Introductory text

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1784/2003 of 29 September 2003 on the common organisation of the market in cereals^f1, and in particular Article 12(1) thereof,

Whereas:

Commission Regulation (EC) No 2375/2002^f2 opened an annual tariff quota of 2 981 600 tonnes of common wheat of a quality other than high quality. That quota is divided into three subquotas.

Article 3(3) of Regulation (EC) No 2375/2002 fixed a quantity of 592 900 tonnes for tranche No 1 of subquota III for the period 1 January to 31 March 2006.

Commission Regulation (EC) No 4/2006^f3 laid down the percentage of import licences that could be issued on the basis of the information in the Commission’s possession on 2 January 2006. However, one Member State subsequently informed the Commission that a large number of applications submitted by its operators were inadmissible. As a result, against all expectations, considerable quantities remain available for the period concerned. Those quantities should therefore be laid down and a derogation made from the first sentence of Article 3(4) of Regulation (EC) No 2375/2002 by authorising, exceptionally, the lodging of new licence applications for these quantities in accordance with the rules laid down by Regulation (EC) No 2375/2002.

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Cereals,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: