with the procedures described in Article 16 (2) of this Agreement with a view to agreeing necessary adjustments to the appropriate quantitative limits established in Annex II and mitigating any disruptive effects which might arise from such a Community decision. TITLE II ORIGIN Article 2 1. Products originating in Macao for export to the Community in accordance with the arrangements established by this Agreement shall be accompanied by a certificate of Macao origin conforming to the model annexed to this Protocol. 2. The certificate of origin shall be issued by the competent governmental authorities of Macao if the products in question can be considered products originating in that country within the meaning of the relevant rules in force in the Community. 3. However, the products in Group III may be imported into the Community in accordance with the arrangements established by this Agreement on production of a declaration by the exporter on the invoice or other commercial document relating to the products to the effect that the products in question originate in Macao within the meaning of the relevant rules in force in the Community. 4. The certificate of origin referred to in paragraph 1 shall not be required for import of goods covered by a certificate of origin Form A or form APR completed in accordance with the relevant Community rules in order to qualify for generalized tariff preferences. Article 3 The certificate of origin shall be issued only on application having been made in writing by the exporter or, under the exporter's responsibility, by his authorized representative. The competent governmental authorities of Macao shall ensure that the certificate of origin is properly completed and for this purpose they shall call for any necessary documentary evidence or carry out any check which they consider appropriate. Article 4 Where different criteria for determining origin are laid down for products falling within the same category, certificates or declarations of origin shall contain a sufficiently detailed description of the goods to enable the criterion to be determined on the basis of which the certificate was issued or the declaration drawn up. Article 5 The discovery of slight discrepancies between the statements made in the certificate of origin and those made in the documents produced to the customs office for the purpose of carrying out the formalities for importing the product shall not ipso facto cast doubt upon the statements in the certificate. TITLE III DOUBLE-CHECKING SYSTEM FOR CATEGORIES OF PRODUCTS WITH QUANTITATIVE LIMITS Section I Exportation Article 6 The competent authorities of Macao shall issue an export licence in respect of all consignments from Macao of textile products referred to in Annex II, up to the relevant quantitative limits as may be modified by Articles 6,13 and 14 of the Agreement and of textile products subject to any definitive or provisional quantitative limits established as a result of the application of Articles 7 and 8 of the Agreement. Article 7 1. The export licence shall conform to the model annexed to this Protocol. It must certify inter alia that the quantity of the product in question has been set off against the quantitative limit prescribed for the category of the product in question. 2. Each export licence shall only cover one of the categories of products listed in Annex II of this Agreement. It may be used for one or more consignments of the products in question. Article 8 The competent Community authorities must be notified forthwith of the withdrawal or alteration of any export licence already issued. Article 9 1. Exports shall be set off against the quantitative limits established for the year in which shipment of the goods has been effected, even if the export certificate is issued after such shipment. 2. For the purposes of applying paragraph 1, shipment of the goods is considered to have taken place on the date of their loading on to the exporting aircraft, vehicle or vessel. Article 10 The presentation of an export licence, in application of Article 12 below, shall be effected not later than 31 March of the year following that in which the goods covered by the licence have been shipped. Section II Importation Article 11 Importation into the Community of textile products subject to quantitative limits shall be subject to the presentation of an import authorization or document. Article 12 1. The competent Community authorities shall issue such import authorization or document automatically within five working days of the presentation by the importer of the original of the corresponding export licence. The import authorization or document shall be valid for six months. The competent Community authorities shall cancel the already issued import authorization or document if the corresponding export licence has been withdrawn. However, if the competent Community authorities have not been notified about the withdrawal or cancellation of the export licence until after the product has been imported into the Community, the quantities involved shall be set off against the quantitative limit for the category and the quota year in question. Article 131. If the competent Community authorities find that the total quantities covered by export certificates issued by Macao for a particular category in any Agreement year exceed the quantitative limit established in Annex II for that category, as may be modified by Articles 6,13 and 14 of the Agreement, or any
