COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 2431/96 of 17 December 1996 fixing the reference prices for fishery products for the 1997 fishing year (Text with EEA relevance)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 3759/92 of 17 December 1992 on the common organization of the market in fishery and aquaculture products (1), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 3318/94 (2), and in particular the first subparagraph of Articles 22 (6) and 23 (5) thereof,

Whereas Article 22 (1) of Regulation (EEC) No 3759/92 provides, among other things, for reference prices valid for the Community to be fixed each year, by product category, for the products specified in Annexes I, II, III, IV (B) and V to that Regulation, subject to the consultation procedures laid down for certain products within the framework of the GATT;

Whereas Article 23 (1) of Regulation (EEC) No 3759/92 allows, inter alia, the fixing of reference prices for the products referred to in Annex IV (A) before the beginning of each marketing year;

Whereas Article 22 (2) of Regulation (EEC) No 3759/92 provides that the reference price for the products specified in Annex I (A), (D) and (E) thereto must be equal, respectively, to the withdrawal and selling prices fixed in accordance with Article 11 (1) and Article 13 thereof;

Whereas Community withdrawal and selling prices for the products concerned were fixed for the 1997 fishing year by Commission Regulation (EC) No 2427/96 (3);

Whereas, the reference prices for the products specified in Annexes I (B) and (C) and IV (B) to Regulation (EEC) No 3759/92 are determined on the basis of the average of the reference prices for the fresh product, account being taken of the processing costs and of the need to ensure a price relationship in keeping with the market situation;

Whereas the reference prices for the products specified in Annex II to Regulation (EEC) No 3759/92 must be derived from their guide prices by reference to the price level at which the intervention measures provided for in Article 16 (1) thereof may be taken, and fixed taking account of the situation on the market in those products;

Whereas the reference prices for the fishes of the species Thunnus and Euthynnus, specified in Annex III to Regulation (EEC) No 3759/92 are based on the weighted average of the free-at-frontier prices recorded on the most representative markets in the Member States during the three preceding years;

Whereas for the carp and salmon referred to in Annex IV (A) to Regulation (EEC) No 3759/92, reference prices are fixed on the basis of the average of the producer prices recorded during the three years preceding the date on which the reference price is fixed for a product with commercial characteristics as set out in Commission Regulation (EEC) No 2210/93 (4), as amended by Regulation (EC) No 843/95 (5);

Whereas, for the frozen and salted products specified in Annex V to Regulation (EEC) No 3759/92 for which no reference price is fixed for the fresh product, the reference prices are determined on the basis of the reference price applied to a commercially similar fresh product; however, given the quantities of certain frozen and salted products and the conditions governing their importation, it does not appear necessary to fix a reference price for such products in the immediate future;

Whereas the measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Fishery Products,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

The reference prices for the 1997 fishing year for the products specified in Annexes I, II, III, IV (A), (B) and V to Regulation (EEC) No 3759/92 shall be as shown in the Annex hereto.

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter into force on 1 January 1997.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 17 December 1996.

For the Commission

Emma BONINO

Member of the Commission

(1) OJ No L 388, 31. 12. 1992, p. 1.

(2) OJ No L 350, 31. 12. 1994, p. 15.

(3) See page 4 of this Official Journal.

(4) OJ No L 197, 6. 8. 1993, p. 8.

(5) OJ No L 85, 19. 4. 1995, p. 13.

ANNEX

1. Reference prices of products listed in Annex I (A), (D) and (E) to Regulation (EEC) No 3759/92

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2. Reference prices for the products listed in Annex II to Regulation (EEC) No 3759/92

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3. Reference prices for the products listed in Annex III to Regulation (EEC) No 3759/92

Tuna (of the genus Thunnus), skipjack or stripe-bellied bonito (Euthynnus (Katsuwonus) pelamis) and other species of the genus Euthynnus, fresh, chilled or frozen, for the industrial manufacture of products falling within CN code 1604:

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4. Reference prices for certain products listed in Annex IV (A) of Regulation (EEC) No 3759/92:

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5. Reference prices for the product listed in Annexes IV (B) and V to Regulation (EEC) No 3759/92

Frozen and salted products falling within CN code 0303 and 0304:

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(1) The freshness categories, sizes and presentations are those defined pursuant to Article 2 of Regulation (EEC) No 3759/92.