(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 990/2006 (2) opened standing invitations to tender for the export of cereals held by the intervention agencies of the Member States.

(2)

Economic operators have not submitted tenders for some of the cereals covered by these tenders for several weeks now, apart from recent bids for small quantities. This is due in particular to the more favourable conditions for resale on the internal market under Commission Regulation (EC) No 1483/2006 of 6 October 2006 opening standing invitations to tender for the resale on the Community market of cereals held by the intervention agencies of the Member States (3). Resale on the internal market has increased sharply over that period.

(3)

In view of this situation and in order to make the quantities of common wheat and barley currently blocked in respect of the standing invitations to tender under Regulation (EC) No 990/2006 available for resale on the internal market, the quantities covered by those invitations to tender should be reduced, in the case of common wheat, by 968 tonnes for the Czech Republic, 199 946 tonnes for Hungary and 91 tonnes for Slovakia, and, in the case of barley, by 342 tonnes for Lithuania, 19 011 tonnes for Hungary and 356 tonnes for Poland.

(4)

Regulation (EC) No 990/2006 should therefore be amended accordingly.

(5)

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

(1)

Commission Regulation (EC) No 1483/2006 (2) opened standing invitations to tender for the resale on the Community market of cereals held by the intervention agencies of the Member States.

(2)

In view of the situation on the Community markets for common wheat and barley and of the changes in demand for cereals in various regions in recent weeks, new quantities of cereals held in intervention should be made available in some Member States. The intervention agencies in the Member States concerned should therefore be authorised to increase the quantities put out to tender by 598 269 tonnes of common wheat in Germany and by 100 000 tonnes of common wheat and 19 011 tonnes of barley in Hungary.

(3)

Regulation (EC) No 1483/2006 should be amended accordingly.

(4)

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

(1)

Applications for import licences were submitted to the competent authority during the week of 5 to 9 February 2007, in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 950/2006 or Commission Regulation (EC) No 1832/2006 of 13 December 2006 laying down transitional measures in the sugar sector by reason of the accession of Bulgaria and Romania (3) for a total quantity equal to or exceeding the quantity available for serial number 09.4347.

(2)

In these circumstances, the Commission should fix an allocation coefficient in order to issue licences in proportion to the quantity available and inform the Member States that the set limit has been reached,

(1)

Commission Regulation (EC) No 1961/2001 (2) lays down the detailed rules of application for export refunds on fruit and vegetables.

(2)

Article 35(1) of Regulation (EC) No 2200/96 provides that, to the extent necessary for economically significant exports, the products exported by the Community may be covered by export refunds, within the limits resulting from agreements concluded in accordance with Article 300 of the Treaty.

(3)

Under Article 35(2) of Regulation (EC) No 2200/96, care must be taken to ensure that the trade flows previously brought about by the refund scheme are not disrupted. For this reason and because exports of fruit and vegetables are seasonal in nature, the quantities scheduled for each product should be fixed, based on the agricultural product nomenclature for export refunds established by Commission Regulation (EEC) No 3846/87 (3). These quantities must be allocated taking account of the perishability of the products concerned.

(4)

Article 35(4) of Regulation (EC) No 2200/96 provides that refunds must be fixed in the light of the existing situation or outlook for fruit and vegetable prices on the Community market and supplies available on the one hand, and prices on the international market on the other hand. Account must also be taken of the transport and marketing costs and of the economic aspect of the exports planned.

(5)

In accordance with Article 35(5) of Regulation (EC) No 2200/96, prices on the Community market are to be established in the light of the most favourable prices from the export standpoint.

(6)

The international trade situation or the special requirements of certain markets may call for the refund on a given product to vary according to its destination.

(7)

Tomatoes, oranges, lemons, table grapes and apples of classes Extra, I and II of the common quality standards can currently be exported in economically significant quantities.

(8)

In order to ensure the best use of available resources and in view of the structure of Community exports, it is appropriate to fix the A1 and B export refunds.

(9)

The Management Committee for fresh Fruit and Vegetables has not delivered an opinion within the time-limit set by its chairman,

(1)

Commission Regulation (EC) No 1429/95 (2) set implementing rules for export refunds on products processed from fruit and vegetables other than those granted for added sugar.

