(1)

Under Article 6 of Annex III to Decision 2001/822/EC, ACP/OCTs cumulation of origin for products falling within tariff heading 1006 is allowed for a total annual quantity of 160 000 tonnes, which include the 125 000 tonnes tariff quota for rice originating in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) States provided for in the ACP – EC Partnership Agreement, expressed in husked-rice equivalent. An initial issue of import licences for 35 000 tonnes of rice originating in the overseas countries and territories (hereinafter: OCTs) is made each year and, within this quantity, import licences for 10 000 tonnes are issued for imports originating in the least-developed OCTs listed in Annex IB to that Decision. All other import licences are issued for imports originating in the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba. These 35 000 tonnes of rice reserved for the OCTs may be increased if the ACP States do not actually use their direct export options under the tariff quota provided for in the Cotonou agreement.

(2)

From 1 January 2008, the trading arrangements of the ACP – EC Partnership Agreement no longer apply and the tariff quota for rice provided for therein is replaced by the preferential arrangements provided for in Article 6 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1528/2007 of 20 December 2007 applying the arrangements for goods originating in certain states which are part of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States provided for in agreements establishing, or leading to the establishment of, Economic Partnership Agreements (3). Under Article 3(3)(a) of that Regulation preferential arrangements for the products of tariff heading 1006 originating in certain states which are part of the ACP Group of States provided for in agreements establishing, or leading to the establishment of, Economic Partnership Agreements, shall continue only until 31 December 2009. As a result, as from 1 January 2010 it is no longer possible to provide for a possible increase of the OCTs quota linked to the use of an ACP quota and consequently the OCTs quotas must be opened on a yearly basis for a quantity limited to 35 000 tonnes.

(3)

Without prejudice to the additional conditions or relevant derogations laid down for the management of those import arrangements, account should be taken of the provisions of the horizontal or sectoral implementing regulations, that is, Commission Regulations (EC) No 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 (4), (EC) No 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 (5) and (EC) No 376/2008 of 23 April 2008 laying down common detailed rules for the application of the system of import and export licences and advance fixing certificates for agricultural products (6).

(4)

To ensure balanced market management, the issue of import licences relating to the above import quotas is to be staggered over the year in several specific subperiods, the period of validity of the licences should be laid down and a maximum quantity per application should be fixed.

(5)

Quantities of rice at stages of processing other than husked rice shall be converted at the rates laid down in Article 1 of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1312/2008 of 19 December 2008 fixing the conversion rates, the processing costs and the value of the by-products for the various stages of rice processing (7). Provision should also be made for the conversion of quantities of broken rice.

(6)

In order to ensure proper administration of the import quotas, a security should be lodged in conjunction with an import licence application at a level commensurate with the risks involved.

(7)

With a view to optimise the use of the quotas in case of application of an allocation coefficient, it is appropriate to establish that the rights deriving from the licences may be transferred to transferees satisfying the eligibility conditions set out in Article 5 of Regulation (EC) No 1301/2006.

(8)

According to Article 6 of Annex III to Decision 2001/822/EC, licences not used to import rice originating in the least-developed OCTs listed in Annex IB thereto should be made available for the import of rice originating in the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba. To this end, it is appropriate to establish that in the September subperiod the quantities not used for the least-developed OCTs can be allocated for the import of rice originating in the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba.

(9)

In order to ensure proper management of the quotas, it is appropriate to derogate from Article 11 of Regulation (EC) No 1301/2006 and adapt the notification obligations provided for in that Article.

(10)

As the import duties on the products of tariff heading 1006 originating in certain states which are part of the ACP Group of States provided for in agreements establishing, or leading to the establishment of, Economic Partnership Agreements, shall be eliminated as from 1 January 2010, the measures provided for in this Regulation should apply from the same date.

(11)

Commission Regulation (EC) No 1529/2007 of 21 December 2007 opening and providing for the administration in 2008 and 2009 of import quotas for rice originating in the ACP States which are part of the Cariforum region and the overseas countries and territories (OCTs) (8) will become obsolete at the end of 2009 quota period. For this reason, it should be repealed.

(12)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for the Common Organisation of Agricultural Markets,