Council Regulation (EC) No 1361/2002

of 22 July 2002

establishing concessions in the form of Community tariff quotas for certain agricultural products and providing for an adjustment, as an autonomous and transitional measure, of certain agricultural concessions provided for in the Europe Agreement with Lithuania

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 133 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Whereas:

(1) The Europe Agreement establishing an association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Lithuania, of the other part(1), hereinafter referred to as the "Europe Agreement", provides for certain concessions for certain agricultural products originating in Lithuania.

(2) The first improvements to the preferential arrangements of the Europe Agreement were provided for in the Protocol adjusting trade aspects of the Europe Agreement to take account of the accession of the Republic of Austria, the Republic of Finland and the Kingdom of Sweden to the European Union and the outcome of the Uruguay Round negotiations on agriculture, including improvements to the existing preferential agreements(2).

(3) Improvements to the preferential arrangements of the Europe Agreement were also provided for, in the form of an autonomous and transitional measure pending a second adjustment of the relevant provisions of the Europe Agreement, as a result of a first round of negotiations to liberalise the agricultural trade. The improvements entered into force as from 1 January 2001 in the form of Council Regulation (EC) No 2766/2000 of 14 December 2000 establishing certain concessions in the form of Community tariff quotas for certain agricultural products and providing for an adjustment, as an autonomous and transitional measure, of certain agricultural concessions provided for in the Europe Agreement with Lithuania(3). The second adjustment of the relevant provisions in the Europe Agreement, which will take the form of another Additional Protocol to the Europe Agreement, has not yet entered into force.

(4) A new Additional Protocol to the Europe Agreement on trade liberalisation for agricultural products has been negotiated.

(5) A swift implementation of the adjustments forms an essential part of the results of the negotiations for the conclusion of a new Additional Protocol to the Europe Agreement. It is therefore appropriate to provide for the adjustment, as an autonomous and transitional measure, of the agricultural concessions provided for in the Europe Agreement.

(6) The measures necessary for the implementation of this Regulation should be adopted in accordance with Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission(4).

(7) Commission Regulation (EC) No 2454/93 of 2 July 1993 laying down provisions for the implementation of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2913/92 establishing the Community Customs Code(5) codified the management rules for tariff quotas designed to be used following the chronological order of dates of customs declarations. Tariff quotas under this Regulation should therefore be administered in accordance with those rules.

(8) As a result of the aforementioned negotiations, Regulation (EC) No 2766/2000 has effectively lost its substance and should therefore be repealed,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

1. The conditions for import into the Community applicable to certain agricultural products originating in Lithuania as set out in Annex C(a) and Annex C(b) to this Regulation shall replace those set out in Annex Va to the Europe Agreement.

2. On the entry into force of the additional protocol adjusting the Europe Agreement to take into account the outcome of the negotiations between the parties on new mutual agricultural concessions, the concessions provided for in that Protocol shall replace those referred to in Annex C(a) and Annex C(b) to this Regulation.

3. The Commission shall adopt detailed rules for the application of this Regulation in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 3(2).

Article 2

1. Tariff quotas with an order number above 09.5100 shall be administered by the Commission in accordance with Articles 308a, 308b and 308c of Regulation (EEC) No 2454/93.

2. Quantities of goods subject to tariff quotas and released for free circulation as from 1 July 2002 under the concessions provided for in Annex A(b) to Regulation (EC) No 2766/2000 shall be fully counted against the quantities provided for in Annex C(b) to this Regulation, except for quantities for which import licences have been issued before 1 July 2002.

Article 3

1. The Commission shall be assisted by the Management Committee for Cereals instituted by Article 23 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 1766/92 of 30 June 1992 on the common organisation of the market in cereals(6) or, where appropriate, by the committee instituted by the relevant provisions of the other Regulations on the common organisation of agricultural markets.

2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Articles 4 and 7 of Decision 1999/468/EC shall apply.

The period laid down in Article 4(3) of Decision 1999/468/EC shall be set at one month.

