31. 3. 76 Official Journal of the European Communities No L 84/1 (Acts whose publication is obligatory) COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 707/76 of 25 March 1976 on the recognition of producer groups of silkworm rearers THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, and in particular Article 43 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Having regard to the opinion of the European Parlia- ment (1), Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (2), Whereas, in order to help ensure a fair income for silk- worm rearers and in order to stabilize the market in these products, the centralization of supply and the adaptation of production to the requirements of the market through joint action by rearers should be encouraged ; Whereas these objectives may be pursued by the formation of producer groups which oblige their members to comply with certain rules regarding production and marketing ; Whereas, to avoid any discrimination between producers and ensure the unity and effectiveness of any action undertaken, conditions should be laid down, applicable throughout the Community, with which producer groups must comply to qualify for recognition by the Member States, HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION : Article 1 For the purposes of this Regulation, ‘recognized producer groups’ means any group of silkworm rearers formed by the rearers themselves for either of the following purposes : (1) OJ No C 53, 8. 3. 1976, p. 24. () O] No C 50, 4. 3. 1976, p. 19. (a) to encourage the centralization of supplies ; (b) to make available to the associate rearers adequate technical resources for the preparation, storage, and marketing of the products of their silkworm rearing, on condition : — that all their production is marketed, i.e. sold to the wholesale trade or to the user industries, by the producer group though the group may exempt rearers from this obligation in respect of certain quantities, — that they apply, in respect of production and marketing, the rules adopted by the producer group designed to adapt the volume of supply and the quality of the product to market requirements, and recognized by a Member State pursuant to Article 2. Article 2 1.  Member States shall recognize groups, in so far as their activities include the production and marketing of cocoons, which request recognition and fulfil both the following general conditions and those laid down in Article 1. They must: (a) provide evidence of economic activity on an adequate scale ; (b) exclude, throughout their field of activity, any discrimination whatsoever between Community rearers in respect of inter alia their nationality or place of establishment; (c) have legal personality or sufficient legal capacity to enjoy rights and be subject to obligations in accor- dance with national law ; (d) include in their rules: — the obligation to keep separate accounts for the activities in respect of which they have been recognized ;