title: Decision No 2179/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 September 1998 on the review of the European Community programme of policy and action in relation to the environment and sustainable development 'Towards sustainability"

eurovoc_concepts:
EU programme
action programme
environmental policy
sustainable development

text: 10. 10. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities L 275/1 I (Acts whose publication is obligatory) DECISION No 2179/98/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 24 September 1998 on the review of the European Community programme of policy and action in relation to the environment and sustainable development ‘Towards sustainability' THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, February 1993 (6), approved the general approach and strategy of the Programme; Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular the first subparagraph of Article 130s(3) thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission (1), Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (2), Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions (3), Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 189b of the Treaty (4), in the light of the joint text approved by the Conciliation Committee on 29 June 1998, (1) Whereas on 18 March 1992 the Commission adopted the European Community programme of policy and action in relation to the environment and sustainable development sustain- ability' (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Programme'); ‘Towards (5) Whereas, while many of the measures and actions in the Programme are set within a time-frame which extends to the year 2000, the Programme provides for a review to be undertaken before the end of 1995; (6) Whereas a number of developments with a bearing on sustainable development have occurred since the adoption of the Programme, in particular the adoption of Agenda 21 on the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, and the adoption by the Commis- sion of a White Paper on growth, competitiveness and employment; (7) Whereas the review should also reflect the commit- ments entered into and the conclusions adopted as part of various international processes; (2) Whereas the European Parliament, in its resolution of 17 November 1992 (5), welcomed the guidelines set out in the Programme; (8) Whereas one of the objectives of Community policy on the environment, under Article 130r of the Treaty, is the protection of human health; (3) Whereas the Economic and Social Committee, in its opinion of 1 July 1992, approved the concepts and the thrust of the Programme; (4) Whereas the Council and the representatives of the the Member States, meeting resolution of 1 Governments of within the Council, in their (1) OJ C 140, 11. 5. 1996, p. 5, and OJ C 28, 29. 1. 1997, p. 18. (2) OJ C 212, 22. 7. 1996, p. 1. (3) OJ C 34, 3. 2. 1997, p. 12. (4) Opinion of the European Parliament of 13 November 1996 (OJ C 362, 2. 12. 1996, p. 112), Council common position of 17 April 1997 (OJ C 157, 24. 5. 1997, p. 12) and Decision of the European Parliament of 17 July 1997 (OJ C 286, 22. 9. 1997, p. 208). Decision of the European Parliament of 15 July 1998 (OJ C 292, 21. 9. 1998) and Decision of the Council of 20 July 1998. (5) OJ C 337, 21. 12. 1992, p. 34. (9) Whereas the enlargement of the European Union to include the three new Member States, Austria, Finland and Sweden, poses new environmental challenges to the Union; whereas the Community has committed itself to reviewing certain provisions of its legislation in the environmental field by the end of the transitional period in accordance with the Act concerning the conditions of accession of Austria, Finland and Sweden, in the light of the stricter standards that can be maintained in the new Member States in accordance with the Treaty, and of promoting a high level of health, safety and envir- onmental protection as part of Community action; emphasising importance great the (6) OJ C 138, 17. 5. 1993, p. 1. L 275/2 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 10. 10. 98 (10) Whereas extensive consultation has taken place in the review process carried out by the Commission to compile information on progress to date and obstacles to the implementation of the Programme; (11) Whereas on 10 November 1995 the European Environment Agency presented an updated state of the environment report as a contribution to the review process which made it clear that, without additional measures, the 1992 aims for the year 2000 will not be attained in certain sectors; (12) Whereas in January the Commission presented a progress report on the implementation of the Programme; 1996 (13) Whereas the overall strategy, objectives and indic- ative actions of the original Programme remain valid and the Programme constitutes an appro- priate point of departure for the implementation of Agenda 21 by the Community and the Member States; (14) Whereas the basic strategy of the Programme is to achieve full integration of environmental and other relevant policies through the active participation of the main actors in society in a broadening and deepening of the range of instruments to achieve behavioural change; (15) Whereas the conclusions of the progress report show that progress has been made on a number of issues, but that a great deal remains to be done to move towards sustainability; (16) Whereas the progress report identifies key priorit- ies needed to ensure that the process of sustainable development is given greater impetus; whereas the Community should step up its efforts on five key priorities and five other the implementation of the Programme; issues to support (17) Whereas the objectives, targets, actions and time- frames indicated in the Programme constitute a useful start in moving towards sustainable develop- ment; whereas action needs to be stepped up to ensure that the priorities set out in the programme are put into practice in a more effective way; whereas sustainability of activity and development will not be attained during the life-span of this programme and, consequently, further and still more progressive priority objectives and measures will be necessary beyond the year 2000 to maintain the momentum of Community action; (18) Whereas, in implementing its general action programme, the Community will act within the limits of its powers; whereas, in their resolution dated 1 February 1993, the Council and the repres- entatives of the Governments of the Member States invited the Commission to come forward with to the appropriate proposals to give effect programme in so far as it pertains to action at Community level; for basis (19) Whereas this Decision is without prejudice to the the measures which, while legal complying with the objectives of the actions provided for in this Decision, are adopted in the framework of environmental policy and of other Community policies; in the process of (20) Whereas the further integration of environmental protection requirements into other policy areas is regarded as a key means of achieving sustainable imple- development; whereas, menting the approach set out in the Programme, the need to integrate environmental considerations into Community policy and action should be trans- lated into more operational terms; whereas, to this end, in relation to the target sectors of agriculture, transport, energy, industry and tourism a number of priorities have been identified in connection with which action can be carried out most effectively at Community level; (21) Whereas broadening the range of instruments has proved more difficult than envisaged; whereas the development and implementation of other instru- ments to complement legislation is necessary to bring about substantial changes towards sustainable development in current trends and practices, taking account of the subsidiarity principle; whereas this requires the further development at an appropriate level of effective market-based and other economic instruments and of horizontal instruments, and the improved use of the Community’s own financial support mechanisms as a means of promoting sustainable development; whereas the Commission the has put common agricultural policy which envisage, in particular, increased financial incentives for agri- environmental measures and the possibility for Member States to take appropriate steps to ensure compliance with the environmental provisions of the common market organisations; forward proposals reform of for (22) Whereas it is necessary to ensure better imple- mentation and enforcement of environmental measures, which requires action at all levels of the regulatory chain; (23) Whereas communication, information, education and training are crucial as a means of stimulating environmental awareness and promoting beha- vioural changes in all sections of society; (24) Whereas the Community has an important role to play in international action on the environment and sustainable development; whereas there is a in need to respond to international challenges, particular the potential accession of the associated countries of central and eastern Europe and of Cyprus, the need to increase cooperation with the 10. 10. