11.5.2000 Official Journal of the European Communities L112/27 COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 970/2000 of 8 May 2000 amending Regulation (EC) No 1374/98 laying down detailed rules for the application of the import arrangements and opening tariff quotas for milk and milk products THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1255/1999 of 17 May 1999 on the common organisation of the market in milk and milk products (1), and in particular Articles 26(3) and 29(1) thereof, Whereas: 1) Commission Regulation (EC) No 137498 (3), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 249/2000 (*), provides for a number of different import systems. Where the detailed description of goods complicates the import procedure, that procedure is considerably simplified by the exporting country giving an assurance that the product exported meets the description of the goods in question. A product may only qualify for the specific duty when it is accompanied by a certificate known as the inward monitoring arrangements (IMA 1) certificate, issued in a prescribed form on the responsibility of the exporting country and providing the said assurance. This system of certificates is also used by non-member coun- tries to monitor compliance with tariff quotas. While additional verification and monitoring by the Community was initially considered unnecessary experi- ences has shown the need for a verification of declara- tions at Community level based on random sampling of lots and the use of internationally recognised testing and statistical methods. In application of Articles 26 and 29 of Regulation (EC) No 1255/1999, the Commission shall ensure that import licences are issued to any applicant irrespective of his place of establishment in the Community and shall, taking into account all the relevant provisions, avoid any discrimination between importers. Additional precision is necessary for the implementation of the IMA 1 certificate system notably with regard to the completion, issue, cancellation, amendment and replacement of certificates by the IMA 1 issuing agency, their validity period and the conditions for their use with 160, 26.6.1999, p. 48. oj L 0] L 185, 30.6.1998, p. 21. oj L 26, 2.2.2000, p. 4. 0) a corresponding import licence. The monitoring of all such imports and an end of year audit to ensure respect of the quota should be provided for. In the light of experience additional conditions are appropriate for the import of New Zealand butter under the current access quota notably linking the quantity covered by a single IMA 1 certificate to that covered by a corresponding single import licence and requiring that they both be used only once together with one declara- tion for release for free circulation by way of derogation from Commission Regulation (EEC) No 3719/88 of 16 November 1988 laying down common detailed rules for the application of the system of import and export licences and advance fixing certificates for agricultural products (), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1127/1999 (). New Zealand butter entered under the current access quota must be identified to avoid the grant of full export refund and the payment of certain aid amounts. Certain features of the IMA 1 certificate system must be modified to take account of new rules for completing certificates, for monitoring the issue of certificates and for monitoring authorised amendments to those certi- ficates and to introduce precision with regard to control and verification of imports under Regulation (EC) No 1374/98. Regulation (EC) No 1374/98 provides that operators who intend to import certain cheeses originating in Switzerland must undertake to respect a minimum free-at-frontier value in order to benefit from preferential treatment for those cheeses. In the past this undertaking was given in box 17 of the obligatory IMA 1 certificate which is no longer the case. It is appropriate, for reasons of clarity, to specify the notion of the free-at-frontier value and the conditions to ensure its respect. Modifications to Annexes I and VII to Regulation (EC) No 1374/98 are appropriate in light of the special provi- sions for completing the IMA 1 certificate for imports of 331, 2.12.1988, p. 1. 0] L 0] L 135, 29.5.1999, p. 48.