(1)

Regulation (EC) No 104/2000 provides that the Union withdrawal and selling prices for each of the products listed in Annex I thereto are to be fixed on the basis of the freshness, size or weight and presentation of the product by applying the conversion factor for the product category concerned to an amount not more than 90 % of the relevant guide price.

(2)

The withdrawal prices may be multiplied by adjustment factors in landing areas which are very distant from the main centres of consumption in the Union. The guide prices for the 2013 fishing year were fixed for all the products concerned by Council Regulation (EU) No 1242/2012 (2).

(3)

In order not to hinder the operation of the intervention system in the year 2013, this Regulation should apply retroactively from 1 January 2013.

(4)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee established by Regulation (EC) No 104/2000,

(1)

Regulation (EC) No 104/2000 provides that aid may be granted for quantities of certain fresh products withdrawn from the market and either processed to stabilise them and stored or preserved.

(2)

The purpose of that aid is to give suitable encouragement to producers’ organisations to process or preserve products withdrawn from the market so that their destruction can be avoided.

(3)

The aid level should not be such as to disturb the balance of the market for the products in question or distort competition.

(4)

The aid level should not exceed the technical and financial costs associated with the operations essential to stabilising and storage recorded in the Union during the fishing year preceding the year in question.

(5)

In order not to hinder the operation of the intervention system in the year 2013, this Regulation should apply retroactively from 1 January 2013.

(6)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee established by Regulation (EC) No 104/2000,

(1)

A Union selling price is to be fixed for each of the products listed in Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 104/2000 before the beginning of the fishing year, at a level at least equal to 70 % and not exceeding 90 % of the guide price.

(2)

Council Regulation (EU) No 1242/2012 (2) fixes the guide prices for the 2013 fishing year for all the products concerned.

(3)

Market prices vary considerably depending on the species and how the products are presented, particularly in the case of squid and hake.

(4)

Conversion factors should therefore be fixed for the different species and presentations of frozen products landed in the Union in order to determine the price level that trigger the intervention measure provided for in Article 25(2) of Regulation (EC) No 104/2000.

(5)

In order not to hinder the operation of the intervention system in the year 2013, this Regulation should apply retroactively from 1 January 2013.

(6)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee established by Regulation (EC) No 104/2000,

(1)

Regulation (EC) No 104/2000 provides for financial compensation to be paid to producer organisations which withdraw on certain conditions the products listed in parts A and B of Annex I to that Regulation. The amount of such financial compensation should be reduced by standard values in the case of products intended for purposes other than human consumption.

(2)

Commission Regulation (EC) No 2493/2001 of 19 December 2001 on the disposal of certain fishery products which have been withdrawn from the market (2) specifies the ways of disposing of the products withdrawn from the market. The value of such products should be fixed at a standard level for each of these modes of disposal, taking into account the average revenues which may be obtained from such disposal in the various Member States.

(3)

Under Article 7 of Commission Regulation (EC) No 2509/2000 of 15 November 2000 laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EC) No 104/2000 as regards granting financial compensation for withdrawals of certain fishery products (3), special rules provide that, where a producer organisation or one of its members puts its products up for sale in a Member State other than the country in which it is recognised, that body responsible for granting the financial compensation must be informed. This body is the one in the Member State in which the producer organisation is recognised. The standard value deductible should therefore be the value applied in that Member State.

(4)

The same method of calculation should be applied to advances on financial compensation as provided for in Article 6 of Regulation (EC) No 2509/2000.

(5)

In order not to hinder the operation of the intervention system in the year 2013, this Regulation should apply retroactively from 1 January 2013.

(6)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee established by Regulation (EC) No 104/2000,

(1)

Private storage aid should not exceed the sum of technical and financial costs recorded in the Union during the fishing year preceding the year in question.

(2)

To discourage long-term storage, to shorten payment times and to reduce the burden of controls, private storage aid should be paid in one single instalment.

(3)

In order not to hinder the operation of the intervention system in the year 2013, this Regulation should apply retroactively from 1 January 2013.

