30.6.2001 Official Journal of the European Communities L178/1 (Acts whose publication is obligatory) COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 1260/2001 of 19 June 2001 on the common organisation of the markets in the sugar sector THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, 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 (%), Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (%), Whereas: 1 In order to work properly, the common agricultural policy requires a common organisation of the markets in the sugar sector covering, in particular, sugar and isoglucose and insulin syrup, which are liquid substitutes for sugar. In order to achieve the objectives of the common agricultural policy, and in particular to ensure that Community growers of sugar beet and sugar cane continue to benefit from the necessary guarantees in respect of employment and standards of living, the market in sugar should be stabilised. This objective can be attained by allowing intervention agencies to buy in sugar. For this purpose, an intervention price for white sugar should be fixed for areas having no deficit, as well as an intervention price for raw sugar, and, every year for each of the deficit areas, a derived intervention price for white sugar and, if necessary, for raw sugar. The intervention price must be fixed at a level which will ensure a fair income for sugar-beet and sugar-cane producers while taking account of the interests of consumers. Such price guarantees for sugar also benefit sugar syrups, isoglucose and insulin syrup, the prices of which are based on sugar prices. In view of the financial perspective and the budgetary rules adopted by the European Council in Berlin in March 1999, the support prices in the sugar sector should be fixed for the whole duration of the new arrangements. The intervention price must be fixed for standard qualities of white sugar and raw sugar which should be defined. Such standard qualities should be average qualities representative of sugar produced in the Community and should be determined on the basis of criteria used by the sugar trade. It must also be possible to review the standard qualities to take account, in particular, of commercial requirements and developments in analysis techniques. () O C 29 E, 30.1.2001, p. 315. (*) Opinion delivered on 13 March 2001 (not yet published in the Official Journal). () O] C 116, 20.4.2001, p. 113.