10.8.2002 Official Journal of the European Communities L 215/13 (Acts whose publication is not obligatory) COUNCIL COUNCIL DECISION of 22 July 2002 concerning the participation of the Community in the International Rubber Study Group (2002/651/EC) THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Commu- nity, and in particular Article 133 thereof, Having regard to the proposal of the Commission, Whereas: 1 The International Rubber Study Group (IRSG) was estab- lished in 1944 following the termination of the Interna- tional Rubber Regulation Scheme that had operated from 1934. Amendments to the Rules of Procedure were adopted by the Group at the meetings of Heads of Dele- gations held during the thirty-sixth and thirty-seventh Assemblies of Nations in Tokyo (March 1995) and Phuket (April 1996). The IRSG is an Intergovernmental Organisation with the status of a recognised international body, located in the United Kingdom, as formally established by a Headquar- ters Agreement with the Government of the United Kingdom, signed on 14 February 1978, that defines the privileges and immunities enjoyed by the Group and its Secretariat. The object of the Group is to: ‘... provide a forum for the discussion of problems affecting the production and consumption of, and trade in, natural and synthetic rubbers and to collect and disseminate comprehensive statistical information on the world rubber industry’. The Group is served by a Secretariat of which the Secre- tary-General, who is responsible to the Group and the Executive Committee, is the Executive head; in adminis- trative terms the Secretary-General reports to the Execu- tive Committee which meets four to six times a year, comprising fourteen Member Governments elected at the annual meeting. The Chairman of the Group is elected (6) ) for two-year periods at annual meetings and serves on the Executive Committee ex officio. The highest body is constituted by the Heads of Delegations who meet at Annual Meetings or Special Meetings. The Group’s activities provide a forum for the discussion of matters affecting the worldwide rubber industry, collection, validating and publishing the authoritative statistics on the production, consumption and trade in natural and synthetic rubber. They are mainly financed by Member Governments' contributions. Of the approved budget, 60 % is to be met by basic contribu- tions as paid in equal amounts by all Member Govern- ments. The balance of 40 % is to be paid by Member Governments in proportion to their production or consumption (whichever is the larger) of new rubber in the calendar year previous to the financial year in ques- tion. After final liquidation of the International Natural Rubber Council (INRO) on 31 August 2001, future dialogue between natural rubber exporting and importing countries would best be achieved by strength- ening the long existing IRSG, being the forum for the discussion of matters affecting the supply and demand for both synthetic and natural rubber. Several European Union Member States are members of the IRSG, namely: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom. The Council of the European Union, on the basis of the recommendation of its Working Party on Commodities, has invited the Commission to take the necessary steps to enable the European Community to join the IRSG as a full member,