Council Regulation (EC) No 1349/2000

of 19 June 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 Estonia

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 Estonia, of the other part(1), provides for further concessions for certain agricultural products originating in Estonia.

(2) Improvements to the preferential agreements of the Europe Agreement with Estonia were provided for in the Protocol adjusting trade aspects of the Europe Agreement establishing an association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Estonia, of the other part, to take into account of the accession of the Republic of Austria, of the Republic of Finland and of the Kingdom of Sweden to the European Union and the outcome of the Uruguay Round negotiations on agriculture including improvements to the existing preferential arrangements(2). The Council approved the abovementioned Protocol on behalf of the Community by Council Decision 1999/86/EC(3).

(3) In accordance with the directives adopted by the Council on 30 March 1999, the Commission and the Republic of Estonia concluded on 22 November 1999 negotiations on a new Additional Protocol to the Europe Agreement.

(4) The new Additional Protocol, which provides for additional agricultural concessions, will be based on Article 19(4) of the Europe Agreement, establishing that the Community and Estonia are to examine in the Association Council, product by product and on an orderly and reciprocal basis, the possibility of granting each other further concessions.

(5) The Republic of Estonia already applies zero-duties for imports of agricultural products originating in the Community. When Estonia on 1 January 2000 introduced tariffs on imports of agricultural products from other third countries, additional preferences were created for Community exports of agricultural products.

(6) 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 with Estonia.

(7) 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 with Estonia.

(8) 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),

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

1. The arrangements for import into the Community applicable to certain agricultural products originating in Estonia as set out in Annex A(a) and A(b) to this Regulation shall replace those set out in Annex Va to the Europe Agreement establishing an association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Estonia, of the other part.

2. On the entry into force of the new Additional Protocol adjusting the Europe Agreement referred to in paragraph 1, the concessions provided for in that Protocol shall replace those referred to in Annex A(a) and A(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 2(2).

Article 2

1. The Commission shall be assisted by the committee instituted by Article 23 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1766/92 of 30 June 1992 on the common organisation of the market of cereals(5) or, where appropriate, the committee instituted by the relevant provisions of the other Regulations on the common organisation of agricultural markets, hereinafter referred to as "the Committee".

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 3

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 2000.

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

Done at Luxembourg, 19 June 2000.

For the Council

The President

L. Capoulas Santos

(1) OJ L 68, 9.3.1998, p. 2.

(2) OJ L 29, 3.2.1999, p. 11.

(3) OJ L 29, 3.2.1999, p. 9.

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

(5) OJ L 181, 1.7.1992, p. 21.

ANNEX A(a)

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

CN code(1)

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1512 29 90

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1513 11 91

1513 11 99

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1513 19 91

1513 19 99

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1513 21 30

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1513 29 50

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1514 10 90

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1515 90 99

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1516 20 98

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2905 45 00

(1) As defined in Commission Regulation (EC) No 2204/1999 of 12 October 1999, amending Annex I to Council Regulation (EEC) No 2658/87 on the tariff and statistical nomenclature and on the Common Customs Tariff (OJ L 278, 28.10.1999, p. 1).

ANNEX A(b)

Imports into the Community of the following products originating in Estonia shall be subject to the concessions set out below (MFN = Most Favoured Nation duty)

>TABLE>

Annex to Annex A(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 Estonia:

>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 Annex 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 Estonian authorities in order to enable them to correct the situation.

4. At the request of either the Community or Estonia, 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 will 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.