3.9.90 Official Journal of the European Communities No L 240/1 (Acts whose publication is not obligatory) COMMISSION COMMISSION DECISION of 1 August 1990 authorizing the Member States to institute intra-Community surveillance of the importation for home use of certain iron and steel products originating in certain third countries and covered by the Treaty establishing thé European Coal and Steel Community and in free circulation in the Community (90/459/ECSC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Coal and Steel Community, and in particular the third paragraph of Article 71 thereof, Having Tregard to the requests . made by the Member States, Whereas under the provisions of the ECSC Treaty the principle of freedom of movement necessarily applies to products- originating in third countries-which are in free circulation in the Community; Whereas these provisons: preclude, in the case of intra- Community trade, any requirement, even of a purely formal nature, to submit import to licences or any similar procedure; - Whereas the Commission, in response to the crisisin the iron and steel sector, has adopted measures with both internal and external effects; whereas, in this context, measures have been adopted in respect of imports of certain products originating .. *in certain third countries with a view to ensuring adherence to traditional trade flows between the Community and these countries, including at regional level; Whereas the combined effect of these measures is not, however, such as to eliminate the risk of deflections of trade in the case of the products in.question; - Whereas under these circumstances it is important to ensure that full information is available on prospective imports of products originating in third countries in free circulation in certain Member States and the terms under which the products concerned are imported; whereas the Member States ought accordingly to be authorized to institute prior surveillance of these imports by making them subject to the issue of an import document; Whereas it is necessary to maintain, for a transitional period, the arrangements for the provision of information thereby established; whereas, however, the scope of the surveillance - should be limited to take account of the reduction, fixed for 1990, of the range of products and countries of origin . covered by the measures with external effects;- Whereas the import-document must be issued automatically, within a fixed time limit and for all the quantities applied for; whereas the fact that it is issued automatically excludes the use of the system in circumstances which would extend its restrictive effects beyond that which is necessary to attain the desired objective; Whereas application of these surveillance measures must be of strictly limited duration; " Whereas, so that checking the origin of imports does not act as a barrier to intra-Community trade, the Member. States ought as a general rule to be obliged, as part of the formalities for the importation of a product from another Member State, to. confine themselves to asking the importer for a simple declaration on the origin of the product, on the basis of what he may reasonably be-expected to know of it; Whereas it is important that the Member States should keep the Commission regularly informed of the results of the surveillance,