(1)

The Community and Switzerland agree that trade concessions in sausages and certain meat products previously granted by Switzerland to some Member States only, by virtue of pre-existing bilateral agreements between those Member States and Switzerland, should be consolidated within the framework of the Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on trade in agricultural products (1) (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Agreement’), which was approved by Decision 2002/309/EC, Euratom of the Council and of the Commission (2) and entered into force on 1 June 2002. The consolidation of these concessions will take place together with an increase of preferences in sausages and certain meat products. This includes the opening of new Community tariff quotas for the import of different products falling under CN codes ex 0210 19 50, ex 0210 19 81, ex 1601 00 and ex 1602 49 19, originating in Switzerland.

(2)

The bilateral procedures for adapting the concessions in Annexes 1 and 2 to the Agreement will take time. In order to ensure that quota benefit is available until the said adaptation enters into force, it is appropriate to open those tariff quotas on an autonomous and transitional basis and to do so from 1 January 2008 until 31 December 2009. This will ensure ample time for finalising both bilateral procedures and subsequent implementation measures by Parties.

(3)

Detailed rules for the implementation of this Regulation and, in particular, the provisions required for quota management should be adopted in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 24(2) of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2759/75 of 29 October 1975 on the common market organisation in pigmeat (3).

(4)

To be eligible for the benefit of these tariff quotas, products should originate in Switzerland in accordance with the rules referred to in Article 4 of the Agreement,