Introductory text

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 113 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Whereas the Community has concluded an Agreement in the form of exchanges of letters in particular with Norway and approved by Decision 86/557/EEC^f1;

Whereas the above Agreement has been amended or supplemented by the Agreement on the European Economic Area, and by the bilateral Agreement in the form of exchanges of letters with Norway and approved by Decision 93/737/EC^f2;

Whereas under the above Agreement the Community has undertaken, subject to certain conditions, to open Community tariff quotas each year at a reduced or zero rate of duty for a number of agricultural and fishery products originating in this country; whereas the tariff quotas should accordingly be opened, specifying where necessary any conditions of eligibility laid down; whereas, for reasons of simplification, provision should be made to empower the Commission to give effect, following receipt of the opinion of the Customs Code Committee, to necessary amendments and technical adaptations of this Regulation arising from amendments of the combined nomenclature and Taric codes and to adaptations of volume, period and quota rates arising from decisions by the Council;

Whereas the tariff quotas provided for in the agreements in question relate to an indefinite period and accordingly, for reasons of efficiency and simplifying the implementation of the measures concerned, it appears suitable to provide that the application of this Regulation should be placed on a multiannual footing;

Whereas all Community importers should be ensured equal and continuous access to the said quotas and the duty rate laid down for the quotas should be applied consistently to all imports of the product in question into all Member States until the quotas are exhausted, during the whole period of validity of the above Agreements in the form of exchanges of letters;

Whereas the decision for the opening, in the execution of its international obligations, of tariff quotas should be taken by the Community; whereas, to ensure the efficiency of a common administration of these quotas, there is no reasonable obstacle to authorizing the Member States to draw from the quota-volumes the necessary quantities corresponding to actual imports; whereas this method of administration requires close cooperation between the Member States and the Commission and the latter must in particular be able to monitor the rate at which the quotas are used up and inform the Member States accordingly,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: