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 6 thereof,

Whereas:

Commission Regulation (EC) No 990/2006^f2 opened standing invitations to tender for the export of cereals held by the intervention agencies of the Member States.

Economic operators have not submitted tenders for some of the cereals covered by these tenders for several weeks now, apart from recent bids for small quantities. This is due in particular to the more favourable conditions for resale on the internal market under Commission Regulation (EC) No 1483/2006 of 6 October 2006 opening standing invitations to tender for the resale on the Community market of cereals held by the intervention agencies of the Member States^f3. Resale on the internal market has increased sharply over that period.

In view of this situation and in order to make the quantities of common wheat and barley currently blocked in respect of the standing invitations to tender under Regulation (EC) No 990/2006 available for resale on the internal market, the quantities covered by those invitations to tender should be reduced, in the case of common wheat, by 968 tonnes for the Czech Republic, 199 946 tonnes for Hungary and 91 tonnes for Slovakia, and, in the case of barley, by 342 tonnes for Lithuania, 19 011 tonnes for Hungary and 356 tonnes for Poland.

Regulation (EC) No 990/2006 should therefore be amended accordingly.

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

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: