Special system of assistance to traditional ACP suppliers of bananas: continuation

The common position reproduces the content of the Commission's proposal, the purpose of which is to extend the expiry date of Regulation 2686/94/EEC retroactively from 29 February 1996 to 31 December 1996. However, the Council has modified the proposal for the simple reason that it is not legally possible to prolong a regulation that has already expired, as would have been the case with the present regulation. The Council has therefore decided to adopt a new regulation with the same text as the expired regulation except for the changed dates of application. �