DECISION No 2/2014 OF THE EU-SWITZERLAND JOINT COMMITTEE

of 13 May 2014

amending Protocol No 3 of the Agreement between the European Economic Community and the Swiss Confederation concerning the definition of the concept of ‘originating products‘�and methods of administrative cooperation

(2014/292/EU)

THE JOINT COMMITTEE,

Having regard to the Agreement between the European Economic Community and the Swiss Confederation, signed in Brussels on 22 July 1972, hereinafter referred to as ‘the Agreement‘� and in particular Article 11 thereof,

Having regard to Protocol No 3 to the Agreement concerning the definition of the concept of ‘originating products‘�and methods of administrative cooperation, hereinafter referred to as ‘Protocol No 3‘� and in particular Article 39 thereof,

Whereas:

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

SECTION I

TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS TO THE TEXT OF THE PROTOCOL

Article 1

Rules of origin

Protocol No 3 is amended as follows:

SECTION II

TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS

Article 2

Proof of origin and administrative cooperation

1. Proofs of origin properly issued by either Croatia or Switzerland or made out in the framework of a preferential agreement applied between them shall be accepted in the respective countries, provided that:

Where goods were declared for importation in either Croatia or Switzerland, prior to the date of accession, under a preferential agreement applied between Croatia and Switzerland at that time, proof of origin issued retrospectively under that agreement may also be accepted provided that it is submitted to the customs authorities within the period of four months from the date of accession.

2. Croatia is authorised to retain the authorisations with which the status of ‘榓pproved exporters‘�has been granted in the framework of a preferential agreement applied between Croatia and Switzerland prior to the date of accession, provided that:

Those authorisations shall be replaced no later than one year after the date of accession by new authorisations issued under the conditions of the Agreement.

3. Requests for subsequent verification of proof of origin issued under the preferential agreement referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 shall be accepted by the competent customs authorities of either Switzerland or Croatia for a period of three years after the issue of the proof of origin concerned and may be made by those authorities for a period of three years after acceptance of the proof of origin submitted to those authorities in support of an import declaration.

Article 3

Goods in transit

1. The provisions of the Agreement may be applied to goods exported from either Croatia to Switzerland or Switzerland to Croatia, which comply with the provisions of Protocol No 3 and that on the date of accession are either in transit or in temporary storage, in a customs warehouse or in a free zone in Croatia or in Switzerland.

2. Preferential treatment may be granted in such cases, subject to the submission to the customs authorities of the importing country, within four months of the date of accession, of a proof of origin issued retrospectively by the customs authorities of the exporting country.

Article 4

Entry into force

This Decision shall enter into force on the day of its adoption.

It shall apply from 1 July 2013.