RECOMMENDATION on the draft Council decision on the conclusion of the Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Chile on trade in organic products

14.7.2017 - (05530/2017 – C8‑0144/2017 – 2016/0383(NLE)) - ***

Committee on International Trade
Rapporteur: Inmaculada Rodríguez-Piñero Fernández

DRAFT EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION

on the draft Council decision on the conclusion of the Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Chile on trade in organic products

(05530/2017 – C8‑0144/2017 – 2016/0383(NLE))

(Consent)

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to the draft Council decision (05530/2017),

–  having regard to the draft Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Chile on trade in organic products (05551/2017),

–  having regard to the request for consent submitted by the Council in accordance with the first subparagraph of Article 207(4), point (a)(v) of the second subparagraph of Article 218(6) and Article 218(7) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (C8-0144/2017),

–  having regard to Rule 99(1) and (4) and Rule 108(7) of its Rules of Procedure,

–  having regard to the recommendation of the Committee on International Trade and the opinion of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (A8-0257/2017),

1.  Gives its consent 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 Chile.

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

On 6 March 2017, the Council adopted a Decision on the signing of the Agreement between the EU and Chile on trade in organic products. The Agreement was signed on 27 April 2017 in Brussels and was officially referred to Parliament for its consent to the conclusion on 3 May 2017. The Committee on International Trade (INTA) exchanged views with the relevant Commission services at its meeting of 3 June 2017 and held the presentation of this draft report in INTA on 20 June 2017.

The above-mentioned Agreement, aims at ‘fostering trade in organic products, contributing to the development and expansion of the organic sector in the Union and in the Republic of Chile and achieving a high level of respect for the principles of organic production, of guarantee of the control systems and of integrity of organic products’.

By means of the Agreement, Chile will recognise as equivalent all EU organic products included in the scope of Regulation (EC) No 834/2007, namely unprocessed plant products, live animals or unprocessed animal products (including honey), aquaculture products and seaweeds, processed agricultural products for use as food (including wine), processed agricultural products for use as feed, vegetative propagating material and seeds for cultivation. The EU, meanwhile, will recognise as equivalent the following products from Chile: unprocessed plant products, honey, processed agricultural products for use as food (including wine), vegetative propagating material and seeds for cultivation.

The Agreement foresees the establishment of a Joint Committee on Organic Products composed of representatives of the Union and representatives of the Government of Chile, which will hold periodical consultations at least once a year, with a view, among others, to ensure the correct application of the Agreement, to examine any request by one Party to update or extend to new products the list of products and to facilitate information exchange and cooperation.

The Commission’s proposal also includes, as a strong safeguard, the possibility to unilaterally suspend the recognition of equivalence, if a Party considers that the laws, regulations or administrative procedures and practices of the other Party no longer meet the requirements for equivalence.

Considering the objectives specified by Commission’s proposal and Council’s draft decision, which INTA supports, and taking into consideration the opinion adopted by the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI), and the inter-institutional negotiations related to the new Regulation on organic production and labelling, the Rapporteur is proposing to grant consent to the conclusion of the Agreement.

However, the Rapporteur in INTA requests: (1) periodical, timely and detailed information to the Parliament during the implementation phase, equivalent to that given to the Council, notably as regards the activities of the Joint Committee, allowing for a duly informed political debate and action; (2) an initial evaluation of the impact of the Agreement two years after its entry into force, providing adequate information to the Parliament and all other public and private stakeholders to allow for an facts-based debate and appropriate action, before the expiry of the initial 3 years of application and, thereafter, every 3 years (3) the elaboration of guidebooks with practical and updated information, addressed to producers, exporters, importers and consumers, with a view to maximise the potential economic benefits introduced by the Agreement and to allow consumers for an informed choice.

In the light of these considerations, the INTA Rapporteur hereby reiterates its support to the Agreement, but recalls the need for the Parliament to be thoroughly and fully informed throughout the whole life-cycle of international agreements, including the negotiations and the implementation phases.

