(1)

Commission Regulation (EC) No 951/2006 (2), lays down detailed rules for out-of-quota exports in the sugar sector.

(2)

To ensure that Community operators can supply their export markets with out-of-quota sugar or isoglucose throughout the marketing year, it is necessary to clarify that sugar or isoglucose produced under quota may temporarily be sold, when market conditions so require, as out-of-quota production. This mechanism of equivalence should also apply when producers of quota and out-of-quota sugar or isoglucose are located in different Member States.

(3)

To ensure legal certainty and equal treatment of operators in each Member State it is appropriate to clarify that the out-of-quota sugar or isoglucose exported within the quantitative limit fixed for a given marketing year does not necessarily have to be produced during the same marketing year.

(4)

Article 7b(3) of Regulation (EC) No 951/2006 provides that applications for export licences shall be submitted each week, from Monday to Friday, starting on the date of entry into force of the Regulation fixing the quantitative limit pursuant to Article 12(d) of Council Regulation (EC) No 318/2006 (3) (replaced by Article 61, first paragraph, point (d) of Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007) and until the issue of licences is discounted in accordance with Article 7e of Regulation (EC) No 951/2006. It is appropriate to clarify that when the Regulation fixing the quantitative limit applies on a date other than the date of its entry into force, the applications for export licences can be submitted from the date that the said Regulation becomes applicable.

(5)

Article 7b(4) of Regulation (EC) No 951/2006 provides that applicants may submit one application for export licence per week. The quantities applied for in respect of each license may not exceed 20 000 tonnes for sugar and 5 000 tonnes for isoglucose. Experience shows that the weekly maximum limit fixed for sugar is not sufficient and it is therefore appropriate to increase this quantity.

(6)

According to Article 8a of Regulation (EC) No 951/2006, export licences issued for out-of-quota sugar or isoglucose are valid from the actual day of issue until 30 September of the marketing year in respect of which they were issued. Producers who apply for licences at the end of the marketing year should be given sufficient time to export their production. For this reason, the period of validity of export licences should be modified and established in the end of the fifth month following the date of their issue. Taking into account that these new provisions are published after the start of the 2009/2010 marketing year it is necessary to lay down specific rules in respect of the export licences issued during this marketing year.

(7)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for the Common Organisation of Agricultural Markets,

1.

in Chapter IIa, the following Articles 4d and 4e are added:

(*1)   OJ L 299, 16.11.2007, p. 1.’;"

2.

in Article 7b, paragraphs 3 and 4 are replaced by the following:

3.

Article 8a is replaced by the following: