No L 338/48 Official Journal of the European Communities 28. 12. 96 COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 2497/96 of 18 December 1996 laying down procedures for applying in the poultrymeat sector the arrangements provided for in the Association Agreement and the Interim Agreement between the European Community and the State of Israel THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 2398/96 of 12 December 1996 opening the tariff quota for turkey meat from Israel provided for in the Association Agree- ment and the Interim Agreement between the European Community and the State of Israel (') and in particular Article 2 thereof, Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 2777/75 of 29 October 1975 on the common organization of the market poultrymeat (%), as last amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 2615/95 (), and in particular Article 15 thereof, Whereas, pending entry into force of the Association Agreement, the arrangements for trade were applied by virtue of Decision 96/206/ECSC, EC of the Council and the Commission of 22 December 1996 on the conclusion by the European Community of an Interim Agreement on trade and trade-related matters between the European Community and the European Coal and Steel Com- munity of the one part and the State of Israel of the other part (%), signed on 18 December 1995 and in force from 1 January 1996; Whereas provision should be made for the administration of the said arrangements to be by means of import licences; whereas, to that end, notwithstanding Article 8 of Commission Regulation (EEC) No 3719/88 of 16 November 1988 laying down common detailed rules for the application of the system of import and export licences and advance-fixing certificates for agricultural products (°), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 2350/96 (), detailed rules for submission of the applica- tions and the particulars which should appear in applica- tions and licences should be laid down; whereas, in addi- tion, provision should be made for licences to be issued after a period of consideration, applying, where necessary, a single acceptance rate; Whereas, in order to ensure regular imports, the quanti- ties laid down in Annex I to this Regulation should be staggered over the year; 0J No L 327, 18. 12. 1996, p. 7. OJ No L 282, 1. 11. 1975, p. 88. OJ No L 305, 19. 12. 1995, p. 49. OJ No L 71, 20. 3. 1996, p. 1. OJ No L 331, 2. 12. 1988, p. 1. OJ No L 320, 11. 12. 1996, p. 4. Whereas, since the arrangements cannot be applied until 1 January 1997, the quota provided for 1996 should be carried forward into 1997, Whereas, in order to ensure proper administration of the system, the security for import licences under the said system should be fixed at ECU 20 per 100 kilograms; whereas, in view of the likelihood of speculation inherent in the system in the poultrymeat sector, precise condi- tions governing access by traders to the said system should be laid down; Whereas the attention of traders should be drawn to the fact that licences may be used only for products that comply with all the veterinary requirements in force in the Community; Whereas the measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Poultrymeat and Eggs, HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: Article 1 All imports into the Community under the arrangements provided for in Protocol 1 to the Association Agreement and to the Interim Agreement between the European Community and the State of Israel of products in group I1 referred to in Annex I to this Regulation shall be subject to the presentation of an import licence. The quantities of products to which those arrangements apply and the rates of customs duty shall be those listed in Annex I The rate or reduction in the customs duty shall be that provided for in Article 2 for the period for which a licence is requested. Article 2 The quotas referred to in Article 1 shall be staggered as follows: — 25% in the period 1 January to 31 March, — 25% in the period 1 April to 30 June, — 25% in the period 1 July to 30 September, — 25% in the period 1 October to 31 December.