Proposal for a Council Regulation (EC) amending Regulation (EC) No 3290/94 on the adjustments and transitional arrangements required in the agricultural sector in order to implement the agreements concluded during the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations
Date: 1998-05-18
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: GATT, Uruguay Round, agricultural product, preferential agreement, trade agreement

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 18.05.1998 
COM(1998) 321  final 

Proposal for a 

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) 

amending Regulation (EC) No 3290/94 on the adjustments and transitional arrangements 

required in the agricultural sector in order to implement the agreements concluded during 

the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations 

(presented by the Commission) 

EXPLANATORY  MEMORANDUM 

The  Community's  undertakings  on  agriculture  under  the  Uruguay  Round  negotiations 
were essentially  implemented  by  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No 3290/94.  Article 3 of  the 
original  version of that Regulation provides that the Commission, acting according to the 
management  committee  procedure,  may,  up  until  30 June  1996,  adopt  the  transitional 
measures  necessary  to  facilitate  the  switch-over  from  the  old  to  the  new  arrangements 
and that those measures may not apply beyond that date. The Council has twice extended 
the  period  of  application  of  the  Commission's  transitional  powers,  most  recently  until 
30 June  1998 by Regulation  (EC) No  1161/97. The Commission  has used that  power to 
ensure  a  smooth  transition  to  the  arrangements  introduced  as  a  result  of  the  Uruguay 
Round  in  the  common  market  organisations  concerned.  It  has  also  used  Article 3  to 
ensure  that  the  undertakings  entered  into  by  the  Community  in  certain  preferential 
agreements  with  third  countries  (for  example,  the  Lomé  Convention,  association 
agreements  with the  Mediterranean  countries, etc.) are respected  pending  adjustment  of 
those  agreements  to  the  results  of  the  Uruguay  Round  negotiations.  Some  of  those 
agreements  are  currently  being  adjusted,  but  the  process  is  unlikely  to  be  completed 
before  30 June  1998, so  the draft  extends by a further  year the period  during  which  the 
Commission may adopt transitional measures. 

EN/06/98/44540000. WOO (FR) 

Proposal for a 

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No  /98 

of  June 1998 

amending Regulation (EC) No 3290/94 on the adjustments  and transitional  arrangements 

required  in the agricultural  sector in order to implement the agreements concluded during 

the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations 

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, 

Having  regard  to  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No 3290/94  of  22 December  1994  on  the 

adjustments  and  transitional  arrangements  required  in  the  agricultural  sector  in order  to 

implement  the  agreements  concluded  during  the  Uruguay  Round  of  multilateral  trade 

negotiations', and in particular Article 3(2) thereof, 

Having regard to the proposal  from the Commission, 

Whereas  Article 3  of  Regulation  (EC)  No 3290/94,  as  amended  by  Regulation  (EC) 

No  1161/97, authorises  the  Commission  to adopt  the  measures  required  to  facilitate  the 

switch-over  from  the  arrangements  existing  before  implementation  of  the  results  of  the 

Uruguay  Round  negotiations  to  those  resulting  from  the  adjustments  to  agricultural 

legislation  provided  for  in  the  said  Regulation;  whereas  such  measures  may  only  be 

adopted up to 30 June  1998 and may not apply beyond that date; whereas certain matters 

which  are  currently  regulated  by  transitional  measures  cannot  be  settled  definitively 

before  the above  date; whereas those  matters concern  in particular  certain  arrangements 

1  OJ  L349,  31.12.1994,  p.  105.  Regulation  amended  by  Regulation  (EC)  No  1161/97  (OJ  L 169, 

27.6.1997, p. 1). 

entered  into with  third countries; whereas  it is therefore  necessary  to extend  by one year 

the period during which the Commission may adopt transitional measures, 

EN/06/98/44540000. WOO (FR) 

Dl 

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: 

Article I 

In  Article  3(2)  of  Regulation  (EC)  No 3290/94,  '30  June  1998'  is  hereby  replaced  by 

•30Junel999\ 

Article 2 

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

of the European Communities. 

It shall apply from  1  July  1998. 

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

States. 

Done at 

,  June 1998. 

For the Council 

The President 

ISSN 0254-1475 

COM(98) 321 final 

DOCUMENTS 

EN 

03  11  02 

Catalogue number  : CB-CO-98-330-EN-C 

ISBN 92-78-36374-X 

Office  for Official  Publications of the European Communities 

L-2985 Luxembourg 

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