THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1784/2003 of 29 September 2003 on the common organisation of the market in cereals(1), and in particular Article 12(1) thereof,
Whereas:
(1) The Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Community and the United States of America pursuant to Article XXIV:6 and Article XXVIII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994(2), approved by Council Decision 2006/333/EC(3), provides for an increase of 6 215 tonnes in the tariff quota for barley.
(2) Commission Regulation (EC) No 2305/2003(4) opens a Community tariff quota for barley. The quantity of barley covered by the quota should be increased in application of the Agreement approved by Decision 2006/333/EC.
(3) In the interests of simplification, the obsolete provisions of Regulation (EC) No 2305/2003, relating to 2004, should be deleted.
(4) In order to clarify the rules, it should be stipulated that import licence applications must be lodged on Monday at the latest but may be lodged earlier.
(5) With a view to modernising the administration of the system, provision should be made for the electronic transmission of the information required by the Commission.
(6) In order to clarify the rules, the expression ‘reduction coefficient’ should moreover be replaced by ‘allocation coefficient’.
(7) Regulation (EC) No 2305/2003 should therefore be amended.
(8) Since the Agreement approved by Decision 2006/333/EC provides for implementation on 1 July 2006, this Regulation must apply from the date of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
(9) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Cereals,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
OJ L 270, 21.10.2003, p. 78. Regulation as amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 1154/2005 (OJ L 187, 19.7.2005, p. 11).
OJ L 342, 30.12.2003, p. 7. Regulation as amended by Regulation (EC) No 777/2004 (OJ L 123, 27.4.2004, p. 50).