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities L 275/3 Mediterranean countries and the countries of the Baltic Sea region, the need to carry on the process initiated by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development and discussions on trade and the environment; (25) Whereas further efforts are necessary to improve the basis for environmental policy in the form of reliable and comparable data, statistics and indic- ators and methods of assessing the costs and bene- fits of action or lack of action; (26) Whereas it further is necessary to develop approaches to promote sustainable patterns of production and consumption; whereas it is neces- sary to promote the best use of new techniques and technologies; (27) Whereas it is necessary further to develop the concept of shared responsibility, in particular by strengthening dialogue with the actors concerned and their in the preparation of Community policies and actions; involvement (28) Whereas there is potential for Community support to provide more coordinated coherent approaches in relation to activities at local and regional to the achievement of sustainable development and to stimulate exchanges of information and experience; levels on issues fundamental and (29) Whereas the Community will further develop its policies in relation to the environmental themes covered by the Programme on the basis of high standards of environmental protection; whereas specific attention will be given to those actions which can be carried out most effectively at Community level, HAVE DECIDED AS FOLLOWS: Article 1 The Community confirms its commitment to the general approach and strategy of the Programme ‘Towards Sus- tainability' adopted by the Commission on 18 March 1992, welcomed in the resolution of the European Parlia- ment of 17 November 1992 and approved by the resolu- tion of the Council and the representatives of the Govern- ments of the Member States, meeting within the Council, of 1 February 1993. Community institutions, Member States, enterprises and citizens are encouraged to accept their respective responsibilities to play their full part in the continuing implementation of the Programme and to seek to speed up the process. In order to speed up the achievement of the Programme’s objectives and to ensure the more efficient implementa- tion of its approach, taking into account the Commis- sion’s progress report on the implementation of the Programme as well as the updated state of the environ- ment report presented by the European Environment Agency, the Community will, while aiming at a high level of protection and taking into account the diversity of situations in the various regions of the Community, step up its efforts on five key priorities and five other issues as being those which will give an additional impetus to the implementation of the Programme. Notwithstanding these specific priorities, the Community will actively pursue all other action initiated under the Programme. In implementing the Programme, the Community will act within the limits of its powers. This Decision shall be without prejudice to the legal basis for the measures which, while complying with the objectives of the actions provided for by this Decision, are adopted in the frame- work of environmental policy and of other Community policies. of assessment the end of the Programme, At the Commission will submit to the European Parliament and the Council a global the the Programme, giving special attention to any revision and updating of objectives and priorities which may be required, appropriate, by proposals for the priority objectives and measures that will be necessary beyond the year 2000. and accompanied, where implementation of SECTION 1 KEY PRIORITIES Article 2 Integration of environmental requirements into other policies The Community will develop improved and more consis- tent approaches to the integration of environmental protection requirements into other policy areas, with a view to facilitating the process of moving towards sustain- able development. To this end, in relation to the sectors targeted under the Programme the Community will focus on the following priorities in connection with which action can be carried out most effectively at Community level. 1. In relation to agriculture, the priority objectives of the Community shall be: (a) better to integrate market, rural development and environmental policies with a view to securing sustainable agriculture, notably in the framework of the reform process launched by the Commission’s Agenda 2000 proposals, by: — integrating environmental considerations into agricultural policy-making and taking appro- priate steps to ensure that specific environ- mental objectives are achieved pursuant to the process of the reform of the common agricul- tural policy, L 275/4 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 10. 10. 98 — considering the scope for the incorporation of additional environmental considerations into agricultural policies. appropriate All measures monitoring, reporting and evaluation obligations; include should (b) to provide for regular reporting and the generation of comparable data on the pressures and effects on the environment, including biodiversity, of agricul- tural practices, such as fertiliser and pesticide use, and data on water quality and use and land use; (c) to promote sustainable farming, including integ- rated farm technologies, organic agriculture and, where appropriate, extensive production methods (which, for example, respect biodiversity) in close cooperation with the concerned. The Community will continue to encourage the devel- initiatives and disseminate in- opment of formation on them; actors local (d) further to develop an integrated strategy to reduce the risks to health and the environment from the use of plant protection products and pesticides, including more detailed provisions on the distribu- tion and sales of these substances and restrictions on use and, where appropriate, substitution of the most dangerous plant protection products and pesticides; (e) further to develop comprehensive approaches to rural development, taking account of environ- mental considerations, including the conservation of biological diversity, for example by monitoring and coordinating the various policy instruments concerned; (f) to consider measures for internalising environ- mental costs in the cost of agricultural products and production processes. The Community will promote better coordination and coherence of actions and policies affecting forests, with (including a view to facilitating their management afforestation and protection from forest fires), conserva- tion and sustainable development and responding to international developments concerning forests. (a) further to tighten provisions on emissions and noise from road and off-road vehicles and, taking due account of developments in the relevant inter- national forums, from aircraft, as well as on fuel quality, to develop action to reduce CO2 emissions from road vehicles, notably by promoting the use of fuel-efficient vehicles and low-emission techno- logies, and to strengthen Community provisions on vehicle inspection and maintenance; (b) to give greater attention to the factors determining transport demand, while taking account of the diversity of situations in the various regions of the Community, by: — developing and promoting measures to achieve better internalisation of external costs in trans- port prices, in particular for less environment- ally-friendly modes of transport, as a prerequis- ite for influencing user choices in order to arrive at a more sustainable level of transport demand, — promoting a more integrated transport policy, including improvements in the economic effi- ciency of the transport sector and improve- ments in environmental, safety and accessibility aspects, inter alia by promoting better integra- tion of land-use and transport planning and demand-management measures, promoting such as the use of telematics; (c) to pursue its aims of reducing the imbalances between the different transport modes and encour- aging the more environmentally friendly modes of transport, in particular by: — developing potential methods of analysis with a view to strategic evaluation of the environ- mental impact of the trans-European transport as potential methods of network as well corridor analysis covering all relevant transport modes, taking account of the need to link all Member States and regions to the trans-Euro- pean transport network and, in particular, the need to link island, landlocked and peripheral regions with the the Community, regions of central — investigating possibilities of Community funding to promote a better balance between transport modes by facilitating transport intermodality and appropriate modal shifts, the use for 2. In relation to transport, the priority objectives of the Community shall be: — developing a framework for solving the envir- onmental problems caused by heavy goods vehicle traffic, 10. 10. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities L 275/5 — promoting the use of more environmentally friendly modes of transport, for example by encouraging public and/or collective transport and low-emission vehicles. 3. In relation to energy, the priority objectives of the Community shall be: (a) to promote energy efficiency and the rational use of energy and to support the development and application of energy-saving technologies and prac- tices, including renewable energy sources and combined heat and power, by means of appropriate programmes and measures, awareness-raising and information measures, and to develop criteria for the screening of subsidy schemes in order to offset the adverse impact of certain incentives; (b) to encourage the implementation of energy demand side management measures, including energy conservation measures, the internalisation of external costs and benefits through economic instruments and other means, and the improved coordination of consumer awareness initiatives in Community energy-saving programmes; (c) to strengthen energy efficiency standards for appli- ances and to provide for their energy efficiency labelling. 