1997R2603 — EN — 01.01.2000 — 002.001 — 1
This document is meant purely as a documentation tool and the institutions do not assume any liability for its contents
►B COMMISSIONREGULATION(EC)No2603/97
of16December 1997
layingdownthedetailed implementing rules forimportsofrice originating intheACPcountries
ortheoverseascountriesandterritories (OCT)
(OJ L 351, 23.12.1997, p. 22)
Amended by:
Official Journal
No page date
►M1Commission Regulation (EC) No 1595/98 of 23 July 1998 L 208 21 24.7.1998
►M2Commission Regulation (EC) No 2731/1999 of 21 December 1999 L 328 39 22.12.1999
NB: This consolidated version contains references to the European unit of account and/or the ecu, which from 1 January 1999
should be understood as references to the euro — Council Regulation (EEC) No 3308/80 (OJ L 345, 20.12.1980, p. 1) andCouncil Regulation (EC) No 1103/97 (OJ L 162, 19.6.1997, p. 1).
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COMMISSIONREGULATION(EC)No2603/97
of16December 1997
laying down the detailed implementing rules for imports of rice
originating in the ACP countries or the overseas countries and
territories (OCT)
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Decision 91/482/EEC of 25 July 1991 on the
association of the overseas countries and territories with the European
Economic Community(1), as last amended by Decision 97/803/EC(2),
and in particular Article 108a (5) thereof,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 715/90 of 5 March
1990 on the arrangementsapplicable to agricultural productsandcertain goods resulting from the processing of agricultural productsoriginating in the ACP Statesor in the overs eascountriesand terri-tories(OCT)(
3), aslas t amended by Regulation (EC) No 619/96(4),
and in particular Article 13 (1) and (3) thereof,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 3290/94 of 22 December
1994 on the adjustments and transitional arrangements required in theagricultural sector in order to implement the agreements concluded
during the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations(
5), aslas t
amended by Regulation (EC) No 1161/97(6), and in particular Article 3
(1) thereof,
Whereas, by Decision 97/803/EC, the Council adapted the import
arrangementsfor rice originating in the overs eascountriesand terri-tories (OCTs); whereas the new Article 108a states that thecumulation of ACP/OCT origin referred to in Article 6 of Annex II toDecision 91/482/EEC is permitted up to an overall limit of 160 000tonnesof hus ked rice equivalent, including the tariff quota for rice
originating in the ACP Statesunder the Fourth Lomé Convention;
whereasimportsfrom the OCTscan reach the above level if the ACPStatesdo not make effective us e of their direct export optionsunder theabove tariff quota; whereasimport licencesfor 35 000 tonnesin hus kedrice equivalent is initially issued to the OCTs in January each year;
Whereasto ens ure balanced management of the Community market in
rice, import licences are issued in respect of several periods over thecourse of a year;
Whereas, to manage the cumulative system, the detailed rules for the
import of rice from the ACP Statesand OCT need to be adopted in asingle text; whereas Commission Regulation (EEC) No 999/90 of 20April 1990 laying down detailed implementing rulesfor importsof
rice originating in the African, Caribbean and Pacific States(ACP)
and the overseas countries and territories (OCT)(
7), aslas t amended
by Regulation (EC) No 1407/97(8), should therefore be repealed and
its appropriate provisions included herein; whereas the provisionsgoverning the reductionsin the cus tomsdutiesapplying to imports
and the collection of an export charge by the exporting country should
be included in particular;
WhereasthisRegulation s hould apply from 1 January 1998; whereas
Commission Regulation (EC) No 2352/97 of 27 November 1997 intro-1997R2603 — EN — 01.01.2000 — 002.001 — 2
(1) OJ L 263, 19. 9. 1991, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 329, 29. 11. 1997, p. 50.
(3) OJ L 84, 30. 3. 1990, p. 85.
(4) OJ L 89, 10. 4. 1996, p. 1.
(5) OJ L 349, 31. 12. 1994, p. 105.
(6) OJ L 169, 27. 6. 1997, p. 1.
(7) OJ L 101, 21. 4. 1990, p. 20.
(8) OJ L 194, 23. 7. 1997, p. 13.
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ducing specific measures in respect of imports of rice originating in the
overseas countries and territories(1) should therefore be repealed;
Whereasthe Management Committee for Cerealshasnot delivered an
opinion within the time limit set by its chariman,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
ThisRegulation laysdown the detailed implementing rulesfor imports
of rice originating in the ACP Statesor in the overs eascountriesandterritories (OCT) pursuant to Article 108a of Decision 91/482/EEC.
