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(1) Article 17(1) of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, and the Republic of Kazakhstan provides that trade in certain steel products are to be subject to a specific Agreement on quantitative arrangements.

(2) The current Agreement between the European Community and the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan on trade in certain steel products , concluded on 19 July 2005, will expire on 31 December 2006.

(3) Preliminary discussions between the Parties indicate that both of them intend to conclude a new Agreement for 2007 and subsequent years.

(4) Pending the signature and entry into force of the new Agreement, quantitative limits for 2007 should be established.

(5) Given that the conditions that led to the fixing of the quantitative limits for 2006 remain in place, it is appropriate to set the quantitative limits for 2007 at the same level as for 2006.

(6) It is necessary to provide the means to administer this regime within the Community in such a way as to facilitate the implementation of the new Agreement by envisaging as much as possible similar provisions.

(7) It is necessary to ensure that the origin of the products in question is checked and appropriate methods of administrative cooperation are set up to this end.

(8) Products placed in a free zone or imported under the arrangements governing customs warehouses, temporary importation or inward processing (suspension system) should not be counted against the limits established for the products in question.

(9) The effective application of this Regulation calls for the introduction of a requirement for a Community import licence for the entry into free circulation in the Community of the products in question.

(10) In order to ensure that these quantitative limits are not exceeded, it is necessary to establish a management procedure whereby the competent authorities of the Member States do not issue import licences before obtaining confirmation from the Commission that appropriate amounts remain available within the quantitative limit in question,