NoL313/16 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 15.11.76
COUNCILREGULATION (EEC)No2720/76
of25October1976
ontheopening,allocationandadministration ofaCommunitytariffquotafor
certaineelsfallingwithinsubheadingex03.01AIIoftheCommonCustomsTariff
(firsthalfof1977)
THECOUNCILOFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,Whereasitisinparticularnecessarytoensuretoall
importersintheMemberStatesequaland
uninterrupted accesstotheabovementioned quota
anduninterrupted applicationoftheratelaiddown
forthatquotatoallimportsoftheproducts
concernedintoallMemberStatesuntilthequota
hasbeenusedup;whereas,inthelightofthese
principles,theCommunitynatureofthequotacan
berespectedbyallocatingthetariffquotaamong
theMemberStateslistedbelow;whereasstatistics
availablefortheseproductsdonotgiveaclear
pictureofthemarketsituationforthem;whereas,
therefore,itisnotpossibletoallocatethequota
amongtheMemberStatesonthebasisofimport
trendsfortherelevantproductsoverthepastfew
years;whereas,however,accordingtotheestimates
putforwardbytheMemberStates,initialshares
maybefixedatthequantitiessetoutinArticle2;HavingregardtotheTreatyestablishingthe
EuropeanEconomicCommunity ,andinparticular
Article28thereof,
HavingregardtotheproposalfromtheCommission ,
HavingregardtotheopinionoftheEuropean
Parliament('),
Whereaseelfishinghasbeenprohibitedorhas
becomeimpossibleincertainCommunityproduction
centres;whereasthishasledtoadropinCommunity
productionofeelsingeneralandparticularlyof
fresheels(liveordead),chilledorfrozen,falling
withinsubheadingex03.01AIIoftheCommon
CustomsTariff,intendedforcuringorskinningor
foruseintheindustrialmanufactureofproducts
fallingwithinheadingNo16.04;whereasthe
processingindustriesintheCommunityconsequently
dependtoalargeextentonimportsfortheirsupplies
ofeels;whereasfrom1January1977to30June
1977theapplicationoftheautonomousCommon
CustomsTariffdutyshouldthereforebesuspended
totallyonimportsoftherelevantproductsupto
anappropriatequantitativelimit;whereas,within
thislimit,thenewMemberStatesshouldapply
customsdutiesasprovidedintheActof
Accession (2);whereastheintroduction ofa
Communitymeasureofthisnatureisunlikelyto
harmCommunityproduction;
WhereascurrentdemandnotmetbyCommunity
production,^vhichmustthereforebemetbyimports,
canbeestimatedat3100metrictonsforthefirst
halfof1977;whereasatariffquotafortherelevant
typesofeelshouldthereforebeopenedforthis
periodontheconditionssetoutabove;Whereas,inordertotakeintoaccountimporttrends
fortheproductsconcerned,thequotaamount
shouldbedividedintotwotranches,thefirst
tranchebeingallocated,andthesecondforminga
reserveintendedsubsequently tocoverthe
requirementsoftheMemberStateswhichhaveused
uptheirinitialshares;whereas,inordertoensure
acertaindegreeofsecurityforimporters,thefirst
trancheoftheCommunitytariffquotashouldbe
fixedatalevelwhich,underpresentcircumstances ,
mavbeapproximately 85%ofthequotaamount;
Whereastheinitialsharesmaybeusedupatdifferent
rates;whereas,inordertotakethisfactintoaccount
andtoavoidanybreakincontinuity,anyMember
Statewhichhasalmostusedupitstotalinitialshare
shoulddrawanadditionalsharefromthereserve;
whereasthismustbedonebyeachMemberStateas
andwheneachofitsadditionalsharesisalmost
entirelyusedup,andrepeatedasmanytimesasthe
reserveallows;whereastheinitialadditionalshares
mustbevaliduntiltheendofthequotaperiod;
whereasthismethodofadministration requiresclose
cooperation betweenMemberStatesandthe{>)OJNoC259,4.11.1976,p.37.
(2)OJNoL73,27.3.1972,p.14.

15.11.76 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoL313/17
Commission ,whichmustbeabletokeepaccount
oftheextenttowhichthequotaamounthasbeen
usedupandtoinformtheMemberStates
accordingly ;(metrictons)
Benelux 1080
Denmark 360
Germany 900
France 36
Ireland 4
Italy 45
UnitedKingdom 225Whereas,ifatagivendateinthequotaperioda
considerable balanceremainsinoneorotherMember
State,itisessential,topreventapartofthe
Communitytariffquotafromremainingunusedin
oneMemberStatewhileitcouldbeusedinothers,
thatthatMemberStateshouldreturnasignificant
proportionthereoftothereserve; /2.Thesecondtrancheof450metrictonsshall
constitutethereserve.
