Activites

• 2014/12/30 Final act published in Official Journal
  • Regulation 2014/1384
  • OJ L 372 30.12.2014, p. 0005
• 2014/12/18 Final act signed
• 2014/12/18 End of procedure in Parliament
• 2014/12/17 Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
  • T8-0087/2014 summary

    The European Parliament adopted by 523 votes to 39, with 102 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the tariff treatment for goods originating from Ecuador. Parliament adopted its position at first reading without making amendments to the Commission proposal. On 17 July 2014 the negotiations were concluded with Ecuador for its accession to the Trade Agreement concluded between the EU and Colombia/Peru. As a result of these negotiations, a Protocol of Accession by Ecuador to the Agreement was initialled between the parties. In order to avoid unnecessary trade disruption until the provisional application of this Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and Ecuador, the proposal aims to ensure that customs duties applied on the date of initialling of the Protocol of Accession of Ecuador to the EU-Colombia/Peru Free Trade Agreement are not increased and that no new customs duties are applied on products originating in Ecuador. To this end, the proposed Regulation provides for the maintenance of the level of duty rates that were applicable to and by Ecuador on the date of initialling of the Protocol of Accession. The proposed Regulation will apply as of 1 January 2015 and until six months after the Protocol of Accession enters into force (or, where appropriate, is applied provisionally), or until 31 December 2016, whichever occurs first.

• 2014/12/17 Act adopted by Council after Parliament's 1st reading
• 2014/12/16 Debate in Parliament
  • Debate in Parliament
• 2014/12/08 Committee report tabled for plenary, 1st reading/single reading
  • A8-0056/2014 summary

    The