Commission Regulation (EC) No 488/98 of 27 February 1998 opening import quotas in respect of special preferential raw cane sugar from the ACP States for supply to refineries in the period 1 March to 30 June 1998
Date: 1998-02-27
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: ACP countries, cane sugar, import, originating product, raw sugar, tariff quota

28. 2. 98

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Official Journal of the European Communities

L 60/65

COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 488/98

of 27 February 1998

opening import quotas in respect of special preferential raw cane sugar from the
ACP States for supply to refineries in the period 1 March to 30 June 1998

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 1785/81
of 30 June 1981 on the common organization of the
in sugar (1), as last amended by Commission
market
Regulation (EC) No 1599/96 (2), and in particular Articles
14(2) and 37(6) thereof,

supplies

adequate

to ensure

Whereas Article 37 of Regulation (EEC) No 1785/81 lays
down that, during the marketing years 1995/96 to 2000/
to
01 and in order
Community refineries, a special reduced duty is to be
levied on imports of raw cane sugar originating in States
with which the Community has concluded supply
arrangements on preferential terms; whereas at present
such agreements have been concluded by Council
Decision 95/284/EC (3) only with the ACP States party to
Protocol 8 on ACP sugar annexed to the Fourth
ACP-EEC Lom(cid:130) Convention, and with the Republic of
India;

so that

in the abovementioned agreements

Whereas the quantities of special preferential sugar to be
imported are calculated in accordance with the said
Article 37 of Regulation (EEC) No 1785/81 on the basis
of a Community forecast supply balance; whereas the
balance has indicated the need to import raw sugar and
to open at this stage for the 1997/98 marketing year a
tariff quota at the special reduced rate of duty as provided
the
for
Community refineries’ supply need can be met for part
of the year; whereas tariff quotas have in this way been
opened by Commission Regulation (EC) No 1314/97 (4)
for the period from 1 July 1997 to 28 February 1998;
whereas the production forecasts for raw cane sugar are
now available for the 1997/98 marketing year; whereas
should consequently be
the necessary tariff quotas
opened for
the marketing year;
whereas, because of
the presumed maximum refining
needs fixed by Member States and the shortfall resulting
from the forecast supply balance, provision should be
made to authorize imports for each refining Member
State, for the period from 1 March to 30 June 1998;

the second part of

Whereas the above agreements lay down that the refiners
in question must pay a minimum purchase price equal to
the guaranteed price for raw sugar, minus the adjustment

(1) OJ L 177, 1. 7. 1981, p. 4.
(2) OJ L 206, 16. 8. 1996, p. 43.
(3) OJ L 181, 1. 8. 1995, p. 22.
(4) OJ L 180, 9. 7. 1997, p. 12.

aid fixed for the marketing year in question; whereas this
therefore be fixed by taking
minimum price must
account of the factors applying in the 1997/98 marketing
year;

Whereas in order to avoid a rupture of supplies, provision
the quantities to be
should be made in respect of
imported under Regulation (EC) No 1314/97 for which
the licences have not been requested up to 28 February
1998, for the Member States concerned to be authorized
to issue the said licences after that date during the 1997/
98 marketing year;

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

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

A tariff quota is hereby opened for the period 1 March to
30 June 1998 under Decision 95/284/EC, in respect of
imports of raw cane sugar for refining, amounting to
35 000 tonnes expressed as white sugar originating in the
ACP States covered by that Decision.

This tariff quota shall bear the serial number 09.4097.

Article 2

1. A special reduced duty of ECU 5,41 per 100 kg of
standard quality raw sugar shall apply to imports of the
quantity referred to in Article 1.

2. Article 7 of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1916/
95 (5) notwithstanding, the minimum purchase price to
be paid by the Community refiners shall be fixed for the
period referred to in Article 1 at ECU 49,68 per 100 kg
of standard quality raw sugar.

Article 3

The following Member States are hereby authorized to
import under the quota referred to in Article 1 and on
the terms laid down in Article 2(1) the following shortfall
expressed as white sugar:

(5) OJ L 184, 3. 8. 1995, p. 18.

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Official Journal of the European Communities

28. 2. 98

(a) Finland: 0 tonnes,
(b) metropolitan France: 8 000 tonnes,
(c) mainland Portugal: 12 000 tonnes,
(d) United Kingdom: 15 000 tonnes.

Article 4
The Member States referred to in Article 3 of Regulation
(EC) No 1314/97 are authorized, for the quantities in the
said Article for which the applications for import licences

have not been lodged before 1 March 1998, to issue such
licences to allow import and refining to take place until
30 June 1998.

Article 5

This Regulation shall enter into force on 1 March 1998.

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

Done at Brussels, 27 February 1998.

For the Commission

Franz FISCHLER

Member of the Commission