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e-mail address : enquiry@tid.gov.hk

Ref. : CR EIC 230/2/1/1/1

25 June 2005

Dear Sirs,

Commercial Information Circular No. 224/2005

Notice to Exporters: Series 2 (EU) No. 15/2005

European Union (EU)* : Import Arrangement for Chinese Textiles and Clothing Products under the EU/Mainland Memorandum of Understanding

Further to the Commercial Information Circular No. 216/2005 cum Notice to Exporters: Series 2 (EU) No. 13/2005 all dated 21 June 2005, the European Commission (EC) has announced the updated import arrangements for the 10 categories of Chinese textiles and clothing (T&C) products subject to quantitative limits under the EU/Mainland Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). 

Details

2. According to the notice published by the EC on 23 June 2005, the EU will in due course issue import licences in respect of the 10 affected categories of Chinese textiles and clothing (T&C) products upon presentation of the corresponding export licences issued by the Mainland authorities. The relevant import arrangements that will apply when the EU regulation for the implementation of the EU/Mainland MOU enters into force (expected to be around end June 2005) will be as follows: 

1. Before the EU regulation takes effect, the current prior import surveillance requirement in the form of automatic import licensing (i.e. surveillance document) will continue to apply in respect of the 10 affected categories of Chinese T&C products seeking import into the EU. 
   
   
2. After the new EU regulation takes effect, the 10 categories of Chinese T&C products will be subject to the following arrangements, depending on the date of the shipment as indicated on the bill of lading: 

1. Goods shipped before 11 June 2005: they are not subject to any limitations under the EU/Mainland MOU, and import licence will be issued automatically. Alternatively, such goods can also be released into free circulation upon presentation of the automatic import licensing document (i.e. surveillance document) that may have already been issued. 
   
   
2. Goods shipped between 11 June 2005 and the date of entry into force of the EU Regulation: import licence will be issued automatically without limitation, but such imports will be counted against the quantitative limits for the remainder of 2005.
   
   
3. Goods shipped after the entry into force of the EU Regulation but before the Chinese system of export licensing is operational (scheduled for 20 July 2005): they will be subject to import licence and counted against the agreed limits. Import licence will be denied in case the agreed quota levels have been exceeded. 
   
   
4. Goods shipped from the date when the Chinese export licensing system is operational (scheduled for 20 July 2005): import licence will be issued only upon presentation of the corresponding valid export licence issued by the Mainland, subject to the availability of unused quantities. 
   
   

3. Imports of the Mainland T&C products into the EU that are not covered under the EU/Mainland MOU but are among the list of categories at Annex (pdf format) will continue to be subject to the current prior import surveillance requirement in the form of automatic import licensing (i.e. surveillance document). 

3. The EC notice is accessible from the EU website at :

http://europa.eu.int/comm/trade/issues/sectoral/industry/textile/notice_mou_impl_en.htm

Enquiries

4. For enquiries concerning the content of this circular, please contact the undersigned at 2398 5427.

Yours faithfully,



(Miss Sheree FU)

for Director-General of Trade and Industry

The EU includes Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. .

Note : While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the above information, the Department cannot guarantee this to be so and will not be held liable for any reliance placed on the same.