Commission Regulation (EC) No 1531/2000 of 13 July 2000 relating to a standing invitation to tender to determine levies and/or refunds on exports of white sugar for the 2000/01 marketing year
Date: 2000-07-13
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: award of contract, export levy, export licence, export refund, marketing, white sugar

14.7.2000

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 1531/2000

of 13 July 2000

relating to a standing invitation to tender to determine levies and/or refunds on exports of white
sugar for the 2000/01 marketing year

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

(5)

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

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 2038/1999 of 13
September 1999 on the common organisation of the markets
in the sugar sector (1), and in particular Article 13(2), Article
18(5) and (15), Article 24(3) and the second paragraph of
Article 46 thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

In view of the situation on the Community and world
sugar markets, a standing invitation to tender should be
issued as soon as possible for the export of white sugar
in respect of the 2000/01 marketing year which, having
regard to possible fluctuations in world prices for sugar,
must provide for the determination of export
levies
and/or export refunds.

The general rules governing invitations to tender for the
purpose of determining export refunds for sugar were
established by Article 19 of Regulation (EC) No 2038/
1999.

In view of the specific nature of the operation, appro-
priate provisions should be laid down with regard to
export licences issued in connection with the standing
invitation to tender and there should be a derogation
from Commission Regulation (EC) No 1464/95 of 27
June 1995 on special detailed rules for the application of
the system of import and export licences in the sugar
sector (2), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1148/
98 (3). However, Commission Regulation (EEC) No
3719/88 of 16 November 1988 laying down common
detailed rules for the application of the system of import
and export licences and advance fixing certificates for
agricultural products (4), as last amended by Regulation
(EC) No 1127/1999 (5), and Commission Regulation
(EEC) No 120/89 of 19 January 1989 laying down
common detailed rules for the application of the export
levies and charges on agricultural products (6), as last
amended by Regulation (EC) No 2194/96 (7), should
continue to apply.

(4)

The standing invitation to tender for the 1999/2000
marketing year established by Commission Regulation
(EC) No 1489/1999 (8), is to remain open until a date to
be determined. The closing date should therefore be
fixed.

(1) OJ L 252, 25.9.1999, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 144, 28.6.1995, p. 14.
(3) OJ L 159, 3.6.1998, p. 38.
(4) OJ L 331, 2.12.1988, p. 1.
(5) OJ L 135, 29.5.1999, p. 48.
(6) OJ L 16, 20.1.1989, p. 19.
(7) OJ L 293, 16.11.1996, p. 3.
(8) OJ L 172, 8.7.1999, p. 27.

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

A standing invitation to tender shall be issued in order to
1.
determine export levies and/or export refunds on white sugar
covered by CN code 1701 99 10 and, during the period of
validity of this standing invitation, partial invitations to tender
shall be issued.

The standing invitation to tender shall remain open until

2.
a date to be determined.

Article 2

The standing invitation to tender and the partial
invitations
shall be conducted in accordance with Article 19 of Regulation
(EC) No 2038/1999 and with the following provisions.

Article 3

The Member States shall establish a notice of invitation to
1.
tender. The notice of invitation to tender shall be published in
the Official Journal of the European Communities. Member States
may also publish the notice, or have it published, elsewhere.

The notice shall indicate, in particular, the terms of the

2.
invitation to tender.

3.
The notice may be amended during the period of validity
of the standing invitation to tender. It shall be so amended if
the terms of the invitation to tender are modified during that
period.

Article 4

The period during which tenders may be submitted in

1.
response to the first partial

invitation to tender:

(a) shall begin on 27 July 2000;

(b) shall end on 2 August 2000 at 10.30 a.m.

The periods during which tenders may be submitted in

2.
response to the second and subsequent partial

invitations:

(a) shall begin on the first working day following the end of

the preceding period;

(b) shall end at 10.30 a.m. on the Wednesday of the following

week.

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Notwithstanding paragraph 2(b),
3.
submission of tenders which was to end on:

the period for

the

(e) it contains all the information required under paragraph 2.

