8.6.2012 Official Journal of the European Union L 1491 | (Legislative acts) REGULATION (EU) No 464/2012 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 22 May 2012 amending Council Regulation (EC) No 617/2009 opening an autonomous tariff quota for imports of high-quality beef THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE the Government of Canada and the European EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 207 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission, After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national parliaments, Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure (1), Whereas: A Memorandum of Understanding between the United States of America and the European Commission Regarding the Importation of Beef from Animals Not Treated with Certain Growth-Promoting Hormones and Increased Duties Applied by the United States to Certain Products of the European Communities was endorsed by the Council by letter of 12 May 2009 and signed in Geneva on 13 May 2009 (MoU with the United States). The aim of the MoU with the United States is to settle the long-standing World Trade Organisation (WTO) dispute between the European Union and the United States of America on Beef Hormones, ‘European Communities — Measures Concerning Meat and Meat Products (Hormones)' (DS 26). The Government of Canada and the European Commission have reached an understanding, as docu- mented in a Memorandum of Understanding between (1) Position of the European Parliament of 14 March 2012 (not yet published in the Official Journal) and decision of the Council of 26 April 2012. Commission Regarding the Importation of Beef from Animals Not Treated with Certain Growth-Promoting Hormones and Increased Duties Applied by Canada to Certain Products of the European Union signed in Geneva on 17 March 2011 (MoU with Canada). The MoU with Canada sets out a roadmap of intended steps concerning the importation of high-quality beef into the European Union and the level of increased duties imposed by Canada on certain Union products in connection with the WTO dispute ‘European Commu- nities — Measures Concerning Meat and Meat Products (Hormones)’ (DS 48). The MoU with the United States and the MoU with Canada provide for three-phased arrangements which gradually abolish the sanctions imposed by the United States and Canada on certain Union products pursuant to the authorisation of the WTO of 1999. In this regard the Union should progressively increase the autonomous tariff-rate quota for beef that is not treated with growth hormones and that fully complies with other import requirements of the Union. Following the signature of the MoU with the United States, an annual Community import tariff quota of 20 000 tonnes (Phase 1), expressed in product weight, was opened for high-quality fresh, chilled or frozen beef falling within CN codes 0201, 0202, 0206 10 95 and 02062991 by Council Regulation (EC) No 617/2009 (). The timetable set by the MoU with the United States plans to increase the annual quantity of the import tariff quota by 25000 tonnes, once both Sides enter into Phase 2 of the MoU with the United States, which entails the United States lifting the remaining sanctions imposed by it. () O] L 182, 15.7.2009, p. 1.