L 272/28 Official Journal of the European Communities 4. 10. 97 COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 1940/97 of 3 October 1997 laying down detailed rules for a tariff quota for cows and heifers of specified mountain breeds originating in various third countries, other than for slaughter, in the period 1 July 1997 to 30 June 1998 and amending Regulation (EC) No 2514/9%6 THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 3066/95 of 22 December 1995 establishing certain concessions in the form of Community tariff quotas for certain agricultural products and providing for the adjustment, as an auto- nomous and transitional measure, of certain agricultural concessions provided for in the Europe Agreements to take account of the Agreement on Agriculture concluded during the Uruguay Round Multilateral Trade Negotia- tions ('), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1595/97 (), and in particular Article 8 thereof, Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1926/96 of 7 October 1996 establishing certain concessions in the form of Community tariff quotas for certain agricultural products and providing for the adjustment, as an auto- nomous and transitional measure, of certain agricultural concessions provided for in the agreements on free trade and trade-related matters with Estonia, Latvia and Lithu- ania, to take account of the Agreement on Agriculture concluded during the Uruguay Round Multilateral Trade Negotiations (*), and in particular Article $ thereof, Whereas Regulation (EC) No 3066/95 provides for the opening, for the period 1 July 1997 to 30 June 1998, of a tariff quota of 7 000 cows and heifers of specified moun- tain breeds originating in Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia at a customs duty of 6 % ad valorem; Whereas, pursuant to the rules laid down in Commission Regulation (EC) No 2514/96 of 23 December 1996 laying down for 1997 detailed rules for the application of a tariff quota for cows and heifers other than for slaughter of certain mountain breeds orginating in certain third coun- tries (%, Commission Regulation (EC) No 247/57 () lays down to what extent applications for the right to import logded pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 2514/96 may be accepted; whereas, consequently, rights to import have 328, 30. 12. 1995, p. 31. 216, 8. 8. 1997, p. 1. 254, 8. 10. 1996, p. 1. 345, 31. 12. 1996, p. 39. 41, 12. 2. 1997, p. 2. 00000 e ] il el already been allocated out of the total number of animals available with a view to their importation in 1997, whereas, pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 3066/95, that number must be fully counted against the number of animals specified, for 1997, in the Annexes to the said Regulation; whereas the quota set out in the Annexes to Regulation (EC) No 3066/95 for the period 1 July 1997 to 30 June 1998 should consequently be adjusted and the detailed rules relating to those quantities should be laid down; Whereas experience has shown that limiting imports may lead to speculative import licence applications; whereas, in order to ensure that the planned measures function properly, the greater part of the quantities available should be allocated to ‘traditional’ importers of cows and heifers of specified mountan breeds; whereas, in order to avoid forcing trade relations in this product group into an excessively rigid mould, a second tranche should be made available to traders who are able to show that they are engaged in genuine trade of some scale with third coun- tries; whereas, in this connection and in order to ensure efficient management, the trader concerned must be required to have imported at least 15 head in 1996; whereas a batch of 15 animals in principle constitutes a normal load; whereas experience shows that the sale or purchase of a single batch is a minimum requirement for a transaction to be considered genuine and viable; whereas verification of these criteria requires all applica- tions from the same trader to be submitted in the same Member State; Whereas, for purposes of checking that these criteria are met, applications should be submitted in the Member State where the importer is listed in the VAT register; Whereas in order to prevent speculation, traders no longer engaged in trade in beef and veal at 1 July 1997 should be denied access to the quota; Whereas provision should be made for the system to be administered by means of import licences; whereas to that end detailed rules for the submission of applications and the information which should appear in applications and licences should be laid down, if necessary by way of dero- gation from certain provisions of Commission Regulation (EEC) No 3719/88 of 16 November 1988 laying down common detailed rules for the application of the system