RECOMMENDATION on the draft Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the European Union, of the Agreement between the European Union and New Zealand pursuant to Article XXVIII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994 relating to the modification of concessions on all the tariff rate quotas included in the EU Schedule CLXXV as a consequence of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union

16.11.2022 - (07910/2022 – C9‑0296/2022 – 2022/0098(NLE)) - ***

Committee on International Trade
Rapporteur: Daniel Caspary

DRAFT EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION

on the draft Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the European Union, of the Agreement between the European Union and New Zealand pursuant to Article XXVIII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994 relating to the modification of concessions on all the tariff rate quotas included in the EU Schedule CLXXV as a consequence of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union

(07910/2022 – C9‑0296/2022 – 2022/0098(NLE))

(Consent)

The European Parliament,

– having regard to the draft Council decision (07910/2022),

– having regard to the draft agreement between the European Union and New Zealand pursuant to Article XXVIII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994 relating to the modification of concessions on all the tariff rate quotas included in the EU Schedule CLXXV as a consequence of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union (07911/2022),

– 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)(v), of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (C9‑0296/2022),

– having regard to Rule 105(1) and (4), and Rule 114(7) of its Rules of Procedure,

– having regard to the recommendation of the Committee on International Trade (A9-0273/2022),

1. Gives its consent to the 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 New Zealand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

In view of the United Kingdom's (UK) withdrawal from the European Union (EU), in October 2018, the EU formally launched negotiations under Article XXVIII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994 with a number of Members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), including New Zealand. The underlying principle of the negotiations is a “joint approach” developed between the EU and the UK in 2017 on how to “apportion” the quantitative commitments contained in the EU28 WTO schedule for the 143 EU agricultural, fish and industrial WTO tariff rate quotas (TRQs). The basis of this approach is that the existing volume of each TRQ would be fully maintained after the UK's withdrawal from the EU, but split across two separate customs territories: the EU27 and the UK.

The agreements negotiated under Article XXVIII of GATT need to ensure that recently observed trade flows into the EU and the UK are not disrupted for the respective trade under the TRQs. So the “joint approach” is meant to guarantee maintainance of market rights access of the WTO Members concerned in this quite unprecedented situation. However, several trading partners, including New Zealand, questioned the principle and methodology of the proposed apportionement, leading to extensive negotiations.

Negotiations with New Zealand covered TRQs on sensitive products such as sheap meat, bovine meat and dairy products, including butter, cheese for processing and cheddar cheese. In the end, the TRQ volumes as defined with the “joint approach” methdolody remained unchanged, expect for two country-specific meat TRQs which were adjusted based on more recent data, and two country-specific dairy TRQs which were adapted with a view to improving the management of these TRQs.

In accordance with Article 218(6) TFEU, the consent of the European Parliament is needed in order for the Council to adopt a decision concluding the Agreement and for the latter to come into force in due time.

In the light of the above, the Rapporteur recommends that the Parliament give its consent to the conclusion of the Agreement, without prejudice to its democratic right of continuous scrutiny.

 

PROCEDURE – COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE

Title	Agreement between the European Union and New Zealand relating to the modification of concessions on all the tariff rate quotas included in the EU Schedule CLXXV as a consequence of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union
References	07910/2022 – C9-0296/2022 – 2022/0098(NLE)
Date of consultation or request for consent	20.7.2022
Committee responsible  Date announced in plenary	INTA 12.9.2022
Committees asked for opinions  Date announced in plenary	AGRI 12.9.2022
Not delivering opinions  Date of decision	AGRI 23.5.2022
Rapporteurs  Date appointed	Daniel Caspary 20.4.2022
Discussed in committee	24.10.2022
Date adopted	14.11.2022
Result of final vote	+: –: 0:	29 0 1
Members present for the final vote	Barry Andrews, Anna-Michelle Asimakopoulou, Saskia Bricmont, Udo Bullmann, Jordi Cañas, Arnaud Danjean, Raphaël Glucksmann, Heidi Hautala, Danuta Maria Hübner, Karin Karlsbro, Bernd Lange, Margarida Marques, Carles Puigdemont i Casamajó, Samira Rafaela, Catharina Rinzema, Inma Rodríguez-Piñero, Massimiliano Salini, Helmut Scholz, Mihai Tudose, Iuliu Winkler, Jan Zahradil
Substitutes present for the final vote	Anna Cavazzini, Svenja Hahn, Javier Moreno Sánchez, Annie Schreijer-Pierik, Joachim Schuster, Massimiliano Smeriglio, Angelika Winzig
Substitutes under Rule 209(7) present for the final vote	Stefan Berger, Andreas Schwab
Date tabled	16.11.2022

 

FINAL VOTE BY ROLL CALL IN COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE

29	+
ECR	Jan Zahradil
NI	Carles Puigdemont i Casamajó
PPE	Anna-Michelle Asimakopoulou, Stefan Berger, Arnaud Danjean, Danuta Maria Hübner, Massimiliano Salini, Annie Schreijer-Pierik, Andreas Schwab, Iuliu Winkler, Angelika Winzig
RENEW	Barry Andrews, Jordi Cañas, Svenja Hahn, Karin Karlsbro, Samira Rafaela, Catharina Rinzema
S&D	Udo Bullmann, Raphaël Glucksmann, Bernd Lange, Margarida Marques, Javier Moreno Sánchez, Inma Rodríguez-Piñero, Joachim Schuster, Massimiliano Smeriglio, Mihai Tudose
VERTS/ALE	Saskia Bricmont, Anna Cavazzini, Heidi Hautala

 

0	-

 

1	0
THE LEFT	Helmut Scholz

 

Key to symbols:

+ : in favour

- : against

0 : abstention