CELEX: 51981PC0440
Language: en
Date: 1981-09-09
Title: Proposal for a COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) amending Regulation (EEC) No 950/68 on the Common Customs Tariff (submitted to the Council by the Commission)

ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES
DE LA COMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEE DES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM (81) 440
Vol. 1981/0137
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 ---pagebreak--- COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
                                                 COM(81)440 final
                                                 Brussels . 9 September 1981
                            Proposal for a
                       COUNCIL REGULATION _ ( EEC )
            amending Regulation ( EEC ) No 950 / 68 .on the
                         Common Customs Tariff          \
            ( submitted to the Council by the Commission )
                                       / .~ /'s 1 y Li
C0M(81 ) 440 final
 ---pagebreak---                               EXPLANATORY MEMOR ." V D U
  1.    Introduction
  1.1 .     By Regulation ( EEC ) No 950/ 68 of 28 June , 1968 ( 1 ), the Council
            adopted , in the form of an Annex to that Regulation , the Common-
            Customs Tariff as applicable on that date , that is to say taking
            into account the various autonomous regulations or decisions in
            force as well as the Community 's commitments towards third countries .
  1.2 .     As from 1 January 1970 , this Regulation ( EEC ) No 950/ 68 , has been
            subject annually to an amending regulation of the Council in the
            form of a further updated " Common Customs Tariff" Annex .       This should
ν
            likewise be the case on 1 January 1982 „
               ■>.
                                                            "
  1.3 .     In order to enable all Member States and all users to have an
            up-to-date Regulation in the official languages of the Community,
            it is proposed that the Council should adopt , on the basis of
            Articles 28 and 113 of the Treaty , the Common Customs Tariff in the
            form of a Regulation amending Regulation ( EEC ) No 950/ 68 of
            28 June 1968 .                                 "
            For practical reasons , only the pages of the Common Customs Tariff
            ( in its current Official Journal version ) which are the subject of
            amendments , including those of a minor editorial nature , appear in Annex .
            In the edition which will be published in the Official Journal , the
            Common Customs Tariff will nevertheless appear in its entirety .
                                                                         N ■
  2.    Amendments set out in this draft Regulation , gs compared 'jiih the text
         in force on 1 January 1981
  2.1 .     Amendments resulting frorc international commitments
            2.1.1 .   The Geneva Protocol and the Additional Protocol concluded
                      in 1979 as a result of the multilateral trade negotiations
                      which took place within the GATT in Geneva , cc. : ains a list
                      of concessions in the agricultural and industrial sectors .
   ( 1 ) 0J No L 172 . 22.7.1968, Pi 1
 ---pagebreak---                                -2-
2.1.2 . This draft takes account of provisions Laid down for the
        implementat ion of the said concessions by equal annual
  \     reductions from 1.1.1980, with certain exceptions .
                                                  *
2.1.3 . As laid down for each reduction phase , the intermediate
        rate has bt - i rounded to the nearest first decimal point ,
        it being u.lerstood that the rate so rounded will not
        exceed the intermediate rate , when not rounded, by more
        than 0.05% .
2.1.4 . It should be noted that the concessions on the following
        products :
        - citric acid                         ( 29.16 A IV a ))
        - tetraethyl-lead :                   ( 29.34 B )
           and lead-based anti-knock
           preparations                       ( 38 . 14 A and 38.14 B II )
        - textiles                            ( Chapters 51 to 62 )
        - ceramics :    reductions up to zero of the specific minimum
                        duty for those products falling within Chapter 69
                        to which such a minimum duty applies and for ■
                        tariff subheading 85.25 A
        - steel                               ( headings Nos 73.01 to 73.20 )
        - titanium                            ( 81.04 K I and K III
        will be implemented in the following manner :               .
        - first phase of 'the reductions on 1.1.1 982 , 1983 , 1984
        - second phase of the reductions spread over three years and
           therefore excluded from this draft .
2„1.5 .  With regard to the concessions for chemicals ( with certain
         exceptions ) falling within Chapters 29,32 and 39 of the CCT ,
         th -> firjt reduction of duty , by one-eighth , was effected on
         1 July 1^20, the second reduction took effect , six months
         a-'ter that date , on 1 January 1981 , and the third will take
         place on 1 January 1982 *
         The subsequent reductions will take effect in five annual
         stages ,:                 *       -
                                                             •■ •/••m
 ---pagebreak---        " 2*1*6 *    The concession for               ;? aper arid board ( ex 48„01 C II ) ~
                    will be implemented         ;           reductions , each of 0*5
                    points , on 1 . 1;1 983 , 1 .1 * 1'.: ~:^ r 1-1.1986 , and 1*1*1987 *
          2*1*7 *   Moreover , this proposal includes , in respect of heading
                    No 48*21 , the new layout which was the subject of the
                    Commission proposal to the Council on 15 June 1981
                    ( cf COM ( 81 ) 299 Final ) which , takes irito account the
                    necessity to put into effect a concession relating to
                    articles of paper for surgical , hygienic and medical
                    use „
2*2 *     Autonomous^amendments              ..
