Council Regulation (EC) No 382/2001 of 26 February 2001 concerning the implementation of projects promoting cooperation and commercial relations between the European Union and the industrialised countries of North America, the Far East and Australasia and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1035/1999

Council Regulation (EC) No 382/2001
of 26 February 2001
concerning the implementation of projects promoting cooperation and commercial relations between the European Union and the industrialised countries of North America, the Far East and Australasia and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1035/1999
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 133 and Article 308 thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,
Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament(1),
Whereas:
(1) The promotion of cooperation and commercial relations with the industrialised countries should be pursued where it is in the mutual interest of the Community and the partner country concerned.
(2) The European Parliament has adopted various resolutions on relations between the European Union and the United States of America in 1994, 1998 and 1999. The European Union and the United States of America agreed to strengthen their relationship in the Transatlantic Declaration of 1990, the New Transatlantic Agenda of 1995, the Transatlantic Economic Partnership of 1998 and the Bonn Declaration of 1999. The common commercial policy should be complemented by further dissemination of general knowledge through more intensive dialogue between the actors in EU-US relations.
(3) The European Parliament has adopted a resolution and the Economic and Social Committee an opinion on relations between the European Union and Canada in 1996, calling for closer relations with Canada. The European Communities and Canada signed a Framework Agreement for commercial and economic cooperation(2) in 1976 and a Declaration on EC-Canada relations in 1990, and agreed to strengthen their relationship in the Joint Action Plan and the Joint Political Declaration of 1996. EU-Canada relations have become more diversified and Canada is a key partner in multilateral trade areas and in issues relating to global challenges and the Common Foreign and Security Policy. It is therefore necessary to further strengthen these relations by means of an intensified process of consultation and cooperation on an increasing number of issues.
(4) Activities covered by specific instruments, such as the Agreements between the Community and the United States of America and between the Community and Canada establishing programmes for cooperation in higher education and training, shall be complemented and not affected by this Regulation.
(5) The European Union and Japan decided to intensify their dialogue and to strengthen their cooperation and partnership in the Joint Declaration of 1991. The European Parliament has adopted a Resolution on the Communication from the Commission to the Council on "Europe and Japan: the next steps"(3). The Council's conclusions to the Commission's Communication on Japan recognised the distinct and specific problems of market access in Japan. The Council considered that priority should be given to improving access to the Japanese market. In the light of this, the Council adopted Council Regulation (EC) No 1035/1999 of 11 May 1999 on implementation by the Commission of a programme of specific measures and actions to improve access of European Union goods and cross-border services to Japan(4). This Regulation will expire on 31 December 2001. The results evaluating the Commission programme described above have shown the usefulness and effectiveness of the programme. It is therefore deemed necessary to continue implementing the Commission programmes described in the said Regulation. This Regulation is without prejudice to the Council Decision 92/278/EEC of 18 May 1992 on the consolidation of the EC-Japan Centre for Industrial-Cooperation(5) which remains valid. Regulation (EC) No 1035/1999 should be repealed and replaced by this Regulation.
(6) Bilateral cooperation in economic and other areas with the Republic of Korea should be enhanced in accordance with the principles of the Framework Agreement on Trade and Cooperation with Korea, the European Parliament's opinion, and the Council's Conclusions on the Korean Peninsula. The European Union should support market principles in Korea and promote the removal of existing barriers to trade and investment.
(7) The European Union and Australia agreed to strengthen their relationship and to cooperate across the many areas in which they have shared interests in the Joint Declaration of 1997. With a view to further strengthen these relations, an intensified process of consultation and cooperation on an increasing number of bilateral and international issues is necessary.
(8) The European Union and New Zealand agreed in the Joint Declaration of 1999 to strengthen their relationship and cooperation based on broadly shared interest to the mutual benefit of their peoples, and to endow their mutual relations with a long term perspective.
(9) There are currently a large number of small budget lines from which the various Community actions with regard to the promotion of cooperation and commercial relations vis-Ă -vis the industrialised countries referred to in this Regulation are financed. Some budgetary appropriations were made available under these different budget lines for the financing of pilot schemes and preparatory actions. After two years experience with these pilot schemes and preparatory actions the measures implemented up to now have proved their usefulness and demonstrated the need for continuation as regular activities. The Community must have the necessary means at its disposal on a regular basis to be able to implement such measures in the future. It is therefore deemed necessary, for the sake of efficiency, rationalisation and continuation, to establish a single budget line for funding the activities referred to in this Regulation. This must not, however, affect the transparency of the use of these budget lines necessary for the monitoring procedures of the European Parliament.
(10) The measures necessary for the implementation of this Regulation should be adopted in accordance with Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission(6).
(11) It is the primary responsibility of Member States to design and implement programmes of measures and actions to support the efforts of their exporters to build up a commercial presence in foreign markets.
(12) Member States' activities in promoting their exports of goods and cross-border services to third country markets should not be affected by this Regulation.
(13) The Commission should cooperate with Member States to implement a specific, coherent and targeted programme of measures and actions that complement and bring added value to the efforts undertaken by Member States in the Japanese market.
(14) Part of the activities falling within the scope of this Regulation are covered by Article 133 of the Treaty; for the other activities, the Treaty does not provide for powers other than those in Article 308 thereof.
(15) This Regulation is to expire on 31 December 2005,