With a view of sound and uniform administration of the licensing system it is appropriate to lay down common provisions as regards application for and issue of licences.

In order to unambiguously identify an applicant for a licence and a titular holder of a licence, the Economic Operators Registration and Identification (EORI) number should be used for this purpose.

It is necessary to establish the appropriate level of the security for the licences to be issued, so as to guarantee that the products will be imported or exported during the period of validity of the licence.

It should be possible to issue extracts of licences that have the same effect as the licences from which they are extracted, so that several operations can be carried out at the same time under one licence.

It is necessary to lay down periods of validity of the import and export licences. This validity can vary for specific products and has to be fixed in order to define when the obligation to export or import is to be fulfilled.

In view of international trade practice in respect of the agricultural products concerned, level of tolerances should be defined with regard to the quantity of products imported or exported as compared with the quantity indicated on the licence.

The import and export licence constitutes a right and give rise to an obligation to release for free circulation or to export. It is necessary to define when the undertaking to export or import is fulfilled and how to prove it.

It is appropriate to lay down provisions on the procedure to be followed when a licence is destroyed or lost.

In order to reduce the administrative burden in those cases where the amount of security required for a licence is relatively small, a threshold should be fixed under which no security is required.

In order to reduce the administrative burden it is appropriate to set out maximum quantities for specific products for which a licence is not required.

Action should be taken in cases where the obligation to import or export is not fulfilled, especially in cases of recognised force majeure. In such cases that obligation may be considered cancelled or the period of validity of the licence may be extended.

It is necessary to lay down some additional notification requirements for import licences for hemp, garlic and ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin in order to take into consideration the specificities of those sectors.

Taking into consideration the need of a smooth transition from the current rules to those being introduced by this Regulation, some transitional provisions should be adopted.

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee for the Common Organisation of the Agricultural Markets,