(1)

Article 33 of Regulation (EC) No 1254/1999 provides that the difference between prices on the world market for the products listed in Article 1 of that Regulation and prices for those products within the Community may be covered by an export refund.

(2)

Commission Regulations (EEC) No 32/82 (2), (EEC) No 1964/82 (3), (EEC) No 2388/84 (4), (EEC) No 2973/79 (5) and (EC) No 2051/96 (6) lay down the conditions for granting special export refunds on certain cuts of beef and veal and certain preserved beef and veal products, and the conditions for granting of assistance concerning certain destinations.

(3)

It follows from applying those rules and criteria to the foreseeable situation on the market in beef and veal that the refund should be as set out below.

(4)

With regard to live animals, for reasons of simplification, export refunds should not be granted for categories in which there is insignificant trade with third countries. Moreover, in the light of the general concern for animal welfare, export refunds for live animals for slaughter should be limited as much as possible.

(5)

Consequently, export refunds for such animals should be granted only for third countries which, for cultural or religious reasons, traditionally import substantial numbers of animals for domestic slaughter.

(6)

As to live animals for reproduction, in order to prevent any abuse, export refunds for pure-bred breeding animals should be limited to heifers and cows of no more than 30 months of age.

(7)

In order to enable some Community beef and veal products to be disposed of on the international market, export refunds should be granted for certain destinations on some products under CN codes 0201, 0202 and 1602 50.

(8)

The uptake of export refunds for certain categories of beef and veal products proves to be insignificant. This is also the case with regard to the uptake for certain destinations very close to the Community territory. For such categories, export refunds should no longer be fixed.

(9)

The refunds provided for in this Regulation are set on the basis of the product codes as defined in the nomenclature adopted by Commission Regulation (EEC) No 3846/87 of 17 December 1987 establishing an agricultural product nomenclature for export refunds (7).

(10)

The refunds on all frozen cuts should be in line with those on fresh or chilled cuts other than those from adult male bovine animals.

(11)

Checks on products covered by CN code 1602 50 should be stepped up by making the granting of refunds on these products conditional on manufacture under the arrangements provided for in Article 4 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 565/80 of 4 March 1980 on the advance payment of export refunds in respect of agricultural products (8).

(12)

Refunds should be granted only on products that are allowed to move freely in the Community. Therefore, to be eligible for a refund, products should be required to bear the health mark laid down in Council Directive 64/433/EEC of 26 June 1964 on health problems affecting intra-Community trade in fresh meat (9), Council Directive 77/99/EEC of 21 December 1976 on health problems affecting intra-Community trade in meat products (10) and Council Directive 94/65/EC of 14 December 1994 laying down the requirements for the production and placing on the market of minced meat and meat preparations (11).

(13)

Pursuant to the third subparagraph of Article 6(2) of Regulation (EEC) No 1964/82, the special refund is to be reduced if the quantity of boned meat to be exported amounts to less than 95 %, but not less than 85 %, of the total weight of cuts produced by boning.

(14)

The negotiations within the framework of the Europe Agreements between the European Community and Romania and Bulgaria aim in particular to liberalise trade in products covered by the common organisation of the market concerned. For these two countries export refunds should therefore be abolished. That abolition should not, however, lead to a differentiated refund for exports to other countries.

(15)

The Management Committee for Beef and Veal has not given an opinion within the time limit set by its President,