(1)

Regulation (EC) No 3223/94 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 the Annex thereto.

(2)

In compliance with the above criteria, the standard import values must be fixed at the levels set out in the Annex to this Regulation,

(1)

Article 9 of Regulation (EC) No 1159/2003 stipulates how the delivery obligations at zero duty of products of CN code 1701, expressed in white sugar equivalent, are to be determined for imports originating in signatory countries to the ACP Protocol and the Agreement with India.

(2)

Article 16 of Regulation (EC) No 1159/2003 stipulates how the zero duty tariff quotas for products of CN code 1701 11 10, expressed in white sugar equivalent, are to be determined for imports originating in signatory countries to the ACP Protocol and the Agreement with India.

(3)

Article 22 of Regulation (EC) No 1159/2003 opens tariff quotas at a duty of EUR 98 per tonne for products of CN code 1701 11 10 for imports originating in Brazil, Cuba and other third countries.

(4)

In the week of 31 May to 4 June 2004 applications were presented to the competent authorities in line with Article 5(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1159/2003 for import licences for a total quantity exceeding a country's delivery obligation quantity of ACP-India preferential sugar determined pursuant to Article 9 of that Regulation.

(5)

In these circumstances the Commission must set reduction coefficients to be used so that licences are issued for quantities scaled down in proportion to the total available and must indicate that the limit in question has been reached,

(1)

Under Article 10(1) of Commission Regulation (EC) No 2848/98 of 22 December 1998 laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2075/92 as regards the premium scheme, production quotas and the specific aid to be granted to producer groups in the raw tobacco sector (2) cultivation contracts must be concluded, except in cases of force majeure, by 30 May. Pending the adoption of new support arrangements for raw tobacco under Council Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003 of 29 September 2003 establishing common rules for direct support schemes under the common agricultural policy and establishing certain support schemes for farmers (3), producers and first processors have been unable to conclude cultivation contracts before the deadline. That deadline should therefore be postponed for the 2004 harvest.

(2)

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

(1)

Article 11 of Regulation (EC) No 3072/95 provides that the rates of duty in the Common Customs Tariff are to be charged on import of the products referred to in Article 1 of that Regulation. However, in the case of the products referred to in paragraph 2 of that Article, the import duty is to be equal to the intervention price valid for such products on importation and increased by a certain percentage according to whether it is husked or milled rice, minus the cif import price provided that duty does not exceed the rate of the Common Customs Tariff duties.

(2)

Pursuant to Article 12(3) of Regulation (EC) No 3072/95, the cif import prices are calculated on the basis of the representative prices for the product in question on the world market or on the Community import market for the product.

(3)

Regulation (EC) No 1503/96 lays down detailed rules for the application of Regulation (EC) No 3072/95 as regards import duties in the rice sector.

(4)

The import duties are applicable until new duties are fixed and enter into force. They also remain in force in cases where no quotation is available from the source referred to in Article 5 of Regulation (EC) No 1503/96 during the two weeks preceding the next periodical fixing.

(5)

In order to allow the import duty system to function normally, the market rates recorded during a reference period should be used for calculating the duties.

(6)

Application of Regulation (EC) No 1503/96 results in an adjustment of the import duties as set out in the Annexes to this Regulation,

(1)

Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 1210/2003 lists the legal persons, public bodies, corporations, agencies and entities of the previous government of Iraq covered by the freezing of funds and economic resources under that Regulation.

(2)

Annex IV to Regulation (EC) No 1210/2003 lists the natural and legal persons, bodies or entities associated with the regime of former President Saddam Hussein covered by the freezing of funds and economic resources under that Regulation.

(3)

On 2 June 2004, the Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council decided to amend the list comprising Saddam Hussein and other senior officials of the former Iraqi regime, their immediate family members and the entities owned or controlled by them or by persons acting on their behalf or at their direction, to whom the freezing of funds and economic resources should apply. Therefore, Annex IV should be amended accordingly.

(4)

It is necessary to move five entries from Annex III to Annex IV and to amend two of these entries.

(5)

In order to ensure that the measures provided for in this Regulation are effective, this Regulation must enter into force immediately,

(1)

Pursuant to the first paragraph of Article 13 of Annex X to the Staff Regulations, Council Regulation (EC, ECSC, Euratom) No 64/2004 (3) laid down the weightings to be applied from 1 July 2003 to the remuneration of officials serving in third countries, payable in the currency of their country of employment.

(2)

The Commission has made a number of adjustments to these weightings (4) in recent months, pursuant to the second paragraph of Article 13 of Annex X to the Staff Regulations.

(3)

Some of these weightings should be adjusted with effect from 1 August, 1 September, 1 October, 1 November and 1 December 2003 given that the statistics available to the Commission show that in certain third countries the variation in the cost of living measured on the basis of the weighting and the corresponding exchange rate has exceeded 5 % since weightings were last laid down or adjusted,