Commission Regulation (EC) No 2508/97 of 15 December 1997 laying down detailed rules for the application to milk and milk products of the schemes provided for in the Europe Agreements between the Community and the Republic of Hungary, the Republic of Poland, the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic, Bulgaria and Romania, the Agreements on free trade between the Community and the Baltic States and the Interim Agreement between the Community and the Republic of Slovenia, and repealing Regulations (EEC) No 584/92, (EC) No 1588/94, (EC) No 1713/95 and (EC) No 455/97

COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 2508/97 of 15 December 1997 laying down detailed rules for the application to milk and milk products of the schemes provided for in the Europe Agreements between the Community and the Republic of Hungary, the Republic of Poland, the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic, Bulgaria and Romania, the Agreements on free trade between the Community and the Baltic States and the Interim Agreement between the Community and the Republic of Slovenia, and repealing Regulations (EEC) No 584/92, (EC) No 1588/94, (EC) No 1713/95 and (EC) No 455/97
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 3491/93 of 13 December 1993 on certain procedures for applying the Europe Agreement establishing an association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Hungary, of the other part (1), and in particular Article 1 thereof,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 3492/93 of 13 December 1993 on certain procedures for applying the Europe Agreement establishing an association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Poland, of the other part (2), and in particular Article 1 thereof,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 3296/94 of 19 December 1994 on certain procedures for applying the Europe Agreement establishing an association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Czech Republic, of the other part (3), and in particular Article 1 thereof,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 3297/94 of 19 December 1994 on certain procedures for applying the Europe Agreement establishing an association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Slovak Republic, of the other part (4), and in particular Article 1 thereof,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 3383/94 of 19 December 1994 on certain procedures for applying the Europe Agreement establishing an association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Bulgaria, of the other part (5), and in particular Article 1 thereof,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 3382/94 of 19 December 1994 on certain procedures for applying the Europe Agreement establishing an association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and Romania, of the other part (6), and in particular Article 1 thereof,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1275/95 of 29 May 1995 on certain procedures for applying the Agreement on free trade and trade related matters between the European Community, the European Atomic Energy Community and the European Coal and Steel Community, of the one part, and the Republic of Estonia, of the other part (7), and in particular Article 1 thereof,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1276/95 of 29 May 1995 on certain procedures for applying the Agreement on free trade and trade related matters between the European Community, the European Atomic Energy Community and the European Coal and Steel Community, of the one part, and the Republic of Latvia, of the other part (8), and in particular Article 1 thereof,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1277/95 of 29 May 1995 on certain procedures for applying the Agreement on free trade and trade related matters between the European Community, the European Atomic Energy Community and the European Coal and Steel Community, of the one part, and the Republic of Lithuania, of the other part (9), and in particular Article 1 thereof,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 410/97 of 24 February 1997 on certain procedures for applying the Interim Agreement on trade and trade-related measures between the European Community, the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Atomic Energy Community, of the one part, and the Republic of Slovenia, of the other part (10), and in particular Article 1 thereof,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 3066/95 of 22 December 1995 establishing certain concessions in the form of Community tariff quotas for certain agricultural products and providing for the adjustment, as an autonomous and transitional measure, of certain agricultural concessions provided for in the Europe Agreements to take account of the Agreement on Agriculture concluded during the Uruguay Round Multilateral Trade Negotiations (11), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1595/97 (12), and in particular Article 8 thereof,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1926/96 of 7 October 1996 establishing certain concessions in the form of Community tariff quotas for certain agricultural products and providing for the adjustment, as an autonomous and transitional measure, of certain agricultural concessions provided for in the agreements on free trade and trade-related matters with Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, to take account of the Agreement on Agriculture concluded during the Uruguay Round Multilateral Trade Negotiations (13),
Whereas Commission Regulation (EEC) No 584/92 of 6 March 1992 (14), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1996/97 (15), lays down detailed rules for the application to milk and milk products of the schemes provided for in the Europe Agreements between the Community and the Republic of Poland, the Republic of Hungary, the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic;
Whereas Commission Regulation (EC) No 1588/94 of 30 June 1994 (16), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1873/97 (17), lays down detailed rules for the application to milk and milk products of the schemes provided for in the Interim Agreements between the Community of the one part and Bulgaria and Romania of the other part;
Whereas Commission Regulation (EC) No 1713/95 of 13 July 1995 (18), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1996/97, lays down detailed rules for the application to milk and milk products of the schemes provided for in the Agreements on free trade between the Community and the Baltic States;
Whereas Commission Regulation (EC) No 455/97 of 10 March 1997 (19), as amended by Regulation (EC) No 1873/97, lays down detailed rules for the application to milk and milk products of the scheme provided for in the Interim Agreement between the Community and the Republic of Slovenia;
Whereas the conditions laid down in the above-mentioned Regulations governing the submission of import licence applications, the issue of licences and the other arrangements for the management of the import schemes are almost identical; whereas, in order to simplify the rules and ensure their uniform application to all the schemes, the detailed rules for the different schemes should be set out in a single consolidated Regulation and the above-mentioned Regulations should be abolished; whereas, at the same time, certain technical adjustments should be made to the management arrangements;
Whereas, to ensure that the volume of imports is managed correctly, a security should be lodged when import licences are applied for and the lodging of licence applications should be subject to certain conditions, which must be defined; whereas, moreover, the quantities fixed during the year should be staggered and the procedure for allocating licences and the period of validity of licences should be fixed;
Whereas all importers in the Community should be guaranteed access to the above-mentioned schemes and the reduced rate of duty should be applied without interruption to all imports of the products in question into all Member States until the quantities provided for have been exhausted; whereas the necessary measures should be taken to ensure efficient Community management of these quantities; whereas, in particular, the danger of speculation requires access to transactions under the schemes in question to be subject to specific conditions; whereas this form of management requires close collaboration between the Member States and the Commission;
Whereas, in the interest of clarity, the quantities of products available under the different schemes for the first six months of 1998 should be determined at the same time; whereas these quantities are fixed taking account of the quantities remaining from the previous period and, in the case of imports from the Baltic States, the quantities for which licences have been issued in excess of the quantities available for the third quarter of 1997;
Whereas the measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Milk and Milk Products,