L 339/22 Official Journal of the European Union 24.12.2003 COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 2233/2003 of 23 December 2003 opening Community tariff quotas for 2004 for sheep, goats, sheepmeat and goatmeat THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 2529/2001 of 19 December 2001 on the common organisation of the market in quantity for the period from 1 July 2003 to 30 June 2004 and half of the quantity for the period from 1 July 2004 to 30 June 2005. sheepmeat and goatmeat ('), and in particular Article 16(1) (7) A carcase-weight equivalent needs to be fixed in order to thereof, ensure a proper functioning of the Community tariff quotas. Furthermore, since certain tariff quotas provide for the option of importing either the live animals or Whereas: their meat, a conversion factor is required. (1)  Community tariff quotas for sheepmeat and goatmeat should be opened for 2004. The duties and quantities referred to in Regulation (EC) No 2529/2001 should be fived in accordance with the respective international (8)  Experience with the administration of the Community agreements in force during the year 2004. cariff . ariff quotas has shown a need to improve the manage- ment of such quotas. Experience in the use of the first- (2)  Subject to the ratification of the Treaty of Accession of come, first-served management system has been positive the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, in other agricultural sectors. In the interest of adminis- Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia, the trative simplification, quotas concerning products of the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Slovakia will accede to the sheepmeat and goatmeat sector originating in  third European Union on 1 May 2004. The quotas attributable countries should, by way of derogation from Commis- to those countries should therefore only be opened until sion Regulation (EC) No 1439/95 Qf 26 June 1995 the date of their accession. laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EEC) No 3013/89 as regards the import and export of products in the sheepmeat and goatmeat (3)  Council Regulation (EC) No 312/2003 of 18 February sector (°), be managed in conformity with Article 2003 implementing for the Community the tariff provi- 16(2)(a) of Regulation (EC) No 2529/2001. This should sions laid down in the Agreement establishing an asso- be done in accordance with Articles 308a, 308b and ciation between the European Community and its 308¢(1) of Commission Regulation (EEC) No 2454/93 of Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of 2 July 1993 laying down provisions for the implementa- Chile, of the other part (), has provided for an additional tion of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2913/92 estab- bilateral tariff quota of 2 000 tonnes with a 10 % annual lishing the Community Customs Code (°). Where imports increase to be opened for product code 0204 from 1 are managed in accordance with these provisions, no February 2003. That quota should be added to the import licences should be required any more. GATT|WTO quota for Chile and both quotas should be managed in the same way from 1 January 2004. (4)  Council Regulation (EC) No 1329/2003 of 21 July 2003 amending Regulagon (EC) No 992/95 as regards tariff (99 In order to avoid any discrimination among exporting quotas .for. certain ag3r1cultural ar}d. flshe?y products countries, and given that equivalent tariff quotas have originating in NOYWE}Y () grants additional bilateral trade not been quickly exhausted in the last two years, tariff concessions concerning agricultural products. quotas under this Regulation should be regarded initially as non-critical within the meaning of Article 308c of (5)  Certain tariff quotas for sheepmeat and goatmeat Regulation (EEC) No 2454/93 when managed under the products have been granted to the ACP States under the f{r.st—come first-served system. Thqefore, customs autho- Cotonou Agreement (¥, rities .shogld be authorised to waive the requirement for security in respect of goods initially imported under those quotas in accordance with Articles 308¢(1) and (6) Since imports are managed on a calendar-year basis, for 248(4) of Regulation (EEC) No 2454/93. Due to the the quotas defined for a period from 1 July to 30 June, particularities of the transfer from one management the quantities fixed for 2004 are the sum of half of the system to the other Article 308¢(2) and (3) of that Regu- lation should not apply. (") OJ L 341, 22.12.2001, p. 3. Regulation as amended by Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003 (OJ L 270, 21.10.2003, p. 1). () OJ L 143, 27.6.1995, p. 7. Regulation as last amended by Regu- () OJ L 46, 20.2.2003, p. 1. lation (EC) No 272/2001 (O] L 41, 10.2.2001, p. 3). () OJ L 187,26.7.2003, p. 1. () OJ L 253, 11.10.1993, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regu- () OJ L 317, 15.12.2000, p. 3. lation (EC) No 1335/2003 (OJ L 187, 26.7.2003, p. 16).