RECOMMENDATION on the draft Council decision on the conclusion of the Agreement between the European Union and Canada on customs cooperation with respect to matters related to supply-chain security

30.4.2013 - (11362/2012 – C7‑ 0078/2013 – 2012/0073(NLE)) - ***

Committee on International Trade
Rapporteur: Peter Šťastný

DRAFT EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION

on the draft Council decision on the conclusion of the Agreement between the European Union and Canada on customs cooperation with respect to matters related to supply-chain security

(11362/2012 – C7‑ 0078/2013 – 2012/0073(NLE))

(Consent)

The European Parliament,

–         having regard to the draft Council decision (11362/2012),

–         having regard to the draft Agreement between the European Union and Canada on customs cooperation with respect to matters related to supply-chain security (11587/2012),

–         having regard to the request for consent submitted by the Council in accordance with Article 207(4), first subparagraph and Article 218(6), second subparagraph, point (a), of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (C7-0078/2013),

–         having regard to Rules 81 and 90(7) of its Rules of Procedure,

–         having regard to the recommendation of the Committee on International Trade (A7-0152/2013),

1.        Consents to conclusion of the Agreement;

2.        Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States and of Canada.

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

The customs relations between the European Union and Canada are based on the Agreement on customs cooperation and mutual assistance in customs matters (CMAA) from 1998. In 2005, Canada signalled its interest to move forward with closer cooperation with the EU regarding end-to-end supply chain security and risk management.

The draft Agreement on customs cooperation regarding matters related to supply chain security - negotiated by the Commission since May 2011 - builds on and expands the 1998 CMAA, a possibility provided for in it.

The new Agreement's aim is to reinforce the customs related aspects for securing the logistics chain of international trade - including container security - while at the same time facilitating legitimate trade.

The Agreement establishes a legal basis for an increased EU-Canada customs cooperation on matters such as risk standards, security controls, minimum standards for risk management techniques, information and data exchange, strategic partnering in the area of cargo inspection, as well as collaboration in multilateral fora such as the World Customs Organization (WCO).

Equally, it opens the door for mutual recognition agreements on customs security; including the mutual recognition of respective trade partnership programmes with equivalent trade facilitation measures, i.e. the EU's Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) and Canada's Partners in Protection (PIP) programmes. The AEO programme is, since 2008, a cornerstone of the EU's supply chain security policy, enabling customs to concentrate scarce resources on high-risk consignments. Over 10 000 European companies have already been certified as safe traders.

The EU has already negotiated and agreed on AEO mutual recognition with Japan and the US. The EU-Canada supply chain security Agreement will allow for the negotiation of such an agreement also with Canada.

The Agreement will be administered by the EU-Canada Joint Customs Cooperation Committee (JCCC), which can adopt implementing decisions, including on mutual recognition. The 1998 CMAA will remain the overall umbrella for customs cooperation between EU and Canada. The new Agreement will also build upon the core elements of the WCO's SAFE Framework of Standards to Secure and Facilitate Global Trade.

The Agreement has no budgetary implications for the Union's budget.

The European Parliament's consent is required for the conclusion of this Agreement.

Observations from the rapporteur

The EU-Canada Agreement is part of a wider process and increased activity, during the recent decade, in the area of supply chain security and risk management. The events on 9/11 acted as a trigger to many initiatives and policy developments in this field.

While recognising the global security challenges and the need to secure supply chains via effective measures, the EU has based its international cooperation in this area on the promotion of world-wide security standards - in particular the WCO's SAFE Framework of Standards - information and data exchange as well as mutual recognition of reliable traders. In a globalised world no country can ensure supply chain security alone; international cooperation and standards are vital.

The EU's vision and policy to enhance global supply chain security have rested on an enhanced and multi-layered risk analysis and management to target and inspect potentially dangerous cargo. Your rapporteur welcomes this risk based approach for securing global supply chains that allows for legitimate international trade to flow smoothly, without an unnecessary economic burden on authorities and traders. He therefore encourages the EU to initiate a respective mutual recognition agreement also with Canada.

The new customs cooperation Agreement with Canada builds on and expands customs cooperation between the two developed partners. Moreover, it will be complementary to the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) under negotiation.

Following from these considerations, your rapporteur believes the European Parliament should give its consent to the Agreement.

RESULT OF FINAL VOTE IN COMMITTEE

Date adopted	25.4.2013
Result of final vote	+: –: 0:	29 0 0
Members present for the final vote	William (The Earl of) Dartmouth, Laima Liucija Andrikienė, Nora Berra, Daniel Caspary, Andrea Cozzolino, George Sabin Cutaş, Metin Kazak, David Martin, Vital Moreira, Paul Murphy, Franck Proust, Helmut Scholz, Peter Šťastný, Robert Sturdy, Henri Weber, Iuliu Winkler, Paweł Zalewski
Substitute(s) present for the final vote	José Bové, Elisabeth Köstinger, Emma McClarkin, Tokia Saïfi, Marietje Schaake, Peter Skinner, Jarosław Leszek Wałęsa
Substitute(s) under Rule 187(2) present for the final vote	Frédéric Daerden, James Elles, Satu Hassi, Anthea McIntyre, Raimon Obiols