(4)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the Committee established by Regulation (EC) No 104/2000,

—

first month: EUR 224 per tonne;

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second month: EUR 0 per tonne.

(1)

Regulation (EC) No 104/2000 provides that reference prices valid for the Union may be fixed each year, by product category, for products that are the subject of a tariff suspension under Article 28(1). The same holds for products which, by virtue of being either the subject of a binding tariff reduction under the WTO or some other preferential arrangements, must comply with a reference price.

(2)

Pursuant to Article 29(3)(a) of Regulation (EC) No 104/2000, the reference price for the products listed in Annex I, Parts A and B to that Regulation, is to be the same as the withdrawal price fixed in accordance with Article 20(1) of that Regulation.

(3)

The Union withdrawal prices for the products concerned are fixed for the 2013 fishing year by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 232/2013 (2).

(4)

Pursuant to Article 29(3)(d) of Regulation (EC) No 104/2000, the reference price for products other than those listed in Annexes I and II to that Regulation is to be established in particular on the basis of the weighted average of customs values recorded on the import markets or in the ports of import in the three years immediately preceding the date on which the reference price is fixed.

(5)

There is no need to fix reference prices for those products falling under the criteria laid down in Article 29(1) of Regulation (EC) No 104/2000 which are imported from third countries in insignificant volumes.

(6)

In order to allow a swift application of the reference prices in the year 2013, this Regulation should enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

(7)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee established by Regulation (EC) No 104/2000,

(1)

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 481/2012 of 7 June 2012 laying down rules for the management of a tariff quota for high-quality beef (2) changed the management method of the quota opened by Council Regulation (EC) No 617/2009 (3) from the simultaneous examination method to the first-come, first-served management method. As in the framework of the first-come, first-served management method of that quota there are no longer import licences with validity limited to 30 June of each importing year, it is therefore opportune to drop the validity limit of 30 June for the certificates of authenticity. Instead, a period of three months from the date of issue of those certificates should be established which is in line with other high-quality beef tariff quotas.

(2)

For reasons of clarity, it is necessary to indicate, in the requirements for goods to benefit from the preferential tariff quota concerned, as set out in Annex II to Implementing Regulation (EU) No 481/2012, the bovine animals covered by the Union carcass classification and thus eligible for producing ‘high quality beef’.

(3)

Implementing Regulation (EU) No 481/2012 should therefore be amended accordingly.

(4)

For reasons of legal certainty, the new period of validity of certificates of authenticity should not apply to certificates of authenticity issued before the date of entry into force of this Regulation.

(5)

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

(1)

in Article 3, paragraph 7 is replaced by the following:

(2)

in Annex II, footnote 1 is replaced by the following:

(1)

Implementing Regulation (EU) No 543/2011 lays down, pursuant to the outcome of the Uruguay Round multilateral trade negotiations, the criteria whereby the Commission fixes the standard values for imports from third countries, in respect of the products and periods stipulated in Annex XVI, Part A thereto.

(2)

The standard import value is calculated each working day, in accordance with Article 136(1) of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 543/2011, taking into account variable daily data. Therefore this Regulation should enter into force on the day of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union,

(1)

Article 136(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 states that the import duty on products covered by CN codes 1001 19 00 , 1001 11 00 , ex 1001 91 20 (common wheat seed), ex 1001 99 00 (high quality common wheat other than for sowing), 1002 10 00 , 1002 90 00 , 1005 10 90 , 1005 90 00 , 1007 10 90 and 1007 90 00 is to be equal to the intervention price valid for such products on importation and increased by 55 %, minus the cif import price applicable to the consignment in question. However, that duty may not exceed the rate of duty in the Common Customs Tariff.

(2)

Article 136(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 lays down that, in order to calculate the import duty referred to in paragraph 1 of that Article, representative cif import prices are to be established on a regular basis for the products in question.

