EN OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 28.2.2001 L58/13
COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 396/2001
of 27 February2001
providing for the continued application of safeguard measures for imports from the overseas
countries and territories of sugar sector products with EC/OCT cumulation of origin for the period
1 March to 30 June 2001
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the EuropeanCommunity,
Having regard to Council Decision 91/482/EEC of 25 July
1991 on the association of the overseas countries and terri-tories with the European Economic Community(
1), as last
amendedbyDecision2000/169/EC(2),hereafterreferredtoas
the ‘OCT Decision’, and in particular Article 109 thereof,
Following consultation with the Committee set up under
Article 1(2) of Annex IV to that Decision,
Whereas:
(1)The Commission has noted that imports of sugar (CN
code 1701) and of mixtures of sugar and cocoa fallingwithin CN codes 18061030 and 18061090 origin-atingintheoverseascountriesandterritories(theOCT)increased greatly between 1997 and 1999, particularlythoseimportswithEC-OCTcumulationoforigin,whichincreased from zero in 1996 to more than 53000tonnes in 1999. Such products are imported into theCommunity free of import duties and are admittedwithout quantity limits in accordance with Article101(1) of the OCT Decision.
(2)By Decision of 25 February 2000 extending Decision91/482/EEContheassociationoftheoverseascountriesandterritorieswiththeEuropeanEconomicCommunity,the Council extended the period of application of theOCTDecisionuntil28February2001.TheCommissionhas proposed that the Council extend this Decision forthe four-month period ending on 30 June 2001.
(3)Commission Regulation (EC) No 2081/2000 of 29September2000providingforthecontinuedapplicationof safeguard measures for imports from the overseascountries and territories of sugar sector products withEC/OCTcumulationoforigin(
3),asamendedbyRegula-
tion (EC) No 2496/2000(4), limits EC/OCT cumulation
of origin for the products referred to in recital 1 to amaximum of 4848 tonnes of sugar for the period 1October 2000 to 28 February 2001.
(4)In the past few years difficulties have arisen on theCommunity sugar market, a market in surplus. Sugarconsumption is constant at some 12,7 million tonnesper year, while production under quota is around 14,3million tonnes per year. Any imports of sugar into theCommunity therefore involve a corresponding quantityof Community sugar which cannot be sold on thatmarkethavingtobeexported.Refundsforthatsugar—withinthelimitofcertainquotas—arechargedtotheCommunity budget (currently at around EUR 435/tonne). However, exports with refund are limited involume by the Agreement on Agriculture concluded aspart of the Uruguay Round(
5) and have been reduced
from1555600tonnesforthe1995/96marketingyearto1273500tonnesforthe2000/2001marketingyear.
(5)The operation of the COMin sugar may be greatlydestabilised by these difficulties. For the 2000/2001marketing year, the Commission reduced Communityproducers' quotas by 498800 tonnes(
6). Any further
import of sugar or products with a high sugar contentfromtheOCTwillmeanagreaterreductioninthequotaforCommunityproducersandagreaterlossofincomefor them.
(6)Asaresultofthesecontinuingdifficulties,thereisariskthatasectorofCommunityactivitywilldeteriorate.TheCommissionthereforedecidedon13February2001tocontinue to apply the safeguard clause provided for inArticle109oftheOCTDecisioninrespectofimportsofsugar sector products from the OCT with EC-OCTcumulation of origin.
(7)Article100oftheOCTDecisionstatesthatitsobjectisto promote trade between the overseas countries andterritories and the Community, taking account of theirrespective levels of development. In accordance withArticle 109(2) of the OCT Decision, priority must begiventosuchmeasuresaswouldleastdisturbthefunc-tioning of the association and the Community. More-over,thosemeasuresmustnotexceedthelimitsofwhatis strictly necessary to remedy the difficulties that havearisen.
(3) OJ L 246, 30.9.2000, p. 64.
(4) OJ L 288, 15.11.2000, p. 13.
(5) OJ L 336, 23.12.1994, p. 22.
(6) Commission Regulation (EC) No 2073/2000 of 29 September 2000
reducing, for the 2000/2001 marketing year, the guaranteed quan-tity under the production quotas scheme for the sugar sector andthe presumed maximum supply needs of sugar refineries under thepreferential import arrangements (OJ L 246, 30.9.2000, p. 38).(
1) OJ L 263, 19.9.1991, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 55, 29.2.2000, p. 67.
EN OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 28.2.2001 L58/14
(8)Tothatend,EC/OCTcumulationoforiginforproducts
falling within CN codes 1701, 18061030 and18061090 should be restricted to a maximum of3878tonnesofsugarfortheperiod1Marchto30June2001, that figure representing the sum of the highestannualvolumesofimportsoftheproductsinquestionrecordedinthethreeyearspreceding1999,theyearinwhichimportsrecordedasharprise.Indeterminingthequantities of sugar to be taken into consideration, theCommission takes note of the position adopted by thePresidentoftheCourtofFirstInstanceinhisrulingsof12 July and 8 August 2000 in cases T-94/00R, T-110/00RandT-159/00R(
1),without,however,recognisingit
asjustified.Consequently,inordertoavoidunnecessaryproceduresandsolelyforthepurposesofadoptingthesesafeguard measures, the Commission, for sugar fallingwithinCNcode1701andfor1997,basesitselfonthefigure of 10372,2 tonnes, the total imports of sugarfromtheOCTwithEC-OCTandACP/OCTcumulationof origin recorded by Eurostat.
