
Article 1 
The following shall be determined in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 17 of Regulation (EEC) No 727/70:

((a)) intervention centres (hereinafter called ‘collection centres’), located in areas where there is substantial production of leaf tobacco, offering temporary warehousing capacity for that tobacco;
((b)) intervention centres (hereinafter called ‘processing and storage centres’) offering temporary warehousing capacity and first processing and market preparation plants for leaf tobacco, and storage and preservation capacity for tobacco which has undergone first processing and market preparation.
Article 2 

1. Any offer of leaf tobacco for intervention shall be made to the intervention agency for a collection centre or a processing and storage centre chosen from the three centres nearest to the place where that tobacco has been harvested.
2. Any offer of baled tobacco for intervention shall be made to the intervention agency for a processing and storage centre from the three centres nearest to the place where that tobacco has undergone first processing and market preparation.
3. ‘Nearest centres’ means those to which the tobacco may be sent at the lowest cost.
Article 3 

1. Intervention agencies shall decide where the tobacco is to be taken over.
2. The intervention agency shall choose a taking-over place other than the centre specified by the holder of the tobacco only if that centre cannot provide, at the time of the transaction:
(a) for leaf tobacco: adequate temporary warehousing capacity;
(b) for baled tobacco: adequate storage capacity or sufficient guarantees for the satisfactory preservation of the tobacco of the variety and quality offered.
3. The taking-over place chosen by the intervention agency shall be so located as to incur the lowest overall expenditure comprising:
(a) for leaf tobacco: cost of transport, temporary warehousing, first processing and market preparation, and preservation and storage of the processed product;
(b) for baled tobacco: transport, preservation and storage costs.
4. If the taking-over place chosen by the intervention agency is not one of the three centres provided for in Article 2, any additional transport costs shall be determined by and borne by the intervention agency.
Article 4 
The place chosen by the intervention agency for first processing and market preparation of the leaf tobacco taken over at the centre chosen by the seller shall be the one so located as to incur the lowest overall expenditure for first processing, market preparation and storage and for transport from the taking-over place.
Article 5 
Only tobacco corresponding to the minimum quality characteristics to be defined on the basis of classification by variety and quality shall be bought in by the intervention agencies.
Article 6 
This Regulation shall enter into force on the third day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.Done at Brussels, 20 July 1970.
For the Council
The President
W. SCHEEL