28.12.2002 Official Journal of the European Communities L 35127 COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 2351/2002 of 20 December 2002 fixing the amount of the carry-over aid and the flat-rate aid for certain fishery products for the 2003 fishing year THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Commu- nity, Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 104/2000 of 17 December 1999 on the common organisation of the markets in fishery and aquaculture products ('), Having regard to Commission Regulation (EC) No 2814/2000 of 21 December 2000 laying down detailed rules for applying Council Regulation (EC) No 104/2000 relating to the grant of carry-over aid for certain fishery products (3), and in particular Article 5 thereof, Having regard to Commission Regulation (EC) No 939/2001 of 14 May 2001 laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EC) No 104/2000 relating to the grant of flat-rate aid for certain fishery products (), and in particular Article 5 thereof, Whereas: (1) Regulation (EC) No 104/2000 provides that aid may be granted for quantities of certain fresh products with- drawn from the market and either processed to stabilise them and stored or preserved. (2)  The purpose of this aid is to give suitable encourage- ment to producers' organisations to process or preserve products withdrawn from the market so that their destruction can be avoided. (3)  The aid level should not be such as will disturb the balance of the market for the products in question or distort competition. (4)  The aid level must not exceed the technical and financial costs associated with the operations essential to stabi- lising and storage recorded in the Community during the fishing year preceding the year in question. (5)  The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Fishery Products, HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: Article 1 For the 2003 fishing year, the carry-over aid referred to in Article 23 of Regulation (EC) No 104/2000 and the flat-rate aid referred to in Article 24(4) of that Regulation shall be as indicated in the Annex to this Regulation. Atticle 2 This Regulation shall enter into force on 1 January 2003. This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. Done at Brussels, 20 December 2002. OJ L 17, 21.1.2000, p. 22. () OJ L 326, 22.12.2000, p. 34. 0J L 132, 15.5.2001, p. 10. For the Commission Franz FISCHLER Member of the Commission