Article3Whereas,sincetheKingdomofBelgium,theKingdom
oftheNetherlands andtheGrandDuchyof
Luxembourg areunitedwithinandjointly
representedbytheBeneluxEconomicUnion,any
measureconcerningtheadministration oftheshares
allocatedtothateconomicunionmaybecarriedout
byanyoneofitsmembers,
HASADOPTEDTHISREGULATION :
Article1
1.Duringtheperiod1Januaryto30June1977,a
Communitytariffquotaof3100metrictonsshall
beopenedforfresheels(liveordead)chilledor
frozen,fallingwithinsubheadingex03.01AIIof
theCommonCustomsTariff,intendedforcuring
orskinningorforuseintheindustrialmanufacture
ofproductsfallingwithinheadingNo16.04,under
conditionstobedeterminedbythecompetent
authorities .1.If90%ormoreofaMemberState'sinitialshare
asfixedinArticle2(1),orofthatshareminusany
portionreturnedtothereservewhereArticle5has
beenapplied,hasbeenusedup,thatMemberState
shallforthwith,bynotifyingtheCommission ,draw
asecondshare,totheextentthatthereserveso
permits,equalto15%ofitsinitialshare,rounded
upasnecessarytothenextwholenumber.
2.If,afteritsinitialsharehasbeenexhausted,90%
ormoreofthesecondsharedrawnbyaMember
Statehasbeenusedup,thatMemberStateshall
forthwith,bynotifyingtheCommission ,drawa
thirdshareequalto7-5%ofitsinitialishare,rounded
upasnecessarytothenextwholenumber,tothe
extentthatthereservesopermits.
3.If,afteritssecondsharehasibeenexhausted,90%
ormoreofthethirdsharedrawnbyaMember
Statehasbeenusedup,thatMemberStateshall,in
themannerprovidedinparagraph2,drawafourth
shareequaltothethird.
Thisprocedureshallapplyuntilthereserveisused
up.
4.Bywayofderogationfromparagraphs 1,2and
3,MemberStatesmaydrawlessersharesthanthose
specifiedthereiniftherearegroundsforbelieving
thatthosespecifiedmaynotbeusedinfull.They
shallinformtheCommission oftheirreasonsfor
applyingthisparagraph.2.Withinthelimitsofthistariffquota,theCommon
CustomsTariffdutyshallbetotallysuspended.
3.ThenewMemberStatesshallapplyduties
calculatedinaccordancewiththerelevantprovisions
oftheActofAccessionwithinthisquota.
Article2
Article41.Afirsttrancheof2650metrictonsofthis
Communitytariffquotashallbeallocatedamong
theMemberStates.MemberStates'shares,which,
subjecttoArticle5,shallbevalidfrom1Januaryto
30June1977,shallconsistofthefollowingamounts:AdditionalsharesdrawnpursuanttoArticle3shall
bevaliduntil30June1977.

NoL313/18 15.11.76 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities
Article5
MemberStatesshallreturntothereserve,notlater
than1May1977,theunusedportionsoftheir
initialshareswhich,on15April1977,areinexcess
of20%oftheinitialamounts.Theymayreturn
agreaterportioniftherearegroundsforbelieving
thatsuchportionmaynotbeusedinfull.
MemberStatesshallnotifytheCommission,not
laterthan1May1977,ofthetotalquantitiesof
theproductsinquestionimporteduptoand
including15April1977,andchargedagainstthe
Communityquotaandofanyportionoftheirinitial
sharesreturnedtothereserve.Article3areopenedinsuchawaythatimportsmay
bechargedwithoutinterruptionagainsttheir
aggregatesharesoftheCommunityquota.
2.MemberStatesshallensurethatimportersofthe
productsinquestionestablishedintheirterritory
havefreeaccesstothesharesallocatedtothem.
3.MemberStatesshallchargeimportsofthe
productsinquestionagainsttheirsharesasandwhen
theproductsareenteredwiththecustoms
authoritiesforhomeuse.
4.TheextenttowhichaMemberStatehasused
upitsshareshallbedeterminedonthebasisofthe
importschargedagainstthatshareinaccordance
withparagraph3. Article6
Article8
AttheCommission'srequest,MemberStatesshall
informitoftheimportsactuallychargedagainst
theirshares.TheCommissionshallkeepanaccountoftheshares
openedbytheMemberStatespursuanttoArticles
2and3and,assoonasithasbeennotified,shall
informeachStateoftheextenttowhichthereserve
hasbeenusedu>p.
ItshallinformtheMemberStates,notlaterthan
5May1977,oftheamountstillinreserveaifter
amountshavebeenreturnedtheretopursuantto
Article5.
Itshallensurethatthedrawlingwhichexhauststhe
reservedoesnotexceedthebalanceavailable,and
tothisendshallnotifytheamountofthatbalance
totheMemberStatemakingthelastdrawing.Article9
MemberStatesandtheCommissionshallcooperate
closelytoensurethatthisRegulationiscomplied
with.
Article10 Article7
1.MemberStatesshalltakeallappropriatemeasures
toensurethatadditionalsharesdrawnpursuanttoThisRegulationshallenterintoforceon1January
1977.
ThisRegulationshallbebindinginitsentiretyanddirectlyapplicableinallMember
States.
DoneatLuxembourg ,25October1976.
FortheCouncil
ThePresident
A.P.L.M.M.vanderSTEE