Commission Regulation (EC) No 2279/2004

of 30 December 2004

amending Council Regulation (EC) No 747/2001 as regards the Community tariff quotas and reference quantities for certain agricultural products originating in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 747/2001 of 9 April 2001 providing for the management of Community tariff quotas and of reference quantities for products eligible for preferences by virtue of agreements with certain Mediterranean countries and repealing Regulations (EC) No 1981/94 and (EC) No 934/95(1), and in particular Article 5(1)(b) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) By its Decision of 22 December 2004(2), the Council has concluded an Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Community and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) for the benefit of the Palestinian Authority of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip concerning reciprocal liberalisation measures and the replacement of the Protocols 1 and 2 to the EC-Palestinian Authority Interim Association Agreement. That new Agreement applies from 1 January 2005.

(2) The new Protocol No 1 concerning the arrangements applicable to imports into the Community of agricultural products originating in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip hereinafter ‘the new Protocol No 1’, provides for new tariff concessions and changes to the existing concessions laid down in Regulation (EC) No 747/2001, some of which fall within Community tariff quotas and reference quantities.

(3) To implement the tariff concessions provided for in the new Protocol No 1, it is necessary to amend Regulation (EC) No 747/2001.

(4) For the purpose of calculating tariff quotas and reference quantities for the first year of application, it should be provided that, where the period for the quota or reference quantity starts before the date from which the new Agreement applies, the tariff quota volume and reference quantity are to be reduced in proportion to that part of the period which has already elapsed before that date.

(5) In order to facilitate the management of certain existing tariff quotas and reference quantities provided for in Regulation (EC) No 747/2001, the quantities imported within the framework of those quotas and reference quantities should be taken into account for charging on the measures opened in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 747/2001, as amended by this Regulation.

(6) In accordance with the new Protocol No 1, the tariff quota volumes for certain products should be increased twice.

(7) Since the provisions provided for in this Regulation should apply from the date of application of the new Agreement, it is appropriate for this Regulation to enter into force as soon as possible.

(8) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Customs Code Committee,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1U.K.

Annex VIII to Regulation (EC) No 747/2001 shall be replaced by the text set out in the Annex to this Regulation.

Article 2U.K.

For the quota and reference quantity periods still open on 1 January 2005, the quantities which pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 747/2001 have been put into free circulation in the Community within the tariff quota and reference quantities with order numbers 09.1381, 18.0310, 18.0340 and 18.0380 shall be taken into account for charging on the tariff quota and reference quantities laid down in Annex VIII to Regulation (EC) No 747/2001, as amended by this Regulation.

Article 3U.K.

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

It shall apply from 1 January 2005.

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

Done at Brussels, 30 December 2004.

For the Commission

László Kovács

Member of the Commission

ANNEXU.K.

ANNEX VIIIWEST BANK AND THE GAZA STRIP

Notwithstanding the rules for the interpretation of the combined nomenclature, the wording for the description of the products is to be considered as having no more than an indicative value, the preferential scheme being determined, within the context of this Annex, by the coverage of the CN codes as they exist at the time of adoption of the current regulation. Where ex CN codes are indicated, the preferential scheme is to be determined by application of the CN code and corresponding description taken together.

PART A: Tariff quotas

Order NoCN codeDescription of goodsQuota periodQuota volume(in tonnes net weight)Quota duty
09.13830409 00 00Natural honeyFrom 1.1 to 31.12.2005500Exemption
From 1.1 to 31.12.2006750
From 1.1 to 31.12.2007 and for each period thereafter from 1.1 to 31.121 000
09.13820603 10Fresh cut flowers and flower buds of a kind suitable for ornamental purposesFrom 1.1 to 31.12.20052 000Exemption
From 1.1 to 31.12.20062 250
From 1.1 to 31.12.2007 and for each period thereafter from 1.1 to 31.122 500
09.1384

0712 31 00

0712 32 00

0712 33 00

0712 39 00

Mushrooms, wood ears (Auricularia spp.), jelly fungi (Tremella spp.) and truffles, driedFrom 1.1 to 31.12500Exemption
09.13850806 10 10Fresh table grapesFrom 1.2 to 14.7.20051 000Exemption
From 1.2 to 14.7.20061 500
From 1.2 to 14.7.2007 and for each period thereafter from 1.2 to 14.72 000
09.13810810 10 00Fresh strawberriesFrom 1.11.2004 to 31.3.20051 680Exemption
From 1.11.2005 to 31.3.20062 500
From 1.11.2006 to 31.3.2007 and for each period thereafter from 1.11 to 31.33 000
09.13861509 10Virgin olive oilFrom 1.1 to 31.12.20052 000Exemption
From 1.1 to 31.12.20062 500
From 1.1 to 31.12.2007 and for each period thereafter from 1.1 to 31.123 000

PART B: Reference quantities

a

The exemption applies only to the ad valorem duty.

Order NoCN codeTaric subdivisionDescription of goodsReference quantity periodReference quantity volume(in tonnes net weight)Reference quantity duty
18.03100702 00 00Tomatoes, fresh or chilledFrom 1.12.2004 to 31.3.20051 750Exemptiona
From 1.12.2005 to 31.3.2006 and for each period thereafter from 1.12 to 31.32 000
18.03200709 30 00Aubergines (eggplants), fresh or chilledFrom 15.1 to 30.43 000Exemption
18.0330ex 0709 60Fruits of the genus Capsicum or of the genus Pimenta, fresh or chilled:From 1.1 to 31.121 000Exemption
0709 60 10Sweet peppers
0709 60 99Other
18.03400709 90 70Courgettes, fresh or chilledFrom 1.12 to 28/29.2300Exemptiona
18.03500805 10 20Fresh orangesFrom 1.1 to 31.1225 000Exemptiona
ex 0805 10 8010
18.0360ex 0805 20 1005Mandarins (including tangerines and satsumas); clementines, wilkings and similar citrus hybrids, freshFrom 1.1 to 31.12500Exemptiona
ex 0805 20 3005
ex 0805 20 5007, 37
ex 0805 20 7005
ex 0805 20 9005, 09
18.0370ex 0805 50 1010Lemons (Citrus limon, Citrus limonum), freshFrom 1.1 to 31.12800Exemptiona
18.03800807 19 00Melons (excluding watermelons), freshFrom 1.11 to 31.510 000Exemption
(1)

OJ L 109, 19.4.2001, p. 2. Regulation as last amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 2256/2004 (OJ L 385, 29.12.2004, p. 24).

(2)

Not yet published in the Official Journal.