International agreements pertaining to the EU’s Common Commercial Policy are subject to Parliament’s consent; for this reason the Rapporteur regrets the lack of timely information by other institutions during the negotiations of the present Agreement, and expects the Council and the Commission to redress the situation and adequately inform the Parliament about its implementation once it enters into force, including as regards any decisions that might be taken in connection to Articles 4 and 5 of Council’s Decision. The expectations on the need to inform civil society and Parliaments are expressed as regards all parties to the Agreements.

OPINION of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (20.6.2017)

for the Committee on International Trade

on the draft Council decision on the conclusion of the Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Chile on trade in organic products
(05530/2017 – C8-0144/2017 – 2016/0383(NLE))

Rapporteur: Clara Eugenia Aguilera García

SHORT JUSTIFICATION

On 16 June 2014 the Council authorised the Commission to negotiate agreements between the EU and third countries on trade in organic products. The agreement sealed with Chile reciprocally recognises the equivalence of the respective organic production rules and control systems as regards certain products.

Chile will recognise as equivalent all EU organic products included in the scope of Regulation (EC) No 834/2007, namely unprocessed plant products, live animals or unprocessed animal products (including honey), aquaculture products and seaweeds, processed agricultural products for use as food (including wine), processed agricultural products for use as feed, vegetative propagating material and seeds for cultivation.

The EU, meanwhile, will recognise as equivalent the following products from Chile: unprocessed plant products, honey, processed agricultural products for use as food (including wine), vegetative propagating material and seeds for cultivation.

The rapporteur is in favour of the negotiated text, which includes the two following adjustments:

- given that Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 is currently under review, the agreement needs to be brought in line with the new EU rules on organic production and labelling, once they have been established.

- the Commission should present, two years after the agreement has entered into force, an impact assessment of its implementation, ascertaining the level of trade undertaken between the EU and Chile, the amount of agricultural products and foodstuffs obtained from organic production and the degree of compliance with the principles of non-discrimination and reciprocity.

******

The Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development calls on the Committee on International Trade, as the committee responsible, to recommend that Parliament give its consent to the draft Council decision on the conclusion of the Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Chile on trade in organic products.

PROCEDURE – COMMITTEE ASKED FOR OPINION

Title	Agreement between the EU and the Republic of Chile on trade in organic products
References	05530/2017 – C8-0144/2017 – COM(2016)0771 – 2016/0383(NLE)
Committee responsible	INTA
Opinion by        Date announced in plenary	AGRI 15.5.2017
Rapporteur        Date appointed	Clara Eugenia Aguilera García 8.3.2017
Date adopted	20.6.2017
Result of final vote	+: –: 0:	29 3 1
Members present for the final vote	John Stuart Agnew, Clara Eugenia Aguilera García, Eric Andrieu, Richard Ashworth, José Bové, Daniel Buda, Nicola Caputo, Viorica Dăncilă, Michel Dantin, Paolo De Castro, Jean-Paul Denanot, Albert Deß, Diane Dodds, Jørn Dohrmann, Herbert Dorfmann, Norbert Erdős, Luke Ming Flanagan, Martin Häusling, Jan Huitema, Peter Jahr, Zbigniew Kuźmiuk, Mairead McGuinness, Ulrike Müller, James Nicholson, Marijana Petir, Jens Rohde, Czesław Adam Siekierski, Tibor Szanyi, Marco Zullo
Substitutes present for the final vote	Paul Brannen, Jens Gieseke, Karin Kadenbach, Norbert Lins, Gabriel Mato

