Commission Regulation (EC) No 2327/97 of 25 November 1997 opening Community tariff quotas for 1998 for sheep, goats, sheepmeat and goatmeat falling within CN codes 0104 10 30, 0104 10 80, 0104 20 10, 0104 20 90 and 0204 and derogating from Regulation (EC) No 1439/95 laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EEC) No 3013/89 as regards the import and export of products in the sheepmeat and goatmeat sector

COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 2327/97 of 25 November 1997 opening Community tariff quotas for 1998 for sheep, goats, sheepmeat and goatmeat falling within CN codes 0104 10 30, 0104 10 80, 0104 20 10, 0104 20 90 and 0204 and derogating from Regulation (EC) No 1439/95 laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EEC) No 3013/89 as regards the import and export of products in the sheepmeat and goatmeat sector
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
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 (1), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1595/97 (2), and in particular Article 8 thereof,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 3013/89 of 25 September 1989 on the common organization of the market in sheepmeat and goatmeat (3), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1589/96 (4), and in particular Article 12 (5) thereof,
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 (5), 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 (6), 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 (7), 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 (8), 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 (9), 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 (10), and in particular Article 1 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 (11), and in particular Article 5 thereof,
Whereas under the Agreement on Agriculture concluded in the framework of the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations (12), the Community has undertaken to open a non-country-specific tariff quota; whereas the Europe Agreements concluded between the Community and the countries of Central Europe allow additional preferential access to the Community market;
Whereas, moreover, the Community has established a tariff quota for imports of sheepmeat and goatmeat from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania by virtue of Regulation (EC) No 1926/96;
Whereas the tariff quotas have to be opened for 1998 by the Commission and be managed according to the rules laid down in Commission Regulation (EC) No 1439/95 (13), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 2498/96 (14);
Whereas a carcase-weight equivalent needs to be fixed in order to ensure a proper functioning of the tariff quotas; whereas, furthermore, certain tariff quotas provide the option of importing either the live animals or their meat; whereas a conversion factor is therefore required;
Whereas Regulation (EC) No 3066/95 provided in particular, as an autonomous transitional measure, for a reduction in duty and increases in certain import quotas from the Associated Countries of Eastern Europe; whereas it also provided for the importation of pure-bred breeding goats falling within CN code 0104 20 10 within the tariff quotas for Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria; whereas it is necessary to derogate for 1998 from some of the implementing provisions laid down by Regulation (EC) No 1439/95;
Whereas the measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Sheepmeat and Goatmeat,