(1)

Under Regulation (EEC) No 3491/90, the levy on imports of rice originating in Bangladesh is reduced by 50 % plus a standard component varying according to the extent to which the rice is milled, provided that a corresponding tax is paid when the rice is exported from the third country concerned. To this end, for the purposes of application of that Regulation, the changes which have taken place since its adoption should be taken into account, as should the overhaul of the agrimonetary arrangements in 1995.

(2)

Commission Regulation (EEC) No 862/91 of 8 April 1991 laying down detailed rules applying Council Regulation (EEC) No 3491/90 to imports of rice originating in Bangladesh (3) has been substantively amended since its adoption. The provisions relating to the quota originating in Bangladesh should, moreover, be harmonised with the horizontal or sectoral implementing regulations, that is, apart from Regulation (EC) No 1301/2006, Commission Regulations (EC) Nos 1291/2000 of 9 June 2000 laying down common detailed rules for the application of the system of import and export licences and advance fixing certificates for agricultural products (4), 1342/2003 of 28 July 2003 laying down special detailed rules for the application of the system of import and export licences for cereals and rice (5), and 1301/2006 of 31 August 2006 laying down common rules for the administration of import tariff quotas for agricultural products managed by a system of import licences (6). Regulation (EC) No 1301/2006 applies to import licences for tariff quota periods starting from 1 January 2007.

(3)

Regulation (EC) No 1301/2006 lays down in particular detailed rules for applications for import licences, the status of applicants and the issue of licences. It limits the period of validity of import licences to the final day of the tariff quota period and applies without prejudice to additional conditions or derogations laid down by the sectoral regulations. The administration of the Community tariff quota for imports of rice originating in Bangladesh should therefore be adapted by adopting a new regulation applicable from 2007 and repealing Regulation (EEC) No 862/91.

(4)

In the interests of sound administration of the quota, it is necessary to allow operators to submit more than one licence application per quota period, and therefore to derogate from Article 6(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1301/2006. The specific rules which apply to the drawing up of licence applications, their issue, their period of validity and the notification of information to the Commission should therefore be laid down, as should suitable administrative measures in order to ensure that the volume of the quota fixed is not exceeded. Moreover, in order to improve controls on the quota and to simplify its administration, provision should be made for import licence applications to be submitted on a weekly basis, and the security should be fixed at a level appropriate to the risks involved.

(5)

These measures should be applied from 1 January 2007, which is the date from which the measures provided for in Regulation (EC) No 1301/2006 apply.

(6)

However, the period for lodging the first applications referred to in this Regulation falls on a public holiday in 2007; it should therefore be laid down that the first applications may be lodged by operators only from the first working day of 2007, and that this first period for lodging applications closes no later than Monday, 8 January 2007. It should also be specified that import licence applications for this first period should be sent to the Commission no later than Monday 8 January 2007.

(7)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Cereals,

(a)

on the final day for the submission of licence applications, no later than 18.00 (Brussels time), the information on the import licence applications referred to in Article 11(1)(a) of Regulation (EC) No 1301/2006, with a breakdown by eight-digit CN code of the quantities (in product weight) covered by those applications;

(b)

no later than the second working day following the issue of the import licences, information on the licences issued, as referred to in Article 11(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 1301/2006, with a breakdown by eight-digit CN code of the quantities (in product weight) for which import licences have been issued;

(c)

no later than the last day of each month, the total quantities (in product weight) actually released for free circulation under this quota during the previous month but one, broken down by eight-digit CN code. If no quantities have been released for free circulation during the period, a ‘nil’ notification shall be sent.