Commission Regulation (EC) No 1460/96 of 25 July 1996 establishing the detailed rules for implementing the preferential trade arrangements applicable to certain goods resulting from the processing of agricultural products, as provided for in Article 7 of Council Regulation (EC) No 3448/93

COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 1460/96 of 25 July 1996 establishing the detailed rules for implementing the preferential trade arrangements applicable to certain goods resulting from the processing of agricultural products, as provided for in Article 7 of Council Regulation (EC) No 3448/93
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 3448/93 of 6 December 1993 laying down the trade arrangements applicable to certain goods resulting from the processing of agricultural products (1), and in particular Articles 7, 13 and 16 thereof,
Whereas the Community has concluded several agreements with third countries providing for the application of reduced agricultural components in relation to the agricultural components fixed by the Common Customs Tariff;
Whereas eligibility for these reduced rates of duty is conditional on the goods originating from these preferential countries; whereas it is appropriate to specify in certain cases which rules of origin should be applied;
Whereas eligibility for these reduced rates of duty is generally granted within quota limits; whereas it is appropriate to open quotas and specify the detailed rules for implementing these quotas, particularly in order to guarantee equal and continuous access by all Community importers on the one hand and the immediate application, in all Member States, of the charges laid down for the quotas until the quotas are exhausted on the other hand; whereas, in order to ensure effective common administration of such quotas, there is no reason to prevent Member States from being authorized to draw the necessary quantities which correspond to actual imports from the quota volumes; whereas, however, such a method of administration requires close cooperation between Member States and the Commission which must, in particular, monitor the rate at which the quota volumes are used up and inform the Member States accordingly;
Whereas since the Kingdom of Belgium, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg are represented by the Benelux Economic Union, any operation relating to the administration of these measures may be carried out by any one of its members;
Whereas the reductions granted are generally established by reducing the basic amounts used to calculate the agricultural components applicable to certain specific goods; whereas, since tariffs were established during the Uruguay Round negotiations, the agricultural components of the Community Customs Tariff are fixed as they are and no longer according to the quantity of basic products established pursuant to Article 13 of Regulation (EC) No 3448/93;
Whereas in order to calculate the reduced agricultural components, these quantities must be maintained for preferential trade;
Whereas Commission Regulation (EC) No 3238/94 (2), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 478/96 (3), provides for the determination and administration of the variable components for certain goods originating in central and eastern European countries resulting from the processing of agricultural products referred to in the Annexes to Regulation (EC) No 3448/93; whereas, since the entry into force of this Regulation, the variable components have been replaced by agricultural components fixed in the Community tariff; whereas this Regulation had to be temporarily supplemented by Commission Regulation (EC) No 1200/95 (4);
Whereas Commission Regulation (EC) No 1294/94 of 3 June 1994 on implementing measures of the trade arrangements applicable on imports of certain goods resulting from the processing of agricultural products (5) is no longer applicable to goods imported outside preferential agreements;
Whereas reduced agricultural components have been introduced in trade with other third countries; whereas, for reasons of clarity, it is necessary to have a single regulation relating to the specific provisions applicable to trade referred to in Articles 6 and 7 of Regulation (EC) No 3448/93; whereas Regulations (EC) No 1294/94 and (EC) No 3238/94 must therefore be repealed;
Whereas Article 6 (3) of Regulation (EC) No 3448/93 provides that the ad valorem duties corresponding to the agricultural component may be replaced by a specific amount where provided for by a preferential agreement; whereas this amount should not, however, exceed the charge applicable in relation to non-preferential trade;
Whereas the measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for horizontal questions concerning trade in processed agricultural products not listed in Annex II,