4. In relation to industry, the priority objectives of the Community shall be: environmental to promote the ongoing development of eco- management schemes by the industrial sector and to develop programmes for the further promotion awareness on the part of of industry, and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as for vocational training and technical support; to review and Audit the Environmental Management Scheme; in particular, including, small (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) metals and substances with an irreversible impact on health; to improve the legislation and other instruments in relation to coherent and comprehensive control of pollution from industrial installations, to develop options for a framework to complement integrated pollution control for smaller installations, taking into account their particular problems, and to encourage better integration of external costs; taking note of the European Parliament resolution of 14 May 1997 (1) and the Council resolution of 7 October 1997 (2), both concerning the imple- mentation and enforcement of Community envir- onmental law, to take steps to improve imple- mentation and sanctioning of all regulatory meas- ures aimed at reducing industrial emissions and pollution by ensuring improved integration of the ‘polluter pays' principle into Community legisla- tion; in this connection, the European Parliament and the Council note that the Commission will submit a White Paper on environmental liability; to develop actions in order to enhance the aware- ness of industry on environmental issues, such as including tools for better business information, information on best available techniques, inter alia through the use of EuroBAT documents, improved dissemination of cleaner technologies and promotion of best environmental practices; to clarify the definition of eco-businesses and to facilitate their development; to give priority to the problems of SMEs as regards technical and financial obstacles to the develop- ment and use of clean technology in relation to the environment; (h) to promote effective control and, where viable environmentally friendly alternatives exist, the phasing-out or banning of persistent organic pol- lutants (POPs), which have a damaging effect on the environment or health, taking account of progress in relevant international negotiations; (i) sustainable form to policies to develop and give practical aimed at industrial development, involving the formulation of the concept of eco- efficiency and a focus on partnerships between industry’s industry, governments capacity for innovation and appropriate incentives and stimulating conditions, on both the demand and the supply side. using and to develop a framework for an integrated, life-cycle orientated product policy, which will address, inter alia, the further development of life-cycle analysis, including the reduction of waste generated, and will take into account implications for the internal market, in order to promote the development of cleaner products by incorporating environmental considerations into their design and minimising the use of persistent organic substances, heavy 5. In relation to tourism, the priority objectives of the Community shall be: (a) to provide for regular exchanges of information on the impact on the environment of tourism prac- tices; (1) OJ C 167, 2. 6. 1997, p. 92. (2) OJ C 321, 22. 10. 1997, p. 1. L 275/6 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 10. 10. 98 (b) to support promote resources; awareness campaigns in order environment-friendly use of to tourism (c) to promote the implementation of innovative good practices in the field of sustainable tourism devel- opment, including by means of pilot projects in the framework of existing financial instruments and by applying the ‘polluter pays' principle; (d) to ensure that the Structural Funds contribute to sustainable forms of tourism in accordance with: — the requirements of the Structural Fund regula- tions, including any provisions for the appraisal of the environmental impact of operations, and — any other relevant Community legislation, such as measures concerning Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA); (e) to promote the incorporation of the issue of ‘envir- onment and tourism', where appropriate, into international agreements. Article 3 Broadening the range of instruments The Community will develop, apply or otherwise encourage a broader mix of instruments in order to bring about substantial changes in current trends and practices in sustainable development, taking account of the sub- sidiarity principle. 1. In relation to the development, at an appropriate level, of effective market-based and other economic instru- implementing policy, special ments as a means of attention will be given to: (a) environmental accounting; (b) examining constraints on the introduction of economic instruments and identifying possible solutions; (c) the use of environmental charges; (d) identifying subsidy schemes which adversely affect sustainable production and consumption practices with a view to their reform; (e) encouraging the application of the concept of environmental liability at Member State level; (f) voluntary agreements which pursue environmental objectives while respecting competition rules; (g) encouraging the use of fiscal instruments to achieve environmental objectives, inter alia by considering possible legislative initiatives in this area during the course of the Programme and continuing the study of the potential wider benefits of such instruments, notably in the context of the general economic objectives of the Community, such as employment, competitiveness and growth. 2. In relation to horizontal instruments, objectives of the Community shall be: the priority (a) to examine, inter alia in the light of the Commis- sion proposal of 25 March 1997 on the assessment of the effect of certain plans and programmes on the environment (1), how the environmental impact of policies, plans in the Community and, where relevant, Commission proposals for programmes and Community legisla- tion can be assessed; and programmes (b) to develop approaches to environmental impact for plans and programmes, and to assessment promote of methodologies, training and guidance material for assessments of both projects and plans and programmes; the development (c) to consider the extension of the Environmental Management and Audit Scheme to areas of activity other than manufacturing industry; (d) where appropriate, to promote standardisation in relation to environmental issues and to strengthen the integration of environmental aspects in the framing of industrial standards; (e) to develop criteria to assess the compatibility of existing Community policies and instruments, including financing, with the requirements of sustainable development; (f) to review the Community’s public procurement rules so as better to incorporate environmental considerations into their application, while safe- guarding fair competition. 3. Priority will be given to improving the use of the Community’s own financial support mechanisms as a means of promoting sustainable development. This implies better integration of environmental considera- tions, including the protection of nature, and an evalu- ation of the impact of these mechanisms on the envir- onment as a means of improving the quality of support action from an environmental and economic point of view. 4. The Community will pursue its current efforts to ensure the full realisation of the potential that new techniques and technologies offer in terms of sustain- ability in sectors such as agriculture, food processing, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, environmental clean- up and the development of new materials and energy sources. (1) OJ C 129, 25. 4. 1997, p. 14. 10. 10. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities L 275/7 Article 4 Implementation and enforcement of legislation The Community will step up efforts at all levels with a view to ensuring better implementation and enforcement of environmental legislation. The priority objectives of the Community shall be: (a) to improve the legal framework for environmental policy by adopting more coherent, comprehensive and integrated approaches to specific sectors, where appropriate by simplifying legislative and adminis- trative procedures and by using framework directives, and by giving specific attention to the transposability and enforceability of the measures to be adopted; (b) to step up efforts to ensure that Member States comply more effectively with the reporting require- ments under Community legislation, inter alia by better such rationalisation and standardisation of requirements, to make greater use of these reports as a tool in the decision-making process, and to step up the work done in the management committees on these issues; for and implementation (c) to aim to enhance the effectiveness of cooperation between the authorities in the Member States respons- ible of Community environmental legislation, inter alia via in this the network of environmental context, to seek to achieve greater transparency as regards supervision and enforcement efforts in the individual Member States, and to step up joint cooperation efforts via the same network by means of pilot projects and exercises on the ground; enforcement inspectors; the Programme and which will assess, (d) to examine options to enhance the effectiveness of environment inspection in Europe on the basis of a report to be presented by the Commission before the in end of particular, the feasibility of establishing common inspection criteria on the basis of minimum inspec- tion standards; the Commission will publish an annual report on the environment, detailing inter alia the Member States in imple- the performance of menting and enforcing Community environmental legislation; (e) to consider means of facilitating greater public involvement in the implementation and enforcement of environmental policies, and to examine whether there is a need for improved access to justice, having regard to the principle of subsidiarity and taking into account the differing legal systems of the Member States; (f) to encourage, in connection with proposals for the review of existing legislative acts and in proposals for legislation, provisions requiring new environmental Member States to enforce environmental rules and lay down the penalties to be imposed if such rules are breached; (g) to speed up efforts, at Community and Member State level, to deal effectively with breaches of Community environmental legislation in accordance with the Treaty, in particular Articles 155 and 171 thereof. Article 5 Awareness-raising the emphasises importance The Community of communication, information, education and training as a means of stimulating awareness of sustainable develop- ment issues and promoting behavioural changes in all sectors of society. It will increase its efforts to make Community citizens more aware of and more informed about sustainable development issues. The priority objectives of the Community shall be: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) to make information on the state of the environment and on the implementation of Community environ- mental legislation accessible; to promote the integration of the sustainable develop- ment education and into Community concept training programmes; to encourage environmental education and training at all relevant levels, inter alia in order to contribute to changing individual behaviour toward more sustain- able patterns; to make optimum use of the system for the evaluation and appropriate dissemination on a continuous basis of the results of LIFE projects, both in the area of nature protection and in other areas of the environ- ment; to collect and disseminate widely information and knowledge concerning the link between the state of the environment and human health; to promote green housekeeping for further the Community’s own institutions, and to facilitate the exchange of best practices and access to and dissem- ination of information in this area as widely as possible; to promote close cooperation between the Commis- sion and the Member States in the field of environ- mental communication and information; to develop a Community communication strategy in cooperation with the Member States, inter alia by taking advant- age of existing cooperation initiatives; (h) to help consumers take environmental considerations into account through eco-labelling and the provision of environmental information on products, including chemicals; L 275/8 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 10. 10. 98 (i) to encourage providers of financial services, such as banks and insurance companies, to integrate environ- mental considerations in their operations. mental practice, including by means of technology transfer. 2. In relation to the Mediterranean countries and the the the priority objectives of Mediterranean Basin, Community shall be: Article 6 International cooperation (a) the good prospects In recognition of the cross-border nature of serious envir- the onmental problems and of Community has of becoming the driving force in the further development of international environmental rules, the Community will seek to strengthen its role and take the lead, in particular as regards the international obliga- tions which it has entered into under conventions and protocols. This implies, in particular, strengthening its approach to cooperation with the countries of central and eastern Europe and the Mediterranean and enhancing its role in relation to environmental issues as identified in Agenda 21 and in relation to bilateral and multilateral cooperation on sustainable development issues. to develop, within the framework of the Barcelona regional Declaration of November approach through regular dialogue, inter alia by means of ministerial conferences, and increased and improved cooperation, in particular in relation to financial and technical assistance; 1995, a (b) to establish a short and medium-term priority action programme in relation to the Mediterranean Basin and to develop a monitoring mechanism for its implementation. 3. In relation to the Baltic Sea region, the priority object- ives of the Community shall be to strengthen environ- mental cooperation in the area within the existing regional frameworks and to enhance the coordination of the relevant funds in order to support the Helsinki Commission (Helcom) activities and, in particular, the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Environ- mental Programme (JCP). The Community must ensure that it is a driving force in future work relating to the Biodiversity and Climate Conventions and that it also takes the lead in inter- national efforts to establish a global, legally binding regu- latory system for persistent organic pollutants (POPs). 4. In relation to the Rio process, the priority objectives of the Community shall be to ensure active Community participation in the process and in the follow-up to the 1997 Special Session of the UN General Assembly, and inter alia to contribute to: 1. In relation to central and eastern Europe, the priority objectives of the Community shall be: (a) in the context of to develop further a comprehensive approach to environmental matters the strategy to prepare the associated countries of central and eastern Europe for accession; the Community undertakes, with the aid of technical and administrative cooperation and financial support, to help the applicant countries achieve the required level of environmental protection at the time of their accession; in this connection, higher priority is to be given to the drawing-up and implementation of environmental action plans for each of the countries with a view to their possible accession; (b) to continue cooperation with and promote cooperation among the countries of central and eastern Europe in this area, within the framework provided by the Europe Agreements. This implies strengthening cooperation in the field of capacity- building, continuing to provide financial co- operation, comprising technical assistance espe- cially in connection with the approximation of laws and their implementation and enforcement, investment support for environmental infrastruc- ture and cooperation to promote better environ- (a) the strengthening of the Framework Convention on Climate Change in accordance with the Berlin mandate and subsequent decisions; (b) the development of the Convention on Biological including the promotion of national Diversity, implementation strategies and the timely develop- ment of a biosafety protocol; (c) the strengthening of international cooperation in the context of the Convention to Combat Desert- ification. 5. In relation to other international environmental issues, the priority objectives of the Community shall be: (a) implementation of to carry out a policy review related to the integra- tion of the sustainable development dimension in the Fourth ACP-EC the Convention; to evaluate Community development assistance overall to ensure that environmental appraisal systems are being followed; (b) to strengthen the environmental component in cooperation with the Newly Independent States, in particular focusing on capacity-building and tech- nical assistance under the TACIS Programme; 10. 10. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities L 275/9 (c) to strengthen the environmental component of cooperation with the countries of Asia and Latin America in accordance with Council Regulation (EEC) No 443/92 of 25 February 1992 on financial and technical assistance to, and economic co- operation with, the developing countries in Asia and Latin America (1) and with general guidelines for cooperation between the Community and the regions concerned; (d) to promote active participation in regional confer- ences and treaties in Europe and the ‘Environment for Europe process'; (e) to support international work in the field of sustainable development indicators; (f) to work towards the strengthening of provisions on enforcement and dispute settlement when inter- national agreements come up for revision; (g) to take an active part in negotiations on the adop- tion of a legally binding instrument establishing a prior informed consent procedure covering trade in certain hazardous chemicals and pesticides. 6. In relation to trade and the environment, the priority objectives of the Community shall be: (a) to seek to ensure that the WTO rules, provisions and procedures take full account of the need to promote a high level of environmental protection, in particular as regards the general provisions; (b) actively to participate in international discussions, in particular in the WTO, dealing with the issue of trade and the environment, where the Community, in accordance with the general aim of sustainable development, will promote a balanced approach to the respective concerns of the environment and trade focusing on the integration of environmental requirements into the multilateral trading system; (c) to give preference to multilateral solutions to trade and environmental problems, respecting environ- mental and trade principles and promoting trans- parency in the definition and implementation of environmental measures, including new environ- mental policy instruments. SECTION 2 OTHER ISSUES TO WHICH PARTICULAR ATTEN- TION WILL BE GIVEN Article 7 Improving the basis for environmental policy The Community will ensure that its environmental policy is based on reliable and comparable data, statistics and (1) OJ L 52, 27. 2. 1992, p. 1. indicators, on sound scientific information and on an assessment of the costs and benefits of action or the lack of action. It will ensure coordination of, and cooperation with, the appropriate Community institutions and bodies and will cooperate with the relevant institutions at inter- national level. The European Environment Agency has a key role in monitoring and reporting on the state of the environment. Particular attention will be given to: (a) identifying and filling the gaps in current basic statist- ical data on the environment, developing the integra- tion of environmental aspects into the data and statist- ics which relate to other policies and ensuring the accessibility of this data; (b) promoting the development of environmental indic- ators, performance indicators on all relevant policy issues and indicators for sustainable development as benchmark indicators to measure progress towards sustainable development and to provide a basis for the setting of objectives and operational targets; (c) improving coordination in the development of and securing mutual feedback between scientific research and development policies and environmental policy; (d) further developing the use of economic evaluation (cost effectiveness, techniques for the environment cost/benefit and business impact techniques); (e) developing auxiliary or satellite accounts to national accounts as a first step towards the integration of environmental and Community accounting concepts and practices with the aim of drawing up a comprehensive system of green national accounting by 1999. into Member States’ aspects Article 8 Sustainable production and consumption patterns The Community will further develop its efforts to facil- itate and enhance innovation in industry in relation to sustainable development and promote awareness and changes in behaviour by industry and consumers with a view to moving towards more sustainable patterns of production and consumption. Article 9 Shared responsibility and partnership The Community will encourage practical ways of improving shared action and partnership approaches to L 275/10 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 10. 10. 98 ensure sustainable development. It will develop better forms of dialogue and ensure that an appropriate mix of actors is involved in the preparation and implementation of its policies and actions. tion to those actions which can be carried out most effectively at Community level. Article 10 Promotion of local and regional initiatives The Community will further encourage activities at local and regional level on issues fundamental to the achieve- ment of sustainable development. To this end, particular attention will be given to: (a) further promoting the potential of spatial planning as an instrument to facilitate sustainable development, taking forward Europe 2000+ and assisting the devel- opment of the European Spatial Development Perspective as a basis for creating consensus among policy-makers, inter alia in relation to the environ- mental impact of sectoral development policies; (b) developing a comprehensive approach to urban issues with special emphasis on the assistance required to support actions by local authorities to implement the Programme and Local Agenda 21; (c) promoting the exchange of experience between local authorities in relation to sustainable transport initi- atives; (d) developing a demonstration programme on integrated management of coastal zones with a view to showing the impact of improved information and concertation mechanisms for the implementation of sustainable development, and identifying the need for further action at Community and other levels; (e) developing a strategy to encourage local development to contribute to the initiatives areas, where appropriate and employment conservation of natural supported by the Structural Funds; (f) encouraging measures in vulnerable areas in line with the Convention to Combat Desertification, focusing on reducing the phenomenon by means of manage- ment policy and the sustainable use of natural resources as well as better dissemination of informa- tion and coordination of ongoing actions. Article 11 Environmental themes The Community will further develop its policies in rela- tion to the environmental themes of the Programme on the basis of high standards of environmental protection and will, in relation to these themes, give specific atten- 1. In relation to climate change and ozone depletion, the Community will step up its efforts to fulfil the objectives of the Climate Convention and the Montreal Protocol. Particular attention will be given to: (a) policies and measures necessary for the achieve- ment of reduction objectives in accordance with the Berlin mandate for carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases to be attained within spe- cified time-frames such as by 2005, 2010 and 2020; (b) strengthening Community control measures in respect of substances which deplete the ozone layer and stepping up research directed at finding suitable substitutes for these substances; 2. In relation to acidification and air quality, particular attention will be given to: (a) developing and implementing a strategy with the goal of ensuring that critical loads, in relation to exposure to acidifying, eutrophying and photo- chemical air pollutants, are not exceeded; (b) establishing or amending quality objectives with respect to specific pollutants, with the goal of ensuring that critical loads/levels for eco-systems are not and developing common procedures for the assessment and monitoring of air quality. exceeded, 3. In relation to the protection of water resources, particular attention will be given to developing a comprehensive framework setting out an integrated planning and management approach to groundwater and surface water resources, which will focus on both quantitative and qualitative aspects. Moreover, it will contribute to the sustainable management of seas around Europe. 4. In relation to waste management, the Community take steps to update and develop its waste- will management strategy in the light of the European Parliament resolution of 14 November 1996 (1) and of resolution of 24 February 1997 (2), the Council including the hierarchy they propose, and in the context of relevant legislation. (1) OJ C 362, 2. 12. 1996, p. 241. (2) OJ C 76, 11. 3. 1997, p. 1. 10. 10. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities L 275/11 5. In relation to noise, particular consideration will be given to the development of a noise abatement programme which could address comprehensively the provision of information to the public, common noise exposure indices, and targets for noise quality and noise emissions from products. 6. In relation to nature protection and biodiversity, the Community will devise a strategy for the conservation and sustainable exploitation of biodiversity in relevant sectoral or multisectoral plans, programmes and pol- icies and, in the implementation of its other policies, will ensure full integration of nature protection and biodiversity concerns. In relation to the implementa- tion of new reforms, it will ensure that the impact thereof on biodiversity is assessed. Consideration will be given to set-aside in order to recreate permanent natural zones. Consideration will be given to migra- tion routes and the role of buffer zones in the context of the European network of protected sites (Natura 2000) and the implementation of Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (1). 7. In relation to the management of risks and accidents, particular attention will be given to: (a) reviewing existing legislation on the export and import of dangerous chemicals, in particular in informed relation to the principle of prior consent; (b) developing further measures in the area of agricul- tural and non-agricultural pesticides with a view to ensuring their sustainable use; (c) framing and presenting a strategy which will lead, inter alia, to further development of policies to address fully Agenda 21 with respect to hazardous chemicals, with particular attention to the precau- tionary principle, to information on risks to users and to making the work on the substitution or phasing-out of hazardous chemicals more effi- cient; the safe management of all hazardous chemicals needs to be improved; (d) drawing up an action plan with a view to speeding up the risk assessment of hazardous substances on the Einecs list, giving priority to the most haz- ardous substances; (e) further reviewing the regulatory framework for new technologies. 