(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)

Commission Regulation (EC) No 1384/2005 (2) opens a standing invitation to tender for the export of 94 608 tonnes of barley held by the Hungarian intervention agency.

(2)

Under Commission Regulation (EC) No 923/2005 (3), the Hungarian intervention agency has undertaken to make 40 000 tonnes of barley available to the Portuguese intervention agency in connection with the shortage of animal feed in Portugal. As a result of that undertaking, some of the quantities concerned are no longer available for export. Hungary has therefore informed the Commission of its intervention agency’s intention to change the quantity put out to tender for export. In view of that request, the quantities available and the market situation, the maximum quantity covered by the standing invitation to tender opened by Regulation (EC) No 1384/2005 should be amended.

(3)

Regulation (EC) No 1384/2005 should therefore be amended accordingly.

(4)

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

(1)

Commission Regulation (EC) No 1484/95 (4), fixes detailed rules for implementing the system of additional import duties and fixes representative prices in the poultrymeat and egg sectors and for egg albumin.

(2)

It results from regular monitoring of the information providing the basis for the verification of the import prices in the poultrymeat and egg sectors and for egg albumin that the representative prices for imports of certain products should be amended taking into account variations of prices according to origin. Therefore, representative prices should be published.

(3)

It is necessary to apply this amendment as soon as possible, given the situation on the market.

(4)

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

(1)

Article 8(1) of Regulation (EEC) No 2771/75 provides that the difference between prices in international trade for the products listed in Article 1(1) of that Regulation and prices within the Community may be covered by an export refund where these goods are exported in the form of goods listed in the Annex to that Regulation.

(2)

Commission Regulation (EC) No 1043/2005 of 30 June 2005 implementing Council Regulation (EC) No 3448/93 as regards the system of granting export refunds on certain agricultural products exported in the form of goods not covered by Annex I to the Treaty, and the criteria for fixing the amount of such refunds (2), specifies the products for which a rate of refund is to be fixed, to be applied where these products are exported in the form of goods listed in Annex I to Regulation (EEC) No 2771/75.

(3)

In accordance with the second paragraph of Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 1043/2005, the rate of the refund per 100 kilograms for each of the basic products in question is to be fixed for a period of the same duration as that for which refunds are fixed for the same products exported unprocessed.

(4)

Article 11 of the Agreement on Agriculture concluded under the Uruguay Round lays down that the export refund for a product contained in a good may not exceed the refund applicable to that product when exported without further processing.

(5)

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

(1)

Article 8 of Regulation (EEC) No 2771/75 provides that the difference between prices on the world market for the products listed in Article 1(1) of that regulation and prices for those products on the Community market may be covered by an export refund.

(2)

It follows from applying these rules and criteria to the present situation on the market in eggs that the refund should be fixed at an amount which would permit Community participation in world trade and would also take account of the nature of these exports and their importance at the present time.

(3)

The present market situation in certain third countries and that regarding competition makes it necessary to fix a refund differentiated by destination for certain products in the egg sector.

(4)

Article 21 of Commission Regulation (EC) No 800/1999 of 15 April 1999 laying down detailed rules for the application of the system of export refunds on agricultural products (2), stipulates that no refund is granted if the products are not of sound and fair marketable quality on the date on which the export declaration is accepted. In order to ensure uniform application of the rules in force, it should be stated that, in order to qualify for the refund, the egg products listed in Article 1 of Regulation (EEC) No 2771/75 must bear the health mark laid down in Council Directive 89/437/EEC of 20 June 1989 on hygiene and health problems affecting the production and the placing on the market of egg products (3).

(5)

The negotiations within the framework of the Europe Agreements between the European Community and Romania and Bulgaria aim in particular to liberalise trade in products covered by the common organisation of the market concerned. For these two countries export refunds should therefore be abolished. That abolition should not, however, lead to a differentiated refund for exports to other countries.

(6)

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

(1)

Article 33 of Regulation (EC) No 1254/1999 provides that the difference between prices on the world market for the products listed in Article 1 of that Regulation and prices for those products within the Community may be covered by an export refund.

(2)

Commission Regulations (EEC) No 32/82 (2), (EEC) No 1964/82 (3), (EEC) No 2388/84 (4), (EEC) No 2973/79 (5) and (EC) No 2051/96 (6) lay down the conditions for granting special export refunds on certain cuts of beef and veal and certain preserved beef and veal products, and the conditions for granting of assistance concerning certain destinations.

(3)

It follows from applying those rules and criteria to the foreseeable situation on the market in beef and veal that the refund should be as set out below.

(4)

With regard to live animals, for reasons of simplification, export refunds should not be granted for categories in which there is insignificant trade with third countries. Moreover, in the light of the general concern for animal welfare, export refunds for live animals for slaughter should be limited as much as possible.

(5)

Consequently, export refunds for such animals should be granted only for third countries which, for cultural or religious reasons, traditionally import substantial numbers of animals for domestic slaughter.

(6)

As to live animals for reproduction, in order to prevent any abuse, export refunds for pure-bred breeding animals should be limited to heifers and cows of no more than 30 months of age.

(7)

In order to enable some Community beef and veal products to be disposed of on the international market, export refunds should be granted for certain destinations on some products under CN codes 0201, 0202 and 1602 50.

(8)

The uptake of export refunds for certain categories of beef and veal products proves to be insignificant. This is also the case with regard to the uptake for certain destinations very close to the Community territory. For such categories, export refunds should no longer be fixed.

(9)

The refunds provided for in this Regulation are set on the basis of the product codes as defined in the nomenclature adopted by Commission Regulation (EEC) No 3846/87 of 17 December 1987 establishing an agricultural product nomenclature for export refunds (7).

(10)

The refunds on all frozen cuts should be in line with those on fresh or chilled cuts other than those from adult male bovine animals.

(11)

Checks on products covered by CN code 1602 50 should be stepped up by making the granting of refunds on these products conditional on manufacture under the arrangements provided for in Article 4 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 565/80 of 4 March 1980 on the advance payment of export refunds in respect of agricultural products (8).

(12)

Refunds should be granted only on products that are allowed to move freely in the Community. Therefore, to be eligible for a refund, products should be required to bear the health mark laid down in Council Directive 64/433/EEC of 26 June 1964 on health problems affecting intra-Community trade in fresh meat (9), Council Directive 77/99/EEC of 21 December 1976 on health problems affecting intra-Community trade in meat products (10) and Council Directive 94/65/EC of 14 December 1994 laying down the requirements for the production and placing on the market of minced meat and meat preparations (11).

(13)

Pursuant to the third subparagraph of Article 6(2) of Regulation (EEC) No 1964/82, the special refund is to be reduced if the quantity of boned meat to be exported amounts to less than 95 %, but not less than 85 %, of the total weight of cuts produced by boning.

(14)

The negotiations within the framework of the Europe Agreements between the European Community and Romania and Bulgaria aim in particular to liberalise trade in products covered by the common organisation of the market concerned. For these two countries export refunds should therefore be abolished. That abolition should not, however, lead to a differentiated refund for exports to other countries.

(15)

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

(1)

Article 13 of Regulation (EEC) No 2759/75 provides that the difference between prices on the world market for the products listed in Article 1(1) of that Regulation and prices for these products within the Community may be covered by an export refund.

(2)

It follows from applying these rules and criteria to the present situation on the market in pigmeat that the refund should be fixed as set out below.

(3)

In the case of products falling within CN code 0210 19 81, the refund should be limited to an amount which takes account of the qualitative characteristics of each of the products falling within these codes and of the foreseeable trend of production costs on the world market. It is important that the Community should continue to take part in international trade in the case of certain typical Italian products falling within CN code 0210 19 81.

(4)

Because of the conditions of competition in certain third countries, which are traditionally importers of products falling within CN codes 1601 00 and 1602, the refund for these products should be fixed so as to take this situation into account. Steps should be taken to ensure that the refund is granted only for the net weight of the edible substances, to the exclusion of the net weight of the bones possibly contained in the said preparations.

(5)

Article 13 of Regulation (EEC) No 2759/75 provides that the world market situation or the specific requirements of certain markets may make it necessary to vary the refund on the products listed in Article 1 of Regulation (EEC) No 2759/75 according to destination.

(6)

The refunds should be fixed taking account of the amendments to the refund nomenclature established by Commission Regulation (EEC) No 3846/87 (2).

(7)

Refunds should be granted only on products that are allowed to circulate freely within the Community. Therefore, to be eligible for a refund, products should be required to bear the health mark laid down in Council Directive 64/433/EEC (3), Council Directive 94/65/EC (4) and Council Directive 77/99/EEC (5).

(8)

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

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Chapter XI of Annex I to Directive 64/433/EEC,

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Chapter VI of Annex I to Directive 94/65/EC,

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Chapter VI of Annex B to Directive 77/99/EEC.

(1)

In accordance with Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 1051/2001, a world market price for unginned cotton is to be determined periodically from the price for ginned cotton recorded on the world market and by reference to the historical relationship between the price recorded for ginned cotton and that calculated for unginned cotton. That historical relationship has been established in Article 2(2) of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1591/2001 of 2 August 2001 laying down detailed rules for applying the cotton aid scheme (3). Where the world market price cannot be determined in this way, it is to be based on the most recent price determined.

(2)

In accordance with Article 5 of Regulation (EC) No 1051/2001, the world market price for unginned cotton is to be determined in respect of a product of specific characteristics and by reference to the most favourable offers and quotations on the world market among those considered representative of the real market trend. To that end, an average is to be calculated of offers and quotations recorded on one or more European exchanges for a product delivered cif to a port in the Community and coming from the various supplier countries considered the most representative in terms of international trade. However, there is provision for adjusting the criteria for determining the world market price for ginned cotton to reflect differences justified by the quality of the product delivered and the offers and quotations concerned. Those adjustments are specified in Article 3(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1591/2001.

(3)

The application of the above criteria gives the world market price for unginned cotton determined hereinafter,

(1)

Annex XIV, Chapter 5, Section B, paragraph (a) to the 2003 Act of Accession provides that the structural requirements laid down in Annex I to Council Directive 64/433/EEC of 26 June 1964 on health conditions for the production and marketing of fresh meat (2) and in Annexes A and B to Council Directive 77/99/EEC of 21 December 1976 on health problems affecting intra-Community trade in meat products (3) are not to apply to establishments in Slovakia listed in the Appendix (4) to Annex XIV to the Act of Accession until 31 December 2006, subject to certain conditions.

(2)

The Appendix to Annex XIV to the 2003 Act of Accession has been amended by Commission Decision 2004/463/EC (5) and 2005/189/EC (6).

(3)

According to an official declaration from the Slovak competent authority three meat establishments have completed their upgrading process and are now in full compliance with Community legislation. These establishments should therefore be deleted from the list of establishments in transition.

(4)

One meat establishment on the list of establishments in transition has made considerable efforts to comply with structural requirements laid down by Community legislation. However, this establishment is not in position to finish its upgrading process by the prescribed deadline due to exceptional technical constraints. Therefore it is justified to allow it further time to complete the upgrading process.

(5)

The Appendix to Annex XIV to the 2003 Act of Accession should therefore be amended accordingly. For the sake of clarity, it should be replaced.

(6)

The Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health has been informed of the measures provided for in this Decision,

(1)

Hungary has been granted transitional periods for certain milk establishments listed in the Annex to Commission Decision 2004/459/EC of 29 April 2004 adopting a transitional measure in favour of certain establishments in the milk sector in Hungary (2).

(2)

According to an official declaration from the Hungarian competent authority certain establishments have completed their upgrading process and are now in full compliance with Community legislation. Furthermore, certain establishments have ceased their activities.

(3)

A limited number of establishments have made considerable efforts to comply with structural requirements laid down by Community legislation. However these establishments are not in a position to finish their upgrading process by the prescribed deadline due to exceptional technical constraints. Therefore it is justified to allow them further time to complete the upgrading process.

(4)

The Annex to Decision 2004/459/EC should therefore be amended accordingly. For the sake of clarity, it should be replaced.

(5)

The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health,