CELEX: 51977PC0715
Language: en
Date: 1978-01-13
Title: Proposal for a COUNCIL DIRECTIVE amending the Directive of 26 July 1971 concerning the co-ordination of procedures for the award of public works contracts (submitted by the Commission to the Council)

ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES
DE LA COMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEE DES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM (77) 715
Vol. 1977/0223
 ---pagebreak--- Disclaimer
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p. 1), tel que modifié par le règlement (CE, Euratom) n° 1700/2003 du 22 septembre 2003
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In accordance with Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 354/83 of 1 February 1983
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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,
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 ---pagebreak--- COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
                      *•                                              . •• COM(77)715 final. . :    "
                              ■ /                  ,                -      Brussels , 13 January 1978 ,
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                                                     Proposal for a
             •   ; /      I          ■        ■  COUNCIL DIRECTIVE
 amending the Directive of 26 July 1971 concerning the co-ordination of
            procedures for the award of public works contracts
   >; ν        , <■>;- ,      . ,      .
                      <
                  (submitted "by the Commission to the Council)
C0MC77 ) 715 final .
 ---pagebreak---  EXPLANATORY MHiORANDUIJ
 According to Article 7 of Council Directive 71/305/EEC of 26 July 1971
 public works contracts of an estimated value of less than 1 mio units of
 account ( UA) shall not be subject to the co-ordination procedures for the
 award as described in that directive .
 The value of this UA is equal to that of 0.88867088 grams of fire gold ,
 but the conversion thereof into the national currencies of the Member
 States of the Community is fixed on the basis of their declared parity in
gold on given dates .    Because of the economic and monetary events in
 particular of the last years the application in the Iiember States of the
 threshold converted in accordance with the UA so defined now has widely
differing effects .
 A " Daropean unit of account " is defined by Article 10 of the financial regulation
 of         ........ Which applies to the general budget of the European Communities (
as a dven weighted average of the current values of the currencies of the
Ilember States .   The value of this unit of account in each of the currencies
 of the Member States is determined daily .   The use of this unit of account
for the definition of the threshold in the said directive would produce
a similar effect in each Member State which is not the case with the
threshold as at present defined .    Annex 1 shows the difference between
using the old "unit of account " and the new "European unit of account "
in the definition of the threshold .
 Article 5 of Council Directive 77/S2/EEC of 21 December 1976 co-ordinating
 procedures for the award of public supply contracts contains a threshold
 analogous to that of Council Directive 73 /305/EEC but specifies it in
 " European units of account ".  To continue to use thresholds specified in
different units of account for such closely related procedures would be
 illogical and confusing .
 In consequence , the Advisory Committee for Public Contracts has asked the
 Commission to elaborate the legal instruments necessary for the adoption
 of the " European unit of account " in both directives . This can only be
 achieved by amending the directive that udes the old "unit of account ".
 ---pagebreak--- A/lopti on of the pending propos a.l for a Regulation applying the European
bulb of Account ( SUA.) to the general budget of the European Communities
and to -hhe l*gal acts adonted by the institutions does not render the
present proposal superfluous . The proposed regulation does not meet the
need that the reference period for the calculation of the exchange value
of the threshold in national currencies be the same for both directives
r>o~or«Un"'.titt£ procedures for the award of public contracts ; moreover ,
the need to insure that the threshold in the directive concerning public
trorks con bracts produces a similar effect in each Member State is now
urgent „
 Article 1 paragraph 1 of the present proposed directive amends Article J
 of Council Directive 71/305/EFO so as to specify the threshold in wording
 identical to that of Article 5 of Council Directive 77/62/EEC for the
 purpose . This Directive not only used the words "European units of account '
 but also made it clear that "the estimated value of the contract " was to
 be "net of VAT " •
 Article 1 paragraph 2 of the present proposed directive amends Article 19
  of Council Directive 71/305/EEC as a consequence of the change to
  "European units of account"* And again it is made clear that the
  "value of the contract " is not to include value added tax .
