Proposal for a COUNCIL REGULATION amending Regulation (EC) No 2803/2000 as regards the opening and the increase of autonomous Community tariff quotas for certain fishery products

(presented by the Commission)

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

1. As part of the annual overall review within the Council concerning the granting of autonomous preferences for fishery products, the Commission researched the markets and supply needs of user industries for 2003.

2. Having regard to the requirements of the internal and external policies of the Community, the Commission is proposing a certain number of tariff measures and their increase, notably tariff quotas, to ensure continuation of Community production in accordance with the rules and obligations of the common organisation of the markets, and to ensure supply of the processing industries while also taking into account the current and foreseeable situation on the international market.

3. In these conditions, the tariff quotas for the products specified are for products which meet the conditions laid down as regards the reference prices fixed, or to be fixed, and which are intended for processing.

This is the purpose of the following proposal.

Proposal for a COUNCIL REGULATION amending Regulation (EC) No 2803/2000 as regards the opening and the increase of autonomous Community tariff quotas for certain fishery products

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 26 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Whereas:

(1) Community supplies of certain fishery products currently depend on imports from third countries. It is therefore in the Community's interest to suspend in part or in whole the customs duties for the products in question, in order not to jeopardise the development prospects of the fish production in the Community and to ensure an adequate supply to satisfy user industries. Council Regulation (EC) No 2803/2000 of 14 December 2000 opening and providing for the administration of autonomous Community tariff quotas for certain fishery products [1] has therefore suspended tariff quota for certain fishery products for a certain period.

[1] OJ L 331, 27.12.2000, p.61

(2) The Commission has researched the markets and supply needs of user industries for 2003. Having regard to the requirements of the internal and external policies of the Community, certain new tariff quotas for the products in question should be opened and certain existing quotas should be increased. to ensure continuation of Community production.

(3) Regulation (EC) No 2803/2000 should therefore be amended accordingly,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

In Regulation (EC) No 2803/2000 the Annex is amended as follows:

(1) The tariff quotas listed in the Annex to this Regulation for the goods and quota periods set out in that Annex are added.

(2) For the quota period from 1 January to 31 December 2003:

(a) the quota amount of the tariff quota 09.2785 is fixed at 20.000 tonnes.

(b) the quota amount of the tariff quota 09.2786 is fixed at 1.500 tonnes.

(c) the quota amount of the tariff quota 09.2794 is fixed at 7.000 tonnes.

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter into force on the third day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

It shall apply from 1 August 2003. This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels,

For the Council

The President

ANNEX

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- (a) Control of the use for this special purpose shall be carried out pursuant to the relevant Community provisions.

- (b) This quota is available for products intended to undergo any operation, unless it is solely for one or more of the following operations:

- - cleaning, gutting, tailing, heading,

- - cutting (excluding dicing, filleting, production of flaps or cutting of frozen blocks or splitting of frozen interleaved fillet blocks),

- - sampling, sorting,

- - labelling,

- - packing,

- - chilling,

- - freezing,

- - deep freezing,

- - thawing, separation.

The quota is not available for products intended, in addition, to undergo treatment (or operations) which gives quota entitlement, where such treatment (or operations) is (are) carried out at retail or catering level. The reduction of customs duties shall apply only to fish intended for human consumption.

- (c) The quota is available for products destined exclusively for salting and drying.

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Effective from 1.1.2003:

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Total loss of revenue in relation to the previous quota period: + 27.140.360 EUR crude.

7. Fraud prevention measures

Provisions on the management of these tariff quotas include the measures necessary for preventing frauds and irregularities and protecting against them.