EN Official Journal of the European Union L 350/1

COUNCIL REGULATION (EU) No 1231/2012

of 17 December 2012

amending Regulation (EU) No 7/2010 opening and providing for the management of autonomous tariff quotas of the Union for certain agricultural and industrial products

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 31 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

Whereas:

(1) In order to ensure sufficient and uninterrupted supplies of certain goods insufficiently produced in the Union and to avoid any disturbances on the market for certain agricultural and industrial products, autonomous tariff quotas have been opened by Council Regulation (EU) No 7/2010 (1). Products within those tariff quotas can be imported at reduced or zero duty rates. For the same reasons it is necessary to open, with effect from 1 January 2013, new tariff quotas at a zero duty rate for an appropriate volume for the products with order numbers 09.2658, 09.2659, 09.2660 and 09.2661.

(2) The quota volumes for the autonomous tariff quotas with order numbers 09.2628, 09.2634 and 09.2929 are insufficient to meet the needs of the industry of the Union for the current quota period ending on 31 December 2012. Consequently, those quota volumes should be increased with effect from 1 July 2012. However, the increase of the quota volumes for the autonomous tariff quota with order number 09.2634 should not be continued beyond 31 December 2012.

(3) The quota volume for autonomous tariff quotas with the order number 09.2603 should be replaced by the volume shown in the Annex to this Regulation.

(4) It is no longer in the interest of the Union to continue to grant tariff quotas in 2013 for products with order numbers 09.2615, 09.2636, 09.2640, 09.2813 and 09.2986. Those quotas should therefore be closed with effect from 1 January 2013 and the corresponding products should be deleted from the Annex to Regulation (EU) No 7/2010.

(5) In view of the many changes to be made, in the interest of clarity the Annex to Regulation (EU) No 7/2010 should be replaced in its entirety.

(6) Regulation (EU) No 7/2010 should therefore be amended accordingly.

(7) Since the tariff quotas should take effect from 1 January 2013, this Regulation should apply from the same date and enter into force immediately upon publication in the Official Journal of the European Union,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

The Annex to Regulation (EU) No 7/2010 is replaced by the text set out in the Annex to this Regulation.

Article 2

With effect from 1 July 2012, in the Annex to Regulation (EU) No 7/2010:

(1) the quota volume for the autonomous tariff quota with order number 09.2628 is fixed at 3 000 000 m2;

(2) the quota volume for the autonomous tariff quota with order number 09.2634 is fixed at 8 000 tonnes for the period until 31 December 2012;

(3) the quota volume for the autonomous tariff quota with order number 09.2929 is fixed at 10 000 tonnes.

Article 3

This Regulation shall enter into force on the day of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

It shall apply from 1 January 2013, except for Article 2 which shall apply from 1 July 2012.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. Done at Brussels, 17 December 2012. For the Council The President S. ALETRARIS

(1) OJ L 3, 7.1.2010, p. 1.