Commission Regulation (EC) No 327/2001 of 16 February 2001 authorising the conclusion of private storage contracts for olive oil and opening an invitation to tender for a limited period for aid relating thereto
Date: 2001-02-16
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: aid system, award of contract, contract, olive oil, private stock

17.2.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 48/9

COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 327/2001

of 16 February 2001

authorising the conclusion of private storage contracts for olive oil and opening an invitation to
tender for a limited period for aid relating thereto

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

(8)

Council Regulation (EC) No 952/97 of 20 May 1997 on
producer groups and associations thereof (4).

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

Having regard to Council Regulation No 136/66/EEC of 22
September 1966 on the establishment of a common organ-
isation of the market in oils and fats (1), as last amended by
Regulation (EC) No 2826/2000 (2), and in particular Article
12a thereof,

Having regard to Commission Regulation (EC) No 2768/98 of
21 December 1998 on the aid scheme for the private storage
of olive oil (3), and in particular Article 1(2) thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

The first paragraph of Article 12a of Regulation No
136/66/EEC provides that,
in order to regularise the
market in the event of serious disturbance in certain
regions of the Community, bodies offering sufficient
guarantees and approved by the Member States may be
authorised to conclude storage contracts for the olive oil
they market.

The third paragraph of Article 12a of that Regulation
provides for aid to be granted for the performance of
storage contracts. The aid may be granted by means of
tenders.

Regulation (EC) No 2768/98 establishes detailed rules
and conditions for invitation to tender.

The Commission has noted that average market prices
for olive oil in Spain and Greece over the period from
17 to 31 January 2001, which constitutes a repres-
entative period, are less than 95 % of the intervention
price for the 1997/98 marketing year for virgin and
extra virgin olive oil. The quantities of olive oil available
are causing market disturbances that could be reduced
by measures for the private storage of virgin and extra
virgin olive oil

in bulk.

In order to determine the aid to be granted for the
performance of contracts for the private storage of olive
oil in bulk, an invitation to tender should be opened for
a limited period for a maximum quantity of virgin and
extra virgin olive oil.

In view of the period covered by this tendering proce-
dure and subject to market developments, in order to
ensure that the measure is effective contracts need not
and should not extend beyond the end of 2001.

Article 12a of Regulation No 136/66/EEC lays down
that priority should be given to producer groups and
recognised in accordance with
associations

thereof

(1) OJ 172, 30.9.1966, p. 3025/66.
(2) OJ L 328, 23.12.2000, p. 2.
(3) OJ L 346, 22.12.1998, p. 14.

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Bodies offering sufficient guarantees and approved by the
Member States in accordance with Article 3 of Regulation (EC)
No 2768/98 shall be authorised to conclude contracts for the
private storage of virgin and extra virgin olive oil they market.

Article 2

An invitation to tender is hereby opened for a limited period,
as provided for in Regulation (EC) No 2768/98. However,
notwithstanding the 365-day period provided for in Article
5(1) of that Regulation, and without prejudice to Article 11
thereof, the period to be covered by tenders and contracts shall
begin on the date of commencement of performance of the
contract as referred to in Article 9(3) of
the Regulation
concerned and shall end on 31 December 2001.

Four consecutive partial invitations to tender shall be opened
from 1 March 2001.

Article 3

The first partial
invitation to tender shall be restricted to
producer groups or associations of such groups as referred to
in the second sentence of the first paragraph of Article 12a of
Regulation No 136/66/EEC. The following three partial invita-
tions to tender shall be open to all the approved operators
referred to in Article 3(1) of Regulation (EC) No 2768/98.

Article 4

The maximum quantity to which the invitation to tender as a
whole may relate shall be 100 000 tonnes of virgin and extra
virgin olive oil, broken down as follows:

— 80 000 tonnes in Spain,
— 20 000 tonnes in Greece.

Article 5

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

(4) OJ L 142, 2.6.1997, p. 30.

L 48/10

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

17.2.2001

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

Done at Brussels, 16 February 2001.

For the Commission

Franz FISCHLER

Member of the Commission