Commission Regulation (EC) No 2511/2000 of 15 November 2000 laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EC) No 1727/2000 establishing certain concessions in the form of Community tariff quotas for certain agricultural products originating in Hungary, and amending Regulation (EC) No 1218/96

Commission Regulation (EC) No 2511/2000
of 15 November 2000
laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EC) No 1727/2000 establishing certain concessions in the form of Community tariff quotas for certain agricultural products originating in Hungary, and amending Regulation (EC) No 1218/96
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1727/2000 of 31 July 2000 establishing certain concessions in the form of Community tariff quotas for certain agricultural products and providing for an adjustment, as an autonomous and transitional measure, certain agricultural concessions provided for in the Europe Agreement with Hungary(1), and in particular Article 1(3) thereof,
Whereas:
(1) In accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1727/2000, the European Community has undertaken to establish for each marketing year from 1 July 2000 import tariff quotas at a zero rate of duty for 400000 tonnes of medium or high quality wheat meeting the criteria laid down in Commission Regulation (EC) No 1249/96(2), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 2235/2000(3), and of 2500 tonnes of barley for brewing. These quantities will increase at the start of each marketing year by 40000 and 250 tonnes respectively relative to the quantities laid down for the preceding year.
(2) To ensure that imports of the cereal products covered by these tariff quotas are orderly and not speculative, they should be made subject to the issue of import licences. The licences will be issued, within the quantities set, at the request of the interested parties after a period of reflection and subject, where appropriate, to the fixing of a reduction coefficient in respect of the quantities applied for.
(3) To ensure the proper management of these quotas, deadlines for lodging licence applications should be laid down and, notwithstanding Articles 8 and 19 of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1291/2000 of 9 June 2000 laying down common detailed rules for the application of the system of import and export licences and advance fixing certificates for agricultural products(4), the information to be included in the applications and licences should be specified.
(4) To take account of delivery conditions, the import licences should be valid from the day of their issue until the end of the month following that in which they are issued.
(5) To ensure efficient management of the quota, the import licences should not be transferable and the import licence security should be fixed at a relatively high level, notwithstanding Article 10 of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1162/95(5), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 2110/2000(6).
(6) For the same reasons rapid two-way communication must be established between the Commission and the Member States regarding the quantities applied for and imported.
(7) In accordance with the instructions laid down in Annex A(b) to Regulation (EC) No 1727/2000, wheat imported under this quota must be of medium or high quality as destined in Regulation (EC) No 1249/96. Provisions should accordingly be laid down, in particular the lodgement of a specific security, to ensure that the quality of the imported product meets these conditions.
(8) The import duties on high- or medium-quality wheat within the meaning of Regulation (EC) No 1249/96 originating in Hungary listed in point I of the Annex to Commission Regulation (EC) No 1218/96(7), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 32/98(8), as worded before the entry into force of this Regulation and imported under licences applied for on or after 1 July 2000 are reimbursed in accordance with Articles 878 to 898 of Commission Regulation (EEC) No 2454/93 of 2 July 1993 laying down provisions for the implementation of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2913/92 establishing the Community Customs Code(9), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1602/2000(10).
(9) Commission Regulation (EC) No 1218/96 lays down detailed rules applying to the import of certain cereals originating in the Republic of Hungary under quotas opened by Council Regulation (EC) No 3066/95(11), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 2435/98(12). As these provisions are no longer necessary. Regulation (EC) No 1218/96 should be amended to delete them.
(10) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Cereals,