Introductory text

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 31 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

Whereas:

In order to ensure the sufficient and uninterrupted supply of certain goods insufficiently produced in the Union and to avoid any disturbances on the market for certain agricultural and industrial products, autonomous tariff quotas have been opened by Council Regulation (EU) No 1388/2013^f1. Products falling within those tariff quotas can be imported into the Union at reduced or zero duty rates. For the reasons indicated, it is necessary to open, with effect from 1 July 2014, tariff quotas at zero duty rates for an appropriate volume as regards six additional products.

Moreover, in certain cases, the existing autonomous tariff quotas of the Union should be adapted. In the case of two products, the product description needs to be modified for clarification purposes and in order to take into account the most recent product developments. In the case of another product, one of the TARIC codes needs to be deleted as the double classification has become obsolete. In the case of three other products, the quota volumes need to be increased as such increase is in the interest of economic operators and of the Union.

Finally, in the case of two products, the autonomous tariff quotas of the Union should be closed with effect from 1 July 2014 and 1 January 2015, respectively, as it is not in the Union's interest to continue granting them as from those dates.

Regulation (EU) No 1388/2013 should therefore be amended accordingly.

As some of the adaptations to the autonomous tariff quotas pursuant to this Regulation must take effect from 1 July 2014, this Regulation should apply from that date and enter into force on the day of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: