Commission Regulation (EC) No 953/98Show full title

Article 1

1. Untreated olive oil falling within CN codes 1509 10 10 and 1509 10 90, wholly obtained in Tunisia and transpoted direct from that country to the Community, which qualifies for the customs duty laid down in Article 1 of Regulation (EC) No 906/98 may be imported from 1 March of the 1997/98 marketing year. Import licences shall be issued for up to 46 000 tonnes for the 1997/98 marketing year.

2. For the 1997/98 marketing year and without prejudice to the limit of 46 000 tonnes, licences may be issued in accordance with the conditions laid down in Article 2 of Regulation (EC) No 906/98 for up to 10 000 tonnes per month. However, this quantity shall be reduced to 5 000 tonnes for March and 8 000 tonnes for April. If the quantity authorised for one month is not used entirely during the month in question, the remainder shall be added to the quantity for the following month, but may not be carried over thereafter.

3. For the purposes of calculating the quantity authorised each month, where a week begins in one month and finishes in the following month, it must be considered part of the month in which the Thursday falls.

Article 2

1. With a view to applying the customs duty referred to in Article 1 of Regulation (EC) No 906/98, importers must submit an import licence application to the competent authorities of the Member States. Such applications must be accompanied by a copy of the purchase contract concluded with the Tunisian exporter.

2. Import licence applications must be submitted on Mondays and Tuesdays of each week. Member States shall notify the Commission every Wednesday of the data in the licence applications received.

3. Each week the Commission shall draw up a total of the quantities for which import licences have been submitted. It shall authorise the Member States to issue licences until the monthly quota is exhausted; where there is a risk of the monthly quota being exhausted, the Commission shall authorise the Member States to issue import licences in proportion to the quantity available.

4. Once the maximum quantity provided for in Regulation (EC) No 906/98 is reached, the Commission shall inform the Member States.

Article 3

1. Import licences as provided for in Article 1(2) shall be valid for 60 days from the date of issue within the meaning of Article 21(2) of Regulation (EEC) No 3719/88, which may take place until 31 October 1998.

Licences shall be issued no later than the first working day following that on which authorisation to that end is given by the Commission.

The security for import licences shall be ECU 15 per 100 kilograms net.

2. If the import licence is not used within the time limit laid down, the security shall be forfeit. However, each part of a day counting as a full day:

• if the licence is returned to the issuing agency within the period corresponding to the first two-thirds of its validity, the security forfeit shall be reduced by 40 %,

• if the licence is returned to the issuing agency within the period corresponding to the last third of its validity, or within 15 days of its expiry, the security forfeit shall be reduced by 25 %.

3. Notwithstanding the restrictions on quantity in Article 1, the quantities on licences returned in accordance with paragraph 2 can be reallocated. The competent national authorities shall notify the Commission each Wednesday of the quantities for which licences have been returned in the preceding seven days.

Article 4

Section 24 of import licences as provided for in Article 1(2) shall bear one of the following entries:

• Derecho de aduana fijado por el Reglamento (CE) n^o 906/98

• Told fastsat ved forordning (EF) nr. 906/98

• Zoll gemäß Verordnung (EG) Nr. 906/98

• Δασμός που καθορίστηκε από τον Κανονισμό (ΕΚ) αριθ. 906/98

• Customs duty fixed by Regulation (EC) No 906/98

• Droit de douane fixé par le règlement (CE) n^o 906/98

• Dazio doganale fissato dal regolamento (CE) n. 906/98

• Bij Verordening (EG) nr. 906/98 vastgesteld douanerecht

• Direito aduaneiro fixado pelo Regulamento (CE) n^ọ 906/98

• Asetuksessa (EY) N:o 906/98 vahvistettu tulli

• Tull fastställd genom förordning (EG) nr 906/98.

Notwithstanding Article 8(4) of Regulation (EEC) No 3719/88, the quantity released for free circulation may not exceed that indicated in Sections 17 and 18 of the import licence. The figure ‘0’ shall be entered in Section 19 of the licence to that end.

Article 5

Regulations (EC) No 666/96 and (EC) No 150/98 are hereby repealed.

Article 6

This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities.

It shall apply with effect from 1 March 1998.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 6 May 1998.

For the Commission

Franz Fischler

Member of the Commission