EN OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 28.12.1999 L334/5
COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 2774/1999
of 27 December 1999
opening an invitation to tender for the reduction in the duty on sorghum imported into Spain
from third countries
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the EuropeanCommunity,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 1766/92 of 30
June 1992 on the common organisation of the market incereals(
1),aslastamendedbyCommissionRegulation(EC)No
1253/1999(2), and in particular Article 12(1) thereof,
Whereas:
(1)Pursuant to the Agreement on Agriculture concluded
during the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade nego-tiations the Community has undertaken to import acertain quantity of sorghum into Spain.
(2)Commission Regulation (EC) No 1839/95 of 26 July1995 laying down detailed rules for the application oftariff quotas for imports of maize and sorghum intoSpain and imports of maize into Portugal(
3), as
amended by Regulation (EC) No 1963/95(4), lays down
the rules governing the administration of those specialarrangements. This Regulation lays down the specialadditional detailed rules necessary for implementing theinvitation to tender, in particular those relating to thelodging and release of the security to be lodged byoperators to ensure compliance with their obligationsand, in particular the obligation to process or use theimported product on the Spanish market.
(3)Council Regulation (EC) No 1706/98 of 20 July 1998on the arrangements applicable to agricultural productsand goods resulting from the processing of agriculturalproducts originating in the African, Caribbean andPacific States (ACP States) and repealing Regulation(EEC) No 715/90(
5) provides in particular for a reduc-
tionof60%inthedutyapplicabletograinsorghumupto a quota of 100000 tonnes per calendar year and of50%inexcessofthatquota.Ifthatbenefitiscombinedwith the reduction provided for under this Regulation,this is likely to disturb the Spanish market for cereals.Suchcombinedbenefitsshouldberuledoutforthesake
of the satisfactory functioning of the invitation totender.
(4)In the light of current market needs in Spain an invita-tion to tender for the reduction in the duty on importsofsorghumshouldbeopenedintheframeworkofthesespecial arrangements for imports.
(5)The measures provided for in this Regulation are inaccordance with the opinion of the ManagementCommittee for Cereals,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
1. An invitation to tender is hereby opened for the reduc-
tion in the import duty referred to in Article 10(2) of Regula-tion(EEC)No1766/92onsorghumtobeimportedintoSpain.
2. Under this invitation to tender, the reduction in the
import duty on grain sorghum provided for in Article 12 ofRegulation (EC) No 1706/98 shall not apply.
3. The invitation to tender shall be open until 24 February
2000. During that period, weekly invitations shall be issuedwith quantities and closing dates as shown in the notice ofinvitation to tender.
4. Regulation (EC) No 1839/95 shall apply save as other-
wise provided for in this Regulation.
Article 2
Importlicencesissuedundertheseinvitationstotendershallbe
valid50daysfromthedatetheyareissued,withinthemeaningof Article 10(4) of Regulation (EC) No 1839/95.
Article 3
ThisRegulationshallenterintoforceonthedayofitspublica-
tion in the Official Journal of the European Communities .
(1) OJ L 181, 1.7.1992, p. 21.
(2) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999, p. 18.
(3) OJ L 177, 28.7.1995, p. 4.
(4) OJ L 189, 10.8.1995, p. 22.
(5) OJ L 215, 1.8.1998, p. 12.
EN OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 28.12.1999 L334/6
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Done at Brussels, 27 December 1999.
For the Commission
Margot WALLSTRÖM
Member of the Commission