14.7.2005   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 183/79

(1)

Article 33 of Regulation (EC) No 1254/1999 provides that the difference between prices on the world market for the products listed in Article 1 of that Regulation and prices for those products within the Community may be covered by an export refund.

(2)

Commission Regulations (EEC) No 32/82 (2), (EEC) No 1964/82 (3), (EEC) No 2388/84 (4), (EEC) No 2973/79 (5) and (EC) No 2051/96 (6) lay down the conditions for granting special export refunds on certain cuts of beef and veal and certain preserved beef and veal products, and for certain destinations.

(3)

It follows from applying those rules and criteria to the foreseeable situation on the market in beef and veal that the refund should be as set out below.

(4)

With regard to live animals, for reasons of simplification export refunds should not be granted for categories with insignificant trade with third countries. Moreover, in the light of the general concern of animal welfare, export refunds for live animals for slaughter should be limited as much as possible. Consequently, export refunds for such animals should only be granted for third countries which for cultural and/or religious reasons traditionally import substantial numbers of animals for domestic slaughter. As to live animals for reproduction, in order to prevent any abuse, export refunds for pure-bred breeding animals should be limited to heifers and cows of no more than 30 months of age.

(5)

Export refunds should be granted for certain destinations on some fresh or chilled meat listed in the Annex under CN code 0201, on some frozen meat listed in the Annex under CN code 0202, on some meat or offal listed in the Annex under CN code 0206 and on some other prepared or preserved meat or offal listed in the Annex under CN code 1602 50 10.

(6)

The uptake of export refunds for certain categories of beef and veal products proves to be insignificant. This is also the case with regard to the uptake for certain destinations very close to the Community territory. For such categories, export refunds should no longer be fixed.

(7)

In the case of certain other cuts and preserves of meat or offal shown in the Annex under CN code 1602 50, the Community presence of international trade may be maintained by granting a refund corresponding to that at present available.

(8)

In the case of other beef and veal products, a refund need not be fixed since the Community's share of world trade is not significant.

(9)

Commission Regulation (EEC) No 3846/87 (7) establishes the agricultural product nomenclature for the purposes of export refunds. The refunds are set on the basis of the product codes as defined in that nomenclature.

(10)

The refunds on all frozen cuts should be brought into line with those on fresh or chilled cuts other than those from adult male bovine animals.

(11)

Checks on products covered by CN code 1602 50 should be stepped up by making the granting of refunds on these products conditional on manufacture under the arrangements provided for in Article 4 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 565/80 of 4 March 1980 on the advance payment of export refunds in respect of agricultural products (8).

(12)

Refunds should be granted only on products that are allowed to move freely in the Community. Therefore, to be eligible for a refund, products should be required to bear the health mark laid down in Council Directives 64/433/EEC (9), 94/65/EC (10) and 77/99/EEC (11), respectively.

(13)

Pursuant to Article 6(2) of Regulation (EEC) No 1964/82, the special refund is to be reduced if the quantity of boned meat to be exported amounts to less than 95 %, but not less than 85 %, of the total weight of cuts produced by boning.

(14)

The negotiations within the framework of the Europe Agreements between the European Community and Romania and Bulgaria aim in particular to liberalise trade in products covered by the common organisation of the market concerned. For these two countries export refunds should therefore be abolished. That abolition should not, however, lead to a differentiated refund for exports to other countries.

(15)

The Management Committee for Beef and Veal has not given an opinion within the time limit set by its President,

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Chapter XI of Annex I to Directive 64/433/EEC,

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Chapter VI of Annex I to Directive 94/65/EC,

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Chapter VI of Annex B to Directive 77/99/EEC.