Article 1
This Regulation lays down rules on the management of quantitative quotas for imports of certain textile products set out in Annex III to Regulation (EU) 2015/936 for the year 2016.
Article 2
The quotas referred to in Article 1 shall be allocated according to the chronological order of receipt by the Commission of Member States' notifications of applications from individual operators, for amounts not exceeding the maximum quantities per operator set out in Annex I.
The maximum quantities shall not, however, apply to operators able to prove to the competent national authorities, when making their first application for 2016, that, in respect of given categories and given third countries, they imported more than the maximum quantities specified for each category pursuant to import authorisations granted to them for 2015.
In the case of such operators, the competent authorities may authorise imports not exceeding the quantities imported in 2015 from given third countries and in given categories, provided that enough quota capacity is available.
Article 3
Importers who have already used 50 per cent or more of the amount allocated to them under this Regulation may make a further application, in respect of the same category and country of origin, for amounts not exceeding the maximum quantities laid down in Annex I.
Article 4
1
The competent national authorities listed in Annex II may, from 10.00 a.m., Brussels time, on 11 January 2016, notify the Commission of the amounts covered by requests for import authorisations.
2
The competent national authorities shall issue import authorisations only after being notified by the Commission pursuant to Article 17(2) of Regulation (EU) 2015/936 that the requested quantities are available for importation.
They shall issue authorisations only where an operator:
a
proves the existence of a contract relating to the provision of the goods; and
b
certifies in writing that, in respect of the categories and countries concerned:
- (i)
the operator has not already been granted an authorisation under this Regulation; or
- (ii)
the operator has been granted an authorisation under this Regulation but has used at least 50 per cent of the quantity allocated.
3
Import authorisations shall be valid for nine months from the date of issue until 31 December 2016 at the latest.
The competent national authorities may, however, at the importer's request, grant a three-month extension to the validity of an authorisation, provided that at least 50 per cent of the allocated quantity has been used at the time of the request. Such extension shall in no circumstances expire later than 31 March 2017.
Article 5
This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
It shall apply as from 1 January 2016.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Done at Brussels, 20 November 2015.
For the Commission
The President
Jean-Claude Juncker