7.5.2008 Official Journal of the European Union L1211 (Acts adopted under the EC Treaty/Euratom Treaty whose publication is obligatory) REGULATIONS COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 361/2008 of 14 April 2008 amending Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 establishing a common organisation of agricultural markets and on specific provisions for certain agricultural products (Single CMO Regulation) THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Commu- nity, and in particular Articles 36 and 37 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament, Whereas: 1 With a view to simplifying the regulatory environment of the common agricultural policy (CAP), Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 (Single CMO Regulation) (') repealed, and replaced by one single legal act, all the regulations which the Council had adopted since the introduction of the CAP in the framework of the establishment of common organi- sations of the markets for the agricultural products or groups of products. As explained in recital 7 of the Single CMO Regulation, that act of simplification was not meant to lead to calling into question policy decisions that had been taken over the years in the CAP and, therefore, it did not envisage provid- ing for any new instruments or measures. The Single CMO Regulation, therefore, reflects the policy decisions taken up to the moment when the text for the Single CMO Regula- tion was proposed by the Commission. In parallel to the negotiations carried out within the Coun- cil on the adoption of the Single CMO Regulation, the Council also negotiated and adopted a series of policy deci- sions in several sectors. This is the case in respect of the sugar, seeds, milk and milk products sectors. () OJ L 299, 16.11.2007, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regula- tion (EC) No 248/2008 O] L 76, 19.3.2008, p. 6). 4 Council Regulation (EC) No 318/2006 of 20 February 2006 on the common organisation of the markets in the sugar sector (2) was amended mainly with a view to achiev- ing a structural balance of the market concerned. Those amendments have been adopted and were published only shortly before the publication of the Single CMO Regulation. Council Regulation (EC) No 1947/2005 of 23 November 2005 on the common organisation of the market in seeds (3) was amended at the same time as the Single CMO Regulation was adopted. That amendment discontinues the possibility for Finland to grant national aid for seeds and cereal seed and, in order to provide farmers in Finland with the opportunity to prepare for a situation without national aid, provides for a final, additional transitional period during which national aid for the production of seeds and cereal seed, with the exception of Timothy seeds, may be granted by Finland. Council Regulation (EC) No 1255/1999 of 17 May 1999 on the common organisation of the market in milk and milk products (¥), was amended shortly before the adop- tion of the Single CMO Regulation introducing various amendments to the public intervention and private stor- age schemes in respect of butter and skimmed milk pow- der, repealing the possibility for military forces to buy butter at reduced prices and setting a flat-rate aid for all categories of milk supplied to pupils in educational establishments. (3 OJ L 58, 28.2.2006, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1260/2007 (O] L 283, 27.10.2007, p. 1). () OJ L 312, 29.11.2005, p. 3. Regulation as last amended by Regula- tion (EC) No 1247/2007 (O] L 282, 26.10.2007, p. 1). (*) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999, p. 48. Regulation as last amended by Regula- tion (EC) No 1152/2007 (O] L 258, 4.10.2007, p. 3).