Commission Regulation (EC) No 778/1999 of 15 April 1999 opening and providing for the administration of tariff quotas for 300 000 tonnes of quality wheat and 50 000 tonnes of durum wheat and repealing Regulations (EC) No 529/97 and (EC) No 2228/96
Date: 1999-04-15
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: common wheat, durum wheat, import licence, product quality, tariff quota

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COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 778/1999

of 15 April 1999

opening and providing for the administration of tariff quotas for 300 000 tonnes
of quality wheat and 50 000 tonnes of durum wheat and repealing Regulations
(EC) No 529/97 and (EC) No 2228/96

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

therefore,
whereas,
licences should be laid down;

the conditions

for granting such

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1095/96 of
18 June 1996 on the implementation of the concessions
set out in schedule CXL drawn up in the wake of the
conclusion of the GATT XXIV.6 negotiations (1), and in
particular Article 1 thereof,

Whereas the Community, as part of its World Trade
Organisation (WTO) commitments, undertook to estab-
lish for each calendar year a zero-duty tariff quota for
300 000 tonnes of quality wheat falling within CN codes
1001 10 00 and 1001 90 99 and, for each marketing year,
a zero-duty tariff quota for 50 000 tonnes of durum wheat
with a minimum vitreous kernel content of 73 %;
whereas imports under those quotas are governed by
Commission Regulations (EC) No 529/97 (2), amended by
Regulation (EC) No 850/97 (3), and (EC) No 2228/96 (4),
amended by Regulation (EC) No 2410/98 (5), respectively;
whereas those Regulations have failed to prevent specula-
tion; whereas they should therefore be repealed;

Whereas speculation can be prevented by requiring that
the cereals be available for import at the time applications
are submitted; whereas this requirement must be applied
so as not to prevent the Community from meeting its
international commitments;

Whereas an import licence must be presented for these
in order
imports; whereas,
to prevent discrimination
between importers,
import licences must be issued to
applicants for licences after a date fixed in advance by the
Commission; whereas, in view of the quality of wheat
required for these quotas, applicants for import licences
must be able to prove that the goods they hold are of
adequate quality to qualify for a licence and that they are
in a position actually to carry out the import operation
during the period laid down for that purpose by the
Commission; whereas, to enable the goods to be imported
to be transported, that period has been set at 45 days;

(1) OJ L 146, 20.6.1996, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 82, 22.3.1997, p. 44.
(3) OJ L 122, 14.5.1997, p. 10.
(4) OJ L 298, 22.11.1996, p. 8.
(5) OJ L 298, 7.11.1998, p. 45.

Whereas, in order to ensure the proper administration of
the imports, a system of securities should be introduced;
whereas, given the likelihood of speculation inherent in
the system because no duty is payable, access to the
quotas in question should be restricted to those who
lodge an import security, who provide proof that they
have been operating commercially in the cereals sector
for at least twelve months and who are registered in the
Member State where the application is made;

Whereas in order to prevent speculation, import licences
should be valid for no more than seven days;

Whereas the special provisions on organisation of the
imports and, in particular, on the notices opening periods
during which application may be made for
import
licences are to be adopted in accordance with the pro-
cedure laid down in Article 23 of Council Regulation
(EEC) No 1766/92 (6), as last amended by Commission
Regulation (EC) No 923/96 (7);

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

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

1.
The importation each calendar year at zero duty of
300 000 tonnes of durum wheat falling within CN code
1001 10 00 and common wheat falling within CN code
1001 90 99, of a minimum quality satisfying the criteria
laid down in Annex I, shall be subject to an import
licence issued in accordance with this Regulation.

2.
The importation each marketing year at zero duty of
50 000 tonnes of durum wheat falling within CN code
1001 10 00 with a minimum vitreous kernel content of
73 % shall be subject to an import licence issued in
accordance with this Regulation.

(6) OJ L 181, 1.7.1992, p. 21.
(7) OJ L 126, 24.5.1996, p. 37.

