{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-regulation-1997-2623/introduction",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-regulation-1997-2623/introduction.json",
  "legislation": "eur/1997/2623",
  "legislation_title": "Council Regulation (EC) No 2623/97 of 19 December 1997 applying Article 6 of Regulations (EC) No 3281/94 and (EC) No 1256/96 on multiannual generalized tariff preferences schemes in respect of certain industrial and agricultural products originating in developing countries",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-regulation-1997-2623",
  "path": "introduction",
  "kind": "introduction",
  "number": null,
  "heading": "Introductory text",
  "text": "Council Regulation (EC) No 2623/97\nof 19 December 1997\napplying Article 6 of Regulations (EC) No 3281/94 and (EC) No 1256/96 on multiannual generalized tariff preferences schemes in respect of certain industrial and agricultural products originating in developing countries\nTHE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,\nHaving regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 113,\nHaving regard to the proposal from the Commission,\nHaving regard to the opinion of the European Parliament,\nHaving regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee,\nWhereas it is laid down in Article 6 of Regulations (EC) No 3281/94 and (EC) No 1256/96 that the most advanced beneficiary countries shall be excluded from entitlement under those Regulations from 1 January 1998 on the basis of objective, clearly defined criteria;\nWhereas the reference threshold for excluding the most advanced countries shuld be a per capita income equal to the lowest in an EU Member State, adjusted by reference to the developmnent index listed in Part 2 of Annex II to Regulations (EC) No 3281/94 and (EC) No 1256/96 in order to allow for the fact that some countries need to develop their exports of manufactures;\nWhereas this approach is objective and clear in that it includes the indicator which is the least controversial and the most representative of the current state of affairs in the beneficiary countries, while at the same time making it possible to maintain one of the objectives of the GSP, namely diversification of the beneficiary countries' exports;\nWhereas excluding some countries from benefiting from generalized tariff preferences must not have the effect of depriving members of the reigional groupings, of which the excluded countries are also members, from the advantages which they previously obtained through using in their own manufacturing, within the context of regional cumulation, products originating in the said excluded countries; whereas terminating this facility would run counter to the objective of Article 6 of the said Regulations, which is to redistribute the benefits of the system to less developed countries,\nHAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:",
  "extent": "E+W+S+N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f1",
      "text": "Opinion delivered on 16 December 1997 (not yet published in the Official Journal)."
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f2",
      "text": "Opinion delivered on 10 December 1997 (not yet published in the Official Journal)."
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f3",
      "text": "OJ L 348, 31. 12. 1994, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 998/97 (OJ L 144, 4. 6. 1997, p. 13)."
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f4",
      "text": "OJ L 160, 29. 6. 1996, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 2448/96 (OJ L 333, 21. 12. 1996, p. 12)."
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/1997/2623/introduction",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-11-01T14:58:31.067862+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}