(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)

Under Article 27(3) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999 of 17 May 1999 on the common organisation of the market in wine (1), any natural or legal person, or group of persons having made wine is required to deliver for distillation all the by-products of that winemaking. Since the accession of Romania to the Community on 1 January 2007, that requirement also applies to wine producers in that Member State although the practice is not traditional in Romania.

(2)

Compliance with this requirement presumes that there are distilleries ready to carry out distillation with the support of Community financial assistance. While such distilleries have developed in those Member States of the Community as constituted at 31 December 2006, in which this requirement has existed for several years, as yet no such industrial infrastructure for distillation exists in Romania.

(3)

The alternative way of dealing with by-products is to withdraw them under supervision, as practised in several Member States.

(4)

Given that distillation cannot be carried out at present for practical reasons, Romanian producers should be exempted from the distillation requirement for a specific period, and that requirement should be replaced by a requirement to withdraw the by-products under supervision in accordance with the conditions laid down in Articles 50 and 51 of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1623/2000 of 25 July 2000 laying down detailed rules for implementing Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999 on the common organisation of the market in wine with regard to market mechanisms (2).

(5)

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

(1)

The representative prices and additional duties applicable to imports of white sugar, raw sugar and certain syrups for the 2006/2007 marketing year are fixed by Commission Regulation (EC) No 1002/2006 (3). These prices and duties have been last amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 860/2007 (4).

(2)

The data currently available to the Commission indicate that the said amounts should be changed in accordance with the rules and procedures laid down in Regulation (EC) No 951/2006,

(1)

Council Regulation (EC) No 41/2007 of 21 December 2006 fixing for 2007 the fishing opportunities and associated conditions for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks applicable in Community waters and for Community vessels, in waters where catch limitations are required (3), lays down quotas for 2007.

(2)

According to the information received by the Commission, catches of the stock referred to in the Annex to this Regulation by vessels flying the flag of or registered in the Member State referred to therein have exhausted the quota allocated for 2007.

(3)

It is therefore necessary to prohibit fishing for that stock and its retention on board, transhipment and landing,

(1)

In accordance with Article 6(2) of Directive 91/414/EEC Germany received on 27 June 2000 an application from a Task Force consisting of UBE Europe GmbH and Stähler Agrochemie GmbH & Co. KG (UBE Europe GmbH having later left the Task Force) for the inclusion of the active substance beflubutamid in Annex I to Directive 91/414/EEC. Commission Decision 2000/784/EC (2) confirmed that the dossier was ‘complete’ in the sense that it could be considered as satisfying, in principle, the data and information requirements of Annexes II and III to Directive 91/414/EEC.

(2)

In accordance with Article 6(2) of Directive 91/414/EEC the Netherlands received on 12 July 1996 an application from Biosys (now: Certis USA) for the inclusion of the active substance Spodoptera exigua nuclear polyhedrosis virus (hereinafter Spodoptera exigua NPV) in Annex I to Directive 91/414/EEC. Commission Decision 97/865/EC (3) confirmed that the dossier was ‘complete’ in the sense that it could be considered as satisfying, in principle, the data and information requirements of Annexes II and III to Directive 91/414/EEC.

(3)

For those active substances, the effects on human health and the environment have been assessed, in accordance with the provisions of Article 6(2) and (4) of Directive 91/414/EEC, for the uses proposed by the applicants. The designated rapporteur Member States submitted draft assessment reports concerning the substances to the Commission on 13 August 2002 (beflubutamid) and 1 November 1999 (Spodoptera exigua NPV) respectively.

(4)

For those substances the draft assessment reports have been reviewed by the Member States and the Commission within the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health. The review was finalised on 15 May 2007 in the format of the Commission review reports for beflubutamid and Spodoptera exigua NPV.

(5)

It has appeared from the various examinations made that plant protection products containing the active substances concerned may be expected to satisfy, in general, the requirements laid down in Article 5(1)(a) and (b) and Article 5(3) of Directive 91/414/EEC, in particular with regard to the uses which were examined and detailed in the Commission review report. It is therefore appropriate to include beflubutamid and Spodoptera exigua NPV in Annex I to that Directive, in order to ensure that in all Member States the authorisations of plant protection products containing these active substances may be granted in accordance with the provisions of that Directive.