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In order to ensure the quality of

the imported
3.
product, eligibility for the zero import duty shall be
conditional on importers lodging with the competent
authorities, on the day the declaration of release for free
circulation is accepted, an import security equal to the
import duty on low-quality common wheat, plus EUR 5
per tonne.

Commission Regulation (EC) No 1249/96 (1) shall
4.
not apply to import licences applied for under this Regu-
lation, save as otherwise provided herein.

5.
The periods during which application may be made
for import licences shall be opened by the Commission
in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 23
of Regulation (EEC) No 1766/92.

Article 2

Licence applications shall relate to a single product

1.
under a single quota.

2.
Applications for import licences under the quotas
referred to in Article 1 shall be admissible provided they
comply with the following conditions:

(a) they relate to a quantity of wheat of between 500

tonnes and 10 000 tonnes;

(b) where applications are submitted by an agent, they
contain the name and address of the principal;

(c) they are accompanied by:

(cid:190) proof that the applicant is a natural or legal person
who has been operating commercially in the
cereals sector for at least twelve months and is
registered in the Member State where the applica-
tion is made,

(cid:190) proof, in the form of the original of the document
issued only once by the customs authorities of the
place of release for free circulation, that the goods
to which the import licence application relates are
held by the applicant in the Community and are
ready for importation during the period fixed in
advance by the Commission,

(cid:190) proof that the quality of the goods held meets the
criteria laid down in this Regulation, in the form
of an analysis certificate drawn up by a surveil-
lance company demonstrating that
the wheat
concerned is of adequate quality or a quality certif-
icate recognised by the Commission in accordance
with Article 6 of Regulation (EC) No 1249/96.

3. Where one or more of the terms of an application
differ from those provided for in the notice inviting
applications for import licences, such application shall be
inadmissible.

4.

Applications may not be withdrawn.

Article 3

1. Member States shall notify the Commission by telex,
fax or telegram within two working days of the end of the
period laid down for submitting applications, which itself
shall be at least 45 days, using the model in Annex II:

(cid:190) of the number of admissible applications submitted

by product and by quota
and

(cid:190) of the quantity of wheat for which licence applica-

tions have been submitted.

This information shall be forwarded even where no
application has been submitted.

that

In the event

2.
the total quantity applied for
exceeds the quantity of one or other type of wheat avail-
able or the import quota for the period concerned, the
Commission shall notify the Member States within three
the notification period
working days of
referred to in paragraph 1 by what percentage(s) they must
scale down the quantities applied for when issuing
licences.

the end of

Import licences shall be issued as soon as possible
3.
after expiry of the period referred to in paragraph 2, and
in any event within three working days.

4. Notwithstanding Article 10 of Commission Regula-
tion (EC) No 1162/95 (2), the security for import licences
shall be EUR 10 per tonne.

5. Notwithstanding Article 6(1) of Regulation (EC) No
1162/95, import licences shall be valid for no more than
seven days. Validity shall start on the day licences are
issued.

Article 4

Import licences shall contain the following entries and be
subject to the following conditions:

(a) boxes 7 and 8 shall indicate, respectively, the country
of provenance and the country of origin of the wheat
concerned;

(b) notwithstanding Article 8(4) of Commission Regula-
tion (EEC) No 3719/88 (3), the quantity placed in free
circulation at zero duty shall not exceed that stated in
boxes 17 and 18, and the figure 0 shall accordingly be
entered in box 19;

(c) in box 20, for the product concerned (delete as appro-

priate), one of the following:

(cid:190) Trigo duro, c(cid:155)digo NC 1001 10 00/trigo com(cid:156)n,
c(cid:155)digo NC 1001 90 99 cuya calidad cumple las
disposiciones del Reglamento (CE) no 778/1999

(1) OJ L 161, 29.6.1996, p. 125.

(2) OJ L 117, 24.5.1995, p. 2.
(3) OJ L 331, 2.12.1988, p. 1.

