20.12.2001 Official Journal of the European Communities L 337/27 COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 2497/2001 of 19 December 2001 opening and providing for the administration of Community tariff quotas for certain fish and fishery products originating in the Republic of Croatia THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 2248/2001 of 19 November 2001 on certain procedures for applying the Stabili- sation and Association Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Croatia, of the other part, and for applying the Interim Agreement between the European Community and the Republic of Croatia (), and in particular Articles 4 and 5 thereof, Whereas: (1) The Council is in the process of concluding a Stabilisa- tion and Association Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Croatia, of the other part, herein- after referred to as ‘the Stabilisation and Association Agreement’. (2)  Pending the completion of the procedure necessary for the ratification and entry into force of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, the Council is also in the process of concluding an Interim Agreement between the European Community, of the one part, and the Republic of Croatia, of the other part, covering trade and trade-related matters, hereinafter referred to as ‘the Interim Agreement, which will be applied as of 1 January 2002. (3)  The Interim Agreement and the Stabilisation and Asso- ciation Agreement stipulate that certain fish and fishery products originating in Croatia may be imported into the Community, within the limits of Community tariff quotas, at a reduced or a zero-rate of customs duty. (4)  The tariff quotas provided for in the Interim Agreement and in the Stabilisation and Association Agreement are annual and are repeated for an indeterminate period. The Commission should adopt the implementing meas- ures for the opening and the administration of the Community tariff quotas. (5)  Commission Regulation (EEC) No 2454/93 of 2 July 1993 laying down provisions for the implementation of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2913/92 establishing the Community Customs Code (%), as last amended by Regu- lation (EC) No 993/2001 (*), has codified the manage- 0] L 304, 21.11.2001, p. 1. () O] L 253, 11.10.1993, p. 1. O] L 141, 28.5.2001, p. 1. ment rules for tariff quotas designed to be used following the chronological order of dates of customs declarations. (6)  Particular care should be taken to ensure that all Community importers have equal and continuous access to the tariff quotas and that the rates laid down for the quotas are applied uninterruptedly to all imports of the products in question into all Member States until the quotas are exhausted. In order to ensure the efficiency of a common administration of these quotas, there is no obstacle to authorising the Member States to draw from the quota volumes the necessary quantities corre- sponding to actual imports. However, this method of administration requires close cooperation between the Member States and the Commission and the latter must in particular be able to monitor the rate at which the quotas are used up and inform the Member States accordingly. For reasons of speed and efficiency, communication between the Member States and the Commission should, as far as possible, take place by telematic link. (7)  This Regulation should be applied upon the entry into force or the date of provisional application of the Interim Agreement and should remain in application upon the entry into force of the Stabilisation and Asso- ciation Agreement. (8)  The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Customs Code Commiittee, HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: Article 1 1.  When products originating in Croatia and listed in the Annex are put into free circulation in the Community, accom- panied by a proof of origin as provided for in the Origin Protocol to the Interim Agreement and to the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, they shall benefit from a reduced or a zero-rate of customs duty, at the levels and within the limits of the annual Community tariff quotas specified in that Annex. 2. The tariff quotas referred to in this Article shall be admin- istered by the Commission in accordance with Articles 308a to 308c of Regulation (EEC) No 2454/93.