(1)

Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 repealed and replaced Council Regulation (EC) No 509/2006 of 20 March 2006 on agricultural products and foodstuffs as traditional specialities guaranteed (2).

(2)

Pursuant to Article 8(2) of Regulation (EC) No 509/2006, Spain’s application to register the name ‘Tortas de Aceite de Castilleja de la Cuesta’ was published in the Official Journal of the European Union (3).

(3)

As no objection within the meaning of Article 9 of Regulation (EC) No 509/2006 has been received by the Commission, the name ‘Tortas de Aceite de Castilleja de la Cuesta’ should be entered in the register,

(1)

Implementing Regulation (EU) No 543/2011 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 Annex XVI, Part A thereto.

(2)

The standard import value is calculated each working day, in accordance with Article 136(1) of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 543/2011, taking into account variable daily data. Therefore this Regulation should enter into force on the day of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union,

(1)

The European Union and the Russian Federation should strengthen their cooperation to prevent diversion of drug precursors from the legal trade, in order to counter the illicit manufacture of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.

(2)

On 23 March 2009, the Council authorised the Commission to open negotiations with the Russian Federation for an Agreement between the European Union and the Russian Federation on drug precursors (the ‘Agreement’). The negotiations were conducted by the Commission within the framework of the negotiating directives adopted by the Council and were successfully concluded.

(3)

The Agreement should ensure full respect of fundamental rights, in particular a high level of protection for the processing and transfer of personal data between its Parties.

(4)

The Agreement should be signed on behalf of the European Union, subject to the conclusion of the said Agreement,

(1)

On 22 December 2009 and on 18 January 2010, the Council adopted Decisions 2009/1014/EU (1) and 2010/29/EU (2) appointing the members and alternate members of the Committee of the Regions for the period from 26 January 2010 to 25 January 2015.

(2)

Two members’ seats have become vacant following the end of the terms of office of Ms Renata POLVERINI and Mr Gianfranco VITAGLIANO. An alternate member’s seat has become vacant following the end of the term of office of Mr Paolo VALENTINI PUCCITELLI,

(a)

as members:

and

(b)

as alternate member:

(1)

On 22 December 2009 and on 18 January 2010, the Council adopted Decisions 2009/1014/EU (1) and 2010/29/EU (2) appointing the members and alternate members of the Committee of the Regions for the period from 26 January 2010 to 25 January 2015.

(2)

A member’s seat on the Committee of the Regions has become vacant following end of the term of office of Mr Giuseppe CASTIGLIONE,

—

Mr Guerino TESTA, Presidente della Provincia di Pescara.

(1)

According to Commission Implementing Decision 2012/274/EU of 24 April 2012 determining the second set of regions for the start of operations of the Visa Information System (VIS) (2), the sixth region where the collection and transmission of data to the VIS for all applications should start comprises Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda; and the seventh region comprises Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

(2)

The Member States have notified the Commission that they have made the necessary technical and legal arrangements to collect and transmit the data referred to in Article 5(1) of the VIS Regulation to the VIS for all applications in those two regions, including arrangements for the collection and/or transmission of the data on behalf of another Member State.

(3)

The condition laid down by the first sentence of Article 48(3) of the VIS Regulation thus being fulfilled, it is therefore necessary to determine the date from which the VIS is to start operations in a sixth and a seventh region.

(4)

In view of the need to set the date for the start of the VIS in the very near future, this Decision should enter into force on the day of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

(5)

Given that the VIS Regulation builds upon the Schengen acquis, Denmark notified the implementation of the VIS Regulation in its national law in accordance with Article 5 of the Protocol on the position of Denmark annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty establishing the European Community. Denmark is therefore bound under international law to implement this Decision.

(6)

This Decision constitutes a development of provisions of the Schengen acquis in which the United Kingdom does not take part, in accordance with Council Decision 2000/365/EC of 29 May 2000 concerning the request of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to take part in some of the provisions of the Schengen acquis (3). The United Kingdom is therefore not bound by it or subject to its application.

(7)

This Decision constitutes a development of provisions of the Schengen acquis in which Ireland does not take part, in accordance with Council Decision 2002/192/EC of 28 February 2002 concerning Ireland’s request to take part in some of the provisions of the Schengen acquis (4). Ireland is therefore not bound by it or subject to its application.

(8)

As regards Iceland and Norway, this Decision constitutes a development of the provisions of the Schengen acquis within the meaning of the Agreement concluded by the Council of the European Union and the Republic of Iceland and the Kingdom of Norway concerning the latters’ association with the implementation, application and development of the Schengen acquis (5), which fall within the area referred to in Article 1, point B of Council Decision 1999/437/EC (6) on certain arrangements for the application of that Agreement.

(9)

As regards Switzerland, this Decision constitutes a development of the provisions of the Schengen acquis within the meaning of the Agreement between the European Union, the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on the Swiss Confederation’s association with the implementation, application and development of the Schengen acquis (7), which fall within the area referred to in Article 1, point B of Decision 1999/437/EC read in conjunction with Article 3 of Council Decision 2008/146/EC (8).

(10)

As regards Liechtenstein, this Decision constitutes a development of the provisions of the Schengen acquis within the meaning of the Protocol between the European Union, the European Community, the Swiss Confederation and the Principality of Liechtenstein on the accession of the Principality of Liechtenstein to the Agreement between the European Union, the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on the Swiss Confederation’s association with the implementation, application and development of the Schengen acquis (9), which fall within the area referred to in Article 1, point B of Decision 1999/437/EC read in conjunction with Article 3 of Council Decision 2011/350/EU (10).

(11)

As regards Cyprus, this Decision constitutes an act building upon, or otherwise related to, the Schengen acquis within the meaning of Article 3(2) of the 2003 Act of Accession.

(12)

As regards Bulgaria and Romania, this Decision constitutes an act building upon, or otherwise related to, the Schengen acquis within the meaning of Article 4(2) of the 2005 Act of Accession,