COUNCIL DECISION
of 17 October 2013
on the position to be adopted, on behalf of the European Union, in the EU-EFTA Joint Committee on common transit concerning the adoption of a Decision amending the Convention of 20 May 1987 on a common transit procedure, as regards the modification of HS codes and package codes
(2013/524/EU)
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular the first subparagraph of Article 207(4), in conjunction with Article 218(9), thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,
Whereas:
(1)
Article 15 of the Convention of 20 May 1987 on a common transit procedure (1) (the ‘Convention’) empowers the EU-EFTA Joint Committee on common transit set up by the Convention to recommend and adopt, by decisions, amendments to the Convention and the Appendices thereto.
(2)
On 26 June 2009, the Customs Cooperation Council adopted a Recommendation amending the Harmonised System nomenclature. As a consequence of that Recommendation, on 1 January 2012, the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1006/2011 (2) entered into force and replaced HS code 1701 11 by two new HS codes, namely 1701 13 and 1701 14, as well as HS code 2403 10 by two new HS codes, namely 2403 11 and 2403 19.
(3)
Due to the replacement of HS codes 1701 11 and 2403 10 by Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1006/2011, those codes should also be amended in Annex I (Goods involving higher risk of fraud) to Appendix I to the Convention.
(4)
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe has issued revision 8.1 of Recommendation No 21 on, inter alia, package codes. It is therefore necessary to adapt the list of package codes contained in Annex A2 to Appendix III to the Convention in accordance with that revision.
(5)
As the package codes format has changed from alphabetic2 (a2) to alphanumeric2 (an2) codes, the Type/Length of the kind of packages (box 31) provided for in Annex A1 to Appendix III to the Convention should also be amended accordingly.
(6)
Therefore, the position of the European Union concerning the proposed amendment should be determined,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
Article 1
The position to be adopted by the European Union in the EU-EFTA Joint Committee on common transit concerning the adoption of Decision No 2/2013 by the EU-EFTA Joint Committee on common transit amending the Convention of 20 May 1987 on a common transit procedure shall be based on the draft Decision attached to this Decision.
Minor changes to the draft Decision may be agreed to by the representatives of the Union in the EU-EFTA Joint Committee on common transit after having duly informed the Council.
Article 2
The Commission shall publish the Decision of the EU-EFTA Joint Committee on common transit referred to in Article 1, once adopted, in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Article 3
The Decision is addressed to the Member States.
Done at Luxembourg, 17 October 2013.