Introductory text

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1616/2006 of 23 October 2006 on certain procedures for applying the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Albania, of the other part, and for applying the Interim Agreement between the European Community and the Republic of Albania^f1, and in particular Article 2 thereof,

Whereas:

A Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Albania, of the other part^f2, hereinafter referred to as ‘the Stabilisation and Association Agreement’, was signed in Luxembourg on 12 June 2006. The Stabilisation and Association Agreement is in the process of ratification.

On 12 June 2006 the Council concluded an Interim Agreement on trade and trade-related matters between the European Community, of the one part, and the Republic of Albania, of the other part^f3, hereinafter referred to as ‘the Interim Agreement’. The objective of the Interim Agreement is to implement as speedily as possible the trade and trade-related provisions of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement. The Interim Agreement will enter into force on 1 December 2006.

In the Stabilisation and Association Agreement and the Interim Agreement it has been provided that certain fish and fishery products originating in Albania may be imported into the Community, within the limits of Community tariff quotas, at a reduced or a zero-rate customs duty.

The Community tariff quotas provided for in the Stabilisation and Association Agreement and in the Interim Agreement are annual and cover an indeterminate period. It is appropriate to provide the opening and the management of those tariff quotas.

It is necessary to provide, in accordance with Article 308a of Commission Regulation (EEC) No 2454/93 laying down provisions for the implementation of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2913/92 establishing the Community Customs Code^f4, that the management system for tariff quotas laid down in Regulation (EEC) No 2454/93 is to be applied.

Member States should ensure that all Community importers have equal and continuous access to the tariff quotas and that the rates laid down for the quotas are applied uninterruptedly to all imports of the products concerned into all Member States until the quotas are exhausted. To ensure the efficiency of the common management of these quotas, Member States should be able to draw from the quota volumes the necessary quantities corresponding to actual imports. Management should take place in close cooperation between the Member States and the Commission. The latter should be able to monitor the rate at which the quotas are used up and to inform the Member States accordingly. For reasons of speed and efficiency, communication between the Member States and the Commission should, as far as possible, be transmitted electronically.

In accordance with the Stabilisation and Association Agreement and the Interim Agreement, the quota volumes for the year 2006 should be fixed on the full amount of the basic quota volumes set out in Annex III to those Agreements.

This Regulation should apply on the date of entry into force of the Interim Agreement and should remain in application after the entry into force of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement.

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Customs Code Committee,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: