12. 2. 94 Official Journal of the European Communities No L 41/1 (Acts whose publication is obligatory) COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 314/94 of 7 February 1994 opening and providing for the administration of Community tariff quotas and ceilings for certain agricultural and industrial products originating in Romania and Bulgaria (1994) THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 113 thereof, - Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Whereas the Europe Agreements between the European Community, the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Atomic Energy Community, on the one hand, and Romania and Bulgaria, on the other hand, were signed on 1 February 1993 and 8 March 1993 respectively ; whereas pending the entry into force of these Agreements, the Community has concluded Interim Agreements ('), () on trade and trade-related measures with these countries, which were also signed on 1 February and 8 March 1993 and implemented on 1 May 1993 (Romania) and 31 December 1993 (Bulgaria); Whereas Articles 4 and 15 of the Interim Agreements stipulate that certain products originating in the countries in question may attract a reduced or zero rate of duty on import into the Community, within the limits of tariff quotas or ceilings ; whereas, pursuant to the provisions annexed to those Agreements, the volumes of the tariff quotas and ceilings established when the Europe Agree- ments were signed must be increased, from the date on which the Interim Agreements enter into force, by a percentage specific to each country and category of products ; Whereas the Interim Agreements have been amended by Additional Protocols initialled with the countries in ques- tion, the aim of which is to improve access to the Community market for products from those countries, in particular those listed in Annexes III, XiI b (Romania) and XIII b (Bulgaria) to the Interim Agreements ; whereas it is accordingly necessary to increase the tariff quotas and () OJ No L 81, 2. 4. 1993, p. 2. () OJ No L 323, 23. 12. 1993, p. 2. ceilings for the industrial products listed in Annex I to this Regulation by 10 % of the basic volume shown in Annex III to the several Interim Agreements from 1 July 1994, and to provide for the application from 1 January to 30 June 1994 of the tariff quotas for the agricultural products listed in Annex II to this Regulation, the volumes of which are to be adjusted pro rata, it being necessary to bring forward by six months the concessions granted for the third year of the Interim Agreements; whereas the tariff quota and ceiling volumes should be increased on 1 July 1994 by 10 % of the basic volumes laid down in the Interim Agreements; Whereas it seems advisable, in the interests of clarity, to divide the products subject to tariff ceilings and quotas into two groups, in Annexes I and II to this Regulation, one for industrial products and one for agricultural products, specifying for each product the volume of its quota or ceiling and the rate of customs duty applicable ; Whereas the decision for the opening of Community quotas should be taken by the Community, in the execu- tion of its international obligations, in the case of the products listed in Annexes I and II to this Regulation ; whereas particular care should be taken to ensure that all Community importers have equal and continuous access to those quotas and that the rates laid down for the quotas are applied uninterruptedly to all imports of the products in question into all Member States until the quotas are exhausted ; whereas, to ensure the efficiency of a common administration of these quotas, there is no obstacle to authorizing the Member States to draw from the quota volumes the necessary quantities corresponding to actual imports ; whereas, however, this method of administration requires close cooperation between the Member States and the Commission and the latter must in particular be able to monitor the rate at which the quotas are used up and inform the Member States accordingly ; Whereas, in the case of the products listed in Annex I to this Regulation which are subject to Community tariff ceilings, Community surveillance may be achieved by