EN Official Journal of the European Union L 83/13

COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 503/2005

of 31 March 2005

amending Council Regulation (EC) No 747/2001 as regards Community tariff quotas and a reference quantity for certain products originating in Morocco

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 747/2001 of 9 April 2001 providing for the management of Community tariff quotas and of reference quantities for products eligible for preferences by virtue of agreements with certain Mediterranean countries and repealing Regulations (EC) No 1981/94 and (EC) No 934/95 (1), and in particular Article 5(1)(b) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) By its Decision of 16 March 2005 (2), the Council has given authorisation for the signing and has provided for the provisional application from 1 May 2004 of a Protocol to the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the Kingdom of Morocco, of the other part, to take account of the accession of the Czech Republic, the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Cyprus, the Republic of Hungary, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, the Republic of Malta, the Republic of Poland, the Republic of Slovenia, and the Slovak Republic to the European Union.

(2) This Protocol provides for certain products originating in Morocco, for new tariff quotas and for a new reference quantity as well as for changes to the existing tariff quotas laid down in Regulation (EC) No 747/2001.

(3) To implement the new tariff quotas and reference quantity and the changes to the existing tariff quotas, it is necessary to amend Regulation (EC) No 747/2001.

(4) For the year 2004 the volumes of the new tariff quotas and reference quantity and the increases of the volumes of existing tariff quotas should be calculated as a portion of the basic volumes specified in the Protocol, in proportion to the part of the period elapsed before 1 May 2004.

(5) In order to facilitate the management of certain existing tariff quotas provided for in Regulation (EC) No 747/2001, the quantities imported within the framework of those quotas should be charged against the respective tariff quotas opened in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 747/2001, as amended by this Regulation.

(6) Since the Protocol applies from 1 May 2004, this Regulation should apply from the same date and should enter into force as soon as possible.

(7) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Customs Code Committee,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 747/2001 is amended as set out in the Annex to this Regulation.

Article 2

The quantities which, pursuant to Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 747/2001, have been put into free circulation in the Community within the tariff quotas with order numbers 09.1104, 09.1112, 09.1122, 09.1130 and 09.1137, shall be charged against the respective tariff quotas opened pursuant to Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 747/2001, as amended by this Regulation.

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 May 2004.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. Done at Brussels, 31 March 2005. For the Commission László KOVÁCS Member of the Commission

(1) OJ L 109, 19.4.2001, p. 2. Regulation as last amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 241/2005 (OJ L 42, 12.2.2005, p. 11).

(2) Not yet published in the Official Journal.