30. 6. 98 Official Journal of the European Communities L 185/43 COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 1375/98 of 29 June 1998 opening import quotas in respect of special preferential raw cane sugar from the ACP States and India for supply to refineries in the period 1 July 1998 to 28 February 1999 THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 1785/81 of 30 June 1981 on the common organisation of the market in sugar ('), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1599/96 (%), and in particular Articles 14(2) and 37(6) thereof, Whereas Article 37 of Regulation (EEC) No 1785/81 lays down that, during the marketing years 1995/96 to 2000/01 and in order to ensure adequate supplies to Community refineries, a special reduced duty is to be levied on imports of raw cane sugar originating in States with which the Community has concluded supply ar- rangements on preferential terms; whereas at present such agreements have been concluded by Council Decision 95/284/EC (°) only with the ACP States party to Protocol 8 on ACP sugar annexed to the Fourth ACP-EEC Lomé Convention, and with the Republic of India; Whereas the quantities of special preferential sugar to be imported are calculated in accordance with the said Article 37 of Regulation (EEC) No 1785/81 on the basis of a Community forecast supply balance; whereas the balance indicates the need to import raw sugar and to open at this stage for the 1998/99 marketing year a tariff quota at the special reduced rate of duty as provided for in the abovementioned agreements so that the Com- munity refineries’ supply need can be met for part of the year; whereas the production forecasts for raw cane sugar are now available for the 1998/99 marketing year; whereas a tariff quota should be opened at this stage for part of the marketing year; whereas, because of the presumed maximum refining needs fixed by Member State and the shortfall resulting from the forecast supply balance, provi- sion should be made to authorise imports for each refin- ing Member State, for the period 1 July 1998 to 28 February 1999; Whereas the above agreements lay down that the refiners in question must pay a minimum purchase price equal to () OJ L 177, 1. 7. 1981, p. 4. () OJ L 206, 16. 8. 1996, p. 43. () OJ L 181, 1. 8. 1995, p. 22. the guaranteed price for raw sugar, minus the adjustment aid fixed for the marketing year in question; whereas this minimum price must accordingly be fixed by taking account of the factors applying in the 1998/99 marketing year; Whereas the measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Sugar, HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: Article 1 The following tariff quotas are hereby opened for the period 1 July 1998 to 28 February 1999 under Decision 95/284/EC in respect of imports of raw cane sugar for refining: (a) 255000 tonnes expressed as white sugar originating in the ACP States covered by that Decision, bearing the order No 09.4098; and (b) 10 000 tonnes expressed as white sugar originating in the Republic of India, bearing the order No 09.4099. Article 2 1. A special reduced duty of ECU 5,41 per 100 kg of standard quality raw sugar shall apply to imports of the quantities referred to in Article 1. 2. Article 7 of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1916/95 (*) notwithstanding, the minimum purchase price to be paid by the Community refiners shall be fixed for the period referred to in Article 1 at ECU 49,68 per 100 kg of standard quality raw sugar. Article 3 The following Member States are hereby authorized to import under the quotas referred to in Article 1 and on the terms laid down in Article 2(1) the following shortfall expressed as white sugar: () OJ L 184, 3. 8. 1995, p. 18.