Commission Regulation (EC) No 2599/2001 of 28 December 2001 on the sale of Community olive oil residues held by the Spanish, Greek and Italian intervention agencies

Commission Regulation (EC) No 2599/2001
of 28 December 2001
on the sale of Community olive oil residues held by the Spanish, Greek and Italian intervention agencies
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1638/98 of 20 July 1998 amending Regulation No 136/66/EEC on the establishment of a common organisation of the market in oils and fats(1), as amended by Regulation (EC) No 1513/2001(2), and in particular Article 3(1) thereof,
Whereas:
(1) Under the intervention arrangements, prior to 1 November 1998, sales by tender of olive oil were carried out by the Spanish, Greek and Italian intervention agencies. Those arrangements were repealed by Regulation (EC) No 1638/98 with effect from 1 November 1998. A quantity of vat bottom residues are still held in stock by those intervention agencies. These residues contain a considerable percentage of oil. To ensure a smooth transition from the intervention arrangements to the present situation in which those arrangements no longer exist, the sale of the olive oil bought in by the intervention agencies under the arrangements now repealed and still held in stock should be authorised.
(2) Article 2(1) of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2754/78 of 23 November 1978 on intervention in the olive oil sector(3), as amended by Regulation (EEC) No 2203/90(4), provides that Community olive oil held by the intervention agencies is to be put up for sale by tender except when particular conditions necessitate recourse to other procedures.
(3) For commercial reasons based chiefly on the fact that there is no well-defined market or price system for the product in question, it is not possible to use the sale by tender procedure. The Spanish, Greek and Italian intervention agencies should therefore sell the product at the best price they can obtain whilst ensuring that Article 2(2) of Regulation (EEC) No 2754/78 is complied with. A second sale may be envisaged if the product remains totally or partly unsold after the first sale.
(4) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the management Committee foir Oils and Fats,