Article 5 Provisions common to systems A1, A2 and A3

Article 18(3) of Regulation (EC) No 800/1999 shall apply to Al, A2 and A3 licences as referred to in Article 1(1)(a), (b) and (c). The destinations or groups of destinations shall be entered in box 7 of licence applications and licences.

Box 22 of licences shall show at least one of the entries listed in Annex Ib.

Licence applications shall be accompanied by a security of EUR 20/tonne net or the refund rate, whichever is the lesser. For the purposes of this provision, the refund rate to be taken into consideration shall be the indicative refund rate for the A2 system and the rate quoted in the tender for the A3 system.

For each period in which applications are submitted and for each type of licence, the total quantity of a product for which licence applications are submitted by an exporter for a product category within the meaning of the third subparagraph of Article 7(2) and a destination or group of destinations may not exceed half that set for that product category and destination or group of destinations during the application period concerned.

Where that quantity is increased during an application period, the quantity for which further applications are submitted may not be greater than half the increase.

Member States shall automatically reject all applications not complying with the first and second subparagraphs.

The Member States shall inform the Commission, in accordance with Article 7(3), of:

• any quantities for which licence applications have been withdrawn,

• any quantities for which licences have been issued but not used and any quantities not used within the tolerance provided for in Article 8(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1291/2000,

• the date of application for the licences and the licence issuing system referred to in Article 1(1), corresponding to the quantities referred to in the first and second indents.

However, quantities withdrawn or not used relating to licences issued during a previous export period (this period running from 1 July to 30 June the following year) shall not be notified.

Licences shall be valid from their date of issue within the meaning of Article 23(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1291/2000.

However, in the case of export licences for apples valid for one or more of the destinations indicated in Annex I, the term of validity shall commence on:

• 15 July of the current year for licences issued between the date corresponding to 15 July less the term of validity and 14 July,

• the day of issue for licences issued from 15 July to the end of February of the following year.

The term of validity shall expire at the end of February for licences issued between the date corresponding to 1 March less the term of validity and the end of February.

Where the date on which the term of validity begins is not the same as the date of issue referred to in the first subparagraph, box 22 of the licence shall contain one of the entries listed in Annex Ic.

The licences referred to in the second subparagraph shall not be issued during the period 1 March to the date corresponding to 15 July less the period of validity. The destination given on licences valid during part of the period 1 March to 14 July for the export of apples to other destinations may not be changed to one of the destinations listed in Annex I.

The refund rate applicable shall be indicated in box 22 of the licence by means of one of the entries listed in Annex Id.

Additional quantities exported within the tolerance referred to in Article 8(4) of Regulation (EC) No 1921/2000 shall not confer entitlement to the refund.