THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 establishing a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products and repealing Council Regulations (EEC) No 922/72, (EEC) No 234/79, (EC) No 1037/2001 and (EC) No 1234/2007, and in particular points (a) and (b) of Article 187 thereof,
Whereas:
(1)
Commission Regulation (EC) No 759/2007 provides for the opening by the European Union of an annual tariff quota of 100 tons of sausages originating in Iceland as set out in the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Union and the Iceland, approved by Council Decision 2007/138/EC.
(2)
The European Union and Iceland signed an Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters (hereafter ‘the new Agreement’) concerning additional trade preferences in agricultural products on 23 March 2017. The signature of the new Agreement on behalf of the European Union was authorised by Council Decision (EU) 2016/2087 and its conclusion by Council Decision (EU) 2017/1913.
(3)
In accordance with Annex V to the new Agreement the European Union is to open a new annual duty-free quota for the import of 500 tons of pig meat originating in Iceland.
(4)
Given that certain provisions of Regulation (EC) No 759/2007 should be updated, it is appropriate to replace that Regulation by a new one which should also provide for the opening and the administration of the new quota of 500 tons of pig meat.
(5)
According to both Agreements the tariff quotas are to be opened annually and imports should therefore be managed on a calendar-year basis.
(6)
The tariff quotas should be managed by the Commission on the basis of the chronological order of dates of acceptance of customs declarations for release for free circulation in accordance with the rules on the management of tariff quotas laid down in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/2447.
(7)
The new Agreement sets that products benefitting from the tariff quota are to comply mutatis mutandis with the provisions set out in its Protocol 3 concerning the definition of ‘originating products’ and methods of administrative cooperation, as amended by Decision No 2/2005 of the EC-Iceland Joint Committee.
(8)
The new Agreement provides for entry into force on 1 May 2018. Therefore, this Regulation should apply from the same date.
(9)
For 2018, the new quota for pig meat, to be made available pursuant to the new Agreement, should be calculated on a prorata basis, taking into account its date of entry into force.
(10)
The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee for the Common Organisation of the Agricultural Markets,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: