EN Official Journal of the European Union L 198/34

COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 726/2008

of 25 July 2008

on the issue of licences for importing rice under the tariff quotas opened for the July 2008 subperiod by Regulation (EC) No 327/98

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1785/2003 of 29 September 2003 on the common organisation of the markets in rice (1),

Having regard to Commission Regulation (EC) No 1301/2006 of 31 August 2006 laying down common rules for the administration of import tariff quotas for agricultural products managed by a system of import licences (2), and in particular Article 7(2) thereof,

Having regard to Commission Regulation (EC) No 327/98 of 10 February 1998 opening and providing for the administration of certain tariff quotas for imports of rice and broken rice (3), and in particular the first subparagraph of Article 5 thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Regulation (EC) No 327/98 opened and provided for the administration of certain import tariff quotas for rice and broken rice, broken down by country of origin and split into several subperiods in accordance with Annex IX to that Regulation and with Commission Regulation (EC) No 60/2008 (4) opening a specific subperiod in February 2008 for the import tariff quota for wholly milled and semi-milled rice originating in the United States of America.

(2) July is the second subperiod for the quotas laid down in Article 1(1)(b), (c) and (d) of Regulation (EC) No 327/98 for rice, the third subperiod for the quotas laid down in Article 1(1)(a) for rice originating in Thailand, Australia and countries other than Thailand, Australia and the United States and the fourth subperiod for the quota laid down in Article 1(1)(a) for rice originating in the United States.

(3) The notifications presented under Article 8(a) of Regulation (EC) No 327/98 show that, for the quotas with order numbers 09.4154 — 09.4166, the applications lodged in the first 10 working days of July 2008 under Article 4(1) of the Regulation cover a quantity greater than that available. The extent to which import licences may be issued should therefore be determined by establishing the allocation coefficient to be applied to the quantities requested under the quotas concerned.

(4) It is also clear from the notifications that, for the quotas with order numbers 09.4127 — 09.4128 — 09.4129 — 09.4149, the applications lodged in the first 10 working days of July 2008 under Article 4(1) of Regulation (EC) No 327/98 cover a quantity less than that available.

(5) The total quantities available for the following subperiod should also be fixed for the quotas with order numbers 09.4127 — 09.4128 — 09.4129 — 09.4130 — 09.4148 — 09.4112 — 09.4116 — 09.4117 — 09.4118 — 09.4119 — 09.4166, in accordance with the first subparagraph of Article 5 of Regulation (EC) No 327/98,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

1. For import licence applications for rice under the quotas with order numbers 09.4154 — 09.4166 as referred to in Regulation (EC) No 327/98 lodged in the first 10 working days of July 2008, licences shall be issued for the quantities requested, multiplied by the allocation coefficients set out in the Annex to this Regulation.

2. The total quantities available under the quotas with order numbers 09.4127 — 09.4128 — 09.4129 — 09.4130 — 09.4148 — 09.4112 — 09.4116 — 09.4117 — 09.4118 — 09.4119 — 09.4166 as referred to in Regulation (EC) No 327/98 for the next subperiod are set out in the Annex to this Regulation.

Article 2

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

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. Done at Brussels, 25 July 2008. For the Commission Jean-Luc DEMARTY Director-General for Agriculture and Rural Development

(1) OJ L 270, 21.10.2003, p. 96. Regulation as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 797/2006 (OJ L 144, 31.5.2006, p. 1). Regulation (EC) No 1785/2003 is to be replaced by Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 (OJ L 299, 16.11.2007, p. 1) as from 1 September 2008.

(2) OJ L 238, 1.9.2006, p. 13. Regulation as amended by Regulation (EC) No 289/2007 (OJ L 78, 17.3.2007, p. 17).

(3) OJ L 37, 11.2.1998, p. 5. Regulation as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1538/2007 (OJ L 337, 21.12.2007, p. 49).

(4) OJ L 22, 25.1.2008, p. 6.