(3)

Under Article 2(2) of Regulation (EU) No 642/2010, the price to be used for the calculation of the import duty on products covered by CN codes 1001 19 00 , 1001 11 00 , ex 1001 91 20 (common wheat seed), ex 1001 99 00 (high quality common wheat other than for sowing), 1002 10 00 , 1002 90 00 , 1005 10 90 , 1005 90 00 , 1007 10 90 and 1007 90 00 is the daily cif representative import price determined as specified in Article 5 of that Regulation.

(4)

Import duties should be fixed for the period from 16 March 2013 and should apply until new import duties are fixed and enter into force.

(5)

Given the need to ensure that this measure applies as soon as possible after the updated data have been made available, this Regulation should enter into force on the day of its publication,

(1)

Pursuant to Article 12.1 of the Statute of the ESCB, the Governing Council adopts the guidelines and takes the decisions necessary to ensure the performance of the tasks entrusted to the European System of Central Banks (ESCB) and to the Eurosystem under the Treaty and the Statute of the ESCB. This includes the power to decide on the organisation of ancillary activities that are necessary for the performance of such tasks, such as the issuance and management of electronic certificates for securing information stored and processed in ESCB and Eurosystem electronic applications, systems, platforms and services, and for data communication to and from them.

(2)

Pursuant to Article 12.3 of the Statute of the ESCB, the Governing Council also has the power to determine the internal organisation of the European Central Bank (ECB) and its decision-making bodies. Accordingly, the Governing Council has the power to decide that the ECB will use electronic certificates issued by the Eurosystem’s own public key infrastructure.

(3)

The number of users accessing a growing number of constantly evolving ESCB and Eurosystem electronic applications, systems, platforms and services is increasing. The Governing Council has identified a need for advanced information security services, such as strong authentication, electronic signatures and encryption, through the use of electronic certificates.

(4)

Few ESCB central banks have their own public key infrastructure and many users from third parties that work jointly with ESCB central banks do not have easy access to a certification authority accepted by the ESCB in accordance with its certificate acceptance framework.

(5)

There is a need for the Eurosystem to create its own public key infrastructure which can issue all types of electronic certificates such as personal and technical certificates for ESCB and non-ESCB users, and which is flexible enough to adapt to developments in ESCB and Eurosystem electronic applications, systems, platforms and services. This public key infrastructure (hereinafter the ‘ESCB-PKI’) should complement the services provided by other certification authorities accepted by the ESCB in accordance with the ESCB certificate acceptance framework or by certification authorities accepted by the ESCB for TARGET2 and TARGET2 Securities for those two applications.

(6)

On 29 September 2010 the Governing Council decided to launch the ESCB-PKI project to build and implement the ESCB-PKI and to provide the resources required for its completion. It decided that the ESCB-PKI will be developed, hosted and operated by the Banco de España.

(7)

The ESCB-PKI indirectly supports the performance of ESCB and Eurosystem tasks. It is based on three levels of governance: Level 1 consists of the Governing Council and the Executive Board, Level 2 of the Eurosystem central banks and Level 3 of the providing central bank.

(8)

At Level 1, the Governing Council is responsible for the direction, management and control of the activities and deliverables needed to develop and operate the ESCB-PKI. It is also responsible for decision-making in relation to the ESCB-PKI and decides on the allocation of tasks not specifically attributed to Levels 2 and 3.

(9)

The Eurosystem central banks are responsible for the tasks assigned to Level 2, within the general framework defined by the Governing Council. They have competences regarding the technical means of implementing the ESCB-PKI.

(10)

The ESCB Information Technology Committee (ITC) has a steering role in the development of the ESCB-PKI. It guides, assesses, controls and approves the project deliverables against the acceptance criteria in accordance with the ESCB certificate acceptance framework, the scope and the schedule approved by the Governing Council.

(11)

At Level 3, the Banco de España has been appointed as the providing central bank to carry out the tasks assigned to it within the general framework defined by the Governing Council. The providing central bank has put in place the technical infrastructure and secure devices and services required to create and use a public key infrastructure in accordance with: (a) the national law transposing Directive 1999/93/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 1999 on a Community framework for electronic signatures (1), as applicable to it; (b) the national law transposing Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 1995 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data (2), as applicable to it; and (c) Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2000 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data (3).

