(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 2 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2681/74 of 21 October 1974 on Community financing of expenditure incurred in respect of the supply of agricultural products as food aid (3) lays down that the portion of the expenditure corresponding to the export refunds on the products in question fixed under Community rules is to be charged to the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund, Guarantee Section.

(2)

In order to make it easier to draw up and manage the budget for Community food aid actions and to enable the Member States to know the extent of Community participation in the financing of national food aid actions, the level of the refunds granted for these actions should be determined.

(3)

The general and implementing rules provided for in Article 13 of Regulation (EC) No 1784/2003 and in Article 13 of Regulation (EC) No 1785/2003 on export refunds are applicable mutatis mutandis to the abovementioned operations.

(4)

The specific criteria to be used for calculating the export refund on rice are set out in Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 1785/2003.

(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 2019/94 of 2 August 1994 on imports of residues from the manufacture of starch from maize from the United States of America (2) has been substantially amended several times (3). In the interests of clarity and rationality the said Regulation should be codified.

(2)

Within the framework of the GATT, the Community and the USA have agreed to clarify the tariff definition of residues from the manufacture of starch from maize. Imports of these products into the Community are subject to laboratory analysis to verify their conformity with the tariff definition. The Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) of the United States Department of Agriculture and the USA wet milling industry, under the regular review of the USA authorities, will certify that imports of these products from the USA into the Community are in conformity with the agreed definition.

(3)

On the basis of the establishment of a system of accompanying certificates for checking the conformity of imports from the USA, it is appropriate that the customary measures for checking should continue to be applied to imports from the USA accompanied by these certificates.

(4)

The regular communication by Member States to the Commission of the quantities and value of products imported under cover of these certificates is one of the elements agreed with the USA to enable a more effective monitoring of the implementation of the above agreement.

(5)

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

(1)

Regulation (EC) No 304/2003 implements the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure (PIC procedure) for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and pesticides in International Trade, signed on 11 September 1998 and approved, on behalf of the Community, by Council Decision 2003/106/EC (2).

(2)

Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 304/2003 should be amended to take into account regulatory action in respect of certain chemicals taken pursuant to Council Directive 76/769/EEC of 27 July 1976 on the approximation of the laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States relating to restrictions on the marketing and use of certain dangerous substances and preparations (3), Council Directive 91/414/EEC of 15 July 1991 concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market (4), Directive 98/8/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 1998 concerning the placing of biocidal products on the market (5) and of other Community legislation. In those cases where the restrictions imposed through those acts are not to be implemented until a future date, the obligations imposed by Regulation (EC) No 304/2003 should not start to apply before those dates in order to facilitate implementation.

(3)

Pursuant to Directive 76/769/EEC, perfluorooctane sulfonates are severely restricted for industrial use and thus should be added to the lists of chemicals contained in Parts 1 and 2 of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 304/2003.

(4)

It has been decided not to include the substances dimethenamid, phosalone, alachlor, thiodicarb, oxydemethon-methyl, cadusafos, carbofuran, carbosulfan, haloxyfop-R as active substances in Annex I to Directive 91/414/EEC, with the effect that those active substances are banned for pesticide use and thus should be added to the lists of chemicals contained in Parts 1 and 2 of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 304/2003.

(5)

It has been decided not to include carbaryl and trichlorfon as active substances in Annex I to Directive 91/414/EEC and not to include carbaryl and trichlorfon as active substances in Annex I, IA or IB to Directive 98/8/EC with the effect that those active substances are banned for pesticide use and thus should be added to the lists of chemicals contained in Parts 1 and 2 of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 304/2003.

(6)

It has been decided not to include malathion as an active substance in Annex I to Directive 91/414/EEC with the effect that this active substance is banned for use in the subcategory pesticide in the group of plant protection products and thus should be added to the list of chemicals contained in Part 1 of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 304/2003.

