Commission Regulation (EC) No 2727/1999 of 20 December 1999 introducing prior Community surveillance of imports of certain iron and steel products covered by the ECSC and EC Treaties originating in certain third countries
22. 12. 1999 EN Official Journal of the European Communities L 328/17 COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 2727/1999 of 20 December 1999 introducing prior Community surveillance of imports of certain iron and steel products covered by the ECSC and EC Treaties originating in certain third countries THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 3285/94 of 22 December 1994 on common rules for imports and repealing Regulation (EC) No 518/94 (1), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 2315/96 (2), and in particular Article 11 thereof, Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 519/94 of 7 March 1994 on common rules for imports from certain third countries and repealing Regulations (EEC) No 1765/82, (EEC) No 1766/82 and (EEC) No 3420/83 (3), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1138/98 (4), and in particular Article 9(1) thereof, Consultations having taken place within the committees set up under the Regulations referred to above, Whereas: (1) (2) by Commission Regulation (EC) No 2845/98 (5), imports into the Community of certain iron and steel products covered by the Treaty establishing the European Coal and Steel Community and the Treaty establishing the European Community were priori Community surveillance; subject to a in accordance with the provisions of Regulations (EC) No 3285/94 and (EC) No 519/94, products covered by the Treaty establishing the European Coal and Steel Community are subject for imports and it is therefore necessary that the arrange- ments for Community surveillance measures in respect of ECSC products be adopted in accordance with the provisions of those Regulations; to the common rules (3) since the beginning of 1998 the steel market has been seriously disturbed by the consequences of the financial and economic crisis that began in South East Asia; (4) available economic indicators show the following trends: (5) (A) Production. In 1998, production of crude steel in the Community remained with 160 million tonnes at the same level as in 1997. It slowed down between January and September 1999 by approximately 5,8 %. The increase in imports of certain finished steel products in the first semester, the rather slow (1) OJ L 349, 31. 12. 1994, p. 53. (2) OJ L 314, 4. 12. 1996, p. 1. (3) OJ L 67, 10. 3. 1994, p. 89. (4) OJ L 159, 3. 6. 1998, p. 1. (5) OJ L 354, 30. 12. 1998, p. 55. recovery in individual consuming sectors, the high level of stocks and a further reduction of exports should result in a 1999 crude steel production of about 155 million tonnes. It is expected to increase slightly in 2000, since consumption is expected to increase compared with 1999; (B) Imports. Imports of ECSC products into the Community from all third countries amounted to 18,3 million tonnes in 1998, 50 % above 1997. imports of During the first six months of 1999, ECSC products amounted to 9 million tonnes, a decrease of 12 % compared with the same period in 1998. Imports of flat products decreased by 29 %, long products increased by 20 % and semi-finished products by 8 %; (C) Exports. Exports of ECSC products decreased by 20 % to 16,8 million tonnes in 1998 compared with 1997. In the first six months of 1999, exports of ECSC products amounted to 7,2 million tonnes, an average decrease of 16 % compared with the same period in 1998. For 1999 as a whole, the Community is likely to become for the second year in row a net importer of steel products. In 1997, the Community had a net surplus of 8,5 million tonnes and in 1998 it had a net deficit of 1,5 million tonnes; (D) Similar imports of trends apply to certain steel products covered by the EC Treaty: in 1998, production of steel tubes and pipes increased by 1,5 % compared with 1997; tubes and pipes increased by an average of 17 % in 1998 compared with 1997; the first six months of 1999, imports of steel tubes and pipes decreased by an average of 11 % compared with the same period in 1998, but over the same period exports decreased by 32 %; steel for the Community's external trade statistics are not avail- able within the periods established by Commission Regulation No 840/96 (6) and whereas it is necessary that this problem should be addressed urgently; (6) the interests of the Community require that imports of certain steel products to prior Community surveillance in order to provide statistical information permitting rapid analysis of import trends; should be subject (6) OJ L 114, 8. 