Commission Regulation (EC) No 2340/2003 of 29 December 2003 derogating, for the year 2004, from Regulation (EC) No 1279/98 laying down detailed rules for applying the tariff quotas for beef and veal provided for in Council Decisions 2003/286/EC, 2003/298/EC, 2003/299/EC, 2003/18/EC, 2003/263/EC and 2003/285/EC for Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, the Republic of Poland and the Republic of Hungary

Commission Regulation (EC) No 2340/2003
of 29 December 2003
derogating, for the year 2004, from Regulation (EC) No 1279/98 laying down detailed rules for applying the tariff quotas for beef and veal provided for in Council Decisions 2003/286/EC, 2003/298/EC, 2003/299/EC, 2003/18/EC, 2003/263/EC and 2003/285/EC for Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, the Republic of Poland and the Republic of Hungary
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1254/1999 of 17 May 1999 on the common organisation of market in beef and veal(1), and in particular the first subparagraph of Article 32(1) thereof,
Whereas:
(1) Detailed rules for the application of concessions as regards the importation of beef and veal products under the tariff quotas opened for Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Poland and Hungary, were adopted by Commission Regulation (EC) No 1279/98(2).
(2) Subject to the ratification of the Treaty of Accession of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia (hereinafter referred to as "the new Member States"), the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary will accede to the European Union on 1 May 2004. The quotas attributable to those countries should therefore only be opened until the date of their accession.
(3) In order to allow operators from the new Member States to benefit from the preferential quotas granted to Bulgaria and Romania as specified in Regulation (EC) No 1279/98, the quantities available for the quota period running from 1 January 2004 to 30 June 2004 should be divided into two tranches on a pro rata temporis basis. The first tranche should be opened for the period from 1 January 2004 to 30 April 2004.
(4) Quantities available for the period from 1 January 2004 to 30 June 2004 within the tariff quotas opened under Regulation (EC) No 1279/98 for the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary should be made fully available before 30 April 2004.
(5) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Beef and Veal,