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(cid:190) H(cid:134)rd hvede, KN-kode 1001 10 00/blød hvede,
KN-kode 1001 90 99 af kvalitet som fastsat
i
forordning (EF) nr. 778/1999

(cid:190) Hartweizen der KN-Codes 1001 10 00/Weich-
weizen der KN-Codes 1001 90 99 von einer Qual-
it(cid:132)t gem(cid:132)ß den Bestimmungen der Verordnung
(EG) Nr. 778/1999

(cid:190) Sjkgq(cid:149)r s(cid:148)tor, jydij(cid:149)r SO 1001 10 00/lakaj(cid:149)r
s(cid:148)tor jydij(cid:149)r SO 1001 90 99,
tou opo(cid:148)ou g
poi(cid:149)tgta e(cid:148)mai s(cid:151)lvymg le tir diat(cid:145)neir tou jamo-
mislo(cid:151) (EJ) aqih. 778/1999

(cid:190) Durum wheat CN code 1001 10 00/Common
wheat CN code 1001 90 99, of which the quality
conforms with the provisions of Regulation (EC)
No 778/1999

(cid:190) Bl(cid:130) dur du code NC 1001 10 00/bl(cid:130) tendre du
code NC 1001 90 99, de qualit(cid:130) conforme aux
dispositions du r(cid:138)glement (CE) no 778/1999

(cid:190) Frumento duro, codice NC 1001 10 00/frumento
tenero, codice NC 1001 90 99, di qualit(cid:133) conforme
a quanto prescritto dal regolamento (CE) n. 778/
1999

(cid:190) Harde tarwe, GN-code 1001 10 00/zachte tarwe,
GN-code 1001 90 99, waarvan de kwaliteit aan de
bepalingen van Verordening (EG) nr. 778/1999
beantwoordt

(cid:190) Trigo duro do c(cid:155)digo NC 1001 10 00/trigo mole
do c(cid:155)digo NC 1001 90 99, de qualidade conforme
(cid:133)s disposi(cid:135)(cid:210)es do Regulamento (CE) n.o 778/1999

(cid:190) CN-koodiin

durum-
1001 10 00
vehn(cid:132)/CN-koodiin 1001 90 99 kuuluva
vehn(cid:132),
joka on laadultaan asetuksen (EY) N:o 778/1999
mukainen

kuuluva

(cid:190) Durumvete med KN-nummer 1001 10 00/vete
med KN-nummer 1001 90 99 av en kvalitet som
(cid:148)verensst(cid:132)mmer med best(cid:132)mmelserna i f(cid:148)rordning
(EG) nr 778/1999.

(d) in box 24, with the serial number for the quota in

question, one of the following:

(cid:190) Derecho cero. Reglamento (CE) no 1095/96.

Contingente arancelario no

(cid:190) Toldfritagelse. Forordning

(EF) nr.

1095/96.

Toldkontingent nr.

(cid:190) Zollfrei. Verordnung (EG) Nr. 1095/96. Zollkon-

tingent Nr.

(cid:190) Lgdemij(cid:149)r dasl(cid:149)r. Jamomisl(cid:149)r (EJ) aqih. 1095/96.

Daslokocij(cid:147) pos(cid:149)stysg aqih.

(cid:190) Zero duty. Regulation (EC) No 1095/96. Tariff

quota No

(cid:190) Droit z(cid:130)ro. R(cid:138)glement (CE) no 1095/96. Contin-

gent tarifaire no

(cid:190) Dazio zero. Regolamento (CE) n. 1095/96. Contin-

gente tariffario n.

(cid:190) Nulrecht. Verordening (EG) nr. 1095/96. Tarief-

contingent nr.

(cid:190) Direito

a
n.o 1095/96. Contingente pautal n.o

zero. Regulamento

igual

(CE)

(cid:190) Tulliton. Asetus (EY) N:o 1095/96. Tariffikiinti(cid:148)

N:o

(cid:190) Tullsats 0. F(cid:148)rordning (EG) nr 1095/96. Tullkvot

nr.

The serial number of the quota for 300 000 tonnes of
quality wheat shall be 09.4049 and that of the quota for
50 000 tonnes of durum wheat shall be 09.4059;

(e) notwithstanding Regulation (EEC) No 3719/88, rights
deriving from the licence shall not be transferable.

Article 5

Representative samples of each import shall be taken by
the customs authorities with a view to carrying out the
necessary tests to establish that
the quality imported
complies with the quality criteria referred to in Article
1(1) and (2), in accordance with Article 6(2) and (4) of
Regulation (EC) No 1249/96. Irrespective of the results of
the analyses carried out under Article 2(2)(c), only the tests
carried out by the customs authorities shall be valid for
the purposes of attesting to the quality of the product
concerned. If, however, the Commission officially recog-
nises a quality certificate issued by the State of origin of
the goods, samples shall be taken only in verification of
the certified quality of at least 3 % of the imported goods
for each port of entry.

The cost of inspection and sampling shall be borne by
the holder of the import licence.

Article 6

On the basis of the tests referred to in Article 5, the
import security referred to in Article 1(3) shall be released
in respect of the quantity of wheat of a quality complying
with:

(cid:190) the criteria referred to in Article 1(1), in the case of
the quota for 300 000 tonnes of quality wheat, and

(cid:190) the criteria referred to in Article 1(2), in the case of

the quota for 50 000 tonnes of durum wheat.

Should the tests referred to in Article 5 show that the
quality of the imported product is below that required,
Regulation (EC) No 1249/96 shall apply. In such cases
the import duty in force for wheat of the quality in
question shall be held back from the security referred to
in Article 1. The additional amount of EUR 5 per tonne
referred to in Article 1 shall be held back as a penalty and
the balance of the security shall be released.

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Article 7

Article 8

Within two working days following the issue of import
licences, Member States shall inform the Commission by
telex, fax or telegram, using the model in Annex II, of the
quantity of wheat for which licences have been issued and
the country of origin of the product.

Regulations (EC) No 2228/96 and (EC) No 529/97 are
hereby repealed.

Article 9

The notifications referred to in paragraph 1 shall be made
even where no applications have been submitted, nor
licences issued.

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

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

Done at Brussels, 15 April 1999.

For the Commission

Franz FISCHLER

Member of the Commission

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ANNEX I

Minimum quality criteria for wheat imported under the tariff quota for 300 000 tonnes of quality
wheat opened by Regulation (EC) No 1095/96

Quality criteria

Durum wheat

Common wheat

CN code 1001 10 00

CN code 1001 90 99

Type of wheat

Specific weight in kg/hl greater than or equal to

80

Grains which have lost their vitreous aspect

maximum 20,0 %

78

(cid:190)

Matter which is not quality wheat grains of unimpaired
quality, of which:

maximum 10,0 %

maximum 10,0 %

(cid:190) broken and/or shrivelled grains

maximum 7,0 %

maximum 7,0 %

(cid:190) grains damaged by pests

maximum 2,0 %

maximum 2,0 %

(cid:190) grains affected with fusariosis and/or mottled grains maximum 5,0 %

(cid:190)

(cid:190) sprouted grains

maximum 0,5 %

maximum 0,5 %

Miscellaneous impurities (Schwarzbesatz)

maximum 1,0 %

maximum 1,0 %

Hagberg falling number

minimum 250

minimum 230

Protein content (13,5 % moisture content)

(cid:190)

minimum 14,6 %

ANNEX II

Model for the notifications referred to in Articles 3 and 7

Quota for 300 000 tonnes
of quality wheat
Serial No: 09.4049

Application No

Quantity (tonnes)

Country of origin

Common wheat
CN 1001 90 99

Durum wheat
CN 1001 10 00

Quota for 50 000 tonnes
of durum wheat
Serial No: 09.4059

Durum wheat
CN 1001 10 00

1.
2.
. . .

1.
2.
. . .

1.
2.
. . .

Application No

Quantity (tonnes)

Country of origin