Commission Regulation (EC) No 2234/2003 of 23 December 2003 laying down detailed rules for the application in 2004 of the tariff quotas for "baby beef" products originating in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Serbia and Montenegro

24.12.2003 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 339/27
COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 2234/2003
of 23 December 2003
laying down detailed rules for the application in 2004 of the tariff quotas for ‘baby beef’ products originating in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Serbia and Montenegro
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 the market in beef and veal (1), and in particular the first subparagraph of Article 32(1) thereof,
Whereas:
(1) Article 4(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 2007/2000 of 18 September 2000 introducing exceptional trade measures for countries and territories participating in or linked to the European Union's stabilisation and association process, amending Regulation (EC) No 2820/98, and repealing Regulations (EC) No 1763/1999 and (EC) No 6/2000 (2), provides for an annual preferential tariff quota of 11 475 tonnes of ‘baby beef’, distributed among Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia and Montenegro including Kosovo.
(2) The Interim Agreements with Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, approved by Council Decision 2002/107/EC of 28 January 2002 on the conclusion of an Interim Agreement on trade and trade-related matters between the European Community, of the one part, and the Republic of Croatia, of the other part (3), and by Council Decision 2001/330/EC of 9 April 2001 on the conclusion of the Interim Agreement on trade and trade-related matters between the European Community, of the one part, and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, of the other part (4), lay down annual preferential tariff quotas of 9 400 tonnes and 1 650 tonnes respectively.
(3) Article 2 of Council Regulation (EC) No 2248/2001 of 19 November 2001 on certain procedures for applying the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Croatia, of the other part and for applying the Interim Agreement between the European Community and the Republic of Croatia (5) and Article 2 of Council Regulation (EC) No 153/2002 of 21 January 2002 on certain procedures for applying the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, of the other part, and for applying the Interim Agreement between the European Community and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (6) provide that detailed rules for the implementation of concessions on ‘baby beef’ should be laid down.
(4) For control purposes, Regulation (EC) No 2007/2000 makes imports under the quotas of ‘baby beef’ for Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia and Montenegro, including Kosovo, subject to the presentation of a certificate of authenticity attesting that the goods originate from the issuing country and that they correspond exactly to the definition in Annex II to that Regulation. For the sake of harmonisation, imports under the quotas of ‘baby beef’ originating in Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia should also be made subject to the presentation of a certificate of authenticity attesting that the goods originate from the issuing country and that they correspond exactly to the definition in Annex III to the Interim Agreements with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and with Croatia. A model should also be established for the certificates of authenticity and detailed rules laid down for their use.
(5) Kosovo, as defined by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 of 10 June 1999, is subject to an international civil administration by the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), which has also set up a separate customs service. There should therefore also be a specific certificate of authenticity for goods originating in Serbia and Montenegro/Kosovo.
(6) The quotas concerned should be managed through the use of import licences. To this end, 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 (7) and Commission Regulation (EC) No 1445/95 on rules of application for import and export licences in the beef and veal sector and repealing Regulation (EEC) No 2377/80 (8) should be applicable, subject to this Regulation.
(7) In order to ensure proper management of imports of the products concerned, import licences should be issued subject to verification, in particular of entries on certificates of authenticity.
(8) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Beef and Veal,