In most Member States, fees for professional services are negotiated freely between practitioners and clients. However, in a small number of cases the Commission has observed the existence of fixed prices (e.g. in Germany for tax consultants), minimum prices (e.g. in Italy and Germany for architects) and maximum prices (e.g. in Italy for lawyers).

In the interests of both economic operators in the Community and the authorities responsible for applying Community rules, all those provisions should be brought together in a single text, and the Commission Regulations regarding subjects now covered by this Regulation should be repealed, namely: Regulation (EEC) No 3388/81 of 27 November 1981 laying down special detailed rules in respect of import and export licences in the wine sector , as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 2739/1999 ; Regulation (EEC) No 3389/81 of 27 November 1981 laying down detailed rules for export refunds in the wine sector , as last amended by Regulation (EC) N ...[+++]o 2730/95 ; Regulation (EEC) No 3590/85 of 18 December 1985 on the certificate and analysis report required for the importation of wine, grape juice and grape must , as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 960/98 ; Regulation (EC) No 1685/95 of 11 July 1995 on arrangements for issuing export licences for wine sector products and amending Regulation (EEC) No 3388/81 laying down special detailed rules in respect of import and export licences in the wine sector , as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 2512/2000 ; and Regulation (EC) No 1281/1999 of 18 June 1999 laying down detailed rules implementing the entry price arrangements for grape juice and musts .

Whereas a system of maximum guaranteed quantities was introduced by Article 5 (1) of Regulation (EEC) No 136/66/EEC (4), as last amended by Regulation (EEC) No 2902/89 (5) for production aid; whereas under this system the unit amount of the aid is reduced when the maximum quantity fixed for a given marketing year is exceeded; whereas, in order to ensure better market equilibrium and to curb expenditure on the disposal of olive oil, this system should be extended to cover the intervention price; whereas, however, the intervention pr ...[+++]ice should be reduced only from the following marketing year; whereas a limit to this price reduction should be fixed;

Whereas Articles 22 and 24 of Council Regulation No 136/66/EEC of 22 September 1966 on the establishment of a common organization of the market in oils and fats (3), as last amended by Regulation (EEC) No 590/79 (4), provide for an intervention system for oil seeds based on a basic intervention price and derived intervention prices, the purpose of which is to ensure in particular the fluidity of the market ; whereas it appears, however, that this system is no longer required for that purpose ; whereas, moreover, there is a risk that intervention prices may be fixed at levels which do not correspond to the actual market situation and ma ...[+++]y, therefore, run counter to the purpose in view ; whereas, therefore, the system of derived intervention prices for oil seeds should be abolished and replaced by an intervention system with a single price level throughout the Community;

Whereas the transition from the system of derived intervention prices to the single intervention price system should not cause the intervention prices to drop ; whereas, therefore, the new system should not be applied until the marketing year 1982/83;

Whereas Article 1 of Commission Regulation (EEC) No 1767/68 2 of 6 November 1968 on the system of minimum prices for exports to third countries of flowering corms, bulbs and tubers, as amended by Regulation (EEC) No 1946/70 3, provides that the minimum export prices should be fixed each year not later than 31 October, with the exception of those for begonias, sinningias, gladioli, dahlias and the lilium species which must be fixed not later than 31 December and that each Member State should communicate each year, before 1 December in respect of begonias, sinningias, gladioli, dahlias and the lilium species and before 15 October in respec ...[+++]t of other products covered by the minimum export price system, all information necessary for assessing price trends on international markets and for the fixing of minimum prices;