REPORT on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the application of Union tariff rate quotas and other import quotas

12.11.2020 - (COM(2020)0375 – C9‑0274/2020 – 2020/0176(COD)) - ***I

Committee on International Trade
Rapporteur: Christophe Hansen


Procedure : 2020/0176(COD)
Document stages in plenary
Document selected :  
A9-0216/2020
Texts tabled :
A9-0216/2020
Debates :
Texts adopted :

DRAFT EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION

on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the application of Union tariff rate quotas and other import quotas

(COM(2020)0375 – C9‑0274/2020 – 2020/0176(COD))

(Ordinary legislative procedure: first reading)

The European Parliament,

 having regard to the Commission proposal to Parliament and the Council (COM(2020)0375),

 having regard to Article 294(2) and to Article 207(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Commission submitted the proposal to Parliament (C9‑0274/2020),

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

 having regard to Rule 59 of its Rules of Procedure,

 having regard to the report of the Committee on International Trade (A9-0216/2020),

1. Adopts its position at first reading hereinafter set out;

2. Calls on the Commission to refer the matter to Parliament again if it replaces, substantially amends or intends to substantially amend its proposal;

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

 

Amendment  1

Proposal for a regulation

Article 2 – paragraph 1

 

Text proposed by the Commission

Amendment

This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Justification

It is necessary to provide for an earlier entry into force of the regulation after publication, given the short time-frame in which the EU co-legislators need to adopt this act. The application of the regulation as of 1 January 2021 is not amended.


EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

 

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK) withdrew from the EU on 1 February 2020. The Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland attached to the Withdrawal Agreement (Protocol) will apply from the end of the transition period, as of 1 January 2021.

The Protocol states that Northern Ireland is part of the customs territory of the UK, and that the UK can include Northern Ireland in the territorial scope of its World Trade Organization schedules. Under the Protocol, any reference to the customs territory of the EU, as well as in the provisions of EU law made applicable to and in the UK in respect of Northern Ireland by the Protocol, must be read as including the land territory of Northern Ireland. This means that despite Northern Ireland being formally in the UK’s customs territory, the UK, in respect of Northern Ireland, is obliged to apply the EU’s customs legislation as if Northern Ireland were still in the EU’s customs territory.

The bilateral arrangements between the EU and the UK under the Protocol do not give rise to rights and obligations for third countries. Any imports pursuant to EU’s import tariff rate quotas or other import quotas applying to goods originating in a third country brought into Northern Ireland could not be counted towards that third country’s rights vis-à-vis the EU, unless agreed by the third country. This situation poses a risk to the proper functioning of the EU’s Single Market and the integrity of the Common Commercial Policy through the possible circumvention of EU’s tariff rate quotas or other import quotas. Agreements with third countries providing for export tariff rate quotas require that the goods be imported within the EU. Therefore, third countries could refuse to issue export licenses for direct imports into Northern Ireland.

This proposal in its sole substantial provision clarifies that the EU’s tariff rate quotas and other import quotas should be available only for goods imported and released into free circulation in the EU and not in Northern Ireland. This is done by listing all EU’s territories where goods can be released into free circulation, and this list does not include Northern Ireland.

Rapporteur agrees with the proposal. The only amendment proposed is an earlier entry into force of the regulation after its publication in the EU Official Journal, as the EU co-legislators need sufficient time for the adoption of the act until end of 2020. The date of application is not modified. Rapporteur would encourage Members not to table other amendments to the proposal in order to allow for as smooth as possible adoption of the act.


