Article 4 Import licence applications

The release into free circulation of the quantities awarded under the import tariff quotas referred to in Article 1(1) shall be subject to the presentation of an import licence.

For the purposes of Article 5 of Regulation (EC) No 1301/2006, applicants for import licences shall demonstrate that a quantity of products has been imported by them or on their behalf under the relevant customs provisions, during the 12-month period immediately prior to the time of submission of the import licence application. The quantity imported shall concern the following products:

Applications for import licences shall be submitted within the first 7 days of the second month preceding each of the subperiods referred to in Article 2.

In case the quantity for the subperiod is not exhausted following the first application period referred to in paragraph 3, eligible applicants may submit new applications for import licences in the first 7 days of the 2 following months. In these cases, eligible applicants shall also include food business operators with establishments approved in accordance with Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council^f1. However, in December, no application period shall be opened.

Once the quantity available under a subperiod is exhausted following one application period, the Commission shall suspend further applications for that subperiod.

Import licence applications shall refer to only one order number. They may concern several products covered by different CN codes. In that case, all the CN codes and their descriptions shall be entered in boxes 16 and 15, respectively, of the licence application and the licence itself. The total quantity shall be converted into carcass weight equivalent.

Import licence applications and import licences shall contain:

Member States shall notify the Commission, by the 14th day of the month in which applications are submitted as referred to in paragraphs 3 and 4, of the total quantities, including nil returns, of all applications, expressed in kilograms of carcass weight equivalent and broken down by order number.

By way of derogation from paragraphs 3 and 4, as regards the quota period of 2017, all eligible applicants within the meaning of paragraph 4 shall submit the applications for import licences in the first 7 days of the month of October 2017.