Commission Regulation (EC) No 418/2003 of 6 March 2003 amending Council Regulation (EC) No 2368/2002 implementing the Kimberley Process certification scheme for the international trade in rough diamonds and rectifying Commission Regulation (EC) No 257/2003

Commission Regulation (EC) No 418/2003
of 6 March 2003
amending Council Regulation (EC) No 2368/2002 implementing the Kimberley Process certification scheme for the international trade in rough diamonds and rectifying Commission Regulation (EC) No 257/2003
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 2368/2002 of 20 December 2002 implementing the Kimberley Process certification scheme for the international trade in rough diamonds(1), as last amended by Regulation 257/2003(2), and in particular Article 19(3) and (6) and Article 20 thereof,
Whereas:
(1) Article 20 of Regulation (EC) No 2368/2002, as amended by Council Regulation (EC) No 254/2003(3), provides for the amending of the list of participants in the Kimberley Process certification scheme including WTO members and separate customs territories that fulfils the requirements of the scheme.
(2) The Chair of the Kimberley Process certification scheme and participants thereto have provided the Commission with the relevant information concerning the status as participant, in particular, of Algeria, Brazil, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Republic of Congo, Hungary, Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Norway, Venezuela, and the separate customs territory Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu, as well as with additional information regarding other participants. The additional information concerns China, Hong Kong, Ghana, Guinea, Japan, Laos, Mauritius, Sierra Leone, Thailand, Togo, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam. Annex II should therefore be amended accordingly.
(3) Article 2 of Regulation (EC) No 257/2003 was intended to limit only the application of Article 1(1) to a renewable three-month period. Article 2 of that Regulation should therefore be rectified accordingly.
(4) The measures provided for in Article 2 of this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee referred to in Article 22 of Regulation (EC) No 2368/2002,