CELEX: 51978PC0303
Language: en
Date: 1978-07-13
Title: Proposal for a COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC), amending Regulation (EEC) No 1544/69 on the tariff treatment applicable to goods contained in travellers'personal luggage (submitted to the Council by the Commission)

ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES
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COM (78) 303
Vol. 1978/0109
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 ---pagebreak---  COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITI
                                                  COM(78)303 final
                                                  Brussels , 13 July 1978
                            Proposal for a
                      COUNCIL REGULATION ( EEC )   ,
       amending Regulation ( EEC ) No 1544 / 69 on the tariff treatment
       applicable to goods contained in travellers' personal luggage
          ( submitted to the Council by the Commission )
C0M(78 ) 303 final
 ---pagebreak---                                   EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
                                y
 The introduction of the European unit of account in the tariff field from
 1 January 1979 means that it is necessary to update the provisions of
 Council Regulation ( EEC ) No 1544 / 69 of 23 July 1959 on the tariff applicable-
 to goods contained in travellers' personal luggage ( 1 ).
Article 1 ( 1 ) of the Regulation provides that goods contained in travellers'
personal luggage shall be exempt from common customs duties if the imported
goods have no commercial character and their total value does not exceed
twenty-five units of account per person . Article 1 ( 2 ) authorizes Member' -
States to reduce this exemption to ten units of account for travellers under
fifteen years old .
Naturally , adjusting these sums should not have the effect of reducing the
                                                           *                   ♦
real value in any of the Member States of the goods hitherto eligible for
exemption . ■
It is also important to take the opportunity offered by this adjustment to
take account of certain measures recommended by specialized international
bodies , in particular those contained in Annex F 3 of the International
Convention on the simplification and harmonization of customs procedures ,
of the Customs Cooperation Council and to which the European Economic Community
and its Member States are parties ( i.e. duty-free concessions for travellers
on goods up to a total value of US 6 50 ).
To achieve these twin aims , the Commission proposes , on the basis of the
current definition of the European unit of account , to replace the figure
of twenty-five units of account with forty European units of account , and
the figure of ten units of account with twenty European units of account .
( 1 ) 0J No L 191 - 5.8.1969 , p. 1
 ---pagebreak---  Obviously , as is pointed out in the third recital to Regulation ( EEC ) No
 1544 / 69 , relief from common customs duties covers passenger traffic only
between third countries and the Community . It is not available to persons
travelling between Member States ; this traffic is covered by tax exemption
measures defined by the Council in Directive 69 / 169 / EEC of 28 May 1969 ( 1 )
of 12 June 1972 ( 2 ) .
                                                 \
In order to prevent any false interpretation of the provisions of Regulatii
 ( EEC ) No 1544 / 69 , therefore , it is proposed to specify in Article 1 that
exemption is available only to travellers coming directly from non-member
countries .
This proposal is based on Article 28 of the EEC Treaty , and does not in
theory require.the opinion of the European Parliament . Given its content ,
however ,, the Commission, considers it advisable to seek the opinion of the
Parliament and the Economic and Social Committee .
  ( 1 ) OJ No L 133 , 4.6.1969 , p. 6
  ( 2 ) OJ No L 139 , 17.6.1972 , p. 28
 ---pagebreak---                                        Proposa l
                                         for a
                                  Council Regulation
           amending             Angulation ( EEC ) No 1544 / 69 on the tariff
           treatment applicable to goods contained in travellers'
                                  personal luggage
                      X-
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community ,
and in particular Article 28 thereof .
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ,
Having regard to the Opinion of the European Parliament ,
Having regard to the Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee ,
Whereas Article 1     ( 1 ) of Council Regulation ( EEC ) No 1544 / 69 of 23 July 1969
on the tariff treatment applicable to goods contained in travellers' personal
luggage ( 1 ) provides that goods contained in travel lers ' - persona I luggage
shall be exempt from common customs duties if the imported goods have no
commercial character ;                                                                 -
Whereas the total value of the goods covered by the exemption must not exceed
twenty-five units of account per person ; whereas Article 1 ( 2 ) of Regulat-ion
( EEC ) No 1544 / 69 allows Member States to reduce this exemption to ten units
of account for travellers under fifteen years old ;
Whereas with effect from 1 January 1979 sums expressed in units of account in
a.cts adopted by the institutions of the European Communities on customs matters
must be expressed in European units of account ;
( 1 ) OJ No L 191 , 5.8.1969 , p. 1
 ---pagebreak---  Whereas the necessary adaptation should not have the effect of reducing the
amount in national currency resulting from the conversion of the amounts
 currently eligible for exemption ;
Whereas the opportunity offered by this adaptation should also be used •
to take account of the measures for the benefit of travellers recommended by
the specialized international organizations , and in particular those contained
in Annex F 3 of the' International Convention for the simplification and harmon­
ization of customs procedures , concluded under the auspices of the Customs
Cooperation Council , to which the European Economic Community and its Member
States are Contracting Parties ;
Whereas both aims can be achieved by setting the amount of the exemption
referred to in Article 1 ( 1 ) of Regulation ( EEC ) No 1544 / 69 at forty European
units of account and the amount referred to in Article 1 ( 2 ) at twenty units
of account ;                                                                   •
Whereas , however , in order to prevent possible false interpretation , it
 must be expressly stated that relief from common customs duty is available only
to travellers coming directly from a third country ,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION     :
                                                                      y
                                    Arti c le 1
    The text of Article 1 ( 1 ) of Regulation ( EEC ) No 1544 / 69 is hereby amended
     as follows :                            -              1
   1 . Paragraph 1 Shall read :
    " Goods contained in the personal luggage of travellers coming directly
    from third countries shall be exempt from common customs duties if the
    imported goods have no commercial character and the total value of the
    goods does not exceed forty European units of account per person ".
 ---pagebreak---                                         - 3 -
2 . Paragraph 2 shall read :
     " Member States may reduce this exemption to twenty European units of
    account for travellers under fifteen years old ".
3 . In paragraph . 3 , for twenty-five units of account -read " forty European
    units of account ".
                                     Article 2      -
        This Regulation shall enter into force on 1 January 1979 .
       This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable
in all Member States .
                                           Done at Brussels ,
                                           For the Council ,
                                               '
                                           The President