5. 1996, p. 7. L 328/18 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 22. 12. 1999 (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) the completion of the internal market requires that the formalities to be accomplished by Community importers be identical wherever the goods may be cleared; release for free circulation of the products covered by this Regulation should be made subject to presentation of a surveillance document meeting uniform criteria; that document should on simple application by the importer, be endorsed by the authorities of the Member States within a certain period but without the importer thereby acquiring any right to import; the document should therefore be valid only during such period as the import rules remain unchanged; the surveillance documents issued for the purposes of Community surveillance must be valid throughout the Community, regardless of the Member State of issue; the Member States and the Commission should exchange the information resulting from Community surveillance as fully as possible; the issue of surveillance documents, while subject to standard conditions at Community level, is to be the responsibility of the national authorities; it should be recalled that the delivery of a surveillance document for certain iron and steel products is subject to presentation of an export document in accordance with arrangements established within the framework of double-checking agreements with certain third countries, and whereas the present Regulation does not apply to the products originating in those countries which are subject to such a double-checking system, HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: Article 1 1. From 1 January 2000, the release for free circulation in the Community of iron and steel products covered by the ECSC and EC Treaties listed in Annex I shall be subject to prior Community surveillance in accordance with Articles 11 and 12 of Regulation (EC) No 3285/94 and Articles 9 and 10 of Regulation (EC) No 519/94. This applies to imports originating in all non-member countries other than in respect of products originating in countries of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), in countries which are parties to the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA), and in Turkey. Products which are subject to a double-checking surveillance agreement estab- lished between a non-member country and the Community shall be subject to the conditions established by that agreement and not to the present Regulation. 2. The classification of the products covered by this Regula- tion is based on the tariff and statistical nomenclature of the Community (hereinafter called the ‘Combined Nomenclature’, or in abbreviated form ‘CN’). The origin of the products covered by this Regulation shall be determined in accordance with the rules in force in the Community. Article 2 1. The release for free circulation in the Community of the products referred to in Article 1 shall be subject to presentation of a surveillance document issued by the relevant authorities of a Member State. 2. The surveillance document referred to in paragraph 1 shall be issued automatically by the competent authority in the Member States, without charge for any quantities requested, within five working days of presentation of an application by any Community established in the Community. This application shall be deemed to have been received by the competent national authority no later than three working days after submission, unless it is proven other- wise. importer, wherever 3. A surveillance document issued by one of the authorities listed in Annex II shall be valid throughout the Community. 4. The surveillance document shall be made out on a form corresponding to the model at Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 3285/94 (1). The importer's application shall include the following elements: (a) the name and full address of the applicant (including tele- phone and fax numbers, and possible identification number used by the competent national authorities) and VAT regis- tration number, if subject to VAT; (b) if applicable, the name and full address of the declarant or representative of the applicant (including telephone and fax numbers); (c) the full name and address of the exporter; (d) the exact description of the goods, including — their trade name, — the Combined Nomenclature (CN) code(s), — the country of origin, — the country of consignment; (e) the net weight, expressed in kg and also quantity in the unit prescribed where other than net weight, by Combined Nomenclature heading; (f) the cif value of the goods in euro at the Community frontier by Combined Nomenclature heading; (g) whether the products concerned are seconds or of substan- dard quality (2); (h) the proposed period and place of customs clearance; (i) whether the application is a repeat of a previous applica- tion concerning the same contract; (1) as modified by Council Regulation (EC) No 139/96 (OJ L 21, 27. 