COMMISSION  REGULATION (EEC) No 1859/88
of 30 June 1988
amending Regulation (EEC) No 3472/85 on the buying-in and storage of olive oil by intervention agencies
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community,
Having regard to Council Regulation No 136/66/EEC of 22 September 1966 on the establishment of a common organization of the market in oils and fats (1), as last amended by Regulation (EEC) No 1098/88 (2), and in particular Article 12 (4) thereof,
Whereas Commission Regulation (EEC) No 3472/85 (3), as last amended by Regulation (EEC) No 3236/87 (4), specifies the olive oil qualities that may be offered for intervention; whereas experience has shown that intervention purchasing of olive-pomace oil is of no direct benefit to producers; whereas intervention purchasing of pomace oil is not therefore fully consonant with the aims of Article 12 (1) of Regulation No 136/66/EEC such as market stability and protection of producers' incomes; whereas, pursuant to Commission Regulation (EEC) No 3635/86 (5), intervention purchasing of olive-pomace oil was already suspended during the 1986/87 marketing year; whereas intervention purchasing of this quality of oil should therefore be terminated; whereas the Annex to Regulation (EEC) No 3472/85 must therefore be amended;
Whereas the maximum acidity of lampante virgin olive oil offered for intervention must be altered to improve the quality;
Whereas Council Regulation (EEC) No 1915/87 (6) altered the definition of virgin olive oil; whereas the price increase applicable on that quality should therefore be altered to take account of market conditions; whereas the Annex to Regulation (EEC) No 3472/85 must therefore be amended;
Whereas Commission Regulation (EEC) No 1058/77 (7), as last amended by Regulation (EEC) No 1858/88 (8), stipulates that virgin oils with a tetrachloroethylene content above a certain level are to be classed as lampante virgin olive oils; whereas as far as intervention purchasing is concerned this downgrading will be efective only from the beginning of the next marketing year; whereas on account of the depreciation in the market value of these oils a special intervention price should apply to them temporarily;
Whereas the Management Committee for Oils and Fats has not issued an opinion within the time limit set by its Chairman,
Regulation (EEC) No 3472/85 is hereby amended as follows:
1. Article 1 is replaced by the following:
'Article 1
Intervention under Article 12 (1) of Regulation No 136/66/EEC shall be restricted to olive oil as defined at point 1 of the Annex to that Regulation. The water and impurity content of such oil may not be more than 1 %.
In the case of lampante virgin olive oil the free fatty acid content expressed as oleic acid may not be more than 10 %.'
2. In Article 2 (2), 'and, in the case of olive residue oil, the accounts of the extraction industries of this oil' is deleted.
3. The fourth indent in Article 2 (3) is deleted.
4. In Article 3 (3), 'and of 0,5 % for residue oil' is deleted.
5. The third indent in Article 8 (2) is deleted.
6. The Annex is replaced by the Annex to this Regulation.
This Regulation shall enter into force on 1 July 1988.
However until 31 October 1988 Annex A to this Regulation shall apply in place of the Annex to Regulation (EEC) No 3472/85.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.