THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1788/2003 of 29 September 2003 establishing a levy in the milk and milk products sector, and in particular Article 8 thereof,
Whereas:
(1)
Article 6 of Regulation (EC) No 1788/2003 provides that producers may have one or two individual reference quantities, one for deliveries and the other for direct sales and these quantities may be converted from one reference quantity to the other only by the competent authority of the Member State, at the duly justified request of the producer.
(2)
Commission Regulation (EC) No 607/2007 of 1 June 2007 on the division between ‘deliveries’ and ‘direct sales’ of national reference quantities fixed for 2006/07 in Annex I to Council Regulation (EC) No 1788/2003 sets out the division between ‘deliveries’ and ‘direct sales’ for the period from 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007 for Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
(3)
Commission Regulation (EC) No 1186/2007 of 10 October 2007 amending Annex I to Council Regulation (EC) No 1788/2003 establishing a levy in the milk and milk products sector as regards the division between direct sales and deliveries for Romania and Bulgaria fixed the division between direct sales and deliveries for those Member States at the commencement of the quota regime on 1 April 2007.
(4)
In accordance with Article 25(2) of Commission Regulation (EC) No 595/2004 of 30 March 2004 laying down detailed rules for applying Council Regulation (EC) No 1788/2003 establishing a levy in the milk and milk products sector, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom have notified the quantities which have been definitively converted at the request of the producers between individual reference quantities for deliveries and for direct sales.
(5)
In accordance with Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 1788/2003 the total national reference quantities for Belgium, Denmark, Germany, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom for 2007/08 are greater than their total national reference quantities for 2006/07, and these Member States have notified the Commission of the division between ‘deliveries’ and ‘direct sales’ of the additional reference quantities.
(6)
It is therefore appropriate to establish the division between ‘deliveries’ and ‘direct sales’ of the national reference quantities applicable for the period from 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008 fixed in Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 1788/2003.
(7)
The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Milk and Milk Products,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: