Council Regulation (EC) No 55/2004 of 17 December 2003 amending Regulation (EC) No 1453/2001 introducing specific measures for certain agricultural products for the Azores and Madeira and repealing Regulation (EEC) No 1600/92 (Poseima) with respect to the application of the supplementary levy in the milk and milk products sector in the Azores

Council Regulation (EC) No 55/2004
of 17 December 2003
amending Regulation (EC) No 1453/2001 introducing specific measures for certain agricultural products for the Azores and Madeira and repealing Regulation (EEC) No 1600/92 (Poseima) with respect to the application of the supplementary levy in the milk and milk products sector in the Azores
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 299(2) thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,
Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament(1),
Whereas:
(1) Article 23 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1453/2001(2) introduced for a period of four marketing years beginning in 1999/2000 a derogation from certain provisions of Regulation (EEC) No 3950/92 of 28 December 1992 establishing an additional levy in the milk and milk products sector(3) as regards the Azores. Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003 of 29 September 2003 establishing common rules for direct support schemes under the common agricultural policy and establishing certain support schemes for farmers(4) has amended Article 23 of Regulation (EC) No 1453/2001 in order to extend the aforementioned period to six marketing years and has fixed the amounts of that extension.
(2) However, restructuring of the milk sector in the Azores has not yet been achieved. In order to take account of the high level of dependence on milk production in the Azores, combined with other handicaps linked to their outermost location and the absence of viable alternative production, the relevant period should be extended and the amounts of this further extension fixed.
(3) This measure is restricted to milk producers in the Azores. Over the period of its application, this measure should enable the sector in the Azores to continue being restructured without interfering with the milk market and without appreciably affecting the sound working of the levy scheme at the Portuguese or Community level.