(1)

Pursuant to Council Regulation (EC) No 992/95 (1), Community tariff quotas were opened for such products.

(2)

Participation of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia (hereinafter ‘the acceding States’) in the European Economic Area was agreed by means of the EEA Enlargement Agreement, signed between the Community and its Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway and the acceding States on 14 October 2003.

(3)

Pending the completion of the procedures required for the adoption of the EEA Enlargement Agreement, an Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters was agreed, which provides for a provisional application of the EEA Enlargement Agreement. That Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters was approved by Council Decision 2004/368/EC (2).

(4)

The EEA Enlargement Agreement provides for an Additional Protocol to the EC-Norway Free Trade Agreement of 1973 (hereinafter ‘the Protocol’), which provides for the opening of new Community tariff quotas for certain fishery products. Those new tariff quotas should be opened.

(5)

The Protocol provides that drawings on two new tariff quotas are stopped on 15 October of each year from 2005, so that any unused balance is made available exclusively to imports at the end of the year.

(6)

Regulation (EC) No 992/95 should therefore be amended accordingly.

(7)

Since the EEA Enlargement Agreement takes effect from 1 May 2004, this Regulation should be applicable from the same date and should enter into force without delay,

1.

The following Article 2a is inserted:

2.

Annexes I and II are amended in accordance with the Annex hereto.