(12)

Since electronic certificates are essential elements used in electronic applications both as an authentication mechanism to implement electronic signatures, and for public key-based encryption, the ESCB-PKI will take into account existing ESCB and Eurosystem electronic applications, systems, platforms and services and current ESCB projects in order to ensure that their needs are covered.

(13)

Non-euro area national central banks (NCBs) may decide to use the certificates and services provided by the ESCB-PKI,

1.

‘certificate’ or ‘electronic certificate’ means an electronic file, issued by a certification authority, which binds a public key with a certificate subscriber’s identity and is used for all or some of the following: (a) to verify that a public key belongs to a certificate subscriber; (b) to authenticate a certificate subscriber; (c) to check a certificate’s subscriber signature; (d) to encrypt a message addressed to a certificate subscriber; (e) to verify a certificate subscriber’s access rights to ESCB and Eurosystem electronic applications, systems, platforms and services. Any reference in this Decision to a certificate or electronic certificate includes a reference to the data carrier devices on which the certificate or electronic certificate is held;

2.

‘ESCB and Eurosystem electronic applications, systems, platforms and services’ means the electronic applications, systems, platforms and services that the ESCB and/or the Eurosystem use when carrying out the tasks entrusted to them under the Treaty and the Statute of the ESCB;

3.

‘public key infrastructure’ means the set of individuals, policies, procedures, and computer systems necessary to provide authentication, encryption, integrity and non-repudiation services by way of public and private key cryptography and electronic certificates;

4.

‘user’ means either a certificate subscriber or a relying party, or both;

5.

‘authentication’ means the process of verifying the identity of a certificate applicant or certificate subscriber;

6.

‘ESCB central bank’ means either a Eurosystem central bank or a non-euro area NCB;

7.

‘Eurosystem central bank’ means either an NCB of a Member State whose currency is the euro, including the providing central bank, or the ECB;

8.

‘providing central bank’ means the NCB appointed by the Governing Council to develop the ESCB-PKI and to provide ESCB-PKI services on behalf of and for the benefit of the Eurosystem central banks;

9.

‘non-euro area NCB’ means an NCB of a Member State whose currency is not the euro;

10.

‘ESCB-PKI certification authority’ means the entity, trusted by users, to issue, manage, revoke and renew certificates on behalf of the ESCB central banks or the Eurosystem central banks in accordance with the ESCB certificate acceptance framework;

11.

‘ESCB-PKI validation authority’ means the entity, trusted by users, which provides information on the validity of certificates issued by the ESCB-PKI certification authority;

12.

‘certificate subscriber’ means either an individual who is the subject of an electronic certificate and has been issued an electronic certificate, or a technical component manager who has accepted an electronic certificate issued by the ESCB-PKI certification authority for a technical component, or both;

13.

‘ESCB certificate acceptance framework’ means the criteria established by the ESCB ITC to identify the certification authorities, both internal and external to the ESCB, which can be trusted in relation to ESCB and Eurosystem electronic applications, systems, platforms and services;

14.

‘registration authority’ means an entity, trusted by users, which verifies the identity of a certificate applicant before the ESCB-PKI certification authority issues a certificate;

15.

‘relying party’ means an individual or an entity other than a certificate subscriber which accepts and relies on a certificate;

16.

‘audit policy’ means the ESCB audit policy defined by the Governing Council on 7 October 1998, as published on the ECB’s website (4);

17.

‘certificate applicant’ means an individual who requests the issuance of a certificate for themself or for a technical component;

18.

‘technical component’ means any software or any hardware equipment that can be identified by using electronic certificates.

(a)

verifies the validity, suspension or revocation of the certificate using current revocation status information;

(b)

takes account of any limitations on use specified in the certificate; and

(c)

accepts the ESCB-PKI certification practice statement and the applicable ESCB-PKI certificate policies.