Council Regulation (EC) No 1361/2002 of 22 July 2002 establishing concessions in the form of Community tariff quotas for certain agricultural products and providing for an adjustment, as an autonomous and transitional measure, of certain agricultural concessions provided for in the Europe Agreement with Lithuania

Council Regulation (EC) No 1361/2002
of 22 July 2002
establishing concessions in the form of Community tariff quotas for certain agricultural products and providing for an adjustment, as an autonomous and transitional measure, of certain agricultural concessions provided for in the Europe Agreement with Lithuania
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 133 thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,
Whereas:
(1) The Europe Agreement establishing an association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Lithuania, of the other part(1), hereinafter referred to as the "Europe Agreement", provides for certain concessions for certain agricultural products originating in Lithuania.
(2) The first improvements to the preferential arrangements of the Europe Agreement were provided for in the Protocol adjusting trade aspects of the Europe Agreement to take account of the accession of the Republic of Austria, the Republic of Finland and the Kingdom of Sweden to the European Union and the outcome of the Uruguay Round negotiations on agriculture, including improvements to the existing preferential agreements(2).
(3) Improvements to the preferential arrangements of the Europe Agreement were also provided for, in the form of an autonomous and transitional measure pending a second adjustment of the relevant provisions of the Europe Agreement, as a result of a first round of negotiations to liberalise the agricultural trade. The improvements entered into force as from 1 January 2001 in the form of Council Regulation (EC) No 2766/2000 of 14 December 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, of certain agricultural concessions provided for in the Europe Agreement with Lithuania(3). The second adjustment of the relevant provisions in the Europe Agreement, which will take the form of another Additional Protocol to the Europe Agreement, has not yet entered into force.
(4) A new Additional Protocol to the Europe Agreement on trade liberalisation for agricultural products has been negotiated.
(5) A swift implementation of the adjustments forms an essential part of the results of the negotiations for the conclusion of a new Additional Protocol to the Europe Agreement. It is therefore appropriate to provide for the adjustment, as an autonomous and transitional measure, of the agricultural concessions provided for in the Europe Agreement.
(6) The measures necessary for the implementation of this Regulation should be adopted in accordance with Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission(4).
(7) Commission Regulation (EC) 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(5) codified the management rules for tariff quotas designed to be used following the chronological order of dates of customs declarations. Tariff quotas under this Regulation should therefore be administered in accordance with those rules.
(8) As a result of the aforementioned negotiations, Regulation (EC) No 2766/2000 has effectively lost its substance and should therefore be repealed,