THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 2658/87 of 23 July 1987 on the tariff and statistical nomenclature and on the Common Customs Tariff(1), and in particular points (b) and (d) of Article 9(1) thereof,
Whereas:
(1) Regulation (EEC) No 2658/87 established a goods nomenclature (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Combined Nomenclature’ or the ‘CN’) to meet, at one and the same time, the requirements of the Common Customs Tariff, the external trade statistics of the Union, and other Union policies concerning the importation or exportation of goods.
(2) Council Decision (EU) 2016/971(2) provides for an elimination or a reduction of customs duties for a certain number of products. In order to implement the measures provided for in that Decision in the Combined Nomenclature, it is necessary to identify the products concerned through CN codes. Where existing CN codes regroup a wider group of products than those affected by the elimination or reduction of customs duties, the duty free treatment or duty reduction should be granted only to the products listed in the Decision.
(3) Annex I to Regulation (EEC) No 2658/87 should therefore be amended accordingly.
(4) Since Decision (EU) 2016/971 enters into force on 1 July 2016, this Regulation should enter into force as a matter of urgency and apply from the date of entry into force of the Decision.
(5) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Customs Code Committee,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Council Decision (EU) 2016/971 of 17 June 2016 on the conclusion, on behalf of the European Union, of an agreement in the form of a Declaration on the expansion of Trade in Information Technology Products (ITA) (OJ L 161, 18.6.2016, p. 2).