TITLE I
Importsofrice originatingintheACPStates
Article 2
1. Asregardsthe quantity of 125 000 tonnesof rice, in hus ked rice
equivalent, falling within CN codes1006 10 21 to 1006 10 98, 1006 20
and 1006 30 laid down in Article 14(1) of the Council Regulation of 20July 1998, licences for imports at a reduced rate of customs duty shallbe issued each year under the following tranches:
— January: 41 668 tonnes,
— May: 41 666 tonnes,
— September: 41 666 tonnes.
2. Without prejudice to Article 7, quantitiesnot covered by import
licences issued for the first or second tranche shall be carried over to
the following tranche.
For quantities not covered to import licences issued under the
September tranche, import licence applicationsmay be s ubmitted under
an additional tranche in October, in accordance with Article 8 (1).
Article 3
1. Asregardsthe quantity of 20 000 tonnesof broken rice falling
within CN code 1006 40 00 laid down in Article 14(1) of the Council
Regulation of 20 July 1998, licencesfor importsat a reduced rate ofcustoms duty shall be issued each year under the following tranches:
— January: 10 000 tonnes,
— May: 10 000 tonnes,
— September: —.
2. Quantities not covered by import licences issued for the first or
second tranches shall be carried over to the following tranche.
For quantities not covered by import licences issued under the
September tranche, import licence applicationsmay be s ubmitted underan additional tranche in October, in accordance with Article 8 (1).
Article 4
For the purposes of applying Article 13(1) of the Council Regulation of
20 July 1998, the amounts of the customs duties shall be calculatedeach week but fixed every two weeks by the Commission.1997R2603 — EN — 01.01.2000 — 002.001 — 3
(1) OJ L 326, 28. 11. 1997, p. 21.▼M1
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Article 5
1. Article 4 shall apply only to imports of rice for which an export
charge corresponding to the difference between the applicable customsdutieson import of the rice from third countriesand the amountsreferred to in Article 4 hasbeen collected by the exporting country.
2. Proof that the charge hasbeen collected isprovided where the
customs authorities of the exporting country enter one of the following
in the box marked ‘Remarks’ of the EUR.1 movement certificate:
Amount in national currency:
— Tasa especial percibida a la exportacion del arroz
— Særafgift, der opkrævesved eks port af ris
— Bei der Ausfuhr von Reis erhobene Sonderabgabe
—Ειδικός φόρος που εισπράττεται κατά την εξαγωγή του ρυζιού
— Special charge collected on export of rice— Taxe spéciale perçue à l'exportation du riz
— Tassa speciale riscossa all'esportazione del riso
— Bij uitvoer van de rijst opgelegde bijzondere heffing
— Direito especial cobrado na exportação do arroz
— Riisin viennin yhteydessä perittävä erityismaksu
— Särskild avgift för risexport
(Signature and official stamp)3. Where the charge collected by the exporting country isles sthan
the reduction resulting from the application of Article 4, the reductionshall be limited to the amount collected.
4. If the export charge collected isin a currency other than that of
the importing Member State, the exchange rate to be used to caclulatethe amount of charge actually collected shall be the rate registered on
the most representative currency exchange or exchanges in that
Member State on the date the customs duty was fixed in advance.
5. The customs duty shall be that applying on the day the licence
application islodged.
TITLE II
Importsofrice originatingintheOCT
Article 6
1. Asregardsthe quantity of 35 000 tonnesof rice, in hus ked-rice
equivalent, falling within CN code 1006 pursuant to Article 108a ofDecision 91/482/EEC, licences for imports exempt from customs dutyshall be issued each year under the following tranches:
January: 35 000 tonnes
May: —
September: —
2. Quantities not covered by import licences issued for the first or
second tranches shall be carried over to the following tranche.
For quantities not covered by import licences issued under the
September tranche, import licence applicationsmay be s ubmitted underan additional tranche in October, in accordance with Article 8 (1).1997R2603 — EN — 01.01.2000 — 002.001 — 4
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TITLE III
DetailedrulescommontoTitlesIandII
Article 7
1. Quantitiescarried over referred to in Article 2(2) may be the
subject of licence applications for the import of rice originating in theACP Statesfalling within CN codes1006 10 21 to 1006 10 98, 1006 20and 1006 30 and rice originating in the OCTsfalling within CN code1006.
2. Quantitiesasreferred to in paragraph 1 that are not covered by
import licences issued under a tranche shall be carried over to the
following tranche.