3. The Committee shall adopt its rules of procedure.

Article 4

Regulation (EC) No 2766/2000 is hereby repealed.

Article 5

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

It shall apply from 1 July 2002.

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

Done at Brussels, 22 July 2002.

For the Council

The President

P. S. Møller

(1) OJ L 51, 20.2.1998, p. 3.

(2) OJ L 321, 30.11.1998, p. 1.

(3) OJ L 321, 19.12.2000, p. 8.

(4) OJ L 184, 17.7.1999, p. 23.

(5) OJ L 253, 11.10.1993, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 444/2002 (OJ L 68, 12.3.2002, p. 11).

(6) OJ L 181, 1.7.1992, p. 21. Regulation as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1666/2000 (OJ L 193, 29.7.2000, p. 1).

ANNEX C(a)

The following products originating in Lithaunia shall benefit from a prefential zero-duty within unlimited quantities (applicable duty 0 % of MFN) when imported into the Community

CN code(1)

0101 10 90

0101 90 19

0101 90 30

0101 90 90

0104 20 10

0106 19 10

0106 39 10

0205

0206 80 91

0206 90 91

0207 13 91

0207 14 91

0207 26 91

0207 27 91

0207 35 91

0207 36 89

0208

0210 91 00

0210 92 00

0210 93 00

0210 99 10

0210 99 31

0210 99 39

0210 99 59

0210 99 79

0210 99 80

0407 00 90

0409 00 00

0410 00 00

0601

0602

0603

0604

0701 10 00

0701 90 10

0703 10

0703 90 00

0704 20 00

0704 90 90

0705 19 00

0705 21 00

0705 29 00

0706

0707 00 90

0708 10 00

0708 90 00

0709 20 00

0709 30 00

0709 40 00

0709 51 00

0709 52 00

0709 59 00

0709 60 10

0709 60 99

0709 70 00

0709 90 10

0709 90 20

0709 90 50

0709 90 90

0710 10 00

0710 21 00

0710 22 00

0710 29 00

0710 30 00

0710 80 51

0710 80 59

0710 80 61

0710 80 69

0710 80 70

0710 80 80

0710 80 85

0710 80 95

0710 90 00

0711 40 00

0711 59 00

0711 90 10

0711 90 50

0711 90 80

0711 90 90

0712 20 00

0712 31 00

0712 32 00

0712 33 00

0712 39 00

0712 90 05

0712 90 30

0712 90 50

0712 90 90

0713 50 00

0713 90 10

0713 90 90

0802 11 90

0802 12 90

0802 21 00

0802 22 00

0802 31 00

0802 32 00

0802 40 00

0802 90 50

0802 90 85

0806 20 11

0806 20 12

0806 20 91

0806 20 92

0806 20 98

0808 20 90

0809 40 90

0810 40 30

0810 40 50

0810 40 90

0811 90 39

0811 90 50

0811 90 75

0811 90 80

0811 90 85

0811 90 95

0812 10 00

0812 90 40

0812 90 50

0812 90 60

0812 90 99

0813 10 00

0813 20 00

0813 30 00

0813 40 10

0813 40 30

0813 40 95

0813 50 15

0813 50 19

0813 50 91

0813 50 99

0901 12 00

0901 21 00

0901 22 00

0901 90 90

0902 10 00

0904 12 00

0904 20 10

0904 20 90

0907 00 00

0910 40 13

0910 40 19

0910 40 90

0910 91 90

0910 99 99

1001 90 10

1105

1106 10 00

1106 30

1108 20 00

1208 10 00

1209

1210

1211 90 30

1212 10 10

1212 10 99

1214 90 10

1501 00 90

1502 00 90

1503 00 19

1503 00 90

1504 10 10

1504 10 99

1504 20 10

1504 30 10

1507

1508 10 90

1508 90 10

1508 90 90

1511 10 90

1511 90 11

1511 90 19

1511 90 91

1511 90 99

1512

1513

1514

1515

1516 10 10

1516 10 90

1516 20 91

1516 20 95

1516 20 96

1516 20 98

1517 10 90

1517 90 99

1518 00 31

1518 00 39

1522 00 91

1602 10 00

1602 20 11

1602 20 19

1602 20 90

1602 31

1602 41 90

1602 42 90

1602 49 90

1602 90 10

1602 90 31

1602 90 41

1602 90 72

1602 90 74

1602 90 76

1602 90 78

1602 90 98

1603 00 10

1704 90 10

2001 10 00

2001 90 20

2001 90 50

2001 90 70

2001 90 75

2001 90 85

2003 20 00

