CELEX: 31976R3023
Language: en
Date: 1976-12-13 00:00:00
Title: Council Regulation (EEC) No 3023/76 of 13 December 1976 opening tariff preferences in the form of a suspension of customs duties for jute manufactures originating in India, Thailand and Bangladesh and for coir manufactures originating in India and Sri Lanka

No L 349/96                            Official Journal of the European Communities                             20 . 12. 76
                                     . COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 3023/76
                                                     of 13 December 1976
             opening tariff preferences in the form of a suspension of customs duties for jute manu­
                factures originating in India, Thailand and Bangladesh and for coir manufactures
                                             originating in India and Sri Lanka
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,                         Whereas the Agreements concluded (between the
                                                                  Community and India on jute (2) and coir (3)
                                                                  manufactures expired on 31 December 1975 ; whereas
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the                      pending the conclusion of a new Agreement with
European Economic Community,                                      this country and with particular reference to terms
                                                                  enabling the special arrangements referred to above
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,                to be put into effect, the Community has considered
                                                                  that is is advisable in general to extend for 1976 the
                                                                  preferential tariff scheme which was in force for 1975 ;
Having regard to the opinion of the European                      whereas the same scheme has also been for Bangla­
Parliament (*),                                                   desh but exclusively for its jute products, whose
                                                                  situation is appreciably the same as that described
                                                                  above ;
Whereas, within the context of UNCTAD, the
European Economic Community offered to grant
tariff preferences on finished and semi-finished
products coming from developing countries; whereas                Whereas, for coir products, negotiations with India
the preferential treatment proposed in that offer                 have just ended, and these involve a reduction of 80%
covers, generally speaking, all finished and semi­                in the duties under ithe Common Customs Tariff as
finished industrial products covered by Chapters 25               of 1 July 1976 ; whereas therefore it seems advisable
to 99 of the Common Customs Tariff which originate                to apply this reduction from the above date, within
in developing countries ;                                         the framework of the generalized tariff preferences
                                                                  scheme ; whereas, as far as jute products are con­
                                                                  cerned, the fresh negotiations with India and Bangla­
Whereas the offer made by the Community includes                  desh, which have also just ended, result in the
a clause stating that the Community drew up the                   application of reductions which are at least equivalent ;
offer on the assumption that all the main                         whereas in view of the ad hoc measures agreed
industrialized countries which are members of the
                                                                  between the Community and Sri Lanka in respect of
OECD would participate in granting preferences and                coir manufactures and between the Community and
would make similar efforts in this direction ; whereas,           Thailand in respect of jute manufactures, the
moreover, it is evident from the conclusions worked               preferential tariff scheme applied at the end of 1976
out in UNCTAD that this offer, while being of                     may be adjusted as regards these two countries ;
a temporary nature, does not constitute a binding
commitment and, in particular, may be withdrawn
wholly or in part at a later date ; whereas this                  Whereas, in accordance with Protocol 23 to the
possibility may be adopted inter alia with a view to              Act of Accession (4), the generalized tariff preference
remedying any unfavourable situations which might                 scheme became fully applicable in the new Member
arise in the ACP States following the implementation
                                                                  States on 1 January 1974 ;
of the generalized preference scheme ;
Whereas, however, as regards jute and coir products,              Whereas the benefit of these suspensions should be
the said offer includes the elimination of customs                restricted to the said products originating in India,
duties only where special arrangements have been
made with the developing exporting countries ;
                                                                  (2) OJ No L 82 , 27. 3 . 1974, p . 11 .
                                                                  ( 3) OJ No L 82 , 27. 3 . 1974, p . 17.
(!) OJ No C 259, 4. 11 . 1976, p . 27.                            ( 4) OJ No L 73 , 27. 3 . 1972 , p. 14.
 ---pagebreak--- 20. 12 . 76                           Official Journal of the European Communities                                  No L 349/97
Bangladesh, Thailand and Sri Lanka, the concept of                   Council Regulation (EEC) No 802/68 of 27 June
'originating products' being determined in accord­                   1968 on the common definition of the concept of the
ance with the procedure laid down in Article 14 of                   origin of goods ( 1),
             HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION :
                                                          Article 1
             1 . From 1 January to 31 December 1977, the Common Customs Tariff duties on the
             products listed hereinafter shall be suspended at the following preferential rates :
                  CCT                                                                                  Preferential
                 heading                                  Description                                 rates of duty
                   No                                                                                       %
                 57.06       Yarn of jute or of other textile bast fibres of heading No 57.03               0
                 57.10       Woven fabrics of jute or of other textile bast fibres of heading
                             No 57.03 :
                             A. Of a width of not more than 150 cm and weighing per m2 :
                                    I. Less than 310 g                                                      4
                                  II. Not less than 310 g but not more than 500 g                           3-8
                                III. More than 500 g                                                        3
                             B. Of a width of more than 150 cm                                              4-4
                 58.02       Other carpets, carpeting, rugs, mats and matting and 'Kelem',
                             'Schumacks' and ' Karamanie' rugs and the like (made up or
                             not) :
                             A. Carpets, carpeting, rugs, mats and matting :
                                ex I. Coir mats and matting, and tufted carpets of
                                         jute or of other textile bast fibres of heading No
                                         57.03 and of coir                                                  4-6
                                ex II. Carpets, carpeting, rugs, mats and matting, of
                                          jute or of other textile bast fibres of heading No
                                          57.03                                                             0
             ex 59.04        Twine, cordage, ropes and cables, plaited or not, of jute or of
                             other textile bast fibres of heading No 57.03                                  0
                 62.03       Sacks and bags, of a kind used for the packing of goods :
                             A. Of jute or of other textile bast fibres of heading No 57.03 :
                                II . Other :
                                      a) Of fabric weighing less than 310 g/m2                              4
                                      b) Of fabric weighing not less than 310 g/m2 but not
                                         more than 500 g/m2                                                 3-8
                                      c) Of fabric weighing more than 500 g/m2                              3
                                                                    ( l) OJ No L 148, 28. 6. 1968 , p. 1 .
 ---pagebreak--- No L 349/98                       Official Journal of the European Communities                            20 . 12. 76
2. On importation of the said goods into Denmark                                    Article 2
and the United Kingdom, the duties to be applied
shall be those of their customs tariff suspended at
the level of those applied in 1973 .                         1 . The Commission, in close collaboration with
                                                             Member States, shall take all necessary measures to
                                                             ensure that the foregoing provisions are applied.
3 . The benefit of the suspensions referred to in
paragraph 1 shall be restricted to products originating
in India until 31 December 1977. Products originating        2. The Member States shall, on request, inform
in Bangladesh and Thailand, except coir mats and             the Commission of imports benefiting under the
matting and tufted carpets of coir, shall also benefit       preceding provisions.
from these suspensions. Coiir mats and matting and
tufted carpets of coir originating in Sri Lanka shall
also benefit from the suspensions. For the purposes                                 Article 3
of this Regulation, the concept of 'originating
products' shall be determined in accordance with the
procedure laid down in Article 14 of Regulation              This Regulation shall enter into force on 1 January
(EEC) No 802/68 .                                            1977.
              This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member
              States .
              Done at Brussels, 13 December 1976.
                                                                             For the Council
                                                                               The President
                                                                            M. van der STOEL