31.12. 88 Official Journal of the European Communities No L 371/25 COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 4226/88 of 19 December 1988 opening, allocating and providing for the administration of a Community tariff quota for prepared or preserved sardines originating in Morocco (1989) THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, and in particular Article 113 thereof, ~ Havihg regard to the proposal from the Commission, Whereas Article 4 of Protocol No 1 to the Agreement on relations in the sea fisheries sector between the European Economic Community and the Kingdom of Morocco (1) states that prepared or preserved sardines falling within CN code ex 1640 13 10 or ex 1604 20 50 and originating in Morocco shall be imported duty-free into the Community within the limits of a Community tariff quota of 17 500 tonnes (net weight); whereas, in order to ensure a regular flow to the Community market under this quota, the quantities destined for that market may not exceed 60 % of the total volume of the quota in the first half of the year and - may not exceed 35 % in the first quarter of the year; whereas at the end of each of these periods the quantities of the products in question which have been allocated to the Member States and remain unused by the latter should be returned immediately to the Community reserve; Whereas, within the limits of the tariff quota, Spain and Portugal shall apply the customs duties calculated according to the provisions of Council Regulation (EEC) No 3189/88 of 14 October 1988 laying down the arrangements to be . applied by Spain and Portugal to trade with Morocco and Syria (2); whereas the Community tariff quota in question should therefore be opened for 1989; ' Whereas equal and continuous access to the quota should be ensured for all Community importers and the rate laid down for the quota should be applied consistently to all imports of the products in question into all the Member States until the . quota is exhausted; Whereas, for the period during which this Regulation is to apply, specific administrative and economic circumstances make it necessary to maintain allocation of the quota concerned among Member States; whereas, on the one hand, the administrations concerned will not be in a' position to introduce, on 1 January 1989, the conditions essential, from a technical and administrative point of view, for Community administration of this quota; whereas, on the other hand, the prepared and preserved sardines sector is encountering, in - certain regions of the Community, economic constraints of a particular nature, bearing in mind notably the importance (1) O] No L 99, 16. 4. 1988, p. 49. (2) O] No L 287, 20. 10. 1988, p. 1. which sardine production may have in the fisheries production structure as a whole, thus justifying the fact that the traditional commercial outlets for producers on external markets and, as a matter of priority, on the Community market, should not be adversely affected; Whereas, however, it appears advisable to provide for a new increase in the Community reserve; Whereas, bearing in-mind the way in which trade has developed traditionally, the allocation maintained among Member States should, in order to correspond as closely as - possible to the real trend of the market for the products in " question, be carried out on a pro rata basis according to the needs of the Member States, calculated on the basis of statistics of imports of the said products from Morocco during a representative reference period and on the economic outlook for the quota periods in question; Whereas in the last three years the products in question were imported regularly only by certain Member States and not at all or only occasionally by the other Member States; whereas, in these circumstances, in the first phase, initial shares should be allocated to the genuine importing Member States and the other Member States should be guaranteed access to the tariff quota when imports actually take place; whereas these arrangements for allocation will equally ensure the uniform collection of the duties applicable; : Whereas, to allow for the trend of imports of the products concerned in the various Member States, the quota volume should be divided into two parts, the first being allocated among certain Member States and the second held as a reserve to cover any subsequent requirements of Member States which have used up their initial shares and any requirements which might arise in the other Member States; whereas, to afford importers in each Member State some degree of certainty, an appropriate level for the first part of the Community quota would, in the present circumstances, be 60% of the quota volume, the second part, 40% constituting the reserve to which shall also be returned any amounts remaining from the shares allocated when the quota volume was divided up for the first and second quarters of the current year; " Whereas this method of administration calls for close collaboration between the Member States and the