CHAPTER VIICOMMON PROVISIONS

Article 33

1.

To benefit from the tariff preferences, the products for which the tariff preferences are claimed shall originate in a beneficiary country.

2.

For the purposes of the preferential arrangements referred to in Article 1(2) of this Regulation, the rules of origin concerning the definition of the concept of originating products, the procedures and the methods of administrative cooperation related thereto shall be those laid down in Regulation (EEC) No 2454/93.

Article 34

1.

Where the rate of an ad valorem duty for an individual import declaration is reduced in accordance with this Regulation to 1 % or less, that duty shall be suspended entirely.

2.

Where the rate of a specific duty for an individual import declaration is reduced in accordance with this Regulation to EUR 2 or less per individual euro amount, that duty shall be suspended entirely.

3.

Subject to paragraphs 1 and 2, the final rate of the preferential duty calculated in accordance with this Regulation shall be rounded down to the first decimal place.

Article 35

1.

The statistical source to be used for the purpose of this Regulation shall be the external trade statistics of the Commission (Eurostat).

2.

Member States shall send the Commission (Eurostat) their statistical data on products placed under the customs procedure for release for free circulation under the tariff preferences according to Regulation (EC) No 471/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 May 2009 on Community statistics relating to external trade with non-member countries12. Those data, supplied by reference to the Combined Nomenclature codes and, where applicable, the TARIC codes, shall show, by country of origin, the values, quantities and any supplementary units required in accordance with the definitions in that Regulation. In accordance with Article 8(1) of that Regulation, Member States shall transmit those statistical data no later than 40 days after the end of each monthly reference period. In order to facilitate information and increase transparency, the Commission shall also ensure that the relevant statistical data for the GSP sections are regularly available in a public database.

3.

In accordance with Article 308d of Regulation (EEC) No 2454/93, Member States shall forward to the Commission, at its request, details of the quantities and values of products released for free circulation under the tariff preferences, during the previous months. Those data shall include the products referred to in paragraph 4 of this Article.

4.

The Commission shall, in close cooperation with Member States, monitor the imports of products falling under Combined Nomenclature codes 0603, 0803 90 10, 1006, 1604 14, 1604 19 31, 1604 19 39, 1604 20 70, 1701, 1704, 1806 10 30, 1806 10 90, 2002 90, 2103 20, 2106 90 59, 2106 90 98, 6403, 2207 10 00, 2207 20 00, 2909 19 10, 3814 00 90, 3820 00 00 and 3824 90 97, in order to determine whether the conditions referred to in Articles 22, 29 and 30 are fulfilled.

Article 36

1.

The power to adopt delegated acts is conferred on the Commission subject to the conditions laid down in this Article.

2.

The power to adopt delegated acts referred to in Articles 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20 and 22 shall be conferred to the Commission for an indeterminate period of time from 20 November 2012.

3.

The delegation of powers referred to in Articles 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20 or 22 may be revoked at any time by the European Parliament or by the Council. A decision of revocation shall put an end to the delegation of the power specified in that decision. It shall take effect the day following the publication of the decision in the Official Journal of the European Union or at a later date specified therein. It shall not affect the validity of any delegated acts already in force.

4.

As soon as it adopts a delegated act, the Commission shall notify it simultaneously to the European Parliament and to the Council.

5.

A delegated act adopted pursuant to Articles 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20 or 22 shall enter into force only if no objection has been expressed by either the European Parliament or the Council within a period of two months of notification of that act to the European Parliament and the Council or if, before the expiry of that period, the European Parliament and the Council have both informed the Commission that they will not object. That period shall be extended by two months at the initiative of the European Parliament or the Council.

Article 37

1.

Delegated acts adopted under this Article shall enter into force without delay and shall apply as long as no objection is expressed in accordance with paragraph 2. The notification of a delegated act adopted under this Article to the European Parliament and to the Council shall state the reasons for the use of the urgency procedure.

2.

Either the European Parliament or the Council may object to a delegated act in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 36(5). In such a case, the Commission shall repeal the act without delay following the notification of the decision to object by the European Parliament or the Council.

Article 38

1.

Information received pursuant to this Regulation shall be used only for the purpose for which it was requested.

2.

Neither information of a confidential nature nor any information provided on a confidential basis received pursuant to this Regulation shall be disclosed without specific permission from the supplier of such information.

3.

Each request for confidentiality shall state the reasons why the information is confidential. However, if the supplier of the information wishes neither to make it public nor to authorise its disclosure in general terms or in the form of a summary and if it appears that the request for confidentiality is unjustified, the information concerned may be disregarded.

4.

Information shall in any case be considered to be confidential if its disclosure is likely to have a significantly adverse effect upon the supplier or the source of such information.

5.

Paragraphs 1 to 4 shall not preclude reference by the Union authorities to general information and in particular to reasons on which decisions taken pursuant to this Regulation are based. Those authorities shall, however, take into account the legitimate interests of natural and legal persons concerned so that their business secrets shall not be divulged.

Article 39

1.

The Commission shall be assisted by the Generalised Preferences Committee established by Regulation (EC) No 732/2008. That Committee shall be a committee within the meaning of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011. The Committee may examine any matter relating to the application of this Regulation, raised by the Commission or at the request of a Member State.

2.

Where reference is made to this paragraph, Article 4 of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 shall apply.

3.

Where reference is made to this paragraph, Article 5 of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 shall apply.

4.

Where reference is made to this paragraph, Article 8 of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 shall apply in conjunction with Article 5 thereof.

Article 40

By 1 January 2016 and every two years thereafter, the Commission shall submit to the European Parliament and to the Council a report on the effects of the scheme covering the most recent two-year period and all of the preferential arrangements referred to in Article 1(2).

By 21 November 2017, the Commission shall submit, to the European Parliament and to the Council, a report on the application of this Regulation. Such a report may, where appropriate, be accompanied by a legislative proposal.

Article 41

Regulation (EC) No 732/2008 is repealed with effect from 1 January 2014.

References to the repealed Regulation shall be construed as references to this Regulation in accordance with the correlation table set out in Annex X.