4.1.2000 Official Journal of the European Communities L1/1 (Acts whose publication is obligatory) COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 1/2000 of 17 December 1999 on common rules for imports of footwear products originating in Vietnam THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 133 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Whereas: (1)  The common commercial policy must be based on uniform principles; (2)  The Commission antifraud services have found evidence that consignments of footwear products were imported into the Community on the basis of fraudulent declara- tions of Vietnamese origin in the period 1994-1997; (3)  The European Community and the Government of Vietnam have negotiated a Memorandum of Under- standing on the Prevention of Fraud in Trade in Foot- wear Products (the ‘Memorandum’) which sets out a double-checking system on the exports to the Community of footwear products falling within Chapter 64 of the Harmonised System/Combined Nomenclature; (4) It is necessary to set out common rules for the imple- mentation of the double-checking system in the Euro- pean Community, HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: Article 1 1. This Regulation applies to all products falling within Chapter 64 of the Harmonised System/Combined Nomencla- ture originating in Vietnam and imported into the European Community. 2. For the purposes of this Regulation, the term ‘originating products’ and the methods for verifying the origin of those products shall be as defined by the relevant Community rules in force. Atticle 2 The release for free circulation in the Community of the prod- ucts referred to in Article 1 shall be subject to the presentation of an import certificate issued by the Member States' authori- ties referred to in Article 11 in accordance with the procedure set out in this Regulation. Article 3 1.  The competent Vietnamese authorities shall issue an export certificate in respect of the products referred to in Article 1. 2. The export certificate shall conform to the specimen appended in the Annex. 3. The original of the export certificate shall be presented by the importer for the purposes of issuing the import certificate referred to in Article 6. The competent authorities of a Member State shall refuse to issue an import certificate for products which are not covered by export certificates issued in accord- ance with the provisions of this Regulation. Atrticle 4 Exports shall be recorded under the year in which the products covered by the export certificate were shipped. Atticle 5 1. The forms to be used by the competent authorities of the Member States for issuing the import certificates shall conform to the specimen of the surveillance document set out in Annex I to Council Regulation (EC) No 3285/94 of 22 December 1994 on the common rules for imports (*). 2. The authorities of the Member States shall notify the Commission of the requests for import certificates which they have received. 3. The Commission shall notify to the authorities of the Member States its confirmation that the data contained in the requests for import certificates are in conformity with the data received from the competent Vietnamese authorities. 4. The notifications referred to in paragraphs 2 and 3 shall be communicated electronically within the integrated network setup for the SIGL management of the textile licences, unless for imperative technical reasons it is necessary to use other means of communication temporarily. Atticle 6 1.  The competent authorities of the Member States shall issue an import certificate within a maximum of five working days from the presentation by the importer of the original of the corresponding export certificate. This presentation must (1) OJ L 349, 31.12.1994, p. 53. Regulation as amended by Regulation (EC) No 139/96 (O] L 21, 27.1.1996, p. 7).