Commission Regulation (EC) No 497/2008 of 4 June 2008 opening and providing for the management of Community tariff quotas for certain fish and fishery products originating in Montenegro

Fish and fishery products originating in Montenegro and listed in the Annex which are put into free circulation in the Community shall benefit from a reduced or a zero-rate of customs duty, at the levels and within the limits of the annual Community tariff quotas set out in the Annex. In order to benefit from these preferential rates, those products shall be accompanied by a proof of origin as provided for in Protocol 3 to the Interim Agreement with Montenegro or in Protocol 3 to the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with Montenegro.

1 The tariff quotas referred to in Article 1 shall be managed by the Commission in accordance with Articles 308a, 308b and 308c of Regulation (EEC) No 2454/93.

2 Communications referring to the management of tariff quotas between the Member States and the Commission shall be effected, as far as possible, by electronic transmission.

1 The tariff quotas for prepared or preserved sardines and for prepared or preserved anchovies referred to in the Annex under order numbers 09.1524 and 09.1525 shall be increased to 250 tonnes from 1 January 2012 for 2012 and the following years.

2 The increase referred to in paragraph 1 may be applied only if at least 80 % of the tariff quotas volumes opened within the previous year have been used in the fourth year following the entry into force of the Interim Agreement.

The Member States and the Commission shall cooperate closely to ensure compliance with this Regulation.

This Regulation shall enter into force on the day of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. It shall apply from 1 January 2008.