COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 1255/96
of 27 June 1996
temporarily suspending the autonomous Common  Customs Tariff duties on certain industrial and agricultural products
THE COUNCIL  OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 28  thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,
Whereas production in the Community of the products specified in this Regulation is currently  inadequate or non-existent; whereas producers thus cannot meet the needs of user industries in the  Community;
Whereas it is in the interest of the Community to suspend partially or totally the autonomous  Common Customs Tariff duties for these products;
Whereas the decision to suspend such autonomous duties should be taken by the Community;
Whereas the Regulations temporarily suspending the autonomous Common Customs Tariff duties on  certain industrial and agricultural products have largely renewed previous measures; whereas,  therefore, in the interests of rationalizing implementation of the measures concerned, it would  seem appropriate not to limit the period of validity of this Regulation as its scope can be adapted  and products added to or removed from the list through a Council Regulation, if necessary;
Whereas the amendments to the combined nomenclature and the Taric codes do not give rise to any  substantive amendment; whereas, for reasons of simplification, provision should be made to empower  the Commission, following receipt of the opinion of the Customs Code Committee, to make the  necessary amendments and technical adaptations of the Annex to this Regulation, including the  publication of a consolidated version,
The autonomous Common Customs Tariff duties for the products listed  in the Annex hereto shall be suspended at the level indicated against each of them.
The technical adaptations, including publication of a consolidated version, arising  from amendments of the combined nomenclature and Taric codes shall be adopted by the Commission in  accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 3.
1. The Commission shall be assisted by the Customs Code Committee set up by Article 247  of Regulation (EEC) No 2913/92 (1).
2. The representative of the Commission shall submit to the Committee a draft of the measures to be  taken. The Committee shall deliver its opinion on the draft within a time limit which the chairman  may lay down according to the urgency of the matter. The opinion shall be delivered by the majority  laid down in Article 148 (2) of the Treaty in the case of decisions which the Council is required  to adopt on a proposal from the Commission. The votes of the representatives of the Member States  within the Committee shall be weighted in the manner set out in that Article. The chairman shall  not vote.
3. The Commission shall adopt measures which apply immediately.
However, if these measures are not in accordance with the opinion of the Committee, they shall be  communicated by the Commission to the Council forthwith. In that event, the Commission shall defer  application of the measures which it has decided for three months from the date of such  communication.
The Council, acting by a qualified majority, may take a different decision within the period  referred to in the previous indent.
This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following its publication in the  Official Journal of the European Communities.
It shall apply from 1 July 1996.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all  Member States.