Commission Regulation (EC) No 1645/98 of 27 July 1998 increasing the volume of the tariff quota for imports of bananas provided for in Article 18 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 404/93 for 1998 (Text with EEA relevance)
Date: 1998-07-27
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: common organisation of markets, import, import licence, quantitative restriction, tariff quota, tropical fruit

28. 7. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 210/53

COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 1645/98

of 27 July 1998

increasing the volume of the tariff quota for imports of bananas provided for in
Article 18 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 404/93 for 1998

(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 404/93 of
13 February 1993 on the common organisation of the
market in bananas (1), as last amended by Regulation (EC)
No 3290/94 (2), and in particular Articles 18(1) and 30
thereof,

Whereas Article 18(1) of Regulation (EEC) No 404/93
provides that, where Community demand is determined
on the basis of the supply balance referred to in Article 16
increases, the volume of the quota is to be increased in
consequence;

Whereas, by Regulation (EC) No 1502/98 (3),
the
Commission established the forecast balance for produc-
tion and consumption in the Community and for imports
and exports; whereas that balance indicates an increase in
Community demand in particular as a result of the acces-
sion to the Community of Austria, Finland and Sweden;

in order

the demand on the
Whereas,
Community market, the tariff quota for 1998 should be
increased on the basis of the forecast balance;

to meet

Whereas the Court of Justice,
in its ruling dated 26
November 1996 in case C 68/95, rightly stated that
‘Article 30 of Regulation (EEC) No 404/93 authorizes and,
depending on the circumstances, requires the Commis-
sion to lay down rules catering for cases of hardship
arising from the fact
third-country
bananas or non-traditional ACP bananas meet difficulties
threatening their existence when an exceptionally low
quota has been allocated to them on the basis of the
reference years to be taken into consideration under
Article 19(2) of that Regulation, where those difficulties
are inherent in the transition from the national arrange-
ments existing before the entry into force of the Regula-

importers of

that

tion to the common organisation of the market and are
not caused by a lack of care on the part of the traders
concerned';

Whereas, as a result of that ruling, a number of traders
submitted to the Commission applications for additional
allocations claiming cases of hardship; whereas, in order
to accede during 1998 to applications which appear justi-
fied in the light of the principles handed down by the
Court of Justice, a special reserve should be created
within the tariff quota;

Whereas the Management Committee for Bananas has
not delivered an opinion within the time limit set by its
chairman,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

The tariff quota for imports of third-country and non-
traditional ACP bananas provided for in Articles 18 and
19 of Regulation (EEC) No 404/93 shall be 2 553 000
tonnes for 1998.

Within that tariff quota, a maximum quantity of 16 500
tonnes shall be reserved to allow the adoption of special
measures pursuant to Article 30 of that Regulation with a
view to settling cases of hardship encountered by certain
traders, following the entry into force of the common
organisation of the market in bananas. That quantity shall
not be taken into account for the allocation of import
licences to operators in categories A, B and C pursuant to
Article 19(1) and (2) of that Regulation.

Article 2

(1) OJ L 47, 25. 2. 1993, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 349, 31. 12. 1994, p. 105.
(3) OJ L 198, 15. 7. 1998, p. 17.

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

L 210/54

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

28. 7. 98

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

Done at Brussels, 27 July 1998.

For the Commission

Franz FISCHLER

Member of the Commission