EN Official Journal of the European Union L 337/12

COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 1786/2006

of 4 December 2006

amending Annexes III B, IV, and VI to Council Regulation (EC) No 517/94 as regards textile quotas for 2007

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 517/94 of 7 March 1994 on common rules for imports of textile products from certain third countries not covered by bilateral agreements, protocols or other arrangements, or by other specific Community import rules (1), and in particular Article 5(2) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Regulation (EC) No 517/94 establishes the annual quantitative limits for certain textile products originating in Montenegro, Kosovo (2) and North Korea.

(2) As from 1 January 2007, the European Union will include two new Member States, Romania and Bulgaria. Article 6(7) of the Act of Accession provides that the quantitative restrictions applied by the Community on imports of textile and clothing products are to be adjusted to take account of the accession of the new Member States to the Community. The quantitative restrictions applicable to imports of certain textile products from third countries into the enlarged Community should consequently be adjusted so as to cover imports into the two new Member States. This requires the amendment of certain Annexes to Regulation (EC) No 517/94.

(3) In order to prevent the enlargement of the Community from having restrictive effects on trade, it is appropriate, when amending the quantities, to use a methodology which takes into account, for the purpose of adjusting the new quota levels, the traditional imports into the new Member States. A formula consisting of the average of the last three years’ imports into the two new Member States originating in third countries provides an adequate measurement of those historical flows. Due to the fact that Montenegro became independent on 3 June 2006, the Commission has no separate figures of the trade flow between Montenegro and Kosovo, on one hand, and the new Member States on the other hand. Therefore, the new quota levels have been established using the most appropriate criterion for doing so, namely the population ratios of the two new Member States. A growth rate has been added in both cases.

(4) Annexes III B, IV and VI to Regulation (EC) No 517/94 should therefore be amended so as to list quota levels applicable for the year 2007. The detailed rules governing 2007 quota allocation are those contained in Commission Regulation (EC) No 1785/2006 (3) on the management of textile quotas established under Regulation (EC) No 517/94 for the year 2007.

(5) All provisions of Regulation (EC) No 517/94 are to apply to imports into the new Member States. Regulation (EC) No 517/94 should therefore be amended accordingly.

(6) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Textile Committee established by Article 25 of Regulation (EC) No 517/94,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Annexes III B, IV and VI to Regulation (EC) No 517/94 are replaced as shown in the Annex to this Regulation.

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter into force on 1 January 2007.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. Done at Brussels, 4 December 2006. For the Commission Peter MANDELSON Member of the Commission

(1) OJ L 67, 10.3.1994, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 931/2005 (OJ L 162, 23.6.2005, p. 37).

(2) As defined by the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 of 10 June 1999.

(3) See page 5 of this Official Journal.