
Article 1 
With a view to a given food-aid supply contract within the meaning of Article 4 (2) of Regulation (EEC) No 1424/76, rice held by an intervention agency shall be purchased in accordance with this Regulation.
The provisions of Articles 2 to 7, adopted for the purpose of the supply of Community food aid pursuant to Article 5 and 6 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 3972/86 shall apply mutatis mutandis for the supply of the national food aid referred to in the first subparagraph subject to specific national measures on the organization and allocation of the latter.
Article 2 
With a view to the supply contract referred to in Article 1, the intervention agency shall make available goods meeting the characteristics laid down in the notice of open or restricted invitation to tender.
The intervention agency shall take the necessary steps so that all operators interested in submitting a tender for the supply contract may, on publication of the notice of invitation to tender or on receipt of the latter, examine at his own expense samples collected from the product to be mobilized. Applications to examine the goods may be submitted and samples may be collected only before the expiry of the closing date laid down for the submission of tenders.
Article 3 

1. Within six working days following the award of the food-aid supply contract, the operator concerned shall lodge with the intervention agency a purchase application by any means of written communication, relating to the quantity of the lot or lots for the supply of which he has been awarded the contract. Applications shall indicate:
(a) the name and address of the applicant;
(b) the reference to the food-aid operation, with the number of the specific lot or lots for the supply of which the operator has been awarded the contract.
2. Applications shall be accompanied by proof that the party concerned has been awarded the supply contract in question. Such proof shall be provided by a copy of the notification of award of the contract forwarded to him.
3. The application for purchase shall be valid only if it conforms to the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 and is accompanied by proof:
— that the applicant has lodged, in accordance with the provisions of Title III of Regulation (EEC) No 2220/85, a security equal to the purchase price of the lot(s) of rice in question, determined in accordance with Article 5;
— that an export licence has been applied for in respect of the product and the quantity to be supplied as food aid, in accordance with paragraph 2 of Article 6 of Commission Regulation (EEC) No 891/89.
4. Except in cases of force majeure, failure to submit a purchase application within the time limit mentioned in paragraph 1 shall result in the loss of the security lodged pursuant to Article 12 of Regulation (EEC) No 2200/87 under the conditions laid down in the notice of open or restricted invitation to tender.
Article 4 
Within three working days following the day of submission of the purchase application, the intervention agency shall inform the applicant by written telecommunication that his application has been accepted where it meets the conditions laid down in Article 3.
Article 5 

1. The purchase price to be paid for the rice in question shall be the intervention rice referred to in Article 5 (2) of Regulation (EEC) No 1418/76 valid on the final day for the submission of tenders for the award of contracts for the supply of food aid, without any adjustment based on the quality of the product. Equally, the price shall not be adjusted on the basis of the actual date of collection from the intervention agency. The price shall be for the bulk product loaded onto a means of transport, ex-store.
2. The conversion rate to be applied to the purchase price shall be the agricultural conversion rate valid on the final date for the submission of tenders.
Article 6 

1. The purchaser shall pay the intervention agency the purchase price for the rice, before the goods are removed, within 30 days from the notification of acceptance of the application referred to in Article 4.Within the period referred to in the first subparagraph, the goods may be split up for removal with the agreement of the intervention agency; in that case, payment shall be made in instalments to take account of the actual timetable for the removal of the goods.Payent of the purchase price shall constitute a primary requirement within the meaning of Article 20 of Regulation (EEC) No 2220/85.
2. Risks and storage costs for rice not removed within the time limit referred to in paragraph 1 shall be borne by the purchaser.
Article 7 
The security referred to in Article 3 (3) shall be released in accordance with Title V of Regulation (EEC) No 2220/85.
Article 8 
The Commission shall forward to the intervention agency concerned, within three working days from the award of the supply contract, all information necessary for the purchase operation, and in particular the name of the person or persons awarded the lots to be mobilized for the execution of a Community food-aid supply contract.
Article 9 
For the supply of national food aid from stocks held by the intervention agency, the competent national authority shall communicate immediately to the Commission, at least eight working days before any action is taken, the essential details of the planned mobilization, in particular the characteristics of the product, the quantity, the planned period of mobilization and the destination of the supplies.
Article 10 
The provisions of Regulation (EEC) No 569/88 shall not apply to purchases from an intervention agency pursuant to this Regulation.
Article 11 
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, 30 July 1991.
For the Commission
Ray MAC SHARRY
Member of the Commission