8. The Community will, in accordance with the Programme, aim to take some positive steps to reduce by 50 % the number of vertebrate animals used for experimental purposes by the year 2000 and to make available statistical data on animal experimentation, particularly with regard to the use of primates and with the short-term objective of prohibiting the use of wild-caught primates. 9. Particular attention will be given to consideration of the fourth report from the Commission to the Council on the situation and prospects for radioactive waste management in the European Union. 10. Following the review of existing Community legisla- tion which is planned before the end of the trans- itional period in line with the Act concerning the conditions of accession of Austria, Finland and Sweden, namely Articles 69, 84 and 112 thereof respectively, and the Council note the Commission’s intention to submit a report to them on the results of that review and on the actions that it has deemed it necessary to take and possible implications for other legislation and for the Programme. the European Parliament Done at Brussels, 24 September 1998 For the European Parliament The President J. M. GIL-ROBLES For the Council The President J. FARNLEITNER (1) OJ L 206, 22. 7. 1992, p. 7. Directive as last amended by Directive 97/62/EC (OJ L 305, 8. 11. 1997, p. 42). L 275/12 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 10. 10. 98 Commission statement relating to Article 2(1)(a)a (on agriculture) about its proposals for the CAP (1) In the Agenda 2000 proposals the Commission indicates that there is a need to give a new impetus to the CAP and to reflect the integration of the environmental protection requirements into the other community policies. The Commission’s proposals on the reform of the EU agricultural policy are designed to ensure that the Europan model for agricultural policy are designed to ensure that the European model for agriculture can be sustained in the long term, to the benefit not only of the agricultural industry, but also consumers, employment, environment and for society as a whole. The Commission proposals provide an integrated approach including: — a reinforced rural development pillar to be further developed in the future, embracing, strengthened agri-environment measures regional programmes, area-based support for sustainable farming in less favoured areas, forestry training, measures including sustainable managment practices and environmental — the budget for agri-environmental measures can be expanded in particular through the compulsory elements of as funds available from aid reduction linked to environmental conditions, — further reductions in market support prices compensated via an increase in direct payments. According to these proposals, Member states will be obliged to undertake environmental measures, including those relating to the protection of biodiversity, groundwater, drinking water and landscapes. In fulfilling this obligation, Member States have three options at their disposal: — the agri-environmental measures being part of rural programmes, — mandatory environmental legislation the enforcement of which can be supported by reducing direct payments in the case of non-respect, — specific environmental requirements being a conditions for the receipt of direct payments under the market organisations. In the case of beef and dairy, national envelopes are stablished for a part of the payments, which can be linked to environmental standards. In addition the extensification premium will be made more effective under stricter conditions. The Commission is confident that this reform once adopted will prepare the ground for more sustainable forms of agriculture and rural development in the European Union. Commission statement relating to Article 2(4)(d) on environmental liability (2) In accordance with its work programme, the Commission will shortly adopt a White Paper on environmental liability. This White Paper will consider the need for Community legislative action in this field, in particular in the form of a framework directive. 10. 10. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities L 275/13 Commission statement relating to Article 4, second paragraph, points (d) to (g) on enforcement (3) The Commission will give details of Member States’ performance in implementing and enforcing Community environmental legislation both in the relevant expanded chapter and enclosures in its Annual report on monitoring the application of Community law and in its Annual survey on the environment. The details will include, inter alia, information on the number of complaints received, the number of matters investigated by the Commission, the number of matter brought before the Court of Justice, the findings of the Court and any follow up action taken by the Commission. Commission statement relating to Article 11(4) on waste management (4) The Commission will as appropriate further develop the Community hierarchy of waste management principles and in considering initiatives, will respect the optimum use of this hierarchy


title: Décision du Conseil du 24 septembre 1998 portant nomination d'un membre titulaire du comité consultatif pour la formation des pharmaciens

eurovoc_concepts:
advisory committee (EU)
appointment of staff
pharmacist
vocational training

formats: html pdf print

text: C 306/4 FR Journal officiel des Communaut~s europ~ennes 6. 10. 98 D^CISION DU CONSEIL du 24 septembre 1998 portant nomination d’un membre titulaire du comit~ consultatif pour la formation des pharmaciens (98/C 306/04) LE CONSEIL DES COMMUNAUT^S EUROP^ENNES, vu la d~cision 85/434/CEE du Conseil du 16 septembre 1985 portant cr~ation d’un comit~ consultatif pour la formation des pharmaciens(cid:216)(˛), et notamment ses articles 3 et 4, consid~rant que, par sa d~cision du 23 juillet 1996(cid:216)(ˇ), le Conseil a proc~d~ { la nomination de M. Federico PLAZA PINOL, membre titulaire pour la p~riode se terminant le 22 juillet 1999; consid~rant que le gouvernement espagnol a d~sign~ Madame Nieves MART(cid:228)N SOBRINO en vue de remplacer M. Federico PLAZA PINOL, D^CIDE: Article unique Madame Nieves MART(cid:228)N SOBRINO est nomm~e membre titulaire du comit~ consultatif pour la formation des pharmaciens en remplacement de M. Federico PLAZA PINOL pour la dur~e du mandat de celui(cid:220)ci restant { courir, soit jusqu’au 22 juillet 1999. Fait { Bruxelles, le 24 septembre 1998. Par le Conseil Le pr~sident J. FARNLEITNER (˛)(cid:217)JO L 253 du 24. 9. 1985, p. 43. (ˇ)(cid:217)JO C 239 du 17. 8. 1996, p. 5


title: GEMEINSAMER STANDPUNKT (EG) Nr. 53/98 vom Rat festgelegt am 24. September 1998 im Hinblick auf den Erlaß der Verordnung (EG) Nr. .../98 des Europäischen Parlaments und des Rates zur Änderung der Verordnung (EWG) Nr. 2913/92 hinsichtlich des externen Versandverfahrens

eurovoc_concepts:
Union transit
customs cooperation
customs debt
customs regulations
export (EU)

text: 30. 10. 98 DE Amtsblatt der Europäischen Gemeinschaften C 333/65 GEMEINSAMER STANDPUNKT (EG) Nr. 53/98 vom Rat festgelegt am 24. September 1998 im Hinblick auf den Erlaß der Verordnung (EG) Nr. /98 des Europäischen Parlaments und des Rates zur Änderung der Verordnung (EWG) Nr. 2913/92 hinsichtlich des externen Versandverfahrens (98/C 333/06) DAS EUROPÄISCHE PARLAMENT UND DER RAT DER EUROPÄISCHEN UNION — gestützt auf den Vertrag zur Gründung der Europäischen Gemeinschaft, insbesondere auf die Artikel 28, 100a und 113, auf Vorschlag der Kommission (1), (2) Es ist festzulegen, auf welche Art und Weise die Zollbehörden das Verfahren erledigen, und zwar in bezug auf den Ort, den Zeitpunkt und die Bedin- gungen, unter denen dieses Verfahren endet, damit größere Klarheit hinsichtlich der Tragweite und der Grenzen der Verpflichtungen des Inhabers des externen Versandverfahrens besteht und gewährlei- stet ist, daß der Inhaber in vollem Umfang haftbar bleibt, solange nicht feststeht, daß das Verfahren beendet ist. nach Stellungnahme des Wirtschafts- und Sozialaus- schusses (2), (3) gemäß dem Verfahren des Artikels 189b des Vertrags (3), in Erwägung nachstehender Gründe: (1) Das in der Verordnung (EWG) Nr. 2913/92 des Rates vom 12. Oktober 1992 zur Festlegung des Zollkodex der Gemeinschaften (4) geregelte externe Versandverfahren soll in erster Linie Beförderungen von Nichtgemeinschaftswaren im Zollgebiet der Gemeinschaft erleichtern. Die Notwendigkeit einer Inanspruchnahme dieses Verfahrens für die Ausfuhr von Gemeinschaftswaren ist für sehr unterschied- liche Fälle zu beurteilen. Es ist auf jeden Fall zu vermeiden, daß Waren, die im Zusammenhang mit der Ausfuhr Maßnahmen unterliegen oder in den Genuß von Maßnahmen kommen, diesen Maßnah- men entzogen werden können oder ungerechtfertigt in deren Genuß kommen können, indem dafür gesorgt wird, daß die gemeinschaftliche Zollrege- lung insgesamt eine Überwachung und eine Kon- trolle gewährleistet, die denen im Rahmen des externen gemeinschaftlichen Versandverfahrens zu- mindest gleichwertig sind. Die Möglichkeit der Inanspruchnahme dieses Verfahrens in einigen die- ser Fälle soll zwar beibehalten werden, doch erscheint es ratsam, deren genaue Bestimmung im Rahmen des Ausschußverfahrens vorzunehmen. (1) ABl. C 337 vom 7. 11. 1997, S. 52. (2) ABl. C 73 vom 9. 3. 1998, S. 17. (3) Stellungnahme des Europäischen Parlaments vom 13. Mai 1998 (ABl. C 167 vom 1. 6. 1998), Gemeinsamer Standpunkt des Rates vom 24. September 1998 und Beschluß des Euro- päischen Parlaments vom. (noch nicht im Amtsblatt veröffentlicht). (4) ABl. L 302 vom 19. 10. 1992, S. 1. Verordnung zuletzt geändert durch die Verordnung (EG) Nr. 82/97 (ABl. L 17 vom 21. 1. 1997, S. 1). Insbesondere infolge der Änderungen des Anwen- dungsbereichs des Versandverfahrens für Beförde- rungen auf dem Seeweg bedarf es einer genaueren Festlegung der Regeln, die für die Sicherheitslei- stung im Rahmen des Versandverfahrens gelten, einschließlich der Inanspruchnahme der verschiede- nen Arten einer Sicherheitsleistung und der Befrei- ung von der Sicherheitsleistung. Damit ein angemes- sener Schutz der finanziellen Interessen der Mit- gliedstaaten und der Gemeinschaft gewährleistet ist, für den Benutzer des Versandverfahrens zugleich aber keine übermäßige Belastung entsteht, ist bei der Sicherheitsleistung und der Bestimmung des betreffenden Betrags sowohl der Vertrauenswürdig- keit des Beteiligten als auch dem Warenrisiko Rech- nung zu tragen. Zudem ist eine logischere und besser strukturierte Gestaltung der Bestimmungen über die Sicherheitsleistung beim Versandverfahren wünschenswert. (4) Zur Sicherung der Einnahmen der Europäischen Gemeinschaft und der Mitgliedstaaten und zur Ein- dämmung betrügerischer Manipulationen im Ver- sandverfahren empfiehlt sich ein Instrumentarium mit abgestuften Maßnahmen für die Anwendung der Gesamtbürgschaft. So kann zunächst ein Verbot der Reduzierung des Bürgschaftsbetrags in Betracht kommen, wenn ein erhöhtes Betrugsrisiko besteht und deshalb Einnahmeausfälle zu befürchten sind. In nachgewiesenermaßen besonders kritischen Aus- nahmesituationen, die sich insbesondere aus Aktivi- täten der organisierten Kriminalität ergeben kön- nen, sollte dagegen auch ein zeitweiliges Verbot der Verwendung der Gesamtbürgschaft möglich sein. Bei der Anwendung dieser abgestuften Maßnahmen sollte der besonderen Situation der Wirtschaftsteil- nehmer Rechnung getragen werden, die bestimmten noch festzulegenden Kriterien entsprechen. Soweit anstelle der Gesamtbürgschaft eine Einzelsicherheit zu leisten ist, sollten die damit für die Beteiligten C 333/66 DE Amtsblatt der Europäischen Gemeinschaften 30. 10. 98 verbundenen Belastungen durch möglichst weitrei- chende Vereinfachungen gemindert werden. HABEN FOLGENDE VERORDNUNG ERLASSEN: (5) Die von den Mitgliedstaaten aufgrund von Arti- kel 97 Absatz 2 des Zollkodex der Gemeinschaften (nachstehend „Kodex“ genannt) eingeführten Ver- einfachungen mit ausschließlich nationaler, bilatera- ler oder multilateraler Tragweite sind sehr unter- schiedlich und können in gewissen Fällen in Kolli- sion zu einer korrekten Anwendung des gemein- schaftlichen Versandverfahrens und der gebotenen Gleichbehandlung der Wirtschaftsteilnehmer gera- ten. Ohne daß die Vorteile, die diese Bestimmungen den Wirtschaftsteilnehmern bieten, in Frage gestellt werden, ist vorzusehen, daß die in den einzelnen Mitgliedstaaten auf dieser Grundlage eingeführten Vereinfachungen der Kommission gemeldet werden, damit die Transparenz dieser Maßnahmen gewähr- leistet ist und beurteilt werden kann, ob sie mit den Regeln vereinbar sind, die für das gemeinschaftliche Versandverfahren und für die Sicherheitsleistung gelten. im besonderen (6) Die Sicherheitssysteme, die im Rahmen der gemein- schaftlichen Versandverfahren gelten, decken so- wohl die Zollschuld als auch die sonstigen Abgaben ab, die für die betreffenden Waren gegebenenfalls zu zahlen sind; die Besonderheiten dieser Sicher- heitssysteme ergeben sich daraus, daß das Versand- verfahren international angewandt wird und der Sicherheitsbetrag jeweils nach dem Risiko und der Vertrauenswürdigkeit des Hauptverpflichteten zu bemessen ist. Deshalb ist es zweckmäßig, Arti- kel 192 des Kodex dementsprechend anzupassen. (7) Der bisherige Wortlaut des Artikel 215 des Kodex ermöglicht es zwar, den Ort des Entstehens der Zollschuld zu bestimmen, enthält jedoch keinen Hinweis darauf, daß dieser Ort dafür maßgeblich ist, welche Behörde für die buchmäßige Erfassung der Zollschuld zuständig ist. Im Fall nichterledigter Zollverfahren muß die Vorschrift über die Bestim- mung dieses Ortes außerdem dahingehend angepaßt werden, daß eine möglichst genaue Bestimmung des Ortes möglich ist, an dem der Tatbestand eingetre- ten ist, der die Zollschuld entstehen läßt. (8) Die Vereinfachung und klare Abfassung der Vor- schriften zugunsten der Beteiligten und Zollbedien- steten stellen einen wesentlichen Teil des Aktions- plans für das Versandverfahren in Europa dar. Diese Regeln müssen auch für die nach dem Aus- schußverfahren erlassenen Vorschriften gelten. (9) Diese Änderung des Kodex sowie die entsprechen- den Änderungen seiner Durchführungsbestimmun- gen sind so zu gestalten, daß sie zu gegebener Zeit die Einführung eines computergestützten Systems für das Versandverfahren erleichtern, das sowohl dem öffentlichen Interesse im Zusammenhang mit diesem Verfahren entspricht als auch den Wirt- schaftsteilnehmern Vorteile bietet — Artikel 1 Die Verordnung (EWG) Nr. 2913/92 wird wie folgt geändert: 1. Artikel 91 Absatz 1 Buchstabe b) erhält folgende Fassung: „b) Gemeinschaftswaren, wobei die Fälle und Vor- aussetzungen im Ausschußverfahren festzulegen sind, damit die Erzeugnisse, die im Zusammen- hang mit der Ausfuhr Maßnahmen unterliegen oder in den Genuß von Maßnahmen kommen, diesen Maßnahmen nicht entzogen werden kön- nen oder nicht ungerechtfertigt in deren Genuß kommen können. “ 2. Artikel 92 erhält folgende Fassung: „Artikel 92 (1) Das externe Versandverfahren endet und die Verpflichtungen des Inhabers des Verfahrens sind erfüllt, wenn die in dem Verfahren befindlichen Waren und die erforderlichen Dokumente entspre- chend den Bestimmungen des betreffenden Verfahrens am Bestimmungsort der dortigen Zollstelle gestellt werden. (2) Die Zollbehörden erledigen das externe Ver- sandverfahren, wenn für sie auf der Grundlage eines Vergleichs der der Abgangszollstelle zur Verfügung stehenden Angaben mit den der Bestimmungszollstelle zur Verfügung stehenden Angaben ersichtlich ist, daß das Verfahren ordnungsgemäß beendet ist. “ 3. Artikel 94 erhält folgende Fassung: „Artikel 94 (1) Der Hauptverpflichtete leistet eine Sicherheit, damit die Erfüllung der Zollschuld und die Zahlung der sonstigen Abgaben, die gegebenenfalls für die Waren entstehen, sichergestellt sind. (2) Bei der Sicherheit handelt es sich a) entweder um eine Einzelsicherheit, die sich auf ein einziges Versandverfahren erstreckt, b) oder um eine Gesamtbürgschaft, die sich auf eine Reihe von Versandverfahren erstreckt, wenn dem Hauptverpflichteten von den Zollbehörden des Mitgliedstaats, in dem er ansässig ist, die Leistung einer solchen Sicherheit bewilligt wurde. Die Bewilligung gemäß Absatz 2 Buchstabe b) (3) wird nur Personen erteilt, a) die in der Gemeinschaft ansässig sind, b) die die gemeinschaftlichen Versandverfahren regel- mäßig in Anspruch nehmen oder von denen die Zollbehörden wissen, daß sie in der Lage sind, ihre Verpflichtungen im Rahmen dieser Verfahren zu erfüllen, und 30. 10. 98 DE Amtsblatt der Europäischen Gemeinschaften C 333/67 c) die keine schweren oder wiederholten Zuwider- handlungen gegen Zoll- oder Steuervorschriften begangen haben. (4) Personen, die den Zollbehörden nachweisen, daß sie höhere Zuverlässigkeitsnormen erfüllen, kann die Leistung einer Gesamtbürgschaft für einen redu- zierten Betrag bewilligt oder Befreiung von der Sicher- heitsleistung gewährt werden. Die zusätzlichen Krite- rien für die Bewilligung umfassen: a) ordnungsgemäße Abwicklung der gemeinschaft- lichen Versandverfahren über einen bestimmten Zeitraum hinweg, b) Zusammenarbeit mit den Zollbehörden und, c) was die Befreiung von der Sicherheitsleistung angeht, ausreichende finanzielle Leistungsfähig- keit, so daß die betreffenden Personen ihren Ver- pflichtungen nachkommen können. Die Modalitäten für die Bewilligung nach diesem Absatz werden nach dem Ausschußverfahren festge- legt. (5) Die Befreiung von der Sicherheitsleistung gemäß Absatz 4 erfaßt nicht die externen gemein- schaftlichen Versandverfahren, die Waren betreffen, bei denen nach dem Ausschußverfahren von einem erhöhten Risiko auszugehen ist. (6) Unter Berücksichtigung der dem Absatz 4 zugrundeliegenden Grundsätze kann beim externen gemeinschaftlichen Versandverfahren die Leistung der Gesamtbürgschaft zu einem reduzierten Betrag nach dem Ausschußverfahren ausnahmsweise unter beson- deren Umständen zeitweilig untersagt werden. (7) Unter Berücksichtigung der dem Absatz 4 zugrundeliegenden Grundsätze kann beim externen gemeinschaftlichen Versandverfahren die Leistung der Gesamtbürgschaft für Waren, bei denen es im Rah- men der Leistung der Gesamtbürgschaft nachweislich zu umfangreichen Betrügereien gekommen ist, nach dem Ausschußverfahren zeitweilig untersagt wer- den. “ 4. Artikel 95 erhält folgende Fassung: „Artikel 95 (1) Außer in Fällen, die erforderlichenfalls nach dem Ausschußverfahren festzulegen sind, ist keine Sicherheit zu leisten für a) Beförderungen auf dem Luftweg; b) Warenbeförderungen auf dem Rhein und den Rheinwasserstraßen; c) Beförderungen durch Rohrleitungen; d) Beförderungen, die von den Eisenbahngesellschaf- ten der Mitgliedstaaten durchgeführt werden. Die Fälle, in denen bei der Warenbeförderung (2) auf anderen als den in Absatz 1 Buchstabe b) genann- ten Wasserstraßen auf die Sicherheitsleistung verzich- tet werden kann, werden nach dem Ausschußverfah- ren festgelegt. “ 5. Artikel 97 erhält folgende Fassung: „Artikel 97 (1) Die Einzelheiten des Verfahrens und die Aus- nahmen werden nach dem Ausschußverfahren festge- legt. Unter dem Vorbehalt, daß die Anwendung der (2) gemeinschaftlichen Maßnahmen, denen die Waren unterliegen, gewährleistet ist, a) haben die Mitgliedstaaten die Möglichkeit, unter- einander im Wege bilateraler oder multilateraler Vereinbarungen vereinfachte Verfahren nach Kri- terien vorzusehen, die bei Bedarf aufzustellen sind und für bestimmte Arten des Warenverkehrs oder bestimmte Unternehmen gelten; b) hat jeder Mitgliedstaat die Möglichkeit, verein- fachte Verfahren vorzusehen, die unter bestimm- ten Umständen für Waren gelten, die nicht für den Verkehr im Hoheitsgebiet eines anderen Mitglied- staats bestimmt sind. Die gemäß Absatz 2 vorgesehenen vereinfach- (3) ten Verfahren werden der Kommission mitgeteilt. “ 6. In Artikel 192 Absatz 1 erhält der Einleitungssatz folgende Fassung: „(1) Ist die Sicherheitsleistung nach dem Zollrecht zwingend vorgeschrieben, so setzen die Zollbehörden diese Sicherheit vorbehaltlich im Ausschußverfahren festgelegter Sonderbestimmungen für das Versandver- fahren in einer Höhe fest, die folgendem ent- spricht:“. 