(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 3(1)(b) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1290/2005 of 21 June 2005 on the financing of the common agricultural policy (2), intervention to regulate agricultural markets is financed by the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF).

(2)

In accordance with Article 8 of Regulation (EEC) No 1883/78, depreciation of agricultural products in public intervention storage must take place when they are bought in. The depreciation percentage must not exceed the difference between the buying-in price and the foreseeable disposal price for each of these products. That percentage must be fixed for each product before the beginning of each accounting year. The Commission may also restrict the depreciation at the time of buying-in to a fraction of this depreciation percentage, but that fraction may not be less than 70 % of the overall depreciation.

(3)

Points 1, 2 and 3 of Annex VIII to Commission Regulation (EC) No 884/2006 of 21 June 2006 laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EC) No 1290/2005 as regards the financing by the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) of intervention measures in the form of public storage operations and the accounting of public storage operations by the paying agencies of the Member States (3) lay down the methods for calculating the depreciation.

(4)

Coefficients for certain products to be applied by the intervention agencies to the monthly buying-in values of those products in the 2008 accounting year should therefore be fixed, to enable the agencies to establish the depreciation amounts.

(5)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee on the Agricultural Funds,

(1)

Under Article 3(1)(b) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1290/2005 of 21 June 2005 on the financing of the common agricultural policy (2), intervention measures to regulate agricultural markets are financed by the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF).

(2)

Article 4(1)(a) of Commission Regulation (EC) No 884/2006 of 21 June 2006 laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EC) No 1290/2005 as regards the financing by the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) of intervention measures in the form of public storage operations and the accounting of public storage operations by the paying agencies of the Member States (3) provides that expenditure relating to the financial costs incurred by Member States in mobilising funds to buy in products is to be determined in accordance with the methods set out in Annex IV to that Regulation on the basis of a uniform interest rate for the Community.

(3)

The uniform interest rate for the Community is the average of the three-month and 12-month forward Euribor rates recorded in the six months preceding the notification from the Member States provided for in point I.2 of Annex IV to Regulation (EC) No 884/2006, with a weighting of one third and two thirds respectively. That rate must be fixed at the beginning of each accounting year of the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF).

(4)

However, if the interest rate notified by a Member State is lower than the uniform interest rate fixed for the Community, in accordance with the second subparagraph of point I.2 of Annex IV to Regulation (EC) No 884/2006 a specific interest rate is fixed for that Member State. Also, in the absence of any notification from a Member State of the average rate of its interest costs by the end of the year, the Commission fixes the interest rate for that Member State at the level of the uniform rate fixed for the Community.

(5)

Given the Member States’ notifications to the Commission, the interest rates applicable for the 2008 EAGF accounting year should be fixed taking the various factors into account.

(6)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee on the Agricultural Funds,

(a)

3,0 % in the case of the specific interest rate applicable in the Czech Republic;

(b)

3,4 % in the case of the specific interest rate applicable in Sweden;

(c)

3,7 % in the case of the specific interest rate applicable in Greece;

(d)

3,8 % in the case of the specific interest rate applicable in Austria;

(e)

3,9 % in the case of the specific interest rate applicable in France, Finland and Lithuania;

(f)

4,0 % in the case of the specific interest rate applicable in Ireland;

(g)

4,1 % in the case of the specific interest rate applicable in Italy;

(h)

4,3 % in the case of the uniform interest rate for the Community applicable to those Member States for which no specific interest rate has been fixed.

(1)

Under Article 29 of Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999 support may be provided for the voluntary distillation of wine into potable alcohol. Commission Regulation (EC) No 1623/2000 (2) lays down detailed rules for the implementation of such distillation. Article 63a(10) thereof lays down the deadline by which wine delivered to a distillery must be distilled.

(2)

In some Member States, the volumes covered by contracts concluded by wine producers for distillation in the 2006/07 wine year have been far greater than normal. This has led to a saturation of distillery capacities and, as a result, it will not be possible to complete distillation by the specified deadline. To remedy this situation, the period authorised for distillation should be extended by one month.

(3)

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

(1)

Article 32 of Regulation (EC) No 318/2006 provides that the difference between prices on the world market for the products listed in Article 1(1)(b) of that Regulation and prices for those products on the Community market may be covered by an export refund.

(2)

Given the present situation on the sugar market, export refunds should therefore be fixed in accordance with the rules and certain criteria provided for in Articles 32 and 33 of Regulation (EC) No 318/2006.

(3)

The first subparagraph of Article 33(2) of Regulation (EC) No 318/2006 provides that the world market situation or the specific requirements of certain markets may make it necessary to vary the refund according to destination.

(4)

Refunds should be granted only on products that are allowed to move freely in the Community and that comply with the requirements of Regulation (EC) No 318/2006.

(5)

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

(1)

Commission Regulation (EC) No 900/2007 of 27 July 2007 on a standing invitation to tender to determine refunds on exports of white sugar for the 2007/2008 marketing year (2) requires the issuing of partial invitations to tender.

(2)

Pursuant to Article 8(1) of Regulation (EC) No 900/2007 and following an examination of the tenders submitted in response to the partial invitation to tender ending on 11 October 2007, it is appropriate to fix a maximum export refund for that partial invitation to tender.

(3)

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

(1)

Commission Regulation (EC) No 1060/2007 of 14 September 2007 opening a standing invitation to tender for the resale for export of sugar held by the intervention agencies of Belgium, the Czech Republic, Spain, Ireland, Italy, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Sweden (2) requires the issuing of partial invitations to tender.

(2)

Pursuant to Article 4(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1060/2007 and following an examination of the tenders submitted in response to the partial invitation to tender ending on 10 October 2007, it is appropriate to fix a maximum export refund for that partial invitation to tender.

(3)

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

(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)

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)

Directive 2004/109/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 December 2004 on the harmonisation of transparency requirements in relation to information about issuers whose securities are admitted to trading on a regulated market and amending Directive 2001/34/EC (1) requires that the access for investors to information about issuers is more organised at a Community level in order to actively promote the integration of European capital markets.

(2)

Directive 2004/109/EC obliges the competent authorities of the Member States to draw up guidelines with a view to further facilitate public access to information to be disclosed under Directive 2003/6/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 January 2003 on insider dealing and market manipulation (market abuse) (2), Directive 2003/71/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 November 2003 on the prospectus to be published when securities are offered tot he public or admitted to trading and amending directive 2001/34/EC (3) and Directive 2004/109/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and to create a single electronic network (hereinafter ‘the electronic network’) or a platform of electronic networks across Member States linking the different mechanisms appointed at national level for the storage of such information (hereinafter ‘the storage mechanisms’).

(3)

The competent authorities of the Member States adopted, within Committee of European Securities Regulators (CESR) established by Commission Decision 2001/527/EC (4), an opinion to the Commission on 30 June 2006, in which they expressed a preference for a simple electronic network mode linking the storage mechanisms. Such network could be accessed via a common interface which would contain a list of all listed companies in the Community and would redirect the user to the site of the relevant storage mechanism. The relevant data would thus remain stored at national level without any need to establish a common infrastructure replicating all the relevant information contained at national level and incurring excessive additional costs.

(4)

It is appropriate to provide at this stage for voluntary standards giving the necessary flexibility to the storage mechanisms to adapt themselves to the functioning of the electronic network.

(5)

It is desirable that the storage mechanisms are able to interconnect electronically to each other, so that investors and interested parties can easily accede to financial information on listed companies in the Community. In order to provide for a rapid establishment of such an electronic network, it should be based on simple conditions such as those suggested by the competent authorities of the Member States. A simple network should also allow for the provision of added value services to investors.

(6)

For the purposes of facilitating the access of investors to financial information on listed companies, storage mechanisms should be invited to integrate, wherever possible, related financial information disclosed by issuers in accordance with other Community or national acts.

(7)

In order to enable effective launching of the electronic network, the competent authorities of the Member States, within CESR and in close association with the storage mechanisms, should be invited to prepare a network governance agreement containing the essential conditions for the creation, functioning and funding of the electronic network and notably the appointment of a body that should be charged with the daily management of the network.

(8)

It is important that the storage mechanisms remain free to decide on their own pricing policy so as to secure their own financial viability. At the same time, they should not discriminate in their pricing policy between the users of electronic network and the users who have access to the storage mechanism at national level.

(9)

For the proper functioning of the electronic network, and in order to make sure that comparable services are offered to the users of that network within the Community, minimum quality standards for the storage of regulated information at the national level are necessary. It is important that sufficient security as regards the communication, storage and access to data is guaranteed by the storage mechanisms. It is equally important to establish systems providing for certainty as to the source and the content of the information filed with the storage mechanisms. In order to facilitate the automatic electronic docketing, date and time stamping and further processing of information filed, storage mechanisms should consider imposing the use of appropriate formats and templates. Additionally, in order to facilitate the access to the information stored by end users, appropriate searching facilities and service support should be provided. For the purposes of coherence of the system, the standards should be, to the extent possible, identical for the storage mechanisms participating in the network and for the body designed to manage the network platform on a daily basis.

(10)

A gradual approach appears necessary in order to ensure that the electronic network of storage mechanisms will be able to meet the expectations of issuers and investors in the long term, notably the possibility of a virtual one-stop-shop for accessing financial information disclosed by listed companies. Therefore, it is appropriate to provide for an examination of possible solutions to enhance this network in the future. In order to ensure coherence with the initial establishment of the network, such examination should be undertaken by the competent authorities of the Member States within the CESR. This work should at least include an examination of the possibility to link this electronic network with the electronic network which is being developed by the national company registries covered by the First Council Directive 68/151/EEC of 9 March 1968 on coordination of safeguards which, for the protection of the interests of members and others, are required by Member States of companies within the meaning of the second paragraph of Article 58 of the Treaty, with a view to making such safeguards equivalent throughout the Community (5).

(11)

In order to allow the Commission to monitor closely the situation and to assess the need for further measures, including the possibility to adopt implementing measures in accordance with Article 22(2) of Directive 2004/109/EC, the Member States should be invited to provide the Commission with the relevant information,