2003 90 00

2004 10 10

2004 10 99

2004 90 30

2004 90 50

2004 90 91

2004 90 98

2005 10 00

2005 20 20

2005 20 80

2005 40 00

2005 51 00

2005 59 00

2005 60 00

2005 90 10

2005 90 50

2005 90 60

2005 90 70

2005 90 75

2005 90 80

2006 00 99

2007 10 91

2007 10 99

2007 99 10

2007 99 91

2007 99 98

2008 11 92

2008 11 94

2008 11 96

2008 11 98

2008 19 19

2008 19 93

2008 19 95

2008 19 99

2008 40 11

2008 40 21

2008 40 29

2008 40 39

2008 40 51

2008 40 59

2008 40 71

2008 40 79

2008 40 91

2008 40 99

2008 50 11

2008 60 11

2008 60 31

2008 60 39

2008 60 51

2008 60 59

2008 60 61

2008 60 69

2008 60 71

2008 60 79

2008 60 91

2008 60 99

2008 80 11

2008 80 31

2008 80 39

2008 80 50

2008 80 70

2008 80 91

2008 80 99

2008 92 14

2008 92 34

2008 92 38

2008 92 59

2008 92 74

2008 92 78

2008 92 93

2008 92 96

2008 92 98

2008 99 28

2008 99 37

2008 99 40

2008 99 45

2009 80 19

2009 80 38

2009 80 50

2009 80 63

2009 80 69

2009 80 71

2009 80 79

2009 80 89

2009 80 95

2009 80 96

2009 80 99

2009 90 19

2009 90 29

2009 90 39

2009 90 51

2309 90 91

(1) As defined in Commission Regulation (EC) No 2031/2001 of 6 August 2001, amending Annex I to Council Regulation (EEC) No 2658/87 on the tariff and statistical nomenclature and on the Common Customs Tariff (OJ L 279, 23.10.2001, p. 1).

ANNEX C(b)

Imports into the Community of the following products originating in Lithuania shall be subject to the concessions set out below (MFN = most favoured nation duty)

>TABLE>

APPENDIX to Annex C(b)

Minimum import price arrangement for certain soft fruit for processing

1. Minimum import prices are fixed as follows for the following products for processing originating in Lithuania:

>TABLE>

2. The minimum import prices, as set out in point 1, will be respected on a consignment-by-consignment basis. In the case of a customs declaration value being lower than the minimum import price, a countervailing duty will be charged equal to the difference between the minimum import price and the customs declaration value.

3. If the import prices of a given product covered by this Appendix show a trend suggesting that the prices could go below the level of the minimum import prices in the immediate future, the European Commission will inform the Lithuanian authorities in order to enable them to correct the situation.

4. At the request of either the Community or Lithuania, the Association Council shall examine the functioning of the system or the revision of the level of the minimum import prices. If appropriate, the Association Council shall take the necessary decisions.

5. To encourage and promote the development of trade and for the mutual benefit of all parties concerned, a consultation meeting may be organised three months before the beginning of each marketing year in the European Community. This consultation meeting will take place between the European Commission and the interested European producers' organisations for the products concerned, on the one part and the authorities', producers' and exporters' organisations of all the associated exporting countries, on the other part.

During this consultation meeting, the market situation for soft fruit including, in particular, forecasts for production, stock situation, price evolution and possible market development, as well as possibilities to adapt supply to demand, will be discussed.