REFERENCE QUANTITIES WHICH HAVE NOT BEEN UTILIZED BY THE PERSONS TO WHOM THEY WERE ALLOCATED . SECONDLY, THEY MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR A GROUP OF PRODUCERS OR PURCHASERS TO BE REGARDED AS A SINGLE PRODUCER OR PURCHASER FOR THE PURPOSES OF THE ALLOCATION OF REFERENCE QUANTITIES . FINALLY, THEY AUTHORIZE THE ITALIAN REPUBLIC TO POSTPONE FOR THREE YEARS THE INTRODUCTION OF RULES FOR THE ADJUSTMENT OF REFERENCE QUANTITIES IN FAVOUR OF PRODUCERS WHOSE MILK PRODUCTION HAS BEEN AFFECTED BY A NATURAL DISASTER OR ACCIDENTAL EVENTS .
8 REFERENCE IS MADE TO THE REPORT FOR THE HEARING FOR A FULLER ACCOUNT OF THE FACTS OF THE CASE, THE COURSE OF THE PROCEDURE AND THE ARGUMENTS OF THE PARTIES .
9 THE ITALIAN REPUBLIC DOES NOT DENY THAT IT HAS FAILED TO FULFIL THE VARIOUS OBLIGATIONS REFERRED TO .
10 AS REGARDS THE OBLIGATION TO ALLOCATE INDIVIDUAL REFERENCE QUANTITIES, WHICH IS THE BASIS OF THE ADDITIONAL LEVY SCHEME, IT PUTS FORWARD TWO JUSTIFICATIONS .
11 THE ITALIAN REPUBLIC' S FIRST JUSTIFICATION IS THAT, IN THE ABSENCE OF STATISTICAL DATA ON THE SALES AND PURCHASES OF THE VARIOUS TRADERS, IT HAD TO CARRY OUT A SURVEY ON THAT SUBJECT BEFORE BEING ABLE TO ALLOCATE INDIVIDUAL REFERENCE QUANTITIES, WHICH MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR IT TO COMPLY WITH THE TIME-LIMITS LAID DOWN . FURTHERMORE, BY MAKING THE RULES GOVERNING THE ADDITIONAL LEVY CONSIDERABLY MORE FLEXIBLE IN REGULATIONS NOS*590/85 AND 1305/85, CITED ABOVE, THE COUNCIL RECOGNIZED THAT THE OBLIGATION TO ALLOCATE INDIVIDUAL REFERENCE QUANTITIES RAISED INSOLUBLE PROBLEMS IN ITALY .
12 IN REPLY TO THE ARGUMENT THAT IT WAS NECESSARY TO CARRY OUT AN INQUIRY BEFORE IT WAS POSSIBLE TO ALLOCATE INDIVIDUAL REFERENCE QUANTITIES IT SHOULD BE POINTED OUT THAT, ACCORDING TO SETTLED CASE-LAW, A MEMBER STATE MAY NOT PLEAD PROVISIONS, PRACTICES OR CIRCUMSTANCES EXISTING IN ITS INTERNAL LEGAL SYSTEM IN ORDER TO JUSTIFY A FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH OBLIGATIONS AND TIME-LIMITS ARISING FROM COMMUNITY LAW .
13 FURTHERMORE, IN AMENDING THE RULES AFTER THE ACTION HAD BEEN BROUGHT, THE COUNCIL DID NOT RECOGNIZE THAT THE OBLIGATION TO ALLOCATE INDIVIDUAL REFERENCE QUANTITIES CAUSED INSUPERABLE DIFFICULTIES FOR CERTAIN MEMBER STATES .
14 IN THAT REGARD, IT MUST BE POINTED OUT IN THE FIRST PLACE THAT IN INTRODUCING A SCHEME FOR TRANSFERRING INDIVIDUAL REFERENCE QUANTITIES WHICH HAD NOT BEEN UTILIZED, THE COUNCIL MAINTAINED THE PRINCIPLE OF THE ALLOCATION OF INDIVIDUAL REFERENCE QUANTITIES .
15 IN THE SECOND PLACE, IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT IT WAS NOT DECIDED TO ASSIMILATE GROUPS OF PRODUCERS AND PURCHASERS TO INDIVIDUAL PRODUCERS AND PURCHASERS FOR THE PURPOSES OF THE ALLOCATION OF REFERENCE QUANTITIES BECAUSE OF THE DIFFICULTIES CAUSED TO CERTAIN MEMBER STATES BY THE EXISTENCE OF A LARGE NUMBER OF PRODUCERS AND PURCHASERS . IT CAN BE SEEN FROM THE LAST RECITAL IN THE PREAMBLE TO REGULATION NO 590/85 AND FROM THE FIRST RECITAL OF THE PREAMBLE TO REGULATION NO 1305/85 THAT THE PURPOSE OF THAT AMENDMENT OF THE RULES WAS TO PERMIT MEMBERS OF GROUPS TO ADJUST THE AMOUNT THEY PRODUCE OR