Commission Regulation (EC) No 478/2004 of 15 March 2004 on the release of securities for import licences for preferential sugar issued under Regulation (EEC) No 2782/76

Commission Regulation (EC) No 478/2004
of 15 March 2004
on the release of securities for import licences for preferential sugar issued under Regulation (EEC) No 2782/76
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/2001 of 19 June 2001 on the common organisation of the markets in the sugar sector(1), and in particular Article 22(2)(b) thereof,
Whereas:
(1) One of the Regulations repealed by Commission Regulation (EC) No 1159/2003 of 30 June 2003 laying down detailed rules of application for the 2003/2004, 2004/2005 and 2005/2006 marketing years for the import of cane sugar under certain tariff quotas and preferential agreements and amending Regulations (EC) No 1464/95 and (EC) No 779/96(2) was Commission Regulation (EEC) No 2782/76(3), which laid down detailed implementing rules for the importation of preferential sugar.
(2) Article 28 of Regulation (EC) No 1159/2003 provides as a transitional measure that licences issued under Regulation (EEC) No 2782/76 may be used provided that loading took place and/or import declarations were accepted before 1 July 2003.
(3) It has become clear that these transitional measures do not cover the case where licences provided for by Regulation (EEC) No 2782/76 and issued before 1 July 2003 could not be used because of the entry into application of Regulation (EC) No 1159/2003.
(4) Provision should therefore be made for the securities on licences which have been unusable since 1 July 2003 to be released.
(5) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Sugar,