22.12.2007 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 340/62
COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 1568/2007
of 21 December 2007
amending Regulation (EC) No 951/2006 in respect of export refunds to certain sugars used in certain products processed from fruit and vegetables
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 318/2006 of 20 February 2006 on the common organisation of the markets in the sugar sector (1), in particular point (g) of Article 40(1) thereof,
Whereas:
(1) Council Regulation (EC) No 1182/2007 of 26 September 2007 laying down specific rules as regards the fruit and vegetable sector, amending Directives 2001/112/EC and 2001/113/EC and Regulations (EEC) No 827/68, (EC) No 2200/96, (EC) No 2201/96, (EC) No 2826/2000, (EC) No 1782/2003 and (EC) No 318/2006 and repealing Regulation (EC) No 2202/96 (2) introduced a reform in the processed fruit and vegetables sector. Following that reform, export refund can no longer be granted under Regulation (EC) No 1182/2007 or Council Regulation (EC) No 2201/96 of 28 October 1996 on the common organization of the markets in processed fruit and vegetable products (3) for the sugar used for the manufacture of certain products processed from fruit and vegetables. In turn, Article 53 of Regulation (EC) No 1182/2007 amended Regulation (EC) No 318/2006 in order to make eligible for refund under that Regulation certain sugar products contained in processed fruit and vegetables, listed previously in Regulation (EC) No 2201/96.
(2) The reference prices for white sugar are laid down by Article 3(1) of Regulation (EC) No 318/2006. In accordance with that provision the white sugar reference price will be reduced as from the marketing year 2008/2009. Community producers of certain products processed from fruit and vegetables with significant added sugar content would therefore face competitive disadvantage on their export markets as they are to continue to pay a sugar price above the world price without being eligible for export refunds. In order to maintain the competitiveness of such Community producers on the export markets, it is, therefore, justified to allow for the granting of export refund for the sugar that they use for their production.
(3) The detailed rules for the granting of export refund in respect of the sugar products concerned contained in certain processed fruit and vegetables, falling under the scope of Article 1(2)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 2201/96, are laid down in Commission Regulation (EC) No 2315/95 of 29 September 1995 laying down detailed rules for the application of export refunds to certain sugars covered by the common organization of the market in sugar used in certain products processed from fruit and vegetables (4). Due to the amendments under the reform of the processed fruit and vegetables sector, it is appropriate to transfer those provisions to Commission Regulation (EC) No 951/2006 of 30 June 2006 laying down detailed rules for the implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No 318/2006 as regards trade with third countries in the sugar sector (5).
(4) In the light of the provisions of Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation of 22 July 1972 and in order to avoid the imposition of unnecessary costs on operators, Commission Regulation (EC) No 389/2005 (6) laid down derogations from Article 18(6) of Regulation (EC) No 2201/96 and Article 16 of Commission Regulation (EC) No 800/1999 (7) regarding the export to third countries other than Switzerland and Liechtenstein of certain products processed from fruit and vegetables. Article 18(6) of Regulation (EC) No 2201/96 was deleted by Article 48(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1182/2007. However, a derogation from Article 16 of Regulation (EC) No 800/1999, in so far as it requires proof of import in the case of differentiated refunds, should continue to apply. It is also appropriate, where no export refunds have been fixed for Switzerland and Liechtenstein, not to take account of that fact when the lowest rate of refund is determined. For the sake of legal clarity it is appropriate to transfer that derogation to Regulation (EC) No 951/2006.
(5) It is therefore necessary to amend Regulation (EC) No 951/2006 accordingly and to repeal Regulations (EC) No 2315/95 and (EC) No 389/2005.
(6) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Sugar.
Regulation (EC) No 951/2006 is amended as follows:
1. In Chapter II the following Articles 4a and 4b are added:
(a) the products have been exported from the Community, and
(b) in the case of a differentiated refund, the products have reached the destination indicated on the licence or another destination for which the refund was fixed.
2. Article 5(1) is replaced by the following:
3. In Article 6 the following paragraph 2a is inserted:
4. In Article 8 the following paragraph is added:
5. In Article 12 the following paragraph is added:
6. In the Annex, the text set out in the Annex to this Regulation is added.
Regulations (EC) No 2315/95 and (EC) No 389/2005 are repealed.
This Regulation shall enter into force on the third day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
It shall be applicable from 1 January 2008.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.