PROCEDURE – COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE

Title

The application of Union tariff rate quotas and other import quotas

References

COM(2020)0375 – C9-0274/2020 – 2020/0176(COD)

Date submitted to Parliament

14.8.2020

 

 

 

Committee responsible

 Date announced in plenary

INTA

14.9.2020

 

 

 

Committees asked for opinions

 Date announced in plenary

IMCO

14.9.2020

 

 

 

Not delivering opinions

 Date of decision

IMCO

2.10.2020

 

 

 

Rapporteurs

 Date appointed

Christophe Hansen

10.9.2020

 

 

 

Discussed in committee

15.10.2020

 

 

 

Date adopted

10.11.2020

 

 

 

Result of final vote

+:

–:

0:

40

1

1

Members present for the final vote

Barry Andrews, Anna-Michelle Asimakopoulou, Tiziana Beghin, Geert Bourgeois, Saskia Bricmont, Udo Bullmann, Jordi Cañas, Daniel Caspary, Miroslav Číž, Arnaud Danjean, Paolo De Castro, Emmanouil Fragkos, Raphaël Glucksmann, Markéta Gregorová, Enikő Győri, Roman Haider, Christophe Hansen, Heidi Hautala, Danuta Maria Hübner, Herve Juvin, Karin Karlsbro, Maximilian Krah, Danilo Oscar Lancini, Bernd Lange, Margarida Marques, Gabriel Mato, Sara Matthieu, Emmanuel Maurel, Maxette Pirbakas, Carles Puigdemont i Casamajó, Samira Rafaela, Inma Rodríguez-Piñero, Massimiliano Salini, Helmut Scholz, Liesje Schreinemacher, Sven Simon, Dominik Tarczyński, Mihai Tudose, Kathleen Van Brempt, Marie-Pierre Vedrenne, Jörgen Warborn, Iuliu Winkler, Jan Zahradil

Substitutes present for the final vote

Mazaly Aguilar, Nikos Androulakis, Marek Belka, Sergio Berlato, Markus Buchheit, Reinhard Bütikofer, Marco Campomenosi, Anna Cavazzini, Dita Charanzová, Clare Daly, Nicola Danti, Jérémy Decerle, Luke Ming Flanagan, José Manuel García-Margallo y Marfil, Dino Giarrusso, Márton Gyöngyösi, Svenja Hahn, Yannick Jadot, Agnes Jongerius, Sandra Kalniete, Seán Kelly, Peter Kofod, Andrey Kovatchev, Miapetra Kumpula-Natri, Jean-Lin Lacapelle, Aurore Lalucq, Morten Løkkegaard, Elżbieta Katarzyna Łukacijewska, Costas Mavrides, Liudas Mažylis, David McAllister, Javier Moreno Sánchez, Gheorghe-Vlad Nistor, Urmas Paet, Luisa Regimenti, Manuela Ripa, Annie Schreijer-Pierik, Joachim Schuster, Pedro Silva Pereira, Witold Jan Waszczykowski, Angelika Winzig, Juan Ignacio Zoido Álvarez

Date tabled

12.11.2020

 


 

FINAL VOTE BY ROLL CALL IN COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE

40

+

ECR

Geert Bourgeois, Emmanouil Fragkos, Dominik Tarczynski, Jan Zahradil

GUE/NGL

Emmanuel Maurel, Helmut Scholz

ID

Maximilian Krah, Jean-Lin Lacapelle

NI

Tiziana Beghin, Carles Puigdemont i Casamajó

PPE

Anna Michelle Asimakopoulou, Daniel Caspary, Arnaud Danjean, Enikő Győri, Christophe Hansen, Danuta Maria Hübner, Gabriel Mato, Massimiliano Salini, Sven Simon, Jörgen Warborn , Iuliu Winkler

RENEW

Barry Andrews, Jordi Cañas, Svenja Hahn, Samira Rafaela, Liesje Schreinemacher, Marie-Pierre Vedrenne

S&D

Udo Bullmann, Miroslav Číž, Paolo De Castro, Raphaël Glucksmann, Bernd Lange, Margarida Marques, Inma Rodríguez Piñero, Mihai Tudose, Kathleen Van Brempt

VERTS/ALE

Saskia Bricmont, Markéta Gregorova, Heidi Hautala, Sara Matthieu

 

1

-

ID

Hervé Juvin

 

1

0

ID

Roman Haider

 

Key to symbols:

+ : in favour

- : against

0 : abstention

 

 

Last updated: 18 November 2020
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