of generalised preferences to take account of the special situation of Laos regarding certain exports of textiles to the Community
Date: 2006-12-07
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Laos, certificate of origin, export, generalised preferences, originating product, textile product

8.12.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 343/69

COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 1806/2006

of 7 December 2006

amending Regulation (EC) No 1613/2000 derogating from Regulation (EEC) No 2454/93 in respect
of the definition of the concept of originating products used for the purposes of the scheme of
generalised preferences to take account of the special situation of Laos regarding certain exports of
textiles to the Community

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

validity of Regulation (EC) No 1613/2000 has been
extended until 31 December 2006.

Having regard to the Treaty
Community,

establishing the European

Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 2913/92 of 12
October 1992 establishing the Community Customs Code (1),
and in particular Article 247 thereof,

Having regard to Commission Regulation (EEC) No 2454/93 of
2 July 1993 laying down provisions for the implementation of
Council Regulation (EEC) No 2913/92 establishing
the
Community Customs Code (2), and in particular Article 76
thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

applying

By Council Regulation (EC) No 980/2005 of 27 June
2005
tariff
scheme
preferences (3), the Community granted generalised tariff
preferences to Laos.

generalised

of

a

Regulation (EEC) No 2454/93 establishes the definition
of the concept of originating products to be used for the
purposes of the scheme of generalised tariff preferences.
Regulation (EEC) No 2454/93 also provides for dero-
gations
least
developed beneficiary countries benefiting from the
generalised system of preferences (GSP) which submit
an appropriate request to that effect to the Community.

definition in favour of

from that

(4)

By letter dated 22 June 2006 Laos submitted a request
for prolongation of the derogation in accordance with
Article 76 of Regulation (EEC) No 2454/93.

(5) When the validity of Regulation (EC) No 1613/2000 was
extended until 31 December 2006, it was expected that
new, simpler and more development-friendly GSP rules
of origin would be in force before expiry of the dero-
gation. However the new GSP rules of origin are not
expected to be adopted before 31 December 2006.

(6)

(7)

(8)

Application of the GSP rules of origin currently in force
would have an adverse
effect on investment, and
employment in Laos as well as on ability of existing
to the
to continue
industry in Laos
Community.

exports

its

The prolongation period should take account of the time
necessary to adopt and implement new GSP rules of
origin.
In addition, the interests of traders concluding
contracts both in Laos and in the Community, as well
as the stability of Laos industry, require that the dero-
gation should be prolonged for a period sufficient to
permit the continuation or conclusion of longer term
contracts.

The derogation should therefore be prolonged until 31
in order
to ensure fair
December 2008. However,
and for other
least developed
treatment
countries,
the derogation
continuing need for
should be reviewed once new GSP rules of origin are
adopted.

for Laos
the

(3)

Laos has benefited from such derogation for certain
instance by virtue of
in the last
textiles since 1997,
Commission Regulation (EC) No 1613/2000 (4). The

(1) OJ L 302, 19.10.1992, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regu-
lation (EC) No 648/2005 of the European Parliament and of the
Council (OJ L 117, 4.5.2005, p. 13).

(2) OJ L 253, 11.10.1993, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regu-

lation (EC) No 402/2006 (OJ L 70, 9.3.2006, p. 35).

(3) OJ L 169, 30.6.2005, p. 1.
(4) OJ L 185, 25.7.2000, p. 38. Regulation as last amended by Regu-

lation (EC) No 2186/2004 (OJ L 373, 21.12.2004, p. 14).

(9)

Regulation (EC) No 1613/2000 should therefore be
amended accordingly.

(10)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in
accordance with the opinion of
the Customs Code
Committee,

L 343/70

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

8.12.2006

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Article 2 of Regulation (EC) No 1613/2000 is amended as
follows:

1. In the first paragraph the date ‘31 December 2006’

replaced by ‘31 December 2008’;

is

‘The continuing need for the derogation shall however be
reviewed once the new rules of origin of the generalised
system of preferences are adopted.’

Article 2

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

2. The second paragraph is replaced by the following:

It shall apply from 1 January 2007.

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

Done at Brussels, 7 December 2006.

For the Commission

László KOVÁCS
Member of the Commission