Article 3
1. The Commission shall, after consulting the Advisory Committee, adopt by regulation the necessary measures to authorize the exemption of imports of essential bicycle parts which do not circumvent the anti-dumping duty imposed by Regulation (EEC) No 2474/93 from the duty extended by Article 2. 2. The Commission regulation shall, in particular, provide for: - authorization of the exemption and control of imports of essential bicycle parts used by companies whose assembly operations are not circumventing, - authorization of the exemption and control of imports of essential bicycle parts, in particular by intermediaries or with regard to their use in small quantities by small-scale operators, - rules governing the functioning of such exemptions in accordance with the relevant customs provisions, and - exchanges of information between customs authorities and the Commission concerning the operation of such exemptions. 3. The Commission regulation shall also provide for: (a) the examination of whether the conditions of non-circumvention are fulfilled, in particular in case of requests by: - parties, carrying out assembly operations, who made themselves known during the investigation but after the time-limit set out in Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 703/96, - parties whose assembly operations started using essential bicycle parts for the production or assembly of bicycles only after the investigation period ending on 31 March 1996, - parties whose assembly operations were found to be circumventing during the investigation, - other parties whose assembly operations use essential bicycle parts for the production or assembly of bicycles, and which had not made themselves known by the end of the investigation, and (b) the necessary procedural provisions for such examination, and in particular the conditions under which future requests for an examination will be accepted. To this end, where essential bicycle parts are declared for free circulation by an assembly operation in respect of which an examination by the Commission is pending, the Commission regulation shall also make provision that: - the payment of the customs debt incurred for the anti-dumping duty extended or to be collected pursuant to Article 2 be suspended pending the outcome of the examination by the Commission, - where upon examination the operation is found to be non-circumventing, the customs debt arising pursuant to Article 2 be extinguished, and - in other cases, the suspension of the customs debt be lifted. The Commission regulation may also provide that Customs authorities may require the provision of a security when necessary to guarantee the payment of the customs debt in the event the suspension is lifted. 4. Following an examination under paragraph 3, the Commission may, where justified and after consulting the Advisory Committee, decide to authorize the exemption of the operation concerned from the extension of the measures provided for by Article 2. 5. Authorization for exemptions granted pursuant to the Commission Regulation shall have retroactive effect to the date of initiation of the present circumvention investigation, provided the party concerned made itself known during that investigation. It shall have retroactive effect to the date of the request for an authorization in other cases. 6. The Commission regulation shall also provide for the revocation of authorizations for exemption, where justified and after consulting the Advisory Committee.