L 271/34 Official Journal of the European Communities 8.10.98 (Acts whose publication is not obligatory) COMMISSION DECISION of 29 September 1998 on the statistical surveillance within the Community of exports of secondary copper raw materials (notified under document number C(1998) 2739) (Text with EEA relevance) (98/562/EC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, (3  Whereas the difficulties of the Community Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 2603/69 of 20 December 1969 establishing common rules for exports ('), as last amended by Regulation (EEC) No 3918/ 91 (), and in particular Article 5 thereof, After consulting the committee set up by Article 4 of Regulation (EEC) No 2603/69, O Whereas Community refiners and fabricators have been, for some time, experiencing supply difficul- ties over the whole spectrum of copper materials; whereas the copper scrap market in particular is characterised by scarcity and is, consequently, highly competitive and inelastic on the supply side; whereas the Community industry is facing a signif- icant decline in its room for manoeuvre in relation to the amount of financial return it can expect from refining copper from scrap metal; Whereas exports of copper scrap were subject, until 1990, to production of a prior export licence to be issued by the appropriate authorities of the Member States; whereas, since then, no similar arrangement has been in force; L 324, 27. 12. 1969, p. 25. L 372, 31. 12. 1991, p. 31. industry in finding access to secondary copper raw materials started to increase following the lifting of that commercial policy measure; Whereas the Community industry claims that those difficulties are due to overbidding practices on the Community and world markets, mainly by Chinese, Indian and South Korean buyers, which are rendered possible by the differentiated tariff structure of those countries; whereas it submitted to the Commission information designed to demon- strate the existence of those practices; Whereas the existence of alternative sources of supply, in particular in eastern Europe, is likely to be short term as local industry increases demand and national authorities reinforce controls and export restrictions; Whereas, following receipt of the information provided by the Community industry, the Commission launched an examination concerning the conditions under which the international and Community copper scrap supply markets are oper- ating by a notice published () in the Official Journal of the European Communities; whereas () OJ C 148, 22. 5. 1996, p. 4.