In order to ensure the sufficient and uninterrupted supply of certain goods insufficiently produced in the Union and to avoid disturbances on the market for certain agricultural and industrial products, autonomous tariff quotas were opened by Council Regulation (EU) No 1388/20131. Products within those tariff quotas can be imported into the Union at reduced or zero duty rates.

For those reasons, it is necessary to open, with effect from 1 January 2019, six new tariff quotas with order numbers 09.2600, 09.2617, 09.2720, 09.2738, 09.2740 and 09.2742 at zero duty rates for appropriate volumes of those products. For the two new tariff quotas with order numbers 09.2740 and 09.2742, it is in the interest of the Union to open those tariff quotas only for the purposes of using the products concerned for the manufacture of specific goods produced in the Union. The application of those two tariff quotas should therefore be made conditional on the specific use of the products in accordance with Article 254 of Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council2.

In the case of four tariff quotas with order numbers 09.2684, 09.2686, 09.2723 and 09.2864, the quota volumes should be increased, as an increase is in the interest of the Union.

For one tariff quota with order number 09.2850, the classification in the Combined Nomenclature (CN) of the products covered by that tariff quota should be amended.

The classification in the CN of the products currently covered by the tariff quota with order number 09.2844 has been clarified. For the sake of clarity and legal certainty, that tariff quota should be replaced by a new tariff quota with order number 09.2820, indicating the applicable CN code.

In the case of five tariff quotas with order numbers 09.2684, 09.2728, 09.2730, 09.2734 and 09.2736, the quota period should be extended with effect from 1 January 2019, as those tariff quotas were opened for a period of six months only and it is still in the interest of the Union to maintain those tariff quotas.

As the scope of the five tariff quotas with order numbers 09.2620, 09.2668, 09.2736, 09.2850 and 09.2908 has become inadequate to fulfil the needs of the economic operators of the Union, the description of the products covered by those tariff quotas should be amended. For the two tariff quotas with order numbers 09.2668 and 09.2850, it is in the interest of the Union to maintain those tariff quotas only for the purposes of the incorporation of the products concerned into specific goods produced in the Union. The application of those two tariff quotas should therefore be made conditional on the specific use of the products in accordance with Article 254 of Regulation (EU) No 952/2013.

As it is no longer in the interest of the Union to maintain the seven tariff quotas with order numbers 09.2695, 09.2726, 09.2732, 09.2818, 09.2836, 09.2838 and 09.2886, they should be closed with effect from 1 January 2019.

In the interest of clarity, and taking into account the number of amendments to be made, the Annex to Regulation (EU) No 1388/2013 should be replaced.

Regulation (EU) No 1388/2013 should therefore be amended accordingly.

In order to avoid any interruption of the application of the tariff quota scheme and to comply with the guidelines set out in the communication from the Commission concerning autonomous tariff suspensions and quotas3, the changes provided for in this Regulation regarding the tariff quotas for the products concerned have to apply from 1 January 2019. This Regulation should therefore enter into force as a matter of urgency,