Article 8
1. Licence applicationss hall be lodged with the competent authority
in the Member State concerned during the first five working days inthe month corresponding to each tranche.
2. The country of origin shall be entered in Section 8 of licence
applications and of the import licences and the word ‘yes’ shall be
marked with a cross.
3. In Section 20 of the import licence application the applicant shall
indicate the tranche for which he iss ubmitting the application. One ofthe following entriess hall be made:
— OCT (Article 6 of Regulation (EC) No 2603/97)
— ACP (Article 2 (1) of Regulation (EC) No 2603/97)
— ACP broken rice (Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 2603/97)
— ACP + OCT (Article 7 of Regulation (EC) No 2603/97)
4. Section 24 of the licences shall bear one of the following entries:
(a) for the OCTs:
— Exención del derecho de aduana hasta la cantidad indicada en
las casillas 17 y 18 del presente certificado [Reglamento (CE)n
o2603/97]
— Toldfri op til den mængde, der er angivet i rubrik 17 og 18 i
denne licens(Forordning (EF) nr. 2603/97)
— Zollfrei biszu der in den Feldern 17 und 18 dies er Lizenz ange-
gebenen Menge (Verordnung (EG) Nr. 2603/97)
—Ατελώς µέχρι την ποσότητα που ορίζεται στα τετρα-
γωνίδια 17 και 18 του παρόντος πιστοποιητικού[Κανονισµός (ΕΚ) αριθ. 2603/97]
— Exemption from customs duty up to the quantity indicated in
Sections17 and 18 of thislicence (Regulation (EC) No 2603/97)
— Exemption du droit de douane jusqu'à la quantité indiquée dans
les cases 17 et 18 du présent certificat [Règlement (CE) n
o2603/
97]
— Esenzione del dazio doganale limitatamente alla quantità indi-
cata nelle caselle 17 e 18 del presente titolo [Regolamento(CE) n. 2603/97]
— Vrijgesteld van douanerecht voor ten hoogste de in de vakken
17 en 18 van dit certificaat vermelde hoeveelheid (Verordening(EG) nr. 2603/97)
— Isenção de direito aduaneiro até à quantidade indicada nas casas
17 e 18 do presente certificado [Regulamento (CE) n
o2603/97]
— Tullivapaa tämän todistuksen kohdissa 17 ja 18 esitettyyn
määrään asti (asetus (EY) N:o 2603/97)
— Tullfri upp till den mängd som anges i fält 17 och 18 i denna
licens(Förordning (EG) nr 2603/97)1997R2603 — EN — 01.01.2000 — 002.001 — 5
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(b) for the ACP States:
— Derecho de aduana reducido hasta la cantidad indicada en las
casillas 17 y 18 del presente certificado [Reglamento (CE)n
o2603/97]
— Nedsat told op til den mængde, der er angivet i rubrik 17 og 18
i denne licens(Forordning (EF) nr. 2603/97)
— Ermäßigter Zollsatz bis zu der in den Feldern 17 und 18 dieser
Lizenz angegebenen Menge (Verordnung (EG) Nr. 2603/97)
—Μειωµένος δασµός µέχρι την ποσότητα που ορίζεται στα
τετραγωνίδια 17 και 18 του παρόντος πιστοποιητικού
[Κανονισµός (ΕΚ) αριθ. 2603/97]
— Reduced duty up to the quantity indicated in Sections17 and 18
of thislicence (Regulation (EC) No 2603/97)
— Droit réduit jusqu'à la quantité indiquée dans les cases 17 et 18
du présent certificat [Règlement (CE) no2603/97]
— Dazio ridotto limitatamente alla quantità indicata nelle caselle
17 e 18 del presente titolo [Regolamento (CE) n. 2603/97]
— Verminderd douanerecht voor ten hoogste de in de vakken 17
en 18 van dit certificaat vermelde hoeveelheid (Verordening(EG) nr. 2603/97)
— Direito reduzido até à quantidade indicada nascas as17 e 18 do
presente certificado [Regulamento (CE) n
o2603/97]
— Tulli, joka on alennettu tämän todistuksen kohdissa 17 ja 18
esitettyyn määrään asti (asetus (EY) N:o 2603/97)
— Tullsatsen nedsatt upp till den mängd som anges i fält 17 och
18 i denna licens(Förordning (EG) nr 2603/97).
5. Import licence applications shall be admissible only where the
following conditionsare fulfilled:
— applications must be submitted by natural or legal persons who, in
at least one of the three years preceding the date of submission ofthe application, have been engaged in the commercial import orexport of rice and were entered in a public register of a MemberState. Proof of import or export shall be furnished by the production
of at least two duly endorsed import or export licences or by
customs declarations where applicable,
— applicantsmay s ubmit one application only in the Member State
where they are entered in a public register. Where several applica-tions are submitted by the same person in one or more MemberStates, none of those applications shall be admissible,
— applicationsmay be s ubmitted for no more than the maximum
quantity laid down for each tranche or origin. However, the quan-
tity applied for under each tranche and origin shall not exceed
5 000 tonnesin hus ked-rice equivalent.
6. Notwithstanding Article 10 of Commission Regulation (EC) No
1162/95(
1), the security for import licences shall be EUR 120 per
tonne.
Article 9
1. Within two working days of the closing date for the submission
of licence applications, the Member States shall notify the Commis-
sion, by telex or fax and in accordance with the Annex to this
Regulation, of the quantitiescovered by import licence applications ,broken down by eight-digit CN code per tranche and country of origin,the number of the licence applied for and the name and address of theapplicant.1997R2603 — EN — 01.01.2000 — 002.001 — 6
(1) OJ L 117, 24. 5. 1995, p. 2.▼M2
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Such notification shall also be made where no application has been
submitted in a Member State.
The above information must be notified separately from that relating to
other import licence applicationscovering rice and in accordance withthe same procedure.
2. Within 10 daysof the final date for notification by Member
States, the Commission shall:
— decide to what extent applicationsmay be accepted. Where the
quantities applied for exceed those available in respect of the
tranche and origin in question, it shall set a percentage reduction
to be applied to each application,
— fix the quantitiesavailable under the following tranche and, where
appropriate, the additional tranche for October.
3. Where the quantity for which the licence isrequired isles sthan
20 tonnesfollowing the application of the percentage reduction referredto in paragraph 2, the licence application may be withdrawn within a
period of two working daysfrom the date of publication of the regula-
tion fixing that percentage. The security shall be released immediately.
Article 10
1. Within three working days of publication of the Commission
decision, import licences shall be issued for the quantities resultingfrom the application of Article 9 (2).
Where the quantities covered by import licences issued are lower than
those applied for, the security fixed in Article 10 of Regulation (EC)
No 1162/95 shall be reduced proportionately.
2. Notwithstanding Article 9 of Commission Regulation (EEC)
No 3719/88(
1), rights accruing under import licences shall not be trans-
ferable.
Article 11
1. The fourth indent of Article 5 (1) of Regulation (EEC) No 3719/
88 shall not apply.
2. The reduction in customs duties for rice originating in the ACP
countriesand the exemption from dutiesfor rice originating in theOCT provided for respectively in Articles 4 and 6 of this Regulationshall not apply to quantities imported within the tolerance referred toin Article 8 (4) of Regulation (EEC) No 3719/88.
3. Article 33 (5) of Regulation (EEC) No 3719/88 shall apply.
4. Notwithstanding Article 6 of Regulation (EC) No 1162/95, import
licences for husked, wholly-milled, semi-milled and broken rice shallbe valid from the actual day of issue until the end of the third month
following, pursuant to Article 21 (2) of Regulation (EEC) No 3719/88.
However, they shall not be valid beyond 31 December of the year ofissue.
Article 12
The Member States shall notify the Commission by telex or fax in the
form set out in Annex I:
— within two working days of their issue, of the quantities, broken
down by eight-digit CN code and country of origin, covered bythe import licences issued, the date of issue, the number of thelicence and the name and address of the holder,1997R2603 — EN — 01.01.2000 — 002.001 — 7
(1) OJ L 331, 2. 12. 1988, p. 1.▼M2
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— not later than two monthsafter expiry of the validity of each
licence, of the quantities, broken down by eight-digit CN code andcountry of origin, actually released for free circulation, the date of
release, the number of the licence and the name and address of the
holder.
Such notifications must also be made where no licence has been issued
and no importshave taken place.
Article 13
Regulation (EEC) No 999/90 isrepealed.
Article 14
Regulation (EC) No 2352/97 isrepealed.
Article 15
ThisRegulation s hall enter into force on the day of itspublication in
theOfficial Journal of the European Communities .
It shall apply from 1 January 1998.
ThisRegulation s hall be binding in itsentirety and directly applicable
in all Member States.1997R2603 — EN — 01.01.2000 — 002.001 — 8
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ANNEX
RICE-REGULATION(EC)No2603/97
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