— Wednesday 1 November 2000, shall end on Tuesday 31

October 2000 at 10.30 a.m.,

— Wednesday 9 May 2001, shall end on Tuesday 8 May 2001

at 10.30 a.m.

Notwithstanding paragraph 2, no partial

4.
invitations to
tender will be issued on Wednesday 27 December 2000,
Wednesday 3 January 2001 or Wednesday 11 April 2001.

The times specified in this Regulation are Belgian local

5.
times.

Article 5

Offers in connection with this tender must be in writing,
1.
and must be either delivered by hand, against a receipt, to the
competent authority in a Member State, or addressed to that
authority either by registered letter or telegram, or, where the
authority accepts such forms of communication, by telex, fax
or electronic mail.

2.

An offer must indicate:

(a) the reference of the invitation to tender;

(b) the name and address of the tenderer;

(c) the quantity of white sugar to be exported;

(d) the amount of the export levy or, where applicable, of the
export refund, per 100 kilograms of white sugar, expressed
in euro to three decimal places;

(e) the minimum amount of the security to be lodged covering
the quantity of sugar indicated in (c), expressed in the
currency of
the Member State in which the tender is
submitted.

3.

Tenders shall be valid only if:

(a) the quantity to be exported is not less than 250 tonnes of

white sugar;

(b) proof is furnished before expiry of the time limit for the
submission of tenders that the tenderer has lodged the
security indicated in the tender;

(c) it includes a declaration by the tenderer that if this tender is
successful he will, within the period laid down in Article
12(b), apply for an export licence or licences in respect of
the quantities of white sugar to be exported;

(d) it includes a declaration by the tenderer that if his tender is

successful he will:

— where the obligation to export resulting from the
export licence referred to in Article 12(b) is not fulfilled,
supplement the security by payment of the amount
referred to in Article 13(4), and

— within 30 days following the expiry of

the export
licence in question, notify the agency which issued the
licence of the quantity or quantities in respect of which
the licence was not used;

A tender may stipulate that it is to be regarded as having

4.
been submitted only if:

(a) the minimum export

the
maximum export refund is fixed on the day of the expiry
of the period for the submission of the tenders in question;

levy or, where applicable,

(b) the tender, if successful, related to all or a specified part of

the tendered quantity.

5.
A tender which is not submitted in accordance with this
Regulation, or which contains conditions other than those
invitation to tender, shall not be
indicated in the present
considered.

6.

Once submitted, a tender may not be withdrawn.

Article 6

A security of EUR 11 per 100 kilograms of white sugar
1.
to be exported under this invitation to tender must be lodged
by each tenderer. Without prejudice to Article 13(4), where a
tender is successful this security shall become the security for
the export licence at the time of the application referred to in
Article 12(b).

The security may be lodged at

2.
the tenderer's choice,
either in cash or in the form of a guarantee given by an
establishment complying with criteria laid down by the
Member State in which the tender is submitted.

Except in cases of force majeure, the security referred to in

3.
paragraph 1 shall be released:

(a) to unsuccessful tenderers in respect of the quantity for

which no award has been made;

(b) to successful tenderers who have not applied for the rele-
vant export licence within the period referred to in Article
12(b), to the extent of EUR 10 per 100 kilograms of white
sugar.

this part of

However,
the releasable security shall be
reduced by the amount representing the difference, as
applicable:

the partial

— between the maximum amount of the export refund
fixed for
invitation concerned and the
maximum amount of the export refund fixed for the
following partial invitation, when the latter amount is
higher than the former, or

— between the minimum amount of the export levy fixed
for the partial invitation concerned and the minimum
amount of
levy fixed for the following
partial invitation, when the latter amount is lower than
the former;

the export

(c) to successful tenderers for the quantity for which they have
fulfilled, within the meaning of Articles 29(b)
and
30(1)(b)(i) of Regulation (EEC) No 3719/88, the export
obligation resulting from the licence referred to under
Article 12(b) in accordance with the terms of Article 33 of
that Regulation.

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The part of the security or the security which is not released
shall be forfeit in respect of the quantity of sugar for which the
corresponding obligations have not been fulfilled.

tenderers quoting an export refund in ascending order or
export refunds quoted until the entire maximum quantity
has been accounted for.

4.
In case of force majeure, the competent authority of the
Member State concerned shall take such action as it considers
necessary having regard to the circumstances invoked by the
party concerned.

Article 7

1.
Tenders shall be examined in private by the competent
authority concerned. The persons present at the examination
shall be under an obligation not to disclose any particulars
relating thereto.

2.
However, where an award to a particular tenderer in
accordance with paragraph 1 would result in the maximum
quantity being exceeded, that award shall be limited to such
quantity as is still available. Where two or more tenderers
quote the same levy or the same refund and awards to all of
them would result in the maximum quantity being exceeded,
then the quantity available shall be awarded as follows:

— by division among the tenderers concerned in proportion

to the total quantities in each of their tenders, or

— by apportionment among the tenderers concerned by refer-
ence to a maximum tonnage to be fixed for each of them,
or

The Commission shall be notified forthwith of

2.
tenders without the tenderers being mentioned by name.

the

— by the drawing of lots.

Article 8

Article 11

After

the tenders

1.
maximum quantity may be fixed for the partial
concerned.

received have been examined, a
invitation

A decision may be taken to make no award under a

2.
specific partial

invitation to tender.

Article 9

In the light of the current state and foreseeable develop-
1.
ment of the Community and world sugar markets, there shall
be fixed either:

— a minimum export levy, or
— a maximum export refund.

2.
Subject to Article 10, where a minimum export levy is
fixed, a contract shall be awarded to every tenderer whose
tender quotes a rate of levy equal to or greater than such
minimum levy.

3.
Subject to Article 10, where a maximum export refund is
fixed, a contract shall be awarded to every tenderer whose
tender quotes a rate of refund equal to or less than such
maximum refund and to every tenderer who has tendered for
an export levy.

Article 10

1. Where a maximum quantity has been fixed for a partial
invitation to tender:

— if a minimum export levy is fixed, a contract shall be
awarded to the tenderer whose tender quotes the highest
export levy; if the maximum quantity is not fully covered
by that award, awards shall be made to other tenderers in
descending order of export levies quoted until the entire
maximum quantity has been accounted for,

— if a maximum export refund is fixed, contracts shall be
awarded in accordance with the first indent; if after such
awards a quantity is still outstanding, or if there are no
tenders quoting an export levy, awards shall be made to

The competent authority of the Member State concerned
1.
shall immediately notify applicants of the result of their partici-
pation in the invitation to tender. In addition, that authority
shall send successful tenderers a statement of award.

2.

The statement of award shall

indicate at least:

(a) the reference of the invitation to tender;

(b) the quantity of white sugar to be exported;

(c) the amount, expressed in euro, of the export levy to be
charged, or where applicable, of the export refund to be
granted per 100 kilograms of white sugar of the quantity
referred to in (b).

Article 12

Every successful tenderer shall have:

(a) the right to receive, in the circumstances referred to under
(b), an export licence covering the quantity awarded, indi-
cating the export levy or refund quoted in the tender, as the
case may be;

(b) the obligation to lodge,

in accordance with the relevant
provisions of Regulation (EEC) No 3719/88, an application
the
for an export
application not being revocable and Article 12 of Regula-
tion (EEC) No 120/89 not applying in such a case. The
application shall be lodged not later than:

licence in respect of

that quantity,

— the last working day preceding the date of the partial
invitation to tender to be held the following week, or

— if no partial invitation to tender is due to be held that
week, the last working day of the following week;

(c) the obligation to export the tendered quantity and, if this
obligation is not fulfilled, to pay, where necessary, the
amount referred to in Article 13(4).

Such rights and obligations shall not be transferable.

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Article 13

1.
The first paragraph of Article 9 of Regulation (EC) No
1464/95 shall not apply to the white sugar to be exported
under this Regulation.