        - There have also been introduced into this proposal the amendments
          proposed by the Commission ' ( COM / 81 286 Final ) relating to the layout of
           heading No 55*09 ( Other woven fabrics of cotton ) as well as two
          Additional Notes to Chapter 55 *           These provisions concern cotton
          fabrics known as "denim" .( and " indigo denim") which are used in
                          I
          very large quantities for the manufacture of clothing and in
          which there is -considerable trade *
2*3 *     Amendment s_resul ti_n2„f£om_agri_cul tura l_Regulat i ons
          2*3*1 * ; These amendments concern changes in the tariff, resulting
                    from Regulations relating to common market organisations
                    already in force or coming into force on 1 January 1982
                    at the latest *
          2*3*2 *   These Regulations concern Chapters 2 , 4 and 11 *
2*4 *     Amendments resulting from Regul at ions Q"ther_than_Agri cultural
          Regulations                                                  '      '
          In accordance with Council Regulation ( EEC , Euratom ) No 3308/ 80
     -    dated 16 December 1980, which came into force on 1 January 1981 ,
          it is appropriate to replace " European Unit o ' Account (" EUA ")
          by " ECU"*
                                                                  %
                                                                                 M m M / MMH
 ---pagebreak--- ' Conclusions
   From the foregoing it will be seen that the draft Common Customs
  Tariff applicable with effect from 1,1*1982 includes an appreciable
  number of amendments , which follow mainly from the results of the
  multi-lateral negotiations in the framework of the GATT *    The whole
  of these amendments has been the subject of a close examination by
  the Joint Panel of Government Experts on the Common Customs Tariff
  and has been approved by them *   In order to make this instrument
  available to the national administrations and to the trade as soon
  as possible the Commission requests the Council to deal with this
 draft Regulation at one of its forthcoming meetings *
 ---pagebreak---                 COUNCIL REGULATION ( EEC )
                amending Regulation ( EEC ) No 950/ 68
                    on the Common Customs Tariff
THE COUNCIL OF THE EURPPEAN COMMUNITIES ,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community ,
and-in particular Articles 28 and 113 thereof ,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,
Whereas , under agreements signed with third countries , and in particular
pursuant to the 1979 Geneva Protocol and the 1979 Additional Protocol
to the Geneva Protocol annexed to the General Agreement on Tariffs and        -
Trade and the agreement' on trade in civil aircraft signed at the end of
the 1973-1979 Conference on Multilateral Trade Negotiations , the           .
Community has undertaken to make reductions in customs duties , certain
of which are to be implemented for the first time on 1 January 1982 ;
whereas it is expedient , therefore , in order to ensure uniform application
of the Common Customs Tariff , to specify in Council Regulation ( EEC ) No
950 / 68 of 28 June 1968 on the Common Customs Tariff ( 1 ), as last amended
by Regulation ( EEC ) No                            ( 2 ), the conventional
duties applicable from 1 January 1982 ;
Whereas Council Regulation ( EEC , Euratom ) No 3308 / 80 ( 3 )
provides that the term " European Unit of Account " ( EUA ) is to be replaced
by the term " ECU "        in all Community legislation , it is necessary
therefore to make this, substitution, throughout the whole of the Common
 Customs Tariff ;                                                         '
 (1)   0J No L 172 , 22.7.1968, p„1
 (2)   OJ No L     ,          ,
 ( 3)  0J No L 345 / 20«12«1980/ p«T'                           •*««/«*««
 ---pagebreak---                                  -2
  Whereas certain Regulations on the common organisation of agricultural
  markets provide that the tariff nomenclature resulting from their
  application shall be included in the Common Customs Tariff and / or
  amend customs duties ; whereas it is therefore appropriate to include
  in this Regulation all the amendments resulting from Regulations
  adopted under the Common Agricultural Policy ;
  Whereas it is appropriate , for the sake of clarity , to bFing the whole
 of the Common Customs Tariff up to date ; whereas , for this purpose , it is    •
 necessary to collect in a single text not only those parts which are
  amended with effect from 1 January 1982 , but also those which have
  already been amended and those which remain unchanged;    whereas , moreover ,
 the Common Custom ^ Tariff will be improved by certain editorial changes ;
  Whereas , although temporary tariff amendments and the preferential systems
  resulting from the various acts adopted by the Community form an integral
  part of the Common Customs Tariff , it seems appropriate not to include
 them in this Regulation ;
ι
  Whereas this Regulation does not apply to products covered by the Treaty
  establishing the European Coal and Steel Community , although the nomenclature
  and the conventional duties for these products are included , for information
 purposes , in the Schedule of Customs Duties in order to make the latter
 easier to understand ,
  HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION :
                              Article 1
 The Annex headed 'Common Customs Tariff " to Regulation ( EEC ) No 950/ 68
  is hereby replaced by the Annex to this Regulation *
                              Article 2
  This Regulation shall enter into force on 1 January 1982 „
  This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable
  in all Member States . '
  Done at Brussels                           For the Council
                                             The President