(1)

Regulation (EC) No 3223/94 lays down, pursuant to the outcome of the Uruguay Round multilateral trade negotiations, the criteria whereby the Commission fixes the standard values for imports from third countries, in respect of the products and periods stipulated in the Annex thereto.

(2)

In compliance with the above criteria, the standard import values must be fixed at the levels set out in the Annex to this Regulation,

(1)

Regulation (EC) No 1362/2000 implements for the Community the tariff provisions set out in Decision No 2/2000 of the EU-Mexico Joint Council (2).

(2)

The EU-Mexico Joint Council has decided, by its Decision No 3/2004 of 29 July 2004 introducing tariff quotas for certain products originating in Mexico (3) and listed in Annex I to Decision No 2/2000 of the EU-Mexico Joint Council, to open a transitional tariff quota for bananas which will cease to apply when replaced by a tariff-only regime and a tariff quota for certain pectic substances. Those tariff quotas should be opened.

(3)

In order to avoid any discrimination between Mexico and other exporting countries having access to Community tariff quotas for bananas pursuant to Commission Regulation (EC) No 896/2001 of 7 May 2001 laying down detailed rules for applying Council Regulation (EEC) No 404/93 as regards the arrangements for importing bananas into the Community (4), the tariff quotas for bananas pursuant to this Regulation should be considered initially as non-critical within the meaning of Article 308c of Regulation (EEC) No 2454/93 of 2 July 1993 laying down provisions for the implementation of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2913/92 establishing the Community Customs Code (5) when they are managed under the system laid down in Article 308a of that Regulation and Article 308c(2) and (3) of that Regulation should not apply.

(4)

Pursuant to Article 17 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 404/93 of 13 February 1993 on the common organisation of the market in bananas (6) the import of bananas into the Community is subject to the submission of an import licence. This requirement is unnecessary as regards the fresh bananas covered by this Regulation, since the ‘first come, first served’ management system as laid down in Article 308a of Regulation (EC) No 2454/93 provides equivalent information to that obtained on an import licence.

(5)

Management of the tariff quotas for egg products (under order numbers 09.1832 and 09.1869) requires a coefficient to be applied to the net weight of the goods declared to customs. With a view to improving the efficiency of managing the tariff quotas in question, a separate order number should be created for each group of products having a single coefficient.

(6)

Regulation (EC) No 1362/2000 should therefore be amended accordingly.

(7)

Since Decision No 3/2004 of the EU-Mexico Joint Council of 29 July 2004 enters into force on 1 May 2004 this Regulation should be applicable from the same date.

(8)

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

1.

Article 2 is amended as follows:

2.

The Annex is amended in accordance with the Annex to this Regulation.

(1)

In accordance with Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 1051/2001, a world market price for unginned cotton is to be determined periodically from the price for ginned cotton recorded on the world market and by reference to the historical relationship between the price recorded for ginned cotton and that calculated for unginned cotton. That historical relationship has been established in Article 2(2) of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1591/2001 of 2 August 2001 laying down detailed rules for applying the cotton aid scheme (3). Where the world market price cannot be determined in this way, it is to be based on the most recent price determined.

(2)

In accordance with Article 5 of Regulation (EC) No 1051/2001, the world market price for unginned cotton is to be determined in respect of a product of specific characteristics and by reference to the most favourable offers and quotations on the world market among those considered representative of the real market trend. To that end, an average is to be calculated of offers and quotations recorded on one or more European exchanges for a product delivered cif to a port in the Community and coming from the various supplier countries considered the most representative in terms of international trade. However, there is provision for adjusting the criteria for determining the world market price for ginned cotton to reflect differences justified by the quality of the product delivered and the offers and quotations concerned. Those adjustments are specified in Article 3(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1591/2001.

(3)

The application of the above criteria gives the world market price for unginned cotton determined hereinafter,

(1)

Article 10 of Regulation (EC) No 1784/2003 provides that the rates of duty in the Common Customs Tariff are to be charged on import of the products referred to in Article 1 of that Regulation. However, in the case of the products referred to in paragraph 2 of that Article, the import duty is to be equal to the intervention price valid for such products on importation and increased by 55 %, minus the cif import price applicable to the consignment in question. However, that duty may not exceed the rate of duty in the Common Customs Tariff.

(2)

Pursuant to Article 10(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1784/2003, the cif import prices are calculated on the basis of the representative prices for the product in question on the world market.

(3)

Regulation (EC) No 1249/96 lays down detailed rules for the application of Regulation (EC) No 1784/2003 as regards import duties in the cereals sector.

(4)

The import duties are applicable until new duties are fixed and enter into force.

(5)

In order to allow the import duty system to function normally, the representative market rates recorded during a reference period should be used for calculating the duties.

(6)

Application of Regulation (EC) No 1249/96 results in import duties being fixed as set out in Annex I to this Regulation,