(7)

It has been decided not to include fenitrothion, dichlorvos, diazinon and diuron as active substances in Annex I to Directive 91/414/EEC with the effect that those active substances are banned for use in the subcategory pesticide in the group of plant protection products, and thus should be added to Part 1 of Annex I to Regulation (EC) 304/2003, despite the fact that those substances have been identified and notified for evaluation under Directive 98/8/EC and may thus continue to be authorised by Member States until a decision under that Directive will be taken.

(8)

Directive 91/414/EEC provides in Article 8(2) for a time period of 12 years during which Member States are allowed to authorise the placing on the market of plant protection products containing certain active substances. That time period has been extended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 2076/2002 of 20 November 2002 extending the time period referred to in Article 8(2) of Council Directive 91/414/EEC and concerning the non-inclusion of certain active substances in Annex I to that Directive and the withdrawal of authorisations for plan protections products containing these substances (6). However, since no directive was adopted including the active substances azinphos-methyl and vinclozolin in Annex I to Directive 91/414/EEC before the expiry of the time period defined for those substances, Member States were obliged to withdraw national authorisations of plant protection products containing those substances as from 1 January 2007. As a result the active substances azinphos-methyl and vinclozolin are therefore banned for pesticide use and thus should be added to the list of chemicals contained in Part 1 of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 304/2003.

(9)

Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 304/2003 should therefore be amended accordingly.

(10)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee established by Article 29 of Directive 67/548/EEC,

(1)

The Convention established by the Council in accordance with Article 34 of the Treaty on European Union on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters between the Member States of the European Union (2) (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Mutual Assistance Convention’) was signed at Brussels on 29 May 2000 and entered into force on 23 August 2005.

(2)

The Mutual Assistance Convention was complemented by the Protocol signed on 16 October 2001, which entered into force on 5 October 2005 (3) (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Mutual Assistance Protocol’).

(3)

Article 3(3) of the Act of Accession provides that Bulgaria and Romania are to accede to the conventions and protocols concluded between the Member States, listed in Annex I to the Act of Accession, which comprises, inter alia, the Mutual Assistance Convention and the Mutual Assistance Protocol. They are to enter into force in relation to Bulgaria and Romania on the date determined by the Council.

(4)

In accordance with Article 3(4) of the Act of Accession, the Council is to make all adjustments required by reason of accession to those conventions and protocols,

(1)

The Convention, drawn up on the basis of Article K.3 of the Treaty on European Union, on the use of information technology for customs purposes (2) (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Convention on the use of information technology for customs purposes’) was done at Brussels on 26 July 1995 and entered into force on 25 December 2005.

(2)

The Convention on the use of information technology for customs purposes was complemented by:

(3)

Following their accession to the European Union the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia have deposited their instruments of accession to the Convention on the use of information technology for customs purposes. The Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia have deposited their instruments of accession to the three Protocols. Latvia has deposited its instrument of accession to the Protocol on interpretation by the Court of Justice.

(4)

Article 3(3) of the Act of Accession provides that Bulgaria and Romania accede to the conventions and protocols, listed in Annex I to the Act of Accession, which comprises, inter alia, the Convention on the use of information technology for customs purposes and the Protocols thereto. They are to enter into force in relation to Bulgaria and Romania on the date determined by the Council.

(5)

In accordance with Article 3(4) of the Act of Accession the Council is to make all adjustments required by reason of accession to those conventions and protocols,

(1)

The Convention, drawn up on the basis of Article K.3 of the Treaty on European Union, on driving disqualifications (2) (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Convention on driving disqualifications’) was done at Luxembourg on 17 June 1998, but has not entered into force yet.

(2)

Article 3(3) of the Act of Accession provides that Bulgaria and Romania accede to the conventions and protocols listed in Annex I to the Act of Accession, which comprises, inter alia, the Convention on driving disqualifications. They are to enter into force in relation to Bulgaria and Romania on the date determined by the Council.

(3)

In accordance with Article 3(4) of the Act of Accession, the Council is to make all adjustments required by reason of accession to those conventions and protocols,