COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 1593/1999

of 20 July 1999

amending Regulation (EC) No 1893/98 determining the Member States in which the campaigns to promote the consumption of grape juice may be carried out in respect of the 1997/98 wine year

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 822/87 of 16 March 1987 on the common organisation of the market in wine(1), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1627/98(2), and in particular Article 46(5) and Article 81 thereof,

(1) Whereas Article 2 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1103/97 of 17 June 1997 on certain provisions relating to the introduction of the euro(3) provides that every reference in a legal instrument to the ecu is to be replaced by a reference to the euro at a rate of one euro to one ecu; whereas, as a result, amounts expressed in euro are to be converted into national currency at the rate laid down by the Council;

(2) Whereas stipulation of an operative event for the amounts concerned has created legitimate expectations for the operators and Member States concerned; whereas application of the fixed rate for converting amounts laid down in Commission Decisions would lead to a reduction as compared with the amounts provided for in September 1998;

(3) Whereas this problem may be solved by increasing the overall amounts for the Member States from 1 January 1999 to offset the reduction in national currency resulting from the introduction of the euro;

(4) Whereas Commission Regulation (EC) No 1893/98(4) should therefore be amended to that effect;

(5) Whereas Articles 2 to 4 of Commission Regulation (EC) No 481/1999 of 4 March 1999 laying down general rules for the management of promotional programmes for certain agricultural products(5) contain provisions governing the time limits for the conclusion of contracts and payments; whereas, as a result, Article 1(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1893/98 should be deleted;

(6) Whereas the measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Wine,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Article 1 of Regulation (EC) No 1893/98 is amended as follows:

1. the second subparagraph of paragraph 1 is replaced by the following: "The total amount for financing those campaigns shall be:

- EUR 2231592 in Germany,

- EUR 710038 in Austria,

- EUR 1618736 in Spain,

- EUR 1835154 in France,

- EUR 710234 in the Netherlands.";

2. the second and third paragraphs are deleted.

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter into force on the day of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities.

It shall apply from 1 January 1999.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 20 July 1999.

For the Commission

Franz FISCHLER

Member of the Commission

(1) OJ L 84, 27.3.1987, p. 1.

(2) OJ L 210, 28.7.1998, p. 8.

(3) OJ L 162, 19.6.1997, p. 1.

(4) OJ L 245, 4.9.1998, p. 34.

(5) OJ L 57, 5.3.1999, p. 8.