Commission Regulation (EC) No 855/98 of 23 April 1998 amending Regulation (EC) No 1556/96 introducing a system of import licences for certain fruit and vegetables imported from third countries
Date: 1998-04-23
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: free circulation, fruit, import licence, third country, vegetable

24. 4. 98

‹

EN

‹

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 122/9

COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 855/98

of 23 April 1998

amending Regulation (EC) No 1556/96 introducing a system of import licences
for certain fruit and vegetables imported from third countries

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 2200/96 of
28 October 1996 on the common organisation of the
market
in fruit and vegetables (1), as last amended by
Commission Regulation (EC) No 2520/97 (2), and in par-
ticular Article 31(2) and Article 48 thereof,

Whereas, in order to obtain more detailed knowledge of
trade in certain sensitive products, Commission Regula-
tion (EC) No 1556/96 (3), as last amended by Regulation
(EC) No 1064/97 (4),
import
licences, without prejudice to its replacement by a rapid
computerised procedure for recording imports; whereas a
trial of such a procedure has shown that the period for
comparing the two systems must be extended;

introduces a system of

for

Whereas the procedure must include notification by the
Member States at fixed intervals of the quantities of sens-
itive products in question released for free circulation;
whereas current legislation, i.e. Article 308(d) of Commis-
sion Regulation (EEC) No 2454/93 of 2 July 1993 laying
the implementation of Council
down provisions
Regulation (EEC) No 2913/92 establishing the Com-
munity Customs Code (5), as last amended by Regulation
(EC) No 75/98 (6), only provides for such notification for
the purposes of the surveillance of preferential imports;
whereas those provisions must be extended to the sens-
itive products in question; whereas such an extension will
ensure the reliability of the trial and permit its results to
be assessed;

Whereas, for the purposes of the trial, data may be noti-
fied on a weekly basis; whereas, for the sake of simplifica-
tion, the same frequency can be applied to the current
import licence arrangements;

(1) OJ L 297, 21. 11. 1996, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 346, 17. 12. 1997, p. 41.
(3) OJ L 193, 3. 8. 1996, p. 5.
(4) OJ L 156, 13. 6. 1997, p. 3.
(5) OJ L 253, 11. 10. 1993, p. 1.
(6) OJ L 7, 13. 1. 1998, p. 3.

Whereas an analysis of the trial is to be conducted no
later than six months after this Regulation is imple-
mented so as to allow a final decision to be taken re-
garding the replacement of the import licence arrange-
ments by the abovementioned rapid computerised pro-
cedure for recording imports;

Whereas the measures provided for in this Regulation are
in accordance with the opinion of
the Management
Committee for Fresh Fruit and Vegetables,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Regulation (EC) No 1556/96 is hereby amended as
follows:

1. The second subparagraph of Article 5(1) is replaced by

the following:

‘That information shall be sent not later than 12 noon
(Brussels time) every Wednesday in respect of applica-
tions lodged during the preceding week.’

2. The following Article is inserted after Article 5:

‘Article 5(a)

The Member States shall notify the Commission of the
quantities of the products referred to in the Annex
hereto released for free circulation during the periods
referred to in that Annex in accordance with the
provisions of Article 308(d) of Regulation (EEC) No
2454/93 relating to the surveillance of preferential
imports.

That information shall be sent not later than 12 noon
(Brussels time) every Wednesday in respect of quant-
ities released for free circulation during the preceding
week.’

Article 2

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

It shall apply from 1 May 1998.

L 122/10

‹

EN

‹

Official Journal of the European Communities

24. 4. 98

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

Done at Brussels, 23 April 1998.

For the Commission

Franz FISCHLER

Member of the Commission