9.2.91 Official Journal of the European Communities No L 37/1 (Acts whose publication is obligatory) COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 305/91 of 4 February 1991 amending Regulation (EEC) No 1785/81 on the common organization of the markets in the sugar sector THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, and in particular Articles 42 and 43 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ('), Having regard to the opinion of the European Par- liament (3, Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (%), Whereas the Community aid schemes aimed at placing raw sugar imported on preferential conditions and sugar imported for refining, in particular in Portugal, on similar terms expire on 30 June 1991; whereas, however, the Community stated in its declaration annexed to the Final Act of the Treaty of Accession of Portugal on supplies to the sugar refining industry in Portugal that it was prepared to carry out, before the end of the transitional period, an overall examination of the supply situation of the refining industry in the Community on the basis of a report from the Commission ; whereas, since the transi- tional period expires at the end of 1992, the said arrange- ments should, in order not to anticipate the conclusions of that report, be continued until the end of the 1992/93 marketing year ; Whereas Article 23 of Regulation (EEC) No 1785/81 (*), as last amended by Regulation (EEC) No 3577/90 (), lays down, on the one hand, that the system of production quotas for sugar is to apply for the marketing years 1986/87 to 1990/91 and, on the other hand, that the (") OJ No C 258, 13. 10. 1990, p. 9. () OJ No C 19, 28. 1. 1991. (*) Opinion delivered on 20 November 1990 (not yet published in the Official Journal). () OJ No L 177, 1. 7. 1981, p. 4. () OJ No L 353, 17. 12. 1990, p. 23. Council is to determine, before 1 January 1991, the system to be applied from 1 July 1991; Whereas the common organization of the markets in the sugar sector has been based since the 1986/87 marketing year, on the one hand, on the principle of financial responsibility of producers for each marketing year for losses incurred from the disposal of surpluses of Com- munity production under the system of quotas related to internal consumption and, on the other hand, on a system of price and disposal guarantees differentiated according to production quotas allocated. to each undertaking; whereas the abovementioned principle and system should be renewed for a further period of two marketing vyears, 1991/92 and 1992/93, in order to curb the production of the Community, with its great technical production ca- pacity, at a time when the world sugar market continues to be characterized, despite some improvement, by great volatility of prices and by cyclical trends; > Whereas, therefore, it is extremely difficult to foresee how the world market in sugar will develop in the medium term ; whereas, further, the absence of an international sugar agreement containing binding clauses for all the member countries of such an agreement makes it difficult to alter unilaterally the price and disposal guarantees conferred on Community producers; whereas, in addi- tion, in the current situation, any reduction of guarantees in this sector entails the risk of a substantial decrease in areas under sugar beet within the quota system to the advantage of other agricultural enterprises for which the sector is not, or is only partly, financed by the producers themselves ; whereas, under these circumstances, the basic quantities of sugar and isoglucose should be kept unchanged for the two marketing years referred to above ; Whereas transitional measures for implementation of the production quota arrangements in the continental region of Portugal were applied throughout the 1987/88 to 1990/91 marketing years; whereas the difficulties en- countered with regard to such implementation persist and it is therefore desirable to extend the said measures for two additional marketing years;