25. 4. 98 Official Journal of the European Communities L 124/49 COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 885/98 of 24 April 1998 on the sale, by tendering procedure, of beef held by certain intervention agencies and intended for export THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 805/68 of 27 June 1968 on the common organisation of the market in beef and veal ('), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 2634/97 (%), and in particular Article 7(3) thereof, Whereas the application of intervention measures in respect of beef has resulted in a build-up of stocks in several Member States; whereas outlets for these products exist in certain third countries; whereas, in order to prevent storage being prolonged excessively, part of these stocks should be sold by tendering procedure for export to those countries; whereas to permit the sale of meat of uniform quality, beef should be sold that was purchased under Article 6(b) of Regulation (EEC) No 805/68; Whereas the sale should be conducted in accordance with Commission Regulation (EEC) No 2173/79 of 4 October 1979 on detailed rules of application for the disposal of beef bought in by intervention agencies(’), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 2417/95 (¥), in particular Titles II and III thereof, and Commission Regulation (EEC) No 3002/92 of 16 October 1992 laying down common detailed rules for verifying the use and/or desti- nation of products from intervention (°), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 770/96 (), subject to certain special exceptions on account of the particular use to which the products in question are to be put; Whereas, in order to ensure that the tendering procedure is consistent and uniform, measures should be adopted in addition to those provided for in Article 8(1) of Regula- tion (EEC) No 2173/79; Whereas provision should be made for derogations from Article 8(2)(b) of Regulation (EEC) No 2173/79 in view of the administrative difficulties which the application of this point is creating in the Member States concerned; Whereas, for administrative reasons, a minimum quantity should be set for tenders, taking into consideration normal commercial practice; () OJ L 148, 28. 6. 1968, p. 24. @) OJ L 356, 31. 12. 1997, p. 13. () OJ L 251, 5. 10. 1979, p. 12. () OF L 248, 14. 10. 1995, p. 39. () OJ L 301, 17. 10. 1992, p. 17. () OF L 104, 27. 4. 1996, p. 13. Whereas, for practical reasons, export refunds will not be granted in respect of beef sold under this Regulation; whereas, however, successful tenderers will be required to apply for export licences for the quantity allocated, in accordance with Commission Regulation (EC) No 1445/95 of 26 June 1995 on rules of application for import and export licences in the beef and veal sector (), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 759/98 (%); Whereas, in order to ensure that the beef sold is exported to the eligible third countries, provision should be made for a security to be lodged before the goods are taken over and the primary requirements should be determined; Whereas products from intervention stocks may in certain cases have undergone several handling operations; whereas, in order to contribute to their satisfactory presentation and marketing, it seems appropriate to authorise the repackaging of the products in certain speci- fied circumstances; Whereas the measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Beef and Veal, HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: Article 1 1. The sale shall take place of intervention products bought in under Article 6(b) of Regulation (EEC) No 805/68, of approximately: — 600 tonnes of bone-in beef held by the Spanish inter- vention agency, — 600 tonnes of bone-in beef held by the French inter- vention agency. Detailed information concerning the quantities is given in Annex L 2. The beef shall be exported to the zone 08 destina- tions referred to in Annex II to Commission Regulation (EC) No 125/98 (°). () OJ L 143, 27. 6. 1995, p. 35. () OJ L 105, 4. 4. 1998, p. 7. () OJ L 11, 17. 1. 1998, p. 20.