7. Artikel 215 erhält folgende Fassung: „Artikel 215 (1) Die Zollschuld entsteht: — an dem Ort, an dem der Tatbestand eintritt, der die Zollschuld entstehen läßt; — oder, wenn dieser Ort nicht bestimmt werden kann, an dem Ort, an dem die Zollbehörden feststellen, daß die Ware sich in einer Lage befin- det, die eine Zollschuld hat entstehen lassen; — oder, wenn die Ware in ein noch nicht erledigtes Zollverfahren übergeführt worden ist und der Ort innerhalb einer gegebenenfalls nach dem Aus- schußverfahren festgelegten Frist weder nach dem ersten noch nach dem zweiten Gedankenstrich bestimmt werden kann, an dem Ort, an dem die Ware in das betreffende Verfahren übergeführt C 333/68 DE Amtsblatt der Europäischen Gemeinschaften 30. 10. 98 oder im Rahmen dieses Verfahrens in das Zollge- biet der Gemeinschaft verbracht worden ist. (2) Können die Zollbehörden aus ihnen bekannten Umständen schließen, daß die Zollschuld bereits ent- standen war, als sich die Ware noch an einem ande- ren Ort befand, so gilt die Zollschuld als an dem Ort entstanden, an dem sich die Ware aufgrund der Feststellungen zu dem am weitesten zurückliegenden Zeitpunkt, für den das Bestehen der Zollschuld nach- gewiesen werden kann, befand. Die Zollbehörden im Sinne von Artikel 217 (3) Absatz 1 sind die Zollbehörden des Mitgliedstaats, in dem die Zollschuld nach diesem Artikel entsteht oder als entstanden gilt. “ Artikel 2 Diese Verordnung tritt am dritten Tag nach ihrer Veröf- fentlichung im Amtsblatt der Europäischen Gemeinschaft in Kraft. Diese Verordnung ist in allen ihren Teilen verbindlich und gilt unmittelbar in jedem Mitglied- staat. Geschehen zu. am. Im Namen des Europäischen Parlaments Im Namen des Rates Der Präsident Der Präsident 30. 10. 98 DE Amtsblatt der Europäischen Gemeinschaften C 333/69 BEGRÜNDUNG DES RATES I. EINLEITUNG 1. Die Kommission hat am 29. September 1997 einen auf die Artikel 28, 100a und 113 des EG-Vertrags gestützten Vorschlag zur Änderung der Verordnung (EWG) Nr. 2913/92 zur Festlegung des Zollkodex der Gemeinschaften (Versandverfahren) vorgelegt (1). 2. Das Europäische Parlament und der Wirtschafts- und Sozialausschuß haben ihre Stellungnahme am 13. Mai 1998 bzw. 10. /11. Dezember 1997 abgegeben (2). 3. Der Rat hat am 24. September 1998 seinen gemeinsamen Standpunkt gemäß Arti- kel 189b des Vertrags festgelegt. II. ZIELSETZUNG Der Vorschlag der Kommission erfolgt im Rahmen der Reform des Systems der Versandver- fahren und beruht auf dem Aktionsplan der Kommission für das Versandverfahren in Europa, der als Reaktion auf die Ergebnisse des Untersuchungsausschusses des Europäischen Parlaments über das gemeinschaftliche Versandverfahren aufgestellt wurde. Die Änderung des Zollkodex der Gemeinschaft ist nur Teil einer umfassenderen Reform, die im wesent- lichen eine Revision der Durchführungsbestimmungen des Kodex, die Revision des mit den EFTA- und Visegrad-Ländern geschlossenen Übereinkommens über ein gemeinsames Ver- sandverfahren, die Umstellung der Versandverfahren auf DV-gestützte Abwicklung und die Verbesserung des operationellen Teils der Verfahren beinhaltet. III. ANALYSE DES GEMEINSAMEN STANDPUNKTS 1. Dieser Vorschlag, der seit Ende 1997 in den Gremien des Rates geprüft wird, wurde vom Rat erheblich geändert. Die wichtigsten Änderungen entsprechen weitgehend den vom Europäischen Parlament vorgeschlagenen Änderungen und dem von der Kommis- sion in der Folge unterbreiteten geänderten Vorschlag. 2. Was die Änderung Nr. 1 anbelangt (die von der Kommission akzeptiert wurde), so hielt der Rat es nicht für erforderlich, diesen neuen Erwägungsgrund aufzunehmen, da sein Inhalt von allgemeiner Tragweite ist und nicht speziell und ausschließlich für die Entscheidungen im Versandverfahren gilt. 3. Bei der Änderung Nr. 2 (die von der Kommission akzeptiert wurde) folgte der Rat weitgehendst dem Vorschlag des Parlaments; im neuen Text von Artikel 91 Absatz 1 Buchstabe b) wurden lediglich redaktionelle Änderungen vorgenommen. 4. In bezug auf die Änderung Nr. 3, die nicht in den geänderten Kommissionsvorschlag übernommen wurde, folgte der Rat dem Ansatz des Parlaments und nahm in Artikel 92 einen neuen Absatz 2 auf, in dem die Erledigung des externen Versandverfahrens definiert wird und die Zollstelle am Versandort und die Zollstelle am Bestimmungsort einbezogen werden. 5. Was die Änderung Nr. 4 anbelangt, die in den geänderten Kommissionsvorschlag übernommen wurde, so behielt der Rat den Text des neuen Artikels 94 in der vom Parlament geänderten Fassung weitgehend bei. Die vom Rat an dieser geänderten Fassung vorgenommenen Änderungen betreffen im wesentlichen die Formulierung der Absätze 1, 2, 3 und 4; in den Absätzen 3 und 4 wurden jedoch zusätzliche Präzisierun- gen vorgenommen, durch die anhand des Ausschußverfahrens eine bessere Ausrichtung auf die Unternehmen möglich wird, die das System der Gesamtsicherheit eventuell mit einem reduzierten Betrag oder einer Befreiung in Anspruch nehmen können. Diese zusätzlichen Präzisierungen stützen sich außerdem auf die vom Parlament in Absatz 6 vorgeschlagene Änderung. (1) ABl. C 337 vom 7. 11. 1997, S. 52. (2) ABl. C 37 vom 1. 3. 1998, S. 17. C 333/70 DE Amtsblatt der Europäischen Gemeinschaften 30. 10. 98 Bei den Absätzen 5, 6 und 7 wurden neue Bestimmungen aufgenommen. Absatz 5 behandelt die Befreiung von der Sicherheitsleistung, die nicht für Waren gewährt werden kann, von denen auf der Grundlage des Ausschußverfahrens angenom- men wird, daß ein höheres Betrugsrisiko besteht. Absatz 6 bietet die Möglichkeit, nach dem Ausschußverfahren in Ausnahmefällen zeitweilig die Reduzierung des Betrags für die Gesamtsicherheit zu untersagen. Bei empfindlichen Waren, die in der Vergangenheit bereits Gegenstand beträchtlicher Betrügereien waren, sieht Absatz 7 vor, daß der Rückgriff auf die Gesamtsicherheit zeitweilig untersagt und somit eine Einzelsicherheit verlangt werden kann. Diese Abstufung der Maßnahmen, die das System der Gesamtsicherheit betreffen, wird in dem neuen dritten Erwägungsgrund der Verordnung erläutert. In diesem Erwägungs- grund werden die abgestuften Maßnahmen, die ergriffen werden können, und die Art und Weise beschrieben, in der sie unter Bezugnahme auf die in Artikel 94 Absatz 4 genannten Grundsätze, d. h. unter Berücksichtigung der besonderen Situation einiger Wirtschaftsakteure, die die noch festzulegenden Kriterien erfüllen, durchzuführen sind. In diesem Erwägungsgrund wird außerdem der Grundsatz der Vereinfachung der Verwaltungsverfahren aufgestellt, die den Akteuren zuzugestehen ist, wenn vorüber- gehend eine Einzelsicherheit verlangt wird. 6. Bezüglich der Änderung Nr. 5, die von der Kommission akzeptiert wurde, folgte der Rat abgesehen von einer ausschließlich redaktionellen Änderung des neuen Absatzes 2 vorbehaltlos der Stellungnahme des Parlaments. 7. Bei der Änderung Nr. 6, die von der Kommission akzeptiert wurde, folgte der Rat ebenfalls der Stellungnahme des Parlaments, wonach Artikel 96 unverändert beibehalten werden soll. 8. Was die Änderung Nr. 7 anbelangt, die von der Kommission nicht in den geänderten Vorschlag übernommen wurde, so hielt sich der Rat exakt an die Vorlage des Parlaments für die neuen Absätze 1, 2 und 4. Jedoch übernahm er nicht die Änderung des Parlaments, die einen neuen Absatz 3 vorsieht, da die bilateralen oder multilateralen Vereinbarungen für das vereinfachte Verfahren, die im übrigen auf jeden Fall der Kommission mitgeteilt werden müssen, nur eine beschränkte Tragweite haben. Schließlich ist auf die Änderungen hinzuweisen, die der Rat an Artikel 192 Absatz 1 und Artikel 215 des Kodex vorgenommen hat und die in der Sache weitgehend dem ursprünglichen Vorschlag der Kommission entsprechen, der vom Parlament in dieser Hinsicht nicht geändert worden war. IV. SCHLUSSFOLGERUNG Der Rat ist der Auffassung, daß der im Hinblick auf den Erlaß der Verordnung über das Versandverfahren festgelegte gemeinsame Standpunkt der in Abschnitt II beschriebenen Zielsetzung entspricht und insbesondere ein wichtiges Mittel für die Betrugsbekämpfung darstellt. Zur Verwirklichung dieser Ziele hat der Rat die Änderungen des Europäischen Parlaments im wesentlichen übernommen