No L 166/30 Official Journal of the European Communities 25.6.76 COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 1428/76 of 21 June 1976 on rules for the advance fixing of levies on rice and broken rice THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 1418/ 76 of 21 June 1976 on the common organization of the market in rice (*), and in particular Article 13 (4) thereof, ‘ Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Whereas the common threshold price is the Com- munity market’s sole protection; whereas if imported goods were to enter this market at prices below the threshold price, the normal disposal of home-grown rice in accordance with the regionalization rules would be seriously threatened; whereas, where the levy is fixed in advance, the premium provided for in Artiole 13 (2) of Regulation (EEC) No 1418/76 must therefore be fixed in such a way that products imported under this procedure enter the Community market under conditions which cannot disturb its balance; Whereas, to this end, it is necessary that this premium should cover the difference between the cif price and the cif forward delivery price, where the latter is lower than the former, determined on the basis of offers reflecting the real trend on the future market; Whereas there are exceptional cases in which special circumstances cause considerable price fluctuations on the market in rice; whereas in order to prevent such fluctuations from adversely affecting the Com- munity market in rice, provision should be made in such a case for fixing the premium at a higher level than that resulting from application of the usual rule so as to cover the difference between the cif price and the cif forward delivery price, or for suspending temporarily the advance fixing of the levy or for- (*) See page 1 of this Official Journal. reducing the period for which it is possible to obtain advance fixing of the levy; Whereas the levies on paddy rice and semi-milled rice are not calculated by comparing a threshold price and cif price for these products but are derived from the levies on husked rice and wholly milled rice, respectively, adjusted by a conversion rate; Whereas, therefore, the adjustment, by reference to “the threshold prices, of a levy fixed in advance for paddy rice or semi-milled rice is appropriate only if the conversion rates used for the calculation of the levy itself are applied; whereas rules for the advance fixing of levies should therefore be laid down; Whereas it is desirable, by means of the premium system, to induce the importer to respect the period indicated by him when applying for the advance fixing of a levy in accordance with Article 13 (2) of Regulation (EEC) No 1418/76 although allowance should be made for the fact that the conditions of purchase customary in the international rice trade and uncertainty about delivery time will often prevent the import from being effected during the month indicated on the import licence, HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: Article 1 1. The amount of the premiums provided for in Article 13 (2) of Regulation (EEC) No 1418/76 shall be fixed in accordance with the criteria laid down in this Regulation. 2. A premium shall be fixed for the current month and a premium shall be fixed for each subsequent month until the licence expires. The amount of the premiums, expressed in units of account per metric ton, shall be the same for the whole Community.