31.12. 94 Official Journal of the European Communities No L 349/71 COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 3286/94 of 22 December 1994 laying down Community procedures in the field of the common commercial policy in order to ensure the exercise of the Community’s rights under international trade rules, in particular those established under the auspices of the World Trade Organization THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 113 thereof, Having regard to the rules establishing the common organization of agricultural markets and the rules adopted pursuant to Article 235 of the Treaty, applicable to goods processed from agricultural products, and in particular those provisions thereof, which allow for derogation from the general principle that any quantitative restriction or measure having equivalent effect may be replaced solely by the measures provided for in those instruments, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (1), Whereas the common commercial policy must be based on uniform principles, in particular with regard to commercial defence; Whereas Council Regulation (EEC) No 2641/84 of 17 September 1984 on the strengthening of the common commercial policy with regard in particular to protection against illicit commercial practices (3) provided the Community with procedures enabling it: — to respond to any illicit commercial practice with a view to removing the injury resulting therefrom, and — to ensure full exercise of the Community’s rights with regard to the commercial practices of third countries; Whereas experience in the application of Regulation (EEC) No 2641/84 has shown that the need to deal with obstacles to trade adopted or maintained by third countries remains, and whereas the approach followed in Regulation (EEC) No 2641/84 has not proved to be entirely effective; Whereas it appears necessary, therefore, to establish new and improved Community procedures to ensure the (') Opinion delivered on 14 December 1994 (not yet published in the Official Journal). {3) OJ No L 252, 20. 9. 1984, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 522/94 (O] No L 66, 10. 3. 1994, p. 10). effective exercise of the rights of the Community under international trade rules; Whereas international trade rules are primarily those established under the auspices of the WTO and laid down in the Annexes to the WTO Agreement, but they can also be those laid down in any other agreement to which the Community is a party and which sets out rules applicable to trade between the Community and third countries, and whereas it is appropriate to give a clear idea of the types of agreements to which the term ‘international trade rules’ refers; Whereas the abovementioned Community procedures should be based on a legal mechanism under Community law which would be fully transparent, and would ensure that the decision to invoke the Community’s rights under international trade rules is taken on the basis of accurate factual information and legal analysis; Whereas this mechanism aims to provide procedural means to request that the Community institutions react to obstacles to trade adopted or maintained by third countries which cause injury or otherwise adverse trade effects, provided that a right of action exists, in respect of such obstacles, under applicable international trade rules; Whereas the right of Member States to resort to this mechanism should be without prejudice to their possibility to raise the same or similar matters through other existing Community procedures, and in particular before the committee established by Article 113 of the Treaty; Whereas regard should be paid to the institutional role of the committee established by Article 113 of the Treaty in formulating advice for the institutions of the Community on all issues of commercial policy; whereas, therefore, this committee should be kept informed of the development of individual cases, in order to enable it to consider their broader policy implications;