Commission Regulation (EEC) No 3583/91 of 10 December 1991 opening and providing for the administration of Community tariff quotas for certain agricultural products originating in the African, Caribbean and Pacific States

COMMISSION REGULATION (EEC) No 3583/91  of 10 December 1991  opening and providing for the administration of Community tariff quotas for certain agricultural products originating in the African, Caribbean and Pacific States
THE COMMISSION  OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 715/90 of 5 March 1990 on the arrangements applicable to agricultural products and certain goods resulting from the processing of agricultural products originating in the African, Caribbean and Pacific States  (1), as last amended by Regulation (EEC) No 523/91 (2), and in particular Articles 16 and 27 thereof,
Whereas the Articles 15 and 16 of Regulation (EEC) No 715/90 provide for the opening by the Community of quotas for imports of the following:
- 1 000 tonnes of fresh apples falling within CN code 0808 10, for the period 1 January to 31 December, and
- 1 000 tonnes of fresh pears falling within CN codes 0808 20 10 to 0808 20 39, for the period 1 January to 31 December,
originating in the countries in question;
Whereas within the limits of these tariff quotas, customs duties are phased out progressively:
- during the same periods and in accordance with the same timetables provided for in Articles 75 and 268 of the Act of Accession of Spain and Portugal, by 50 % of the said duties; and that these maximal reduction rates shall be applied from the moment  of entry into force of the present Regulation;
Whereas under Council Regulation (EEC) No 1820/87 of 25 June 1987 concerning the application of Decision No 2/87 of the ACP-EEC Council of Ministers on the advance implementation of the Protocol of the third ACP-EEC Convention consequent on the  Accession of the Kingdom of Spain and the Portuguese Republic to the European Community (3), the abovementioned tariff concession will apply in Spain and in Portugal; whereas within the limits of its tariff quotas Spain and Portugal shall apply customs  duties calculated in accordance with the abovementioned protocol to the third ACP-EEC Convention;
Whereas it is in particular necessary to ensure that all Community importers enjoy equal and uninterrupted access to the abovementioned quotas and that the rates laid down for those quotas should apply consistently to all imports of the products  concerned into all Member States until the quotas have been used up; whereas, in the present case, it would appear advisable not to allocate the quotas among the Member States, without prejudice to the drawing against the quota volumes of such  quantities as they may need, under the conditions and according to the procedures specified in Article 3;
Whereas, since the Kingdom of Belgium, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg are united within and jointly represented by the Benelux Economic Union, all transactions concerning the administration of the quotas may be carried  out by any of its members;
Whereas the measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Fruit and Vegetables,