COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 3016/95 of 18 December 1995  opening Community tariff quotas for 1996 for sheep, goats, sheepmeat and goatmeat falling within CN  codes 0104  10  30, 0104  10  80, 0104  20  90 and 0204
THE COMMISSION OF THE  EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 3013/89 of 25 September 1989 on the common  organization of the market in sheepmeat and goatmeat  (1), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No  1265/95  (2), and in particular Article 12 (4) 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  (3), 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  (4), 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  (5), 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  (6), 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  (7), 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  (8), and in  particular Article 1 thereof,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1275/95 of 29 May 1995 on certain procedures for  applying the Agreement on free trade and trade related matters between the European Community, the  European Atomic Energy Community and the European Coal and Steel Community, of the one part, and  the Republic of Estonia, of the other part  (9), and in particular Article 1 thereof,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1276/95 of 29 May 1995 on certain procedures for  applying the Agreement on free trade and trade related matters between the European Community, the  European Atomic Energy Community and the European Coal and Steel Community, of the one part, and  the Republic of Latvia, of the other part  (10), and in particular Article 1 thereof,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1277/95 of 29 May 1995 on certain procedures for  applying the Agreement on free trade and trade related matters between the European Community, the  European Atomic Energy Community and the European Coal and Steel Community, of the one part, and  the Republic of Lithuania, of the other part  (11), and in particular Article 1 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 replace, as from 1 July  1995, the Voluntary Restraint Agreements in the sheep and goat sector by country-specific tariff  quotas and 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 undertook to reserve a certain share of the non-country-specific  tariff quota for imports of sheepmeat and goatmeat from Estonia  (1), Latvia  (2) and Lithuania   (3);
Whereas the tariff quotas have to be opened by the Commission and be managed according to the rules  laid down in Commission Regulation (EC) No 1439/95 of 1995 of 26 June 1995 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  (4), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No  2526/95  (5);
Whereas since imports in the Community market have traditionally been managed on a calendar year  basis, it is appropriate to maintain this system in the future;
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 the measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the  Management Committee for Sheepmeat and Goatmeat,
The customs duties applicable to imports into the Community of sheep,  goats, sheepmeat and goatmeat falling within CN codes 0104  10  30, 0104  10  80, 0104  20  90 and  0204 originating in the countries indicated in the Annexes, shall be suspended or reduced during  the periods, at the levels and within the limits of the tariff quotas laid down in this  Regulation.
1.  The quantities of meat, expressed in carcase weight equivalent, falling within CN  code 0204 for which the customs duty, applicable to imports originating in specific supplying  countries, is suspended for the period between 1 January and 31 December 1996, shall be those laid  down in Annex I.
2.  The quantities of live animals and meat, expressed as carcase weight equivalent, falling within  CN codes 0104  10  30, 0104  10  80, 0104  20  90 and 0204 for which the customs duty, applicable  to imports originating in specific supplying countries, is reduced to 4  % ad valorem for the  period between 1 January and 31 December 1996, shall be those laid down in Annex II.
3.  The quantities of live animals, expressed in live weight, falling under CN codes 0104  10  30,  0104  10  80 and 0104  20  90 for which the customs duty, applicable to imports originating in  specific supplying countries, is reduced to 10  % ad valorem for the period between 1 January and  31 December 1996, shall be those laid down in Annex III.
4.  The quantities of live animals, expressed in live weight, falling within CN codes 0104  10  30,  0104  10  80 and 0104  20  90 for which the customs duty, applicable to imports, is reduced to 10   % ad valorem for the period between 1 January and 31 December 1996, shall be those laid down in  Annex IV, Part A.
5.  The quantities of meat, expressed in carcase weight equivalent, falling within CN code 0204 for  which the customs duty, applicable to imports, is suspended for the period between 1 January and 31  December 1996, shall be those laid down in Annex IV, Part B.
1.  The tariff quotas provided for Article 2 (1), (2) and (3) shall be managed in  accordance with the rules laid down in Title II A of Regulation (EC) No 1439/95.
2.  The tariff quotas provided for Article 2 (4) and (5) shall be managed in accordance with the  rules laid down in Title II B of Regulation (EC) No 1439/95.
1.  The term 'carcase weight equivalent` referred to in Article 2 shall be taken to  mean the weight of bone-in meat presented as such, and also boned meat converted by a coefficient  into bone-in weight. For this purpose 55 kg of boned mutton or goatmeat other than kid corresponds  to 100 kg of bone-in mutton or goatmeat other than kid and 60 kg of boned lamb or kid corresponds  to 100 kg of bone-in lamb or kid.
2.  Where the option is available under the Association Agreements between the Community and  certain supplier countries of allowing imports in the form of live animals or as meat, 100 kg of  live animals shall be considered to be equivalent to 47 kg of meat.
This Regulation shall enter into force on the third day following its publication in  the Official Journal of the European Communities.
It shall apply from 1 January 1996.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all  Member States.