CELEX: 51977PC0348
Language: en
Date: 1977-07-19
Title: Draft DECISION OF THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE GOVERNMENTS OF THE MEMBER STATES OF THE EUROPEAN COAL AND STEEL COMMUNITY MEETING WITHIN THE COUNCIL concerning Community surveillance of imports of coal originating in third countries (submitted by the Commission)

ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES
DE LA COMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEE DES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM (77) 348
Vol. 1977/0117
 ---pagebreak--- Disclaimer
Conformément au règlement (CEE, Euratom) n° 354/83 du Conseil du 1er février 1983
concernant l'ouverture au public des archives historiques de la Communauté économique
européenne et de la Communauté européenne de l'énergie atomique (JO L 43 du 15.2.1983,
p. 1), tel que modifié par le règlement (CE, Euratom) n° 1700/2003 du 22 septembre 2003
(JO L 243 du 27.9.2003, p. 1), ce dossier est ouvert au public. Le cas échéant, les documents
classifiés présents dans ce dossier ont été déclassifiés conformément à l'article 5 dudit
règlement.
In accordance with Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 354/83 of 1 February 1983
concerning the opening to the public of the historical archives of the European Economic
Community and the European Atomic Energy Community (OJ L 43, 15.2.1983, p. 1), as
amended by Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1700/2003 of 22 September 2003 (OJ L 243,
27.9.2003, p. 1), this file is open to the public. Where necessary, classified documents in this
file have been declassified in conformity with Article 5 of the aforementioned regulation.
In Übereinstimmung mit der Verordnung (EWG, Euratom) Nr. 354/83 des Rates vom 1.
Februar 1983 über die Freigabe der historischen Archive der Europäischen
Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft und der Europäischen Atomgemeinschaft (ABI. L 43 vom 15.2.1983,
S. 1), geändert durch die Verordnung (EG, Euratom) Nr. 1700/2003 vom 22. September 2003
(ABI. L 243 vom 27.9.2003, S. 1), ist diese Datei der Öffentlichkeit zugänglich. Soweit
erforderlich, wurden die Verschlusssachen in dieser Datei in Übereinstimmung mit Artikel 5
der genannten Verordnung freigegeben.
 ---pagebreak---   COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
                                                          COM(77)348 final.
                                                          Brussels . 19 July 1977
                                     Draft
                                  DECISION
         OF THE REPRESENTATIVES OP THE GOVERNMENTS OP THE MEMBER STATES
                     OP THE EUROPEAN COAL AM) STEEL COMMUNITY
                          MEETING WITHIN THE COUNCIL
         concerning Community surveillance of imports of coal originating
                                in third countries
                           ( submitted by the Commission)
CCM(77 ) 348 final .
 ---pagebreak---                       EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
The Commission" indicated, in its Communication to the Council of 1 March 1977
that the recent downward trend on the coal market had affected only the
Community 's coal industry , imports from non-member countries having grown
 in relative and absolute terras . The Commission therefore expressed its intention
 to keep the situation under close review and to issue detailed annual reports
 on coal imports from third countries . With these reports it is proposed to sub­
 mit an assessment of future market developments , taking account of probable
 requirements in the individual markets , of the Community coal industry 's production
 plans and of developments in intra-Community trade and imports from non-member
 countries .
                                      2)
  At its n^eting of 29 March 1977 »      "the Council agreed on the - need to collect
  information :-n the member states on coal imports from third countries and
  automatically to forward this to the Commission to enable it to produce reports
  and forecasts of the development of the common market in coal . It invited the
  Commission to study with each member state appropriate methods of operating this
  information system in the best possible way.
  The Commission is already conducting studies on the state of the coal market ,
  based partly on infox-mat ion on coal imports from non-member countries periodi­
  cally sutipl "i.ed  it . However , the current information system is inadequate ,
     ocularly as regards import prices , for the completion of the aforementioned
 new tasks . It must , therefore , be broadened into a system of
 Community import surveillance to allow a well- founded, assessment of develop­
 ments in all important coal market sectors .