(9)Safeguardmeasuresshouldalsobeintroducedforprod-ucts falling within CN codes 18061030 and18061090inviewoftheirhighsugarcontentandthesimilar prejudicial effects on the COMin sugar as withunprocessed sugar. Those measures should ensure thatthe quantities of sugar-based products imported fromtheOCTdonotexceedavolumethatcoulddisturbtheCOMin sugar, while at the same time guaranteeingthem a commercial outlet.
(10)It should be recalled that the Commission proposed tothe Council, as part of a review of the OCT Decision,thattherulesallowingcumulationinthesugarsectorbeabolished.
(11)The specific checks on imported goods covered by themeasures laid down by this Regulation and the checksapplicableintradewiththirdcountriesestablishedundertheCommunityrulesonreleaseforfreecirculationandcustoms value laid down by Council Regulation (EEC)No 2913/92 of 12 October 1992 establishing theCommunityCustomsCode(
2),aslastamendedbyRegu-
lation (EC) No 2700/2000 of the European Parliamentand of the Council(
3), should ensure compliance with
the provisions laid down by this Regulation.
(12)Inordertoguaranteepropermanagement,avoidspecu-lation and permit effective controls on products fallingwithin CN codes 1701, 18061030 and 18061090,the rules for the lodging of licence applications shouldbe specified. They must include, for products withEC-OCT cumulation of origin, proof that the applicantnormally carries on business in the sugar sector, adeclarationthatnootherapplicationshavebeenlodgedbythatpersonandproofthataspecialsecurityhasbeen
lodged to ensure performance of the undertakingsarising from the licences.
(13)In view of the impact of the imports, the safeguardmeasures should be made to apply with immediateeffect,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
For products falling within tariff headings CN 1701,
18061030and18061090,EC/OCTcumulationoforiginasreferred to in Article 6 of Annex II to Decision 91/482/EECshall be permitted for a quantity of 3878 tonnes of sugarduring the period of validity of this Regulation.
Forproductsotherthanunprocessedsugar,thesugarcontent
of the imported product shall be taken into account for thepurposes of complying with that limit.
Article 2
1. Import of the products referred to in Article 1 shall be
subject to the issue of an import licence in accordance withCommission Regulation (EC) No 1291/2000 of 9 June 2000layingdowncommondetailedrulesfortheapplicationofthesystemofimportandexportlicencesandadvancefixingcerti-ficates for agricultural products(
4).
2. Articles2to6ofCommissionRegulation(EC)No2553/
97of17December1997onrulesforissuingimportlicencesfor certain products covered by CN codes 1701, 1702, 1703and 1704 and qualify as ACP/OCT originating products(
5)
shall apply mutatis mutandis .
However:
— licences shall bear the serial number 53.0001,
— licence applications may be for a maximum of 3878
tonnes,
— Article4(3)ofRegulation(EC)No2553/97shallnotapply,— applicationsshallbelodgedwiththecompetentauthorities
duringthefirstfiveworkingdaysofeachmonth,withtheexception of March 2001, when applications may belodged by 15 March 2001 at the latest,
— the single reducing coefficient shall be applied and the
lodgingofnewapplicationssuspendedwherethequantitycovered by applications for import licences exceeds 3878tonnesduringtheperiodofapplicationofthisRegulation,
— import licences shall expire on the final day of the third
month following issue.
(1) Not yet published in the Official Journal.
(2) OJ L 302, 19.10.1992, p. 1. (4) OJ L 152, 24.6.2000, p. 1.
(3) OJ L 311, 12.12.2000, p. 17. (5) OJ L 349, 19.12.1997, p. 26.
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3. For the products referred to in Article 1 with EC/OCT cumulation of origin, on completion of the
formalitiesforreleaseforfreecirculationinthecustomsterritoryoftheCommunity,operatorsshallgivethecustomsauthoritiesintheMemberStatesacopyoftheexportlicence,issuedinaccordancewithArticle13ofCouncilRegulation(EC)No2038/1999of13September1999onthecommonorganisationofthemarkets in the sugar sector(
1), for the sugar used in those products.
Article 3
This Regulation shall enter into force on the day of its publication in the Official Journal of the European
Communities.
It shall apply from 1 March 2001 to 30 June 2001.
ThisRegulationshallbebindinginitsentiretyanddirectlyapplicableinallMemberStates.
Done at Brussels, 27 February 2001.
For the Commission
Franz FISCHLER
Member of the Commission
(1) OJ L 252, 25.9.1999, p. 1.