THE CZECH REPUBLIC

Generalized System of Preferences HANDBOOK ON THE SCHEME OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC Advance Copy UNCTAD/ITCD/TSB/Misc.63 Generalized System of Preferences HANDBOOK ON THE SCHEME OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC (INT/97/A06) UNCTAD Technical Cooperation Project on Market Access, Trade Laws and Preferences UNCTAD/ITCD/TSB/Misc.63 July 2001 1 CONTENTS PREFACE 2 1. BACKGROUND 3 2. LEGAL FRAMEWORK 3 3. PRODUCT COVERAGE AND DEPTH OF TARIFF CUTS 3 4. RULES OF ORIGIN 9 ANNEXES 4 ANNEX I: List of Least Developed Beneficiary Countries 6 ANNEX II: List of Developing Beneficiary Countries 9 ANNEX III: List of the products enjoying a duty free market access 11 ANNEX IV: List of the products which benefit from a 50 per cent reduction of applied custom tariff 61 2 PREFACE This Handbook is intended to give, in a consolidated and concise form, information regarding the tariff advantages available to developing countries under the scheme of generalized preferences of the Czech Republic and the conditions under which the goods qualify for preferential treatment on importation into the Czech Republic. This Handbook has been prepared by the UNCTAD Technical Cooperation Programme on Market Access, Trade Laws and Preferences (INT/97/A06), primarily for use within the context of project activities. Although based on official texts, the Handbook cannot be regarded as a substitute for these texts. The UNCTAD secretariat appreciates the assistance and cooperation of the Government of the Czech Republic in the preparation of this Handbook. The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this handbook do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. For any further information on the publications in the GSP series, please contact the UNCTAD Technical Cooperation Project on Market Access, Trade Laws and Preferences (INT/97/A06): Tel.: +41 22 907 4944 Fax: +41 22 907 0044 E-mail: gsp@unctad.org 3 1. BACKGROUND The Czech Republic has been applying its scheme of generalized preferences since 1972. Its main objective continues to be the development of broader trade relations with beneficiary countries and provision of better market access opportunities for products originating from least developed and developing countries. 2. LEGAL FRAMEWORK The legal framework for the preferential scheme of the Czech Republic consists of: • Regulation of the Government No. 441/2000 Coll., issuing the “Customs Tariff and Establishing Rates of Import Tariffs on Goods Originating in Developing Countries and Least Developed Countries and the Terms of Their Application (Customs Tariff)”; and • Decree of the Ministry of Industry and Trade No. 69.1989 Coll. on “the exemption from duties of goods imported from and originated in developing countries”, as amended by Decree 265/1994 Coll., which sets the rules of origin for the purpose of benefiting from preferential treatment. 3. PRODUCT COVERAGE AND DEPTH OF TARIFF CUTS All products originating in and imported from least developed countries (see the list of countries in annex 1 to this handbook) enjoy duty-free access to the Czech market. Tariff preferences for selected products originating and imported from other beneficiary countries (see list in annex 2 to this handbook) are modulated as follows. Products listed in annex 3 of this handbook are granted duty-free market access. The duty reduction for products listed in annex 4 is 50 per cent of the applied rates. No preferences are granted to sensitive products. No quotas or ceilings are applied to products which are eligible for GSP treatment. 