FINAL VOTE BY ROLL CALL IN COMMITTEE ASKED FOR OPINION

29	+
PPE	Daniel Buda, Michel Dantin, Albert Deß, Herbert Dorfmann, Norbert Erdős, Jens Gieseke, Peter Jahr, Norbert Lins, Mairead McGuinness, Marijana Petir, Czesław Adam Siekierski
S&D	Clara Eugenia Aguilera García, Eric Andrieu, Paul Brannen, Nicola Caputo, Viorica Dăncilă, Paolo De Castro, Jean-Paul Denanot, Karin Kadenbach, Tibor Szanyi
ECR	Richard Ashworth, Jørn Dohrmann, Zbigniew Kuźmiuk, James Nicholson
ALDE	Jan Huitema, Ulrike Müller, Jens Rohde
EFDD	Marco Zullo
NI	Diane Dodds

3	-
GUE/NGL	Luke Ming Flanagan
Verts/ALE	José Bové, Martin Häusling

1	0
EFDD	John Stuart Agnew

Key to symbols:

+  :  in favour

-  :  against

0  :  abstention

PROCEDURE – COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE

Title	Agreement between the EU and the Republic of Chile on trade in organic products
References	05530/2017 – C8-0144/2017 – COM(2016)0771 – 2016/0383(NLE)
Date of consultation / request for consent	2.5.2017
Committee responsible        Date announced in plenary	INTA 15.5.2017
Committees asked for opinions        Date announced in plenary	AFET 15.5.2017	AGRI 15.5.2017
Not delivering opinions        Date of decision	AFET 30.1.2017
Rapporteurs        Date appointed	Inmaculada Rodríguez-Piñero Fernández 23.1.2017
Discussed in committee	3.5.2017	20.6.2017
Date adopted	11.7.2017
Result of final vote	+: –: 0:	29 7 2
Members present for the final vote	William (The Earl of) Dartmouth, Maria Arena, Tiziana Beghin, David Campbell Bannerman, Daniel Caspary, Salvatore Cicu, Santiago Fisas Ayxelà, Eleonora Forenza, Karoline Graswander-Hainz, Heidi Hautala, Yannick Jadot, Jude Kirton-Darling, Bernd Lange, David Martin, Emma McClarkin, Anne-Marie Mineur, Sorin Moisă, Franz Obermayr, Artis Pabriks, Franck Proust, Godelieve Quisthoudt-Rowohl, Inmaculada Rodríguez-Piñero Fernández, Tokia Saïfi, Marietje Schaake, Helmut Scholz, Joachim Schuster, Joachim Starbatty, Adam Szejnfeld, Hannu Takkula, Iuliu Winkler
Substitutes present for the final vote	Dita Charanzová, Edouard Ferrand, Agnes Jongerius, Sajjad Karim, Gabriel Mato, Georg Mayer, Fernando Ruas, Jarosław Wałęsa
Date tabled	14.7.2017

FINAL VOTE BY ROLL CALL IN COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE

29	+
ALDE	Dita Charanzová, Marietje Schaake, Hannu Takkula
ECR	David Campbell Bannerman, Sajjad Karim, Emma McClarkin, Joachim Starbatty
EFDD	William (The Earl of) Dartmouth
PPE	Daniel Caspary, Salvatore Cicu, Santiago Fisas Ayxelà, Gabriel Mato, Artis Pabriks, Franck Proust, Godelieve Quisthoudt-Rowohl, Fernando Ruas, Tokia Saïfi, Adam Szejnfeld, Jarosław Wałęsa, Iuliu Winkler
S&D	Maria Arena, Karoline Graswander-Hainz, Agnes Jongerius, Jude Kirton-Darling, Bernd Lange, David Martin, Sorin Moisă, Inmaculada Rodríguez-Piñero Fernández, Joachim Schuster

7	-
ENF	Edouard Ferrand, Georg Mayer, Franz Obermayr
GUE/NGL	Eleonora Forenza, Anne-Marie Mineur, Helmut Scholz
VERTS/ALE	Heidi Hautala

2	0
EFDD	Tiziana Beghin
VERTS/ALE	Yannick Jadot

Key to symbols:

+  :  in favour

-  :  against

0  :  abstention