7. 1996, p. 7), and taking into account the provisions of Article 2 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1103/97 on certain provisions rela- ting to the introduction of the euro (OJ L 162, 19. 6. 1997, p. l). (2) Under the criteria given in OJ C 180, 11. 7. 1991, p. 4. 22. 12. 1999 EN Official Journal of the European Communities L 328/19 (j) the following declaration, dated and signed by the applicant with the transcription of his name in capital letters: the surveillance document by less than 5 % shall not preclude the release for free circulation of the products in question. ‘I, the undersigned, certify that the information provided in this application is true and given in good faith, and that I am established in the Community. ’ 2. Applications for surveillance documents and the docu- ments themselves shall be confidential. They shall be restricted to the competent authorities and the applicant. The importer shall also submit a copy of the contract of sale or purchase and of the pro forma invoice. If so requested, for example in cases where the goods are not directly purchased in the country of production, the importer shall present a certifi- cate of production issued by the producing steel mill. 5. Surveillance documents may be used only for such time as arrangements for liberalisation of imports remain in force in respect of the transactions concerned. Without prejudice to possible changes in the import regulations in force or decisions taken in the framework of an agreement or the management of a quota: — the period of validity of the surveillance document is hereby fixed at four months, — unused or partly used surveillance documents may be renewed for an equal period. The importer shall return surveillance documents to the 6. issuing authority at the end of their period of validity. 7. The competent authorities may, under the conditions fixed by them, allow the submission of declarations or requests to be transmitted or printed by electronic means. However, all documents and evidence must be available to the competent authorities. 8. The surveillance document may be issued by electronic means as long as the customs offices involved have access to this document across a computer network. Article 4 The Member States shall communicate to the Commis- 1. sion: (a) on as regular and up-to-date a basis as possible and at least by the last day of each month, details of the quantities and values (calculated in euro) for which surveillance docu- ments have been issued; (b) within six weeks of the end of each month, details of imports during that month, in accordance with Article 26 of Regulation No 840/96. The information provided by Member States shall be broken down by product, CN code and by country. 2. The Member States shall give notification of any anoma- lies or cases of fraud which they discover and, where relevant, the basis on which they have refused to grant a surveillance document. Article 5 Any notices to be given hereunder shall be given to the Commission of the European Communities and shall be communicated electronically within the integrated network set up for this purpose, unless for imperative technical reasons it is necessary to use other means of communication temporarily. Article 3 Article 6 1. A finding that the unit price at which the transaction is effected varies from that indicated in the surveillance document by less than 5 % in either direction or that the total quantity of the products presented for import exceeds the quantity given in This Regulation shall enter into force on the day of its publica- tion in the Official Journal of the European Communities. This Regulation shall apply from 1 January to 31 December 2000. This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. Done at Brussels, 20 December 1999. For the Commission Pascal LAMY Member of the Commission L 328/20 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 22. 12. 