1 ) Doc . COM ( 77 ) 41 final
2 ) Doo . T/318/77 ( ENER ) of 4.4.1977
 ---pagebreak---                              - 2 -
The information currently available to the Commission must be supplemented
in partioular by price information on imports of steam ooal to assist the
formation of clearer views of the competitive positions of Community coal ,
import-ed coal and hydrocarbons for electricity generation. The price
aspect is of special significance in the context of considerable 'pressure
on the price level of all coals frequently exerted by marginal import tonnages .
This phenomenon applies equally to imports of coking coal and steam coal
and can endanger a proportion of Community coal production through its
financial impact .
In the light of contacts with representatives of member states , the Commission
considers it adequate for the required information to be provided to it on a
quarterly basis and for several countries of origin to be grouped in certain
cases .
                                                                          ι
 ---pagebreak---                                                      XVIl/226/ 77
                           DECISION
 OF THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE GOVERNMENTS OF THE MEMBER STATES OF
 THE EUROPEAN COAL AND STEEL COMMUNITY , MEETING WITHIN THE COUNCIL
                   OF
 concerning            • Community surveillance of imports of coal
 originating in third countries
THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE GOVERNMENTS OF THE MEMBER STATES OF
THE EUROPEAN COAL AND STEEL* COMMUNITY . MEETING WITHIN THE COUNCIL
in agreement with the Commission -
HAVE DECIDED AS FOLLOWS :
 ---pagebreak---                                    Article 1
      Without prejudice to the provisions of the Treaty establishing the
      European Coal and Steel Community , this Decision shall apply to the import
      of hard coal ( reference No . 3.100 in Annex 1 to the Treaty) into the
      Member States .
                                   Article 2
      Imports of hard coal from third countries into the Member States of the Community
      shall be subject to Community surveillance in order that the Commission may be able
      regularly and better 'to judge developments in all Community coal markets with
      particular regard to hard coal imports from third countries .
                                   Article 3
( l ) With a view to the provisions of Article 2 and in order to supplement the in­
      formation which the Commission receives from Governments concerning hard coal
      imports from third countries and from undertakings concerning coking coal im­
      ports under Decision 73/287/ECSC of 25 July 1973        Member States shall inform
      the Commission of the following for each quarter of the calendar year :
            - hard coal imports in tonnes c.e . ( hard coal equivalent ) for use in
               electric power stations or installations for the combined production
               of heat and electricity ;
            -  average quarterly cif free-at-frontier prices of these hard coal imports
               per tonne c.e .
      ( 1 ) 0 J No L259 , 15.9.1973 , p. 36 .
 ---pagebreak---                               - 2 -
( 2 ) The above information shall be communicated to the Commission within
       forty days of the end of each quarter , broken down as follows :
            -  by country of origin
            - by length of contract ( one year or longer and less than one year )
       Where the quantities referred to in paragraph 1 for a particular
       country of origin have been obtained by a single importer from a single
       exporter , the information on prices for that county of origin may be com­
       bined with the corresponding information for another county of origin in
       accordance with the groupings set out in the Annex hereto .
 ( 3 ) Where necessary, Member States shall , on request, also supply the Commission
       with information on hard coal imports, divided by use in cokeries and other
        sectors and broken - down as in paragraphs 1 and 2 .
                                   Article 4
       Member States shall take all necessary measures for the application of
       this Decision.
                                                        Done at Brussels ,
                                                          The President
 ---pagebreak---                                                      AWEX
In the cases referred to in the last sentence of Article 3(2 ), the
information on prices for one country of origin may "be combined with the
information on prices for another country of origin in the same region .
In this context , the following areas are considered regions of origin :
1)     Europe , except the European Community
2)     Worth America
3)     Central and South America
4)     Africa
5)     Asia and Oceania
                                                                     I