year in question. Article 131. If the competent Community authorities find that the total quantities covered by export certificates issued by Macao for a particular category in any Agreement year exceed the quantitative limit established in Annex II for that category, as may be modified by Articles 6,13 and 14 of the Agreement, or any definitive or provisional limit established under Article 7 or 8 of the Agreement, the said authorities may suspend the further issue of import authorizations or documents. In this event, the competent Community authorities shall immediately inform the authorities of Macao and the special consultation procedure set out in Article 16 (1) of the Agreement shall be initiated forthwith. 2. Exports of Macao origin not covered by export licences issued in accordance with the provisions of this Protocol may be refused the issue of import authorizations or documents by the competent Community authorities. However, if the import of such products are allowed into the Community by the competent Community authorities, the quantities involved shall not be set off against the appropriate quantitative limits set out in Annex II or established as a result of the application of Articles 7 or 8 of the Agreement, without the express Agreement of Macao authorities save as provided for in Article 11 of the Agreement. TITLE IV FORM AND PRODUCTION OF EXPORT CERTIFICATES AND CERTIFICATES OF ORIGIN, AND COMMON PROVISIONS Article 14 1. The export licence and the certificate of origin may comprise additional copies duly indicated as such. They shall be made out in English or French. If they are completed by hand, entries must be in ink and in printscript. These documents shall measures 210 × 297 mm. The paper used must be white writing paper, sized, not containing mechanical pulp and weighing not less than 25 g/m2. Each part shall have a printed guilloche-pattern background making any falsification by mechanical or chemical means apparent to the eye. If the documents have several copies only the top copy which is the original shall be printed with the guilloche-pattern background. This copy shall be clearly maked as "original" and the other copies as "copy". Only the original shall be accepted by the competent authorities in the Community as being valid for the purposes of exports to the Community in accordance with the arrangements established by this Agreement. 2. Each document shall bear a standardized serial number, whether or not printed, by which it can be identified. This number shall be composed of the following elements: - two letters identifying Macao as follows : MO, - two letters identifying country of destination as follows: >PIC FILE= "T0036595"> - a single-digit number identifying quota year, corresponding to the last figure in year e.g. 3 for 1983, - a two-digit number running consecutively from 01 to 99 identifying the issuing office, - a five-digit number running consecutively from 00001 to 99999 allocated to the country of destination. Article 15 The export licence and certificate or origin may be issued after the shipment of the products to which they relate. In such cases they shall bear either the endorsement "delivrée a posteriori" or the endorsement "issued retrospectively". Article 16 1. In the event of theft, loss or destruction of an export licence or a certificate of origin, the exporter may apply to the competent governmental authority which issued the document for a duplicate to be made out on the basis of the export documents in his possession. The duplicate of any such certificate or licence so issued shall bear the endorsement "duplicata". 2. The duplicate must bear the date of the original export licence or certificate of origin. TITLE V ADMINISTRATIVE COOPERATION Article 17 The Community and Macao shall cooperate closely to implement the provisions of this Agreement. To this end, contacts and exchanges of views (including on technical matters) shall be facilitated by both parties. Article 18 In order to ensure the proper application of this Agreement, the Community and Macao shall assist each other in checking the authenticity and accuracy of export licences and certificates of origin issued or declaration made under this Protocol. Article 19 Macao shall send the Commission of the European Communities the names and addresses of the govermental authorities competent for the issue and verification of export licences and certificates of origin together with specimens of the stamps used by these authorities. Macao shall also notify the Commission of any change in this information. Article 20 1. Subsequent verification of certificates of origin or export licences shall be carried out at random, or whenever the competent Community authorities have reasonable doubt as to the authenticity of the certificate or licence or as to the accuracy of the information regarding the products in question. 2. origin referred to in Article 2 of this Protocol. 4. The results of the subsequent verifications carried out in accordance with paragraphs 1 and 2 above shall be communicated to the competent authorities of the Community within three months at the latest. The information communicated shall indicate whether the disputed certificate or licence or declaration applies to the goods actually exported and whether these goods are eligible for export in accordance with the arrangements established by this Agreement. The information shall also include, at the request of the Community, copies of all documentation necessary to determine the facts fully and in particular the true origin of the goods. Should such verifications reveal systematic irregularities in the use of declarations of origin, the Community may subject imports of the products in question to the provisions of Article 2 (1) of this Protocol. 5. For the purpose of subsequent verification of certificates of origin, copies of the certificates as well as any export documents referring to them shall be kept for at least a period of three years by the competent governmental authority in Macao. 6. Recourse to the random verification procedure specified in this Article must not constitute an obstacle to the release for home use of the products in question. Article 21 1. Where the verification procedure referred to in Article 20 or where information available to the Community or to Macao indicates or appears to indicate that the provisions of this Agreement are being contravened, both parties shall cooperate closely and with the appropriate urgency to prevent such contravention. 