31.3.2009 Official Journal of the European Union L 84[1 | (Acts adopted under the EC Treaty/Euratom Treaty whose publication is obligatory) REGULATIONS COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 260/2009 of 26 February 2009 on the common rules for imports (Codified version) THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 133 thereof, Having regard to the instruments establishing the common organisation of agricultural markets and the instruments concerning processed agricultural products adopted in pursuance of Article 308 of the Treaty, in particular in so far as they provide for derogation from the general principle that quantitative restrictions or measures having equivalent effect may be replaced solely by the measures provided for in the said instruments, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Whereas: (1) Council Regulation (EC) No 3285/94 of 22 December 1994 on the common rules for imports and repealing Regulation (EC) No 518/94 (') has been substantially amended several times (?). In the interests of clarity and rationality the said Regulation should be codified. (20 The common commercial policy should be based on uniform principles. (3)  The Community has concluded the Agreement estab- lishing the World Trade Organisation, hereinafter referred to as the ‘WTO'. Annex 1A to that Agreement contains inter alia the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 (GATT 1994) and an Agreement on Safe- guards. () OJ L 349, 31.12.1994, p. 53. (?) See Annex II. (4)  The Agreement on Safeguards meets the need to clarify and reinforce the disciplines of GATT 1994, and speci- fically those of Article XIX. That Agreement requires the elimination of safeguard measures which escape those rules, such as voluntary export restraints, orderly marketing arrangements and any other similar import or export arrangements. (5)  The Agreement on Safeguards also covers coal and steel products. The common rules for imports, especially as regards safeguard measures, therefore also apply to those products without prejudice to any possible measures to apply an agreement specifically concerning coal and steel products. (6)  The textile products covered by Council Regulation (EC) No 517/94 of 7 March 1994 on common rules for imports of textile products from certain third countries not covered by bilateral agreements, protocols or other arrangements, or by other specific Community import rules (%) are subject to special treatment at Community and international level. They should therefore be excluded from the scope of this Regulation. (7)  The Commission should be informed by the Member States of any danger created by trends in imports which might call for Community surveillance or the application of safeguard measures. (8)  In such instances the Commission should examine the terms and conditions under which imports occur, the trend in imports, the various aspects of the economic and trade situations and, where appropriate, the measures to be applied. () OJ L 67, 10.3.1994, p. 1.