Commission Regulation (EC) No 885/98 of 24 April 1998 on the sale, by tendering procedure, of beef held by certain intervention agencies and intended for export

COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 885/98 of 24 April 1998 on the sale, by tendering procedure, of beef held by certain intervention agencies and intended for export
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 805/68 of 27 June 1968 on the common organisation of the market in beef and veal (1), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 2634/97 (2), and in particular Article 7(3) thereof,
Whereas the application of intervention measures in respect of beef has resulted in a build-up of stocks in several Member States; whereas outlets for these products exist in certain third countries; whereas, in order to prevent storage being prolonged excessively, part of these stocks should be sold by tendering procedure for export to those countries; whereas to permit the sale of meat of uniform quality, beef should be sold that was purchased under Article 6(b) of Regulation (EEC) No 805/68;
Whereas the sale should be conducted in accordance with Commission Regulation (EEC) No 2173/79 of 4 October 1979 on detailed rules of application for the disposal of beef bought in by intervention agencies (3), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 2417/95 (4), in particular Titles II and III thereof, and Commission Regulation (EEC) No 3002/92 of 16 October 1992 laying down common detailed rules for verifying the use and/or destination of products from intervention (5), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 770/96 (6), subject to certain special exceptions on account of the particular use to which the products in question are to be put;
Whereas, in order to ensure that the tendering procedure is consistent and uniform, measures should be adopted in addition to those provided for in Article 8(1) of Regulation (EEC) No 2173/79;
Whereas provision should be made for derogations from Article 8(2)(b) of Regulation (EEC) No 2173/79 in view of the administrative difficulties which the application of this point is creating in the Member States concerned;
Whereas, for administrative reasons, a minimum quantity should be set for tenders, taking into consideration normal commercial practice;
Whereas, for practical reasons, export refunds will not be granted in respect of beef sold under this Regulation; whereas, however, successful tenderers will be required to apply for export licences for the quantity allocated, in accordance with Commission Regulation (EC) No 1445/95 of 26 June 1995 on rules of application for import and export licences in the beef and veal sector (7), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 759/98 (8);
Whereas, in order to ensure that the beef sold is exported to the eligible third countries, provision should be made for a security to be lodged before the goods are taken over and the primary requirements should be determined;
Whereas products from intervention stocks may in certain cases have undergone several handling operations; whereas, in order to contribute to their satisfactory presentation and marketing, it seems appropriate to authorise the repackaging of the products in certain specified circumstances;
Whereas the measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Beef and Veal,