COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) 2018/1128

of 9 August 2018

amending Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1354/2011 opening annual Union tariff quotas for sheep, goats, sheepmeat and goatmeat

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 establishing a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products and repealing Council Regulations (EEC) No 922/72, (EEC) No 234/79, (EC) No 1037/2001 and (EC) No 1234/2007 (1), and in particular points (a) and (b) of Article 187 thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1354/2011 (2) provides for the opening of annual Union import tariff quotas for sheep, goats, sheepmeat and goatmeat, including those originating in Iceland.

(2) Article 4 of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1354/2011 provides that the tariff quotas opened by that Regulation are to be managed in accordance with Articles 49 to 54 of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/2447 (3).

(3) The European Union and Iceland signed an Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters (hereafter ‘the Agreement’) concerning additional trade preferences in agricultural products on 23 March 2017. The signature of the Agreement on behalf of the Union was authorised by Council Decision (EU) 2016/2087 (4) and its conclusion by Council Decision (EU) 2017/1913 (5).

(4) In accordance with Annex V to the Agreement, the Union amended Regulation (EU) No 1354/2011 by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/562 (6). The amendment increased the quantities of the pre-existing duty-free quotas for Iceland for sheepmeat and goatmeat, falling within tariff headings 0204 and 0210, and furthermore opened an annual Union duty-free quota for processed sheepmeat falling within subheading 1602 90.

(5) The quantities of the sheepmeat and goatmeat quotas managed under Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1354/2011 are expressed in carcass-weight equivalent, whereas the Agreement provides for the quantities to be expressed in tonnes of products. It is therefore appropriate to provide for the management of the Union tariff quotas which are set out in the Agreement in a separate Regulation to be adopted, in order to ensure a smooth quota management pursuant to Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (7). As a consequence, those tariff quotas should be simultaneously removed from Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1354/2011 based on Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013.

(6) It is therefore necessary to amend Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1354/2011 accordingly.

(7) The new Regulation opening the import tariff quotas for sheepmeat and goatmeat and processed sheepmeat originating in Iceland adopted pursuant to Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 will apply from 1 September 2018. Therefore, the corresponding amendments to Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1354/2011 should apply from the same date.

(8) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee for the Common Organisation of the Agricultural Markets,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1 Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1354/2011 is amended as follows: (1) in Article 3(2), point (e) is deleted; (2) the Annex is replaced by the text in the Annex to this Regulation.

Article 2 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 September 2018.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. Done at Brussels, 9 August 2018. For the Commission, On behalf of the President, Günther OETTINGER Member of the Commission

(1) OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 671.

(2) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1354/2011 of 20 December 2011 opening annual Union tariff quotas for sheep, goats, sheepmeat and goatmeat (OJ L 338, 21.12.2011, p. 36).

(3) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/2447 of 24 November 2015 laying down detailed rules for implementing certain provisions of Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down the Union Customs Code (OJ L 343, 29.12.2015, p. 558).

(4) Council Decision (EU) 2016/2087 of 14 November 2016 on the signing, on behalf of the European Union, of the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Union and Iceland concerning additional trade preferences in agricultural products (OJ L 324, 30.11.2016, p. 1).

(5) Council Decision (EU) 2017/1913 of 9 October 2017 on the conclusion of the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Union and Iceland concerning additional trade preferences in agricultural products (OJ L 274, 24.10.2017, p. 57).

(6) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/562 of 9 April 2018 amending Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1354/2011 opening annual Union tariff quotas for sheep, goats, sheepmeat and goatmeat (OJ L 94, 12.4.2018, p. 4).

(7) Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 October 2013 laying down the Union Customs Code (OJ L 269, 10.10.2013, p. 1).