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            COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 1916/2006

of 18 December 2006         

opening and providing for the management of Community tariff quotas for certain fish and fishery products originating in Albania

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1616/2006 of 23 October 2006 on certain procedures for applying the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Albania, of the other part, and for applying the Interim Agreement between the European Community and the Republic of Albania (1), and in particular Article 2 thereof,

Whereas:

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

1.   Products originating in Albania and listed in the Annex which are released for free circulation in the Community shall benefit from a reduced or a zero-rate customs duty, at the levels and within the limits of the annual Community tariff quotas specified in that Annex.

Those products shall be accompanied by proof of origin as provided for in Protocol No 4 to the Stabilisation and Association Agreement and to the Interim Agreement.

2.   Each Member State shall ensure that importers of the products referred to in paragraph 1 have equal and uninterrupted access to the tariff quotas as long as the balance of the relevant quota volume so permits.

Article 2

1   The tariff quotas referred to in Article 1 shall be managed by the Commission in accordance with Articles 308a, 308b and 308c of Regulation (EEC) No 2454/93.

2   Communications relating to the management of tariff quotas between the Member States and the Commission shall be transmitted as far as possible, electronically.

Article 3

1.   The individual tariff quota volume for prepared or preserved anchovies referred to in the Annex under order No 09.1505 may be increased every year and for the first time for 2007 until the yearly volume of the quota has reached 1 600 tonnes or the parties agree to apply other arrangements.

2.   The annual increase referred to in paragraph 1 may be applied only if at least 80 % of the volume opened within the previous year has been used.

Article 4

This Regulation shall enter into force on the third day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

It shall apply from 1 December 2006.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 18 December 2006.

For the Commission

László KOVÁCS            

Member of the Commission

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(1)OJ L 300, 31.10.2006, p. 1.

(2)  Not yet published in the Official Journal.

(3)OJ L 239, 1.9.2006, p. 1.

(4)OJ L 253, 11.10.1993, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 402/2006 (OJ L 70, 9.3.2006, p. 35).

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ANNEX

Notwithstanding the rules for the interpretation of the Combined Nomenclature, the wording for the description of the products is to be considered as having no more than an indicative value, the preferential scheme being determined, within the context of this Annex, by the coverage of CN codes. Where ex CN codes are indicated, the preferential scheme is to be determined by application of the CN code and corresponding description taken together.

FISH AND FISHERY PRODUCTS

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(1)  From the 1st of January 2007 the yearly volume of the quota will be increased by 200 tonnes provided that at least 80 % of the previous year's quota has been used by 31 December of that year. This mechanism will apply until such time as the yearly volume of the quota has reached 1 600 tonnes or the Parties agree to apply other arrangements.

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