REPORT on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the implementation of the Agreements concluded by the EU following negotiations in the framework of Article XXVIII of GATT 1994, amending and supplementing Annex I to Regulation (EEC) No 2658/87 on the tariff and statistical nomenclature and on the Common Customs Tariff

24.10.2012 - (COM(2012)0115 – C7-0079/2012 – 2012/0054(COD)) - ***I

Committee on International Trade
Rapporteur: Vital Moreira

Errata/Addenda

• ERR01 (PDF - 161 KB)
• ERR01 (DOC - 85 KB)

DRAFT EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION

on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the implementation of the Agreements concluded by the EU following negotiations in the framework of Article XXVIII of GATT 1994, amending and supplementing Annex I to Regulation (EEC) No 2658/87 on the tariff and statistical nomenclature and on the Common Customs Tariff

(COM(2012)0115 – C7-0079/2012 – 2012/0054(COD))

(Ordinary legislative procedure: first reading)

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to the Commission proposal to Parliament and the Council (COM(2012)0115),

–  having regard to Article 294(2) and Article 207(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Commission submitted the proposal to Parliament (C7-0079/2012),

-  having regard to Article 294(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

–  having regard to Rule 55 of its Rules of Procedure,

–  having regard to the report of the Committee on International Trade (A7-0351/2012),

1. Adopts its position at first reading, taking over the Commission proposal;

2. Calls on the Commission to refer the matter to Parliament again if it intends to amend its proposal substantially or replace it with another text;

3. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments.

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

Adoption of an implementing regulation amending Regulation No 2658/87 is needed in order to implement provisions of agreements concerning the modification of concessions with respect to processed poultry meat signed by the European Union with Brazil and Thailand in June 2012. A mutually satisfactory compensatory adjustment offsetting the increase in bound duties was found under Article XXVIII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994.

Annex of the Regulation on the tariff and statistical nomenclature and on the Common Customs Tariff should reflect the agreed modifications of concessions for the processed poultry meat (chapter 16 of the Combined Nomenclature). Implementation of the agreements envisages an increase of out-of-quota rates for 7 tariff lines of processed poultry meet products and opening of tariff quotas for these tariff lines to Brazil, Thailand and other WTO members.

The agreements were negotiated on the basis of the CN codes before tariff lines 1602 39 40 and 80 were merged[1] into the new tariff line 1602 39 85. This change should be reflected in the implementing regulation.

In addition, as the autonomous duties set in the Regulation (EEC) No 2658/87 on the tariff and statistical nomenclature and on the Common Customs Tariff are higher than the current tariffs bound in the WTO, "pre-Uruguay Round" autonomous duty rates should be increased to the level of the conventional duty rates.

The date of entry into force of the regulation should be the same as the date of entry into force of the two agreements, therefore after receiving notifications from Thailand and Brazil, the EU should simultaneously notify both countries on conclusion of its internal procedures.

Your rapporteur supports the adequate rebalancing exercise which ensures a mutually acceptable solution to the trading partners. It is necessary to bring up the level of protection in order to address substitution effects affecting the EU poultry industry. At the same time, the EU's trade partners must be adequately compensated via tariff rate quotas.

• [1]  Regulation (EU) No 1006/2011, OJ L 282 of 28 October 2011.

PROCEDURE

Title	Implementation of the Agreements concluded by the EU following negotiations in the framework of Article XXVIII of GATT 1994, amending and supplementing Annex I to Regulation (EEC) No 2658/87 on the tariff and statistical nomenclature and on the Common Customs Tariff
References	COM(2012)0115 – C7-0079/2012 – 2012/0054(COD)
Date submitted to Parliament	16.3.2012
Committee responsible        Date announced in plenary	INTA 29.3.2012
Rapporteur(s)        Date appointed	Vital Moreira 25.4.2012
Discussed in committee	12.7.2012	18.9.2012
Date adopted	11.10.2012
Result of final vote	+: –: 0:	27 0 1
Members present for the final vote	William (The Earl of) Dartmouth, Maria Badia i Cutchet, Nora Berra, David Campbell Bannerman, Daniel Caspary, María Auxiliadora Correa Zamora, Christofer Fjellner, Yannick Jadot, Metin Kazak, Franziska Keller, Bernd Lange, David Martin, Vital Moreira, Paul Murphy, Cristiana Muscardini, Niccolò Rinaldi, Helmut Scholz, Peter Šťastný, Robert Sturdy, Henri Weber, Paweł Zalewski
Substitute(s) present for the final vote	Josefa Andrés Barea, George Sabin Cutaş, Jörg Leichtfried, Marietje Schaake, Jarosław Leszek Wałęsa, Pablo Zalba Bidegain
Substitute(s) under Rule 187(2) present for the final vote	Evžen Tošenovský
Date tabled	24.10.2012