Recommendation of the customs co -operation council on the insertion in national statistical nomenclatures of subheadings to facilitate the collection and comparison of data

ON THE INTERNATIONAL MOVEMENT OF SUBSTANCES CONTROLLED BV THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL ON SUBSTANCES THAT DEPLETE THE OZONE LAYER

(26 June 1990)

THE CUSTOMS CO-OPERATION COUNCIL,

(a) ... the urgent need to monitor the international trade in substances that deplete the ozone layer,

(b) ... the request by the United Nations Environment Programme to introduce specific subheadings in the Harmonized System in order to facilitate the collection and comparison of data on the international movement of substances controlled by the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer,

(c) ... that amendments to the Harmonized System Convention cannot be implemented for several years,

(d) ... that Member administrations and Contracting Parties to the Harmonized System Convention take all appropriate actions to insert the following additional structure in their statistical nomenclatures, as soon as possible:

Subheading 2903.40 of the Harmonized System

– Trichlorofluoromethane

– Dichlorodifluoromethane

– Trichlorotrifluoroethanes

– Other, and

(e) ... Member administrations and Contracting Parties to the Harmonized System Convention to notify the Secretary General of their acceptance of this Recommendation and of the data of its application.

II

RESOLUTION OF THE CUSTOMS CO-OPERATION COUNCIL ON THE INTRODUCTION OF PRE-ENTRY CLASSIFICATION INFORMATION PROGRAMMES

(25 June 1991)

THE CUSTOMS COOPERATION COUNCIL,

(a) ... that the Harmonized System has been widely adopted by countries and Customs or Economic Unions,

(b) ... that many Customs administrations have implemented or intend to implement pre-entry classification information programmes on the basis of the Harmonized System,

(c) ... the benefits of pre-entry classification information programmes in facilitating international trade, in particular, by ensuring certainty and predictability in the application of the Harmonized System,

(d) ... that such programmes are also useful for promoting uniform classification in the Harmonized System,

(e) ... that Member administrations and Contracting Parties to the Harmonized System Convention take all appropriate action to introduce pre-entry classification information programmes as soon as possible.

III

RECOMMENDATION OK THE CUSTOMS CO-OPERATION

COUNCIL CONCERNING THE AMENDMENT OF THE HARMONIZED COMMODITY DESCRIPTION AND CODING SYSTEM

(6 July 1993)

THE CUSTOMS CO-OPERATION COUNCIL,

(a) ... to the International Convention on the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System, concluded on 14 June 1983,

(b) ... to the Protocol of Amendment to the said Convention, dated 24 June 1986,

(c) ... to the Nomenclature appended as an Annex to the said Convention,

(d) ... to the Council Recommendation of 5 July 1989, amending that Nomenclature,

(e) ... that it is necessary to make further amendments to that Nomenclature in order to take account of, in particular, changes in technology or patterns of international trade,

On the advice of the Harmonized System Committee,

(f) ... to the Contracting Parties, in accordance with Article 16 of the Convention, the following amendments to the Nomenclature...

(In view of its length and technical nature, the body of the Recommendation is not reproduced.)

III. Read the two texts and answer the following questions.

1. Can you name the Convention, mentioned in the text?

2. What threatened species of flora do you know?

3. What threatened species of fauna do you know?

4. What species are especially favoured by smugglers? (in what countries? on what routes? why?)

5. What are the efforts undertaken by Customs administrations to stop the trafficking of illegal wildlife and wildlife products?

Text 1

THREATENED SPECIES

Every day 100 species of flora and fauna are lost for ever. A quarter of the Earth's estimated 5 million to 30 million plants, animals, microorganisms and ecosystems is believed to be at risk of extinction within 30 years. Their loss threatens not only the world's climate and the maintenance of oxygen in the atmosphere, but also crop breeding and such vital industries as those producing pharmaceuticals from plants. Under the auspices of the UN, legal and technical groups worked out an International Convention to save the Earth's disappearing plant and animal species.

Text 2