23.7.93 Official Journal of the European Communities No L 180/1 (Acts whose publication is obligatory) COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 1968/93 of 19 July 1993 opening and providing for the administration of tariff quotas in respect of " certain EEC steel products originating in the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic imported into the Community (1 June 1993 to 31 December 1995) THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, and in particular Article 113 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Whereas an Interim Agreement on trade and trade-related matters between the European Economic Community and the European Coal and Steel Community, of the one part, and the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic, of the other part() (‘the Interim Agreement) was signed in Brussels on 16 December 1991 ; Whereas certain steel products covered by the Interim Agreement were the subject of safeguard measures in the Community in 1992, pursuant to Commission Recom- mendation 92/434/ECSC of 14 August 1992(%) and Commission Decision 92/433/EEC of 14 August 1992 (%) ; Whereas, upon the dissolution of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic on 31 December 1992, the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic submitted declarations informing the Community that both the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic continue to assume all the obli- gations deriving from the Interim Agreement; Whereas the situation relating to imports of certain steel products from the Czech Republic and the Slovak Repub- lic into the Community has been the subject of thorough examination and whereas, on the basis of relevant infor- mation supplied to them, the parties agreed that an acceptable solution which least disturbs the functioning of the Interim Agreement is a tariff quota system for the imports of certain steel products into the Community; Whereas equal and continuous access to the said quotas should be ensured for all Community importers and the rates laid down for the quotas should be applied consis- tently to all imports of the products in question into all Member States until the quotas are exhausted; J No L 115, 30. 4. 1992, p. 2. O] No L 238, 21. 8. 1992, p. 26. No L 238, 21. 8. 1992, p. 24. Whereas the decision for the opening, in the execution of its international obligations, of all tariff quotas should be taken by the Community ; whereas, to ensure the effici- ency of common administration of these quotas, there is no obstacle to authorizing the Member States to draw from the quota-volumes the necessary quantities corres- ponding to actual imports ; whereas, however, this method of administration requires close cooperation between the Member States and the Commission and the latter must, in particular, be able to monitor the rate at which the quotas are used up and inform the Member States accordingly ; Whereas a tariff quota system along the abovementioned lines was established by Decisions No 1/93 () and No 1/93 °) of the Joint Committee acting in accordance with the Interim Agreement for the period 1 June 1993 to 31 December 1995; Whereas it is necessary to lay down the arrangements for the implementation of this tariff quota system during the said period ; Whereas such arrangements have been laid down for the ECSC products, the subject of the decisions of the Joint Committee, by Commission Decision No 1970/93/ ECSC (9, HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION : Article 1. 1. From 1 June 1993 to 31 December 1993, and subject to annual review, until 31 December 1995, imports into the Community of the products set out in the following table originating in the Czech Republic shall be subject to the duties applicable under the Interim Agreement and in particular the tariff quotas and other () OJ No L 157, 29. 6. 1993, p. 59. () OJ No L 157, 29. 6. 1993, p. 67. (%) See page 10 of this Official Journal.