Goods Do Not Meet Requirement...

I received a book from Amazon.com this weekend. Some things you just can't get in French bookstores or even on Amazon.fr. So I sucked it up and paid the $7.98 shipping for a book only slightly more than that.

On the box was a yellow sticker that read

Goods Do Not Meet The Requirement Of Article 9 and 10 Of The Contract For The Foundation Of The European Community

Kind of ominous, right? Was I breaking Article 9 and 10 by importing a book unavailable in France? Or did the book not fall under Article 9 and 10 and thus manage to break through the customs barrier? Would secret customs agents burst into my apartment as soon as I opened the book?

To calm my doubts and fears I did what I had to do. I googled. First on the list: The Treaty of Rome, which got the ball rolling with the European Economic Community way back in 1957. Articles 9 and 10 were not too hard to find.

Article 9 1. The Community shall be based upon a customs union covering the exchange of all goods and comprising both the prohibition, as between Member States, of customs duties on importation and exportation and all charges with equivalent effect and the adoption of a common customs tariff in their relations with third countries.
2. The provisions of Chapter 1, Section 1 and of Chapter 2 of this Title shall apply to products originating in Member States and also to products coming from third countries and having been entered for consumption in Member States.
Article 10 1. Products having been entered for consumption in a Member State shall be deemed to be products coming from a third country in cases where, in respect of such products, the necessary import formalities have been complied with and the appropriate customs duties or charges with equivalent effect have been levied in such Member State and where such products have not benefited by any total or partial drawback on such duties or charges.
2. The Commission shall, before the end of the first year after the date of the entry into force of this Treaty, lay down the methods of administrative co-operation to be adopted for the application of Article 9, paragraph 2, taking due account of the need for reducing as far as possible the formalities imposed on trade.
Before the end of the first year after the date of the entry into force of this Treaty, the Commission shall lay down the provisions applicable, as regards trade between Member States, to goods originating in another Member State in whose manufacture products have been used on which the appropriate customs duties or charges with equivalent effect in the exporting Member State have not been levied or which have benefited by a total or partial drawback on such duties or charges.
When laying down such provisions, the Commission shall take due account of the rules for the elimination of customs duties within the Community and for the progressive application of the common customs tariff.

If you skimmed that like I did the first time, you didn't miss much.

I'm no lawyer, but the best I can make out is that one book doesn't get charged tariffs on import through the mail.