17.5.2006 Official Journal of the European Union L 129/3 COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 734/2006 of 16 May 2006 laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EC) No 1255/1999 as regards the granting of private storage aid for certain cheeses in the 2006/2007 storage period THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1255/1999 of 17 May 1999 on the common organisation of the market in milk and milk products (!), and in particular Article 10 thereof, Whereas: (1) Under Article 9 of Regulation (EC) No 1255/1999, private storage aid may be granted for long-keeping cheeses and for cheeses which are manufactured from sheep’s andfor goat’s milk and require at least six months for maturing, if for those cheeses price devel- opments and the stock situation indicate a serious imbalance of the market which may be eliminated or reduced by seasonal storage. (2)  The seasonal nature of the production of certain long- keeping cheeses and Pecorino Romano, Kefalotyri and Kasseri cheese is aggravated by the fact that the seasonality of consumption is the inverse of the seasonality of production. The fragmented production of such cheeses further aggravates the consequences of that seasonality. Therefore, provision should be made for recourse to seasonal storage in respect of a quantity corresponding to the difference between summer and winter production. (3)  The types of cheeses eligible for aid and the maximum quantities which may qualify for it should be laid down, as well as the duration of the contracts in relation to the real requirements of the market and the keeping qualities of the cheeses in question. (4) It is necessary to specify the terms of the storage contract and the essential measures to enable the cheese covered by a contract to be identified and subjected to checks. The amount of aid should be fixed with reference to storage costs and the balance to be maintained between cheeses qualifying for the aid and other cheeses marketed. In view of these elements, and of the available resources, the amounts per day of storage for (*) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999, p. 48. Regulation last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1913/2005 (OJ L 307, 25.11.2005, p. 2). the warehousing costs should be reduced. The amount for the financial costs should be calculated on the basis of an interest rate of 2,5 %. As for the fixed costs, the aid measure should no longer compensate for other than daily storage costs and financial costs, as storage does not give raise to supplementary fixed costs, being part of the normal manufacturing process of those cheeses. (5)  Detailed rules should also be laid down regarding docu- mentation, accounting and the frequency and nature of checks. In this connection, it should be laid down that the Member States may charge the costs of checks fully or in part to the contractor. (6) It should be clarified that only whole cheeses are eligible for the private storage aid. (7)  The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Milk and Milk Products, HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: Atticle 1 Subject matter This Regulation lays down the detailed rules for granting Community aid for private storage of certain cheeses (here- inafter referred to as aid) pursuant to Article 9 of Regulation (EC) No 12551999 during the 2006/2007 storage period. Article 2 Definitions For the purpose of this Regulation: (a) ‘storage lot’ means a quantity of cheese weighing at least two tonnes, of the same type and taken into storage in a single storage depot on a single day; (b) ‘day of commencement of contractual storage’ means the day following that of entry into storage; (c) ‘last day of contractual storage’ means the day before that of removal from storage;