L 395/20 Official Journal of the European Union 31.12.2004 COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 2266/2004 of 20 December 2004 on trade in certain steel products between the Community and Ukraine THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, (8) It is necessary to ensure that the origin of the products in Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 133 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Whereas: (1) Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, and Ukraine ('), provides that trade in some steel products are to be subject to a specific Agreement on quantitative arrangements. (2)  The previous bilateral Agreement between the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and the Government of Ukraine on trade in certain steel products expired on 31 December 2001. (3)  The Community has taken over the international obli- gations of the ECSC since the expiry of the ECSC Treaty, and measures relating to trade in steel products with third countries now fall under the competence of the Community in the field of trade policy. (4)  Preliminary discussions between the Parties indicate that both of them intend to conclude a new Agreement for 2005 and subsequent years. (5)  Pending the signature and entry into force of the new Agreement, quantitative limits for the year 2005 should be established. (6)  Given that the conditions that led to the fixing of the quantitative limits for 2004 remain in place, it is appro- priate to set the quantitative limits for 2005 at the same level as for 2004, albeit by taking fully into account the EU enlargement. (7) It is necessary to provide the means to administer this regime within the Community in such a way as to facilitate the implementation of the new Agreement by envisaging as far as possible similar provisions. () O] L 49, 19.2.1998, p. 3. question is checked and appropriate methods of admi- nistrative cooperation are set up to this end. (9)  Products placed in a free zone or imported under the arrangements governing customs warehouses, temporary importation or inward processing (suspension system) should not be counted against the limits established for the products in question. (10)  The effective application of this Regulation calls for the introduction of a requirement for a Community import licence for the entry into free circulation in the Community of the products in question. (11)  In order to ensure that these quantitative limits are not exceeded, it is necessary to establish a management procedure whereby the competent authorities of the Member States do not issue import licences before obtaining confirmation from the Commission that appropriate amounts remain available within the quanti- tative limit in question, HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: Article 1 1. This Regulation shall apply from 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2005 to imports into the Community of steel products listed in Annex I originating in Ukraine. 2. The steel products shall be classified in product groups as set out in Annex [ 3. The classification of products listed in Annex I shall be based on the combined nomenclature (CN) established by Council Regulation (EEC) No 2658/87 of 23 July 1987 on the tariff and statistical nomenclature and on the Common Customs Tariff (2). 4. The origin of the products referred to in paragraph 1 shall be determined in accordance with the rules in force in the Community. (®» O] L 256, 7.9.1987, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 1989/2004 (O] L 344, 20.11.2004, p. 5).