(6)

Without prejudice to the obligations defined by Directive 91/414/EEC as a consequence of including an active substance in Annex I, Member States should be allowed a period of six months after inclusion to review existing provisional authorisations of plant protection products containing beflubutamid or Spodoptera exigua NPV to ensure that the requirements laid down by Directive 91/414/EEC, in particular in its Article 13 and the relevant conditions set out in Annex I, are satisfied. Member States should transform existing provisional authorisations into full authorisations, amend them or withdraw them in accordance with the provisions of Directive 91/414/EEC. By derogation from the above deadline, a longer period should be provided for the submission and assessment of the complete Annex III dossier of each plant protection product for each intended use in accordance with the uniform principles laid down in Directive 91/414/EEC.

(7)

It is therefore appropriate to amend Directive 91/414/EEC accordingly.

(8)

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

(1)

The European Union has created a European Union Solidarity Fund (the Fund) to show solidarity with the population of regions struck by disasters.

(2)

The Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 allows the mobilisation of the Fund within the annual ceiling of EUR 1 billion.

(3)

Regulation (EC) No 2012/2002 contains the provisions whereby the Fund may be mobilised.

(4)

Hungary and Greece submitted applications to mobilise the Fund, concerning two disasters caused by flooding,

(1)

On 23 October 2006, the Council authorised the Commission, on behalf of the Community and its Member States, to negotiate with the Republic of Moldova a Protocol to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States and the Republic of Moldova (1) to take account of the accession of the Republic of Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union.

(2)

Subject to its possible conclusion at a later date, the Protocol initialled on 22 February 2007 should be signed on behalf of the European Communities and their Member States.

(3)

The Protocol should be applied on a provisional basis as from 1 January 2007, pending completion of the relevant procedures for its formal conclusion,

(1)

On 23 October 2006, the Council authorised the Commission, on behalf of the Community and its Member States, to negotiate with the Republic of Armenia a Protocol to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Armenia, of the other part, to take account of the accession of the Republic of Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union.

(2)

Subject to its possible conclusion at a later date, the Protocol should be signed on behalf of the European Communities and their Member States.

(3)

The Protocol should be applied on a provisional basis from 1 January 2007, pending completion of the relevant procedures for its formal conclusion,

(1)

On 23 October 2006, the Council authorised the Commission, on behalf of the Community and its Member States, to negotiate with Georgia a Protocol to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and Georgia, of the other part, to take account of the accession of the Republic of Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union.

(2)

Subject to its possible conclusion at a later date, the Protocol should be signed on behalf of the European Communities and their Member States.

(3)

The Protocol should be applied on a provisional basis from 1 January 2007, pending completion of the relevant procedures for its formal conclusion,

(1)

In accordance with Article 6(11) of the Act of Accession of 2005, Bulgaria and Romania acceded automatically to the Internal Agreement from the date of accession.

(2)

In accordance with Article 1(7) of the Internal Agreement, the allocation of contributions referred to in paragraph 2(a) of that Article, which are currently only estimated amounts in the case of Bulgaria and Romania, are to be amended by Council Decision should a new State accede to the EU.

(3)

In accordance with Article 8(4) of the Internal Agreement, the weightings laid down in paragraph 2 of that Article, which are currently only estimated votes in the case of Bulgaria and Romania, are to be amended by Council Decision should a new State accede to the EU.

(4)

The contributions and the weightings should be confirmed,

1.

In the table in Article 1(2)(a) the round brackets and asterisk after the words ‘Bulgaria’ and ‘Romania’ and the footnote ‘(*) Estimated amount’ shall be deleted;

2.

In the table in Article 8(2) the following shall be deleted:

3.

Article 8(3) shall be replaced by the following:

‘The EDF Committee shall act by a qualified majority of 724 votes out of 1 004, expressing a vote in favour by at least 14 Member States. The blocking minority shall consist of 281 votes.’