ISSN 1725-2555 Official Journal L 332 of the European Union Volume 49 English edition Legislation 30 November 2006 Contents I Acts whose publication is obligatory ★ Council Regulation (EC) No 1755/2006 of 23 November 2006 on the import of certain steel products originating in Ukraine ................................................................. 1 ★ Council Regulation (EC) No 1756/2006 of 28 November 2006 amending Regulation (EC) No 2667/2000 on the European Agency for Reconstruction ................................... 18 Commission Regulation (EC) No 1757/2006 of 29 November 2006 establishing the standard import values for determining the entry price of certain fruit and vegetables ............................... 19 II Acts whose publication is not obligatory Council 2006/856/EC: ★ Council Decision of 13 November 2006 establishing a Committee on monetary, financial and balance of payments statistics (Codified version) ............................................... 21 Commission 2006/857/EC: ★ Commission Decision of 15 June 2005 relating to a proceeding under Article 82 of the EC Treaty and Article 54 of the EEA Agreement (Case COMP/A.37.507/F3 — AstraZeneca) (notified under document number C(2005) 1757) (1) ........................................................... 24 2006/858/EC: ★ Commission Decision of 28 November 2006 amending Decision 2005/393/EC as regards restricted zones in relation to bluetongue (notified under document number C(2006) 5607) (1) ..... 26 1 ( ) Text with EEA relevance (Continued overleaf) 2 Acts whose titles are printed in light type are those relating to day-to-day management of agricultural matters, and are generally valid for a limited period. EN The titles of all other acts are printed in bold type and preceded by an asterisk. Contents (continued) 2006/859/EC: ★ Commission Decision of 28 November 2006 granting Malta a derogation from certain provisions of Directive 2003/54/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (notified under document number C(2006) 5642) .............................................................. 32 EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA Standing Committee of the EFTA States ★ Decision of the Standing Committee of the EFTA States No 1/2004/SC of 5 February 2004 establishing an Office for the EEA Financial Mechanism and the Norwegian Financial Mechanism ....................................................................................... 34 ★ Decision of the Standing Committee of the EFTA States No 2/2005/SC of 28 April 2005 regarding the audit of the financial management of and projects under the Financial Instrument 36 EN 30.11.2006EN Official Journal of the European Union L 332/1 I (Acts whose publication is obligatory) COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 1755/2006 of 23 November 2006 on the import of certain steel products originating in Ukraine THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, (5) It is preferable that the means to administer this regime within the Community be identical to those adopted for the implementation of the Agreement. Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 133 thereof, (6) It is necessary to ensure that the origin of the products in question is checked and appropriate methods of admin- istrative cooperation are set up to this end. Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, (7) Products placed in a free zone or imported under the Whereas: arrangements governing customs warehouses, temporary importation or inward processing (suspension system) should not be counted against the limits established for the products in question. (1) On 29 July 2005, the European Community and the Government of Ukraine concluded an Agreement on trade in certain steel products (1) (hereinafter referred to (8) The effective application of this Regulation requires the as the Agreement). The necessary implementing measures introduction of a requirement for a Community import have been adopted by Council Regulation (EC) No licence for the entry into free circulation in the 1440/2005 of 12 July 2005 on administering certain Community of the products in question. restrictions on imports of certain steel products from Ukraine and repealing Regulation (EC) No 2266/2004 (2). (9) In order to ensure that these quantitative limits are not exceeded, it is necessary to establish a management (2) Regulation (EC) No 1440/2005 sets quantitative limits procedure whereby the competent authorities of the on the imports into the Community. Member States do not issue import licences before obtaining prior confirmation from the Commission that appropriate amounts remain available within the quanti- tative limit in question. (3) The Ukrainian authorities indicated that as of September 2006 export licences issued for product groups SA1, SA3 and SB1 have exceeded 90 % of the quantities available and asked for consultations as provided for in (10) In view of the limited duration of this Regulation, it is the Agreement. Following those consultations, both sides appropriate for it to enter into force as soon as possible, agreed to an increase of the quantitative limits for those product groups for the year 2006. HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: (4) It is important that the additional quantities be available as soon as possible. The renegotiation of the Agreement and the subsequent implementation of it as amended Article 1 would require too much time. It is therefore preferable to recur to an autonomous measure. 1. Without prejudice to Regulation (EC) No 1440/2005, the importation into the Community of additional quantities of the (1) OJ L 232, 8.9.2005, p. 43. steel products set out in Annex I originating in Ukraine shall be (2) OJ L 232, 8.9.2005, p. 1. authorised up to 52 000 tonnes, as set out in Annex V. L 332/2EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.11.2006 2. The steel products shall be classified in product groups as Article 4 set out in Annex I. 1. For the purpose of applying Article 2(2), before issuing import licences, the competent authorities of the Member States listed in Annex IV shall notify the Commission of the amounts 3. The classification of products listed in Annex I shall be of the requests for import licences, supported by original export based on the combined nomenclature (CN) established by licences, which they have received. By return, the Commission Council Regulation (EEC) No 2658/87 (1). shall notify whether the requested amount(s) of quantities are available for importation in the chronological order in which the notifications of the Member States are received (‘first come, first served basis’). 4. The origin of the products referred to in paragraph 1 shall be determined in accordance with the rules in force in the Community. 2. The requests included in the notifications to the Commission shall be valid if they establish clearly in each Article 2 case the exporting country, the product code concerned, the 1. The importation into the Community of the steel products amounts to be imported, the number of the export licence, listed in Annex I originating in Ukraine shall be subject to the the quota year and the Member State in which the products quantitative limits laid down in Annex V. The release for free are intended to be put into free circulation. circulation in the Community of the products set out in Annex I originating in Ukraine shall be subject to the presentation of a certificate of origin, set out in Annex II, and of an import licence issued by the Member States' authorities in accordance 3. As far as possible, the Commission shall confirm to the with the provisions of Article 4. authorities the full amount indicated in the requests notified for each group of products. 2. In order to ensure that quantities for which import licences are issued do not exceed at any moment the total quantitative limits for each product group, the competent 4. The competent authorities shall notify the Commission authorities listed in Annex IV shall issue import licences only immediately after being informed of any quantity that is not upon confirmation by the Commission that there are still quan- used during the duration of validity of the import licence. Such tities available within the quantitative limits for the relevant unused quantities shall automatically be transferred into the product group of steel products in respect of the supplier remaining quantities of the total Community quantitative limit country, for which an importer or importers have submitted for each product group. applications to the said authorities. 3. The authorised imports shall be counted against the quan- 5. The notifications referred to in paragraphs 1 to 4 shall be titative limits set out in Annex V. The shipment of products communicated electronically within the integrated network set shall be considered as having taken place on the date on which up for this purpose, unless for imperative technical reasons it is they were loaded onto the exporting means of transport. The necessary to use other means of communication temporarily. shipment must take place no later than 31 December 2006. Article 3 6. The import licences or equivalent documents shall be 1. The quantitative limits referred to in Annex V shall not issued in accordance with Articles 12 to 16. apply to products placed in a free zone or free warehouse or imported under the arrangements governing customs ware- houses, temporary importation or inward processing (suspension system). 7. The competent authorities of the Member States shall notify the Commission of any cancellation of import licences or