L 13814 Official Journal of the European Union 30.5.2007 COMMISSION COMMISSION DECISION of 4 May 2007 on the determination of surplus stocks of agricultural products other than sugar and the financial consequences of their elimination in relation to the accession of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia (notified under document number C(2007) 1979) (Only the Czech, Greek, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Slovak and Slovenian versions are authentic) (2007/361[EC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty of Accession of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia, Having regard to the Act of Accession of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia, and in particular paragraph 4 of Chapter 4 of Annex IV thereto, Whereas: Paragraph 2 of Chapter 4 of Annex IV to the 2003 Act of Accession provides that any stock of agricultural product private as well as public, in free circulation at the date of accession within the territory of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia (hereinafter referred to as ‘the new Member States’), and exceeding the quantity which could be regarded as constituting a normal carry-over of stock should be eliminated at the expense of the new Member States. The concept of normal carry-over should be defined for each product on the basis of the criteria and objectives specific to each market organisation. Both the criteria and objectives particular to each market organisation and the relationship between prices in the new Member States before accession and Community prices mean that normal carryover stock should be assessed in the light of factors varying from sector to sector. The basis for calculating levels of surplus stocks should be the variation in domestic production plus imports less exports in the twelve months immediately preceding accession, namely 1 May 2003 to 30 April 2004, compared to the average of variation in domestic production plus imports less exports for the three previous twelve-month periods. The Commission invited the new Member States comments on the general methodology of the calculation and to present any arguments on specific situations which would justify higher than normal stocks. The Commission then proceeded as a first step to assess the comments on the general methodology and finalise the methodology based on an overall analysis of the situation to produce a horizontal approach to be applied to all new Member States. As a second step, an evaluation of the specific arguments put forward by the new Member States has been carried out. On the basis of the result of this evaluation, the results of the horizontal exercise have been adjusted. The results of the calculation should be adjusted to take into consideration that some categories of products, such as butter and butter-oil, different qualities of rice, hops, seeds, wine alcohol, tobacco, and cereals are effectively interchangeable and could be considered as a group, so that an increase in stock levels of certain products in a group may be offset by a reduction in stock levels of other products in the group.