(1)

In accordance with Article 2 of Commission Regulation (EEC) No 3149/92 of 29 October 1992 laying down detailed rules for the supply of food from intervention stocks for the benefit of the most deprived persons in the Community (3), the Commission has to adopt a distribution plan to be financed from resources available in the 2007 budget year. The plan should lay down in particular, for each of the Member States applying the measure, the maximum financial resources available to carry out its part of the plan, and the quantity of each type of product to be withdrawn from the stocks held by the intervention agencies.

(2)

The Member States involved in the plan for 2007 have supplied the information required in accordance with Article 1 of Regulation (EEC) No 3149/92.

(3)

For the purposes of resource allocation, account must be taken of experience and of the degree to which the Member States have used the resources allocated to them in previous years.

(4)

Article 2(3)(1)(c) of Regulation (EEC) No 3149/92 provides for the making of grants for the purchase on the market of products temporarily unavailable in intervention stocks. Since stocks of skimmed-milk powder and rice currently held by intervention agencies are very low and arrangements have already been made for their sale on the market and their distribution in the framework of Regulation (EEC) 3149/92, and since no purchases of these products are foreseen in 2006, it is necessary to fix the grant in order to allow skimmed-milk powder and rice required for the 2007 plan to be purchased on the market. Furthermore, specific provisions need to be introduced to ensure that the supply contract is properly carried out.

(5)

To take into account the specific necessities of certain Member States, the withdrawal of cereals in payment for rice and rice based products should be authorised, in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 4(1)(b) of Regulation (EEC) No 3149/92.

(6)

Article 7(1) of Regulation (EEC) No 3149/92 provides for the transfer between Member States of products unavailable in intervention stocks of the Member State where such products are required for the implementation of an annual plan. The intra-Community transfers necessary to carry through the 2007 plan should therefore be authorised subject to the conditions provided for in Article 7 of Regulation (EEC) No 3149/92.

(7)

To implement the plan, the operative event within the meaning of Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 2799/98 should be the date on which the financial year for administration of stocks in public storage starts.

(8)

In accordance with Article 2(2) of Regulation (EEC) No 3149/92 the Commission has consulted the major organisations familiar with the problems of the most deprived persons in the Community when drawing up the plan.

(9)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinions of all the relevant management committees,