Commission Regulation (EC) No 2731/1999 of 21 December 1999 amending Regulation (EC) No 2603/97 laying down the detailed implementing rules for imports of rice originating in the ACP countries or the overseas countries and territories (OCT)
Date: 1999-12-21
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: ACP countries, import, import licence, originating product, overseas countries and territories, rice

22. 12. 1999

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 328/39

COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 2731/1999

of 21 December 1999

amending Regulation (EC) No 2603/97 laying down the detailed implementing rules for imports of
rice originating in the ACP countries or the overseas countries and territories (OCT)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

tion percentage would result in the issue of an import
licence for a quantity that is not economically viable.

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

(3)

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

Having regard to Council Decision 91/482/EEC of 25 July
1991 on the association of the overseas countries and terri-
tories with the European Economic Community (1), as last
amended by Decision 97/803/EC (2), and in particular Article
108a(5) thereof,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1706/98 of 20
July 1998 on the arrangements applicable to agricultural prod-
ucts and goods resulting from the processing of agricultural
products originating in the African, Caribbean and Pacific
States (ACP) and repealing Regulation (EEC) No 715/90 (3), and
in particular Article 30(1) thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

(OCTs). Experience has

Commission Regulation (EC) No 2603/97 (4),
as
amended by Regulation (EC) No 1595/98 (5), lays down
the detailed implementing rules for the annual import of
160 000 tonnes of rice in husked rice equivalent origin-
ating in the ACP countries or the overseas countries and
territories
the
applications submitted for each tranche relate to a total
quantity far exceeding that available and thus result in
the issue of licences for reduced quantities. There are
therefore grounds for tightening up the conditions under
which applications are submitted so that
they are
submitted by operators who are commercially engaged
in the import or export of rice. The amount of the
the licence should also be
security in respect of
increased.

shown that

(2)

Article 9(3) of Regulation (EC) No 2603/97 allows oper-
ators to withdraw applications for licences where a
reduction percentage is applied. In the light of experi-
ence,
limiting withdrawal of
applications to cases where the application of a reduc-

there are grounds for

(1) OJ L 263, 19.9.1991, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 329, 29.11.1997, p. 50.
(3) OJ L 215, 1.8.1998, p. 12.
(4) OJ L 351, 23.12.1997, p. 22.
(5) OJ L 208, 24.7.1998, p. 21.

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Regulation (EC) No 2603/97 is hereby amended as follows:

1. In Article 8(5) the first indent is replaced by the following:

‘— applications must be submitted by natural or legal
persons who, in at least one of the three years preceding
the date of submission of the application, have been
engaged in the commercial import or export of rice and
were entered in a public register of a Member State.
Proof of import or export shall be furnished by the
production of at least two duly endorsed import or
licences or by customs declarations where
export
applicable,’.

2. Article 8(6) is replaced by the following:

‘6.
Notwithstanding Article 10 of Commission Regula-
tion (EC) No 1162/95 (1), the security for import licences
shall be EUR 120 per tonne.’

3. Article 9(3) is replaced by the following:

‘3. Where the quantity for which the licence is required is
less than 20 tonnes following the application of
the
percentage reduction referred to in paragraph 2, the licence
application may be withdrawn within a period of
two
working days from the date of publication of the regulation
fixing that percentage. The security shall be released imme-
diately.’

Article 2

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

It shall apply from 1 January 2000.

L 328/40

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

22. 12. 1999

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

Done at Brussels, 21 December 1999.

For the Commission

Franz FISCHLER

Member of the Commission