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1. Tariff quotas for the import of agricultural products for release into free circulation in the Union or a part thereof, or tariff quotas for imports of Union agricultural products into third countries, which are to be partly or fully administered by the Union, resulting from international agreements concluded in accordance with the TFEU or any other act adopted in accordance with Article 43(2) or Article 207 TFEU, shall be opened and/or administered by the Commission by means of delegated acts pursuant to Article 186 of this Regulation and implementing acts pursuant to Article 187 of this Regulation.

2. Tariff quotas shall be administered in a manner which avoids any discrimination between the operators concerned, by applying one of the following methods or a combination of them or another appropriate method:

(a) a method based on the chronological order of the submission of applications ("first come, first served" principle);

(b) a method of distribution in proportion to the quantities requested when the applications were submitted (the "simultaneous examination method");

(c) a method based on taking traditional trade patterns into account (the "traditional/newcomers method").

3. The method of administration adopted shall:

(a) for import tariff quotas, give due weight to the supply requirements of the existing and emerging Union production, processing and consumption market in terms of competitiveness, certainty and continuity of supply and the need to safeguard the equilibrium of that market; and (b) for export tariff quotas, permit the full use of the possibilities available under the quota concerned.