(2)

Article 16(1) of Regulation (EC) No 2201/96 states that to the extent necessary to permit exportation of economically significant quantities export refunds can be granted on the products listed at Article 1(2)(a) of that Regulation within the limits ensuing from agreements concluded in line with Article 300 of the Treaty. Article 18(4) of that Regulation provides that if the refund on the sugar incorporated in the products listed in Article 1(2)(b) is insufficient to allow exportation of these products the refund set in line with Article 17 thereof shall apply to them.

(3)

Article 16(2) of Regulation (EC) No 2201/96 requires that it be ensured that trade flows that have already arisen as a result of granting of export refunds are not disturbed. For that reason the quantities should be set product by product using the agricultural product nomenclature for export refunds established by Commission Regulation (EEC) No 3846/87 (3).

(4)

Article 17(2) of Regulation (EC) No 2201/96 requires that when refunds are set account is taken of the existing situation and outlook for prices and availability on the Community market of products processed from fruit and vegetables and for international trade prices, of marketing and transport costs and of the economic aspects of the exportation envisaged.

(5)

Article 17(3) of Regulation (EC) No 2201/96 requires that when prices on the Community market are determined account is taken of the prices that are most favourable from the point of view of exportation.

(6)

The international trade situation or specific requirements of certain markets may make it necessary to differentiate the refund on a given product by destination.

(7)

Economically significant exports can at present be made of provisionally preserved cherries, peeled tomatoes, sugar-preserved cherries, prepared hazelnuts and certain orange juices.

(8)

Export refund rates and quantities should therefore be set for these products.

(9)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Products Processed from Fruit and Vegetables,

(1)

Commission Regulation (EC) No 1510/2006 (3) fixes the indicative quantities for which system B export licences may be issued.

(2)

In the light of the information available to the Commission today, there is a risk that the indicative quantities laid down for the current export period for oranges will shortly be exceeded. This overrun will prejudice the proper working of the export refund scheme in the fruit and vegetables sector.

(3)

To avoid this situation, applications for system B licences for oranges after 13 February 2007 should be rejected until the end of the current export period,

(1)

The International Coffee Agreement of 2001 has been signed and concluded on behalf of the European Community on 24 September 2001 by Council Decision 2001/877/EC (1).

(2)

Under the provisions of Article 52(1) and (2), the International Coffee Agreement of 2001 is due to expire on 30 September 2007 unless it is extended beyond that date by decision of the International Coffee Council for one or more periods not exceeding six years in total.

(3)

The extension of that Agreement is in the interest of the European Community.

(4)

The European Community’s position in the International Coffee Council should be established,

(1)

On 24 January 2006 the Council adopted Decision 2006/116/EC appointing the members and alternate members of the Committee of the Regions for the period from 26 January 2006 to 25 January 2010 (1).

(2)

A seat as a member of the Committee of the Regions has become vacant following the end of the mandate of Mr Pasqual MARAGALL i MIRA,

(1)

The accounts of the European Central Bank (ECB) and of the national central banks are to be audited by independent external auditors recommended by the Governing Council of the ECB and approved by the Council.

(2)

Pursuant to Article 4(2) of Law 13/1994 on autonomy of the Banco de España and to Articles 29(3) and 31 of its Rules of Procedure, the accounts of the Banco de España are audited by independent external auditors as provided for in Article 27 of the Protocol on the Statute of the European System of Central Banks and of the European Central Bank, and under the terms of Law 19/1988 on the auditing of accounts (2) regarding the eligibility, mandate and rotation of the auditors.

(3)

The mandate of the current external auditors of the Banco de España will expire after the audit for the financial year 2005. It is therefore necessary to appoint external auditors from the beginning of the financial year 2006.

(4)

The Banco de España has selected Deloitte, S.L. as its external auditor for the financial years 2006 to 2008. Its mandate is renewable thereafter on a yearly basis until the end of the financial year 2012.

(5)

The ECB considers that the external auditor selected by the Banco de España fulfil the necessary requirements for appointment and the Governing Council of the ECB therefore recommends that Deloitte, S.L. be appointed for the financial years 2006 to 2008 and its mandate be renewable thereafter on a yearly basis until the end of the financial year 2012.

(6)

It is appropriate to follow the recommendation of the Governing Council of the ECB and to amend Decision 1999/70/EC (3) accordingly,