17. 4. 96 Official Journal of the European Communities No L 96/1 (Acts whose publication is obligatory) COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 681/96 of 16 April 1996 amending Regulation (EC) No 427/96 opening import quotas in respect of special preferential raw cane sugar from the ACP States and India for supply for refineries in the period 1 July 1995 to 30 June 1996 THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 1785/81 of 30 June 1981 on the common organization of the markets in the sugar sector (), as last amended by Regula- tion (EC) No 1101/95 (3, and in particular Articles 14 (2) and 37 (6) thereof, Whereas Commision Regulation (EC) No 427/96 of 8 March 1996 () fixes the quantities which need to be imported from the ACP States and India to meet the requirements of refineries on the basis of a Community forecast supply balance; whereas that supply balance takes account of 41 000 tonnes of raw cane sugar which can be imported in the first half of 1996 under a new import quota stemming from the negotiations under GATT Article XXIV.6 following the accession of Austria, Finland and Sweden; Whereas the decision to open that tariff quota has been delayed; whereas, in order to avoid interrupting supplies to the refining industry for which the new quota quanti- ties are intended, the quota opened by Regulation (EC) No 427/96 should accordingly be increased by the amount necessary to meet Portugal's requirements, namely 41 000 tonnes; Whereas, with a view to the Community’s obligations with regard to its commitments under the GATT, that quantity will be taken into account in respect of the 1996/97 marketing year, both when the new GATT quota is opened and when the quantities to be imported under the arrangements laid down in Article 37 (6) of Regula- tion (EEC) No 1785/81 are determined; Whereas the measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Sugar, HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: Article 1 In Article 1 (a) of Regulation (EC) No 427/96 the quantity ‘334 100 tonnes’ is replaced by ‘375100 tonnes’, and in Article 3 (c), the quantity ‘234 000 tonnes’ is replaced by ‘275000 tonnes’. Article 2 This Regulation shall enter into force on the third day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities. It shall apply from 1 July 1995. This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. Done at Brussels, 16 April 1996. () OJ No L 177, 1. 7. 1981, p. 4. () OJ No L 110, 17. 5. 1995, p. 1. () OJ No L 60, 9. 3. 1996, p. 4. For the Commission Franz FISCHLER Member of the Commission