 ---pagebreak---                                                              -3 "
                              The threshold, of Directive 71/30 5/EEC ( Article 7 )
 iicchaix^e value in national            Exchange value in national                 Pourcenta.ge increase or decrease in
 currencies of 1 mio units               currencies of 1 mio European
 of account ( gold parity )                                                         the thereshold 's value using
                                         units of account as at                     European    units of account as at
                                         1.7.1977 '                                 1.7.1977
                       (D                           2)
                                                                                           (2)             (1)
                                                                                                   (1)
FB         50,000,000                     •    40,842,000                                            18.3
13Kr        7,500.000                           6,837,610                                      -       9.0
IM          3 , cô0,000                         2,650,360                                      -     27,6
ty  ra -.
a   j.1 L   3,620,000                           2,805.250                                            22.5
5'P         5,554,190                           5 ; 575 ,650                                   +      0.04
Lit       625,000,000                       1002,490,000                                       +     6O.4
ε              416,667                              658.849                                    +     58.1
1 Irl          416 . 667                           658,849                                     +     58.1
 ---pagebreak---                          Prnposal for a
                    COUNCÍL DTRECTIVE
                    o J.             J.9T®
amending Directive 71/ 3'- 5/ EFC concerning the coordination of
procedures for the award of public works contracts
                          ( 78/      /EEC )
THE COrNCIT, OF THE FJROPEM COMMUNITIES ,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic
Comiia-nity, and in particular Articles 57(2 ), 66 and 100 thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ,
Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament ,
Having regc-rd to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee ,
Whereas Council Directive 71/305/EEC of 26 July 1971 concerning the
                                                                        ( 1
coordination of procedures, for the award of a public works contract ^
la^s down a threshold in "units of aocount " for determining the amount
of the estimated value of public works contracts with effect from which the
Directive applies ;
Whereaa 9 for the purpose of the said Directive , the rates used for
 converting units of account into national currencies were defined by
reference lo the gold parity units of account { whereas the conversion
 of the said threshold into national currencies on the basis of this
 definition does not reflect the present values of those currencies and ,
 therefore , has led to differing effects in different Member States ;
 Whereas Article 10 of the financial regulation of ........ i ?)which
  applien to the general budget of the European Communities (.••••*•)
 defines                                          _
                                                             a European unit
 of account whioh represents the average variation in value of the currencies
 of the
   OJ No L 135 , 16.8.1971 , p. 5 .
  20J Ho L
 ---pagebreak---                                         - 2 -
   Member States ; whereas the value of this unit of account in each of the
   currencies of the Member States is determined daily * whereas its use for
   the purpose of the Directive requires that a reference date be fixed ;
   VJhereas Council Directive of 21 December 1976 co-ordinating procedures for
                                          1
   the award of public supply contracts expresses the threshold from which
   that Directive shall apply in European units of account ;
   HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE :
                                    Article 1
  -Gor.nci 1 Directive 71/305/T2EG of 26 July 1971 is amended as follows :
   1 . The first paragraphe of Article 7 shall be deleted and the following
       substituted therefore :
       "( a) The provisions of Titles II , III and IV and Article 9 shall apply ,
       under the conditions laid down in Article 5 » to publio vrorks contracts
       whose estimated vr.lue net of VAT is." not less than 1.000.000 European
       units of account .
       ( b) Tho European unit of account shall be that defined by Artlole 10 of tii6 finan
cial regulation of                  which applies to the general budget of the European
       Communities
       ( c ) The exchange value in national currencies to be applied shall be the
       averr.ge of the daily value of these currencies over the preceding 12
       months calculated on the last day of October every tiro years , with effect
       from the follovring 1 January . This exchange value , calculated by the
       Co!jMission t shall be published in the Official Journal of the European
       Communities during the first days of ITovember.
       (d ) The method of calculation laid down in subparagraph ( c ) shall be
       ezamined , on the Commission 's initiative , within the Advisory Committee
       for Publio Contracts two years after its initial application.
   ^J No L 33 , 15.1.1977 page 1
   20J Uo L 185 , 16.8.1971 pago 5
 ---pagebreak---                              -■ 3 -
     (-.    T>'is method shall in any event be reviewed when the Council has
      -> ct A on the p-o >c.8f \ f-?T a Regulation , submitted by the Commission ,
     apvl;»iug the European unit of account ( EUA ) to the general budget
     of the European Ccsrounxties and to the legal acts adopted by the
     in ;, titutions,' "
2 . In Article 19 , the words " such contract is not lees than 500.000 units
    of account " shall read " such contract net of VAT is not less than
                                                                   4
    50C . 000 European units of account ".
                                     Article 2
Member States shall adopt the measures necessary to comply with this
Directive within six months of Its notification and shall forthwith inform
the Commission thereof .
                                     Article 3
This Directive is addressed to the Member States .