1999 ANNEX I LIST OF PRODUCTS SUBJECT TO PRIOR SURVEILLANCE (2000) 7208 10 10 7208 25 00 7208 26 00 7208 27 00 7208 36 00 7208 37 10 7208 37 90 7208 38 10 7208 38 90 7208 39 10 7208 39 90 7208 40 10 7208 40 90 7208 51 10 7208 51 30 7208 51 50 7208 51 91 7208 51 99 7208 52 10 7208 52 91 7208 52 99 7208 53 10 7208 53 90 7208 54 10 7208 54 90 7208 90 10 7209 15 00 7209 16 10 7209 16 90 7209 17 10 7209 17 90 7209 18 10 7209 18 91 7209 18 99 7209 25 00 7209 26 10 7209 26 90 7209 27 10 7209 27 90 7209 28 10 7209 28 90 7209 90 10 7210 11 10 7210 12 11 7210 12 19 7210 20 10 7210 30 10 7210 41 10 7210 49 10 7210 50 10 7210 61 10 7210 69 10 7210 70 31 7210 70 39 7210 90 31 7210 90 33 7210 90 38 7211 13 00 7211 14 10 7211 14 90 7211 19 20 7211 19 90 7211 23 10 7211 23 51 7211 23 91 (*) 7211 23 99 (*) 7211 29 20 7211 29 50 (*) 7211 29 90 (*) 7211 90 11 7211 90 90 (*) 7212 10 10 7212 10 91 7212 20 11 7212 30 11 7212 40 10 7212 40 91 7212 50 31 7212 50 51 7212 60 11 7212 60 91 7213 10 00 7213 20 00 7213 91 10 7213 91 20 7213 91 41 7213 91 49 7213 91 70 7213 91 90 7213 99 10 7213 99 90 7214 20 00 7214 30 00 7214 91 10 7214 91 90 7214 99 10 7214 99 31 7214 99 39 7214 99 50 7214 99 61 7214 99 69 7214 99 80 7214 99 90 7215 90 10 7216 10 00 7216 21 00 7216 22 00 7216 31 11 7216 31 19 7216 31 91 7216 31 99 7216 32 11 7216 32 19 7216 32 91 7216 32 99 7216 33 10 7216 33 90 7216 40 10 7216 40 90 7216 50 10 7216 50 91 7216 50 99 7216 99 10 7225 11 00 7225 19 10 7225 19 90 7225 20 20 7225 30 00 7225 40 80 7226 11 10 7226 11 90 (*) 7226 19 10 7226 19 30 7226 19 90 (*) 7228 10 10 7228 10 30 7228 20 11 7228 20 19 7228 20 30 7228 30 20 7228 30 41 7228 30 49 7228 30 61 7228 30 69 7228 30 70 7228 30 89 7228 60 10 7228 70 10 7228 70 31 7228 80 10 7228 80 90 7301 10 00 Complete CN heading 7304 (*) Complete CN heading 7306 (*) 7307 93 11 (*) 7307 93 19 (*) 7307 99 30 (*) 7307 99 90 (*) (*) Products covered by the EC Treaty 22. 12. 1999 EN Official Journal of the European Communities L 328/21 ANEXO II — BILAG II — ANHANG II — ΠΑΡΑΡΤΗΜΑ ΙΙ — ANNEX II — ANNEXE II — ALLEGATO II — BĲLAGE II — ANEXO II — LIITE II — BILAGA II LISTA DE LAS AUTORIDADES NACIONALES COMPETENTES LISTE OVER KOMPETENTE NATIONALE MYNDIGHEDER LISTE DER ZUSTÄNDIGEN BEHÖRDEN DER MITGLIEDSTAATEN ∆ΙΕΥΘΥΝΣΕΙΣ ΤΩΝ ΑΡΧΩΝ ΕΚ∆ΟΣΗΣ Α∆ΕΙΩΝ ΤΩΝ ΚΡΑΤΩΝ ΜΕΛΩΝ LIST OF THE COMPETENT NATIONAL AUTHORITIES LISTE DES AUTORITÉS NATIONALES COMPÉTENTES ELENCO DELLE COMPETENTI AUTORITÀ NAZIONALI LĲST VAN DE BEVOEGDE NATIONALE INSTANTIES LISTA DAS AUTORIDADES NACIONAIS COMPETENTES LUETTELO TOIMIVALTAISISTA KANSALLISISTA VIRANOMAISISTA LISTA ÖVER KOMPETENTA NATIONELLA MYNDIGHETER Belgique/België France Ministère des affaires économiques Administration des relations économiques Services ‘licences’ Rue Général Leman 60 B-1040 Bruxelles Fax (32-2) 230 83 22 Ministerie van Economische Zaken Bestuur van de Economische Betrekkingen Dienst Vergunningen Generaal Lemanstraat 60 B-1040 Brussel Fax (32-2) 230 83 22 Danmark Erhvervsfremmestyrelsen Søndergade 25 DK-8600 Silkeborg Fax (45) 35 46 64 01 Deutschland Bundesamt für Wirtschaft, Dienst 01 Postfach 5171 D-65762 Eschborn 1 Fax: (+49) 6196 40 42 12 Ελλάς Υπουργείο Εθνικής Οικονοµίας Γενική Γραµµατεία ∆ΟΣ ∆ιεύθυνση ∆ιαδικασιών Εξωτερικού Εµπορίου Κορνάρου 1 GR-10563 Αθήνα Φαξ: (30-1) 328 60 94 España Ministerio de Economía y Hacienda Dirección General de Comercio Exterior Paseo de la Castellana 162 E-28046 Madrid Fax: (34) 915 63 18 23 (34) 913 49 38 31 Service des industries manufacturières Digitip 12, rue Villiot — Bâtiment Le Bervil F-75572 Paris Cedex 12 Fax: (33) 153 44 91 93 Ireland Licensing Unit Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment Kildare Street Dublin 2 Ireland Fax: (353-1) 631 28 26 Italia Ministero del Commercio con l'estero Direzione generale per la politica commerciale e per la gestione del regime degli scambi Viale America 341 I-00144 Roma Fax: (39) 06 59 93 22 35/06 59 93 26 36 Luxembourg Ministère des affaires étrangères Office des licences BP 113 L-2011 Luxembourg Téléfax: (352) 46 61 38 Nederland Centrale Dienst voor In- en Uitvoer Postbus 3003 Engelse Kamp 2 9700 RD Groningen Nederland Fax (31-50) 526 06 98 Österreich Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Angelegenheiten Außenwirtschaftsadministration Landstrasser Hauptstraße 55-57 A-1030 Wien Fax: (+43) 1-715 83 47 L 328/22 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 22. 12. 1999 Portugal Ministério da Economia Direcção-Geral das Relações Económicas Internacionais Avenida da República, 79 P-1000 Lisboa Fax: (351-21) 793 22 10 Sverige Kommerskollegium Box 6803 S-113 86 Stockholm Fax (46-8) 30 67 59 United Kingdom Suomi Tullihallitus PL 512 FIN-00101 Helsinki Faksi: + 358 9 614 28 52 Department of Trade and Industry Import Licensing Branch Queensway House — West Precinct Billingham, Cleveland TS23 2NF United Kingdom Fax: (44-1642) 53 35 57