2. To this end, Macao shall, on its own initiative or at the request of the Community, carry out appropriate inquiries or arrange for such inquiries to be carried out concerning operations which are or appear to the Community to be in contravention of this Agreement. Macao shall communicate the results of these inquiries to the Community together with any other pertinent information enabling the true origin of the goods to be determined. 3. By agreement between the Community and Macao officials designated by the Community may be present at the inquiries referred to in paragraph 2. 4. Pursuant to the cooperation referred to in paragraph 1, Macao and the Community shall exchange any information considered by either partner to be of use in preventing the contravention of the provisions of this Agreement. Such information may include information on trade in products subject to this Agreement between Macao and other countries and information on production of such products in Macao. 5. Where it is established that the provisions of this Agreement have been contravened, Macao and the Community may agree to take such measures as are necessary to prevent a recurrence of such contravention. >PIC FILE= "T0036596"> >PIC FILE= "T0036597"> PROTOCOL B Under Article 7 (6) of the Agreement, a quantitative limit may be fixed on a regional basis where imports of a given product into any region of the Community in relation to the amounts determined in accordance with paragraph 2 of the said Article 7 exceed the following regional percentage: >PIC FILE= "T0036598"> PROTOCOL C The annual growth rate for the quantitative limits introduced under Article 7 of the Agreement shall be determined as follows: For products in categories falling within Group I, II and III, the growth rate shall be fixed by agreement between the parties in accordance with the consultation procedure established in Article 16 (1) of the Agreement. Such growth rate may in no case be lower than the highest rate applied to corresponding products under bilateral agreements concluded under the Geneva Arrangement between the Community and other third countries having a level of trade equal to or comparable with that of Macao. Avis juridique important|21986A1016(05)Acordo entre a Comunidade Económica Europeia e Macau sobre o Comércio de Produtos Têxteis Jornal Oficial nº L 293 de 16/10/1986 p. 0186 the new groupings, their composition is set out below: >PIC FILE= "T0036570"> Note: Category 10 comprises former categories 10 and 11. Category 24 comprises former categories 24 and 25. Category 19 comprises former categories 19 and 89. Category 72 comprises former categories 72 and 79. GROUP I A >PIC FILE= "T0036571"> GROUP I B >PIC FILE= "T0036572"> GROUP II A >PIC FILE= "T0036573"> GROUP II B >PIC FILE= "T0036574"> >PIC FILE= "T0036575"> >PIC FILE= "T0036576"> >PIC FILE= "T0036577"> >PIC FILE= "T0036578"> GROUP III A >PIC FILE= "T0036579"> >PIC FILE= "T0036580"> >PIC FILE= "T0036581"> >PIC FILE= "T0036582"> >PIC FILE= "T0036583"> >PIC FILE= "T0036584"> GROUP III B >PIC FILE= "T0036585"> >PIC FILE= "T0036586"> >PIC FILE= "T0036587"> GROUP III C >PIC FILE= "T0036588"> >PIC FILE= "T0036589"> >PIC FILE= "T0036590"> ANNEX II For practical reasons the product descriptions used in Annex I are given in the present Annex in abbreviated form >PIC FILE= "T0036591"> >PIC FILE= "T0036592"> REGIONAL LIMITS >PIC FILE= "T0036593"> >PIC FILE= "T0036594"> PROTOCOL A TITLE I CLASSIFICATION Article 1 1. The competent authorities of the Community undertake to inform Macao of any changes in the Common Customs Tariff or NIMEXE before the date of their entry into effect in the Community. 2. The competent authorities of the Community undertake to inform Macao of any decisions relating to the classification of products subject to the present Agreement within one month of their adoption at the latest. Such communication shall include: (a) a description of the products concerned; (b) the relevant category, tariff position or sub-position and the NIMEXE code; (c) the reasons which have led to the decision. 3. Where a decision on classification results in a change of classification practice or a change of category of any product subject to the present Agreement, the competent authorities of the Community shall provide 30 days'notice, from the date of the Community's communication, before the decision enters into effect. Products shipped before the date of entry into effect of the decision shall remain subject to the earlier classification practice, provided that the goods in question are presented for importation into the Community within 60 days of that date. 4. Where a Community decision on classification resulting in a change of classification practice or a change of categorization of any product subject to the present Agreement affects a category subject to restraint, the Community undertakes to enter into consultations without delay in accordance with the procedures described in Article 16 (2) of this Agreement with a view to agreeing necessary adjustments to the appropriate quantitative limits established in Annex II and mitigating any disruptive effects which might arise from such a Community decision. TITLE II ORIGIN Article 2 1. Products originating in Macao for export to the Community in accordance with the arrangements established by this Agreement shall be accompanied by a certificate of Macao origin conforming to the model annexed to this Protocol. 2. The certificate of origin shall be issued by the competent governmental authorities of Macao if the products in question can be considered products originating in that country within the meaning of the relevant rules in force in the Community. 3. However, the products in Group III may be imported into the Community in accordance with the arrangements established by this Agreement on production of a declaration by the exporter on the invoice or other commercial document relating to the products to the effect that the products in question originate in Macao within the meaning of the relevant rules in force in the Community. 4. The certificate of origin referred to in paragraph 1 shall not be required for import of goods covered by a certificate of origin Form A or