4. 12. 86 Official Journal of the European Communities No L 341/1 (Acts whose publication is obligatory) COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 3690/86 of 1 December 1986 concerning the abolition within the framework of the TIR Convention of customs formalities on exit from a Member State at a frontier between two Member States THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, *Whereas Council Regulation (EEC) No 2112/78() approved on behalf of the Community the Customs Convention on the international transport of goods under cover of TIR carnets (TIR Convention), which entered into force in the Community on 20 June 1983 (3); Whereas the Council has, on several occasions, demon- strated a political determination to reduce formalities and checks at the Community’s internal frontiers; Whereas, whenever a frontier is crossed, the procedure applicable under the TIR Convention entails the comple- tion of virtually identical formalities first at the customs office of exit and then at the customs office of entry; Whereas waiting time at frontiers could be significantly reduced in cases where the procedure provided for by the TIR Convention is applied in respect of goods crossmg a frontier between two Member States by assigning to the customs office of entry the tasks normally performed by the corresponding office of exit; Whereas, at its meeting in Fontainebleau on 25 and 26 June 1984, the European Council expressed a desire to pursue the efforts aimed at gradually abolishing formali- ties at frontiers, whereas the Commission expressed a similar desire in its White Paper where it notably stressed that simplification might be achieved by avoiding dupli- cation of checks on both sides of the frontier and whereas the initiatives taken by certain Member States aimed at abolishing some of the checks at their frontiers reflect a similar attitude ; Whereas the European Council of 28 and 29 June 1985 * adopted the objectives laid down by the Commission for 1992 for establishing the internal market and abolishing internal frontiers ; "y OJ No L 252, 14. 9. 1978, p. 1 % OJ No L 31, 2. 2. 1983, p. 13. Whereas Article 48 of the TIR Convention permits contracting parties which form a customs or economic union to enact special provisions in respect of transport operations commencing or terminating in, or passing through, their territories, provided that such provisions do not attenuate the facilities provided for by the said Convention ; Whereas close collaboration at present exists between Member States ; whereas such collaboration will be further strengthened by implementing the provisions of Council Directive 83/643/EEC of 1 December 1983 on the facili- tation of physical inspections and administrative formali- ties in respect of the carriage of goods between Member States (°) ; whereas such collaboration makes it. possible to simplify, along the lines indicated above, the formalities applicable under the TIR Convention when goods cross a frontier in the Community, without thereby increasing the risk of fraud, HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION : Article 1 1. Without prejudice to the other provisions of the TIR Convention, the following special provisions shall apply in respect of operations for the transport of goods under cover of TIR carnets commencing or terminating in or passing through Community territory. 2. For the purposes of this Regulation : — ‘TIR Convention’ means the Customs Convention on the international transport of goods under cover of TIR carnets (TIR Convention), done at Geneva on 14 November 1975, — ‘TIR consignment’ means any consignment under cover of a TIR carnet, — ‘internal frontier means a land frontier between two Member States, () OJ No L 359, 22. 12. 1983, p. 8.