4. RULES OF ORIGIN Only products that are considered as originating in beneficiary countries are eligible for the preferential treatment under the Czech GSP scheme. For this purpose, the following products shall be considered as originating in a beneficiary country: (a) Products wholly obtained in a beneficiary country; (b) Products obtained in a beneficiary country incorporating third country materials not exceeding 50 per cent of their value. Materials originating in other least developed and developing beneficiary countries as well as in the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic are considered as originating in a beneficiary country when incorporated into respective products. To benefit from the preferential treatment, products must be imported directly from least developed or developing beneficiary countries to the Czech Republic. This condition is not fulfilled when products are released to free circulation in another country and then exported 4 to the Czech Republic. Similarly, products should not be processed during their transportation. Products shall benefit from the GSP treatment upon submission of a certificate of origin Form A, issued by a competent authority (Chamber of Commerce) of a country of origin. The Form A has to be presented to the Czech customs authorities within one year from the date of importation. The certificate is not required if the value of a consignment does not exceed 5,000 USD or its equivalent in another national currency. Further details regarding rules of origin are contained in GATT document L/3703/Add.7, dated 13 October 1989. 5 ANNEXES 6 ANNEX I: List of Least Developed Beneficiary Countries List of the Least Developed Countries AF Afghanistan AO Angola BD Bangladesh BJ Benin BT Bhutan BF Burkina Faso BI Burundi KH Cambodia CV Cape Verde CF Central African Republic TD Chad KM Comoros CD Congo Democratic Rep. DJ Djibouti GQ Equatorial Guinea ER Eritrea ET Ethiopia GM Gambia GN Guinea GW Guinea-Bissau HT Haiti KI Kiribati LA Lao People s Dem. Republic LS Lesotho LR Liberia MG Madagascar MW Malawi MV Maldives ML Mali MR Mauritania MZ Mozambique MM Myanmar NP Nepal NE Niger RW Rwanda ST Sao Tome and Principe SL Sierra Leone SB Solomon Islands SO Somalia SD Sudan TZ Tanzania TG Togo TV Tuvalu UG Uganda VU Vanuatu WS Western Samoa YE Yemen ZM Zambia Total: 48 9 ANNEX II: List of Developing Beneficiary Countries List of Developing and Other Beneficiary Countries AL Albania DZ Algeria AG Antiqua and Barbuda AM Armenia AZ Azerbaijan BB Barbados BY Belarus BZ Belize BO Bolivia BA Bosnia and Herzegovina BW Botswana CM Camerun CO Colombia CG Congo CR Costa Rica CI C te d Ivoire CU Cuba DM Dominica DO Dominican Republic EC Ecuador EG Egypt SV El Salvador FM Fed. States of Micronesia FJ Fiji GA Gabon GE Georgia GH Ghana GD Grenada GT Guatemala GY Guyana HN Honduras IN India ID Indonesia IR Iran IQ Iraq JM Jamaica JO Jordan KZ Kazakhstan KE Kenya KP Korea Dem. People`s Rep. KW Kuwait KG Kyrgyz Republic LB Lebanon LY Libya MK Macedonia MY Malaysia MH Marshall Islands MU Mauritius MN Mongolia NA Namibia MA Marocco NI Nicaragua NG Nigeria OM Oman PK Pakistan PA Panama PG Papua New Guinea PY Paraguay PE Peru PH Philippines QA Qatar MD Republic of Moldova 10 RU Russian Federation KN Saint Christopher LC Saint Lucia VC Saint Vincent and the Grenadines SA Saudi Arabia SN Senegal SC Seychelles ZA South Africa LK Sri Lanka SR Suriname SZ Swaziland SY Syria TJ Tajikistan TH Thailand TO Tonga TT Trinidad and Tobago TN Tunisia TM Turkmenistan UA Ukraine UY Uruguay UZ Uzbekistan VE Venezuela VN Viet Nam YU Yugoslavia ZW Zimbabwe Total: 87 [...]... use for the manufacture of leather articles 4104 10 30 Other skin leather not further prepared than chrome -tanned, in the wet-blue state 4104 10 91 Not further prepared than tanned 4104 10 95 Boxcalf 4104 10 99 Other 4104 21 00 Bovine leather, vegetable pre-tanned 4104 22 10 Not further prepared than chrome -tanned in the wet-blue state 4104 22 90 Other 4104 29 00 Other 27 4104 31 11 Sole leather 4104... Film for the graphic arts 3702 91 90 Other 3702 92 10 Film for the graphic arts 3702 92 90 Other 3702 93 10 Microfilm; film for the graphic arts 3702 93 90 Other 3702 94 10 Microfilm; film for the graphic arts 3702 94 90 Other 3702 95 00 Of a width exceeding 35 mm 3704 00 10 Plates and film 3704 00 90 