2.
Export licences issued in connection with a partial invita-
tion to tender shall be valid from the day of issue until the end
of the fifth calendar month following that in which the partial
invitation was issued.

However, export licences issued in respect of the partial invita-
tions held from 1 May 2001 shall be valid only until, 30
September 2001.

Should technical difficulties arise which prevent export being
carried out by the expiry date laid down in paragraph 2, the
competent authorities in the Member State which issued the
export licence may, at the written request of the holder of that
licence, extend its validity to 15 October 2001 at the latest,
provided that export is not subject to the rules laid down in
Article 4 or 5 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 565/80 (1).

3.
Export licences issued in respect of the partial invitations
held between 2 August 2000 and 30 September 2000 shall be
valid only from 1 October 2000.

4.
Except in cases of force majeure, if the obligation to export
resulting from the export licence referred to in Article 12(b)
has not been fulfilled and if the security referred to in Article 6
is less than:

(a) the export

less the levy
levy indicated on the licence,
referred to in the second subparagraph of Article 24(1) of
Regulation (EC) No 2038/1999 in force on the last day of
validity of the said licence; or

(b) the sum of the export levy indicated on the licence and the
refund referred to in Article 19(2) of Regulation (EC) No
2038/1999 in force on the last day of validity of the said
licence; or

(c) the export refund referred to in Article 19(2) of Regulation
(EC) No 2038/1999 in force on the last day of validity of
the licence, less the refund indicated on the said licence,

then, for the quantity in respect of which the said obligation
was not fulfilled, the licence holder shall be charged an amount
equal to the difference between the result of the valuation
made under (a), (b) or (c), as the case may be, and the security
referred to in Article 6(1).

the interval between the day of expiry of the period for submis-
sion of tenders and the day of export, the amounts of the
export refunds and the export levies fixed under the terms of
this invitation to tender before 1 July 2001, for sugar exported
from that date, shall be adjusted.

2.

For the adjustment referred to in paragraph 1:

(a) if an intervention price for white sugar applicable with
effect from 1 July 2001 is fixed which is greater than that
in force on 30 June 2001, the export refund and the export
levy shall be adjusted by an amount equal to the difference,
expressed in euro per 100 kilograms, between the interven-
tion price for white sugar applicable with effect from 1 July
2001 and that in force on 30 June 2001;

(b) if an intervention price for white sugar applicable with
effect from 1 July 2001 is fixed which is lower than that in
force on 30 June 2001, the export refund and the export
levy shall be adjusted by an amount equal to the difference,
expressed in euro per 100 kilograms, between the interven-
tion price for white sugar in force on 30 June 2001 and
that applicable with effect from 1 July 2001.

3.
For the calculation of the differences referred to in para-
graph 2, the intervention prices in question shall be increased
by the corresponding storage levy referred to in the second
subparagraph of Article 8(2) of Regulation (EC) No 2038/
1999.

4. Where only the amount of the storage levy varies from
one marketing year to the next, the refund shall be adjusted by
applying paragraph 2(a) or 2(b), as appropriate.

5.
For the purposes of this Article, the Member State issuing
the relevant export licence shall, at the time of issue, complete
the ‘special particulars’ section by adding the following:

‘to be adjusted in accordance with tender Regulation (EC)
No 1531/2000 for exports which take place after 30 June
2001.’.

The adjustment shall be made when the export refund in

6.
question is paid.

7. Member States shall inform the Commission as soon as
possible of the quantities of sugar for which an adjustment
under this Article has been made.

Article 15

Article 14

The standing invitation to tender issued in Regulation (EC) No
1489/1999 shall be closed on 27 July 2000.

1.
Notwithstanding Article 7 of Commission Regulation
(EC) No 2135/95 (2), if the intervention prices fixed in euro
under Regulation (EC) No 2038/1999 or the storage levies
fixed in euro pursuant to that Regulation are amended during

Article 16

(1) OJ L 62, 7.3.1980, p. 5.
(2) OJ L 214, 8.9.1995, p. 16.

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

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

Done at Brussels, 13 July 2000.

For the Commission

Franz FISCHLER

Member of the Commission