Other 3705 10 00 For offset reproduction 3705 20 00 Microfilms 3705 90 00 Other 3801 90 00 Other 3803... the manufacture of foodstuffs for human consumption 1508 90 90 Other 1509 10 10 Lampante virgin olive oil 1509 10 90 Other 1509 90 00 Other 1511 90 91 For technical or industrial uses other than the manufacture of foodstuffs for human consumption 1511 90 99 Other 1512 21 90 Other 1512 29 10 For technical or industrial uses other than the manufacture of foodstuffs for human consumption 1512 29 90 Other... for their flowers, other than those of subheading No 1209 30 1209 99 99 Other 1302 19 05 Vanilla oleoresin 1507 10 10 For technical or industrial uses other than the manufacture of foodstuffs for human consumption 1507 10 90 Other 1507 90 10 For technical or industrial uses other than the manufacture of foodstuffs for human consumption 1507 90 90 Other 1508 90 10 For technical or industrial uses other... calculated on the D-glucitol content 2905 44 19 Other 2905 44 91 Containing 2 % or less by weight of D-mannitol, calculated on the D-glucitol content 2905 44 99 Other 2906 11 00 Menthol 2906 14 00 Terpineols 2906 19 00 Other 2906 21 00 Benzyl alcohol 2906 29 00 Other 2907 12 00 Cresols and their salts 2907 13 00 Octylphenol, nonylphenol and their isomers; salts thereof 2907 14 00 Xylenols and their salts... goat or kid, whether or not having undergone certain treatments, but obviously unsuitable for immediate use for the manufacture of leather articles 4106 11 90 Other 4106 12 00 Otherwise pre-tanned 4106 19 00 Other 4106 20 00 Parchment-dressed or prepared after tanning 4107 10 10 Not further prepared than tanned 4107 10 90 Other 4107 90 10 Not further prepared than tanned 4107 90 90 Other 4108 00 10... use in the manufacture of synthetic textile fibres or of artificial plastic materials 1515 30 90 Other 1515 40 00 Tung oil and its fractions 1515 50 91 For technical or industrial uses other than the manufacture of foodstuffs for human consumption 15 1515 50 99 Other 1515 60 90 Other 1515 90 10 Oiticica oils; myrtle wax and Japan wax; their fractions 1515 90 21 For technical or industrial uses other... industrial uses other than the manufacture of foodstuffs for human consumption 1515 90 29 Other 1515 90 31 For technical or industrial uses other than the manufacture of foodstuffs for human consumption 1515 90 39 Other 1515 90 40 For technical or industrial uses other than the manufacture of foodstuffs for human consumption 1515 90 60 For technical or industrial uses other than the manufacture of foodstuffs... 4804 11 90 Other 4804 41 10 Of which not less than 80 % by weight of the total fibre content consists of coniferous fibres obtained by the chemical sulphate or soda process 4804 41 91 Saturating kraft 4804 41 99 Other 4805 70 11 Testliner 4805 70 19 Other 4805 70 90 Other 4805 80 11 Testliner 4805 80 19 Other 4805 80 90 Other 4806 30 00 Tracing papers 4806 40 10 Glassine papers 4806 40 90 Other 4902... Reinforced or otherwise combined only with textile materials 4009 50 90 Reinforced or otherwise combined with other materials 4014 90 10 Teats, nipple shields, and similar articles for babies 4014 90 90 Other 4104 10 10 East India kip, whole, whether or not the heads and legs have been removed, each of a net weight of not more than 4,5 kg, not further prepared than vegetable tanned, whether or not having . texts, the Handbook cannot be regarded as a substitute for these texts. The UNCTAD secretariat appreciates the assistance and cooperation of the Government of the Czech Republic in the preparation. HANDBOOK ON THE SCHEME OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC Advance Copy UNCTAD/ITCD/TSB/Misc.63 Generalized System of Preferences HANDBOOK ON THE SCHEME OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC. information regarding the tariff advantages available to developing countries under the scheme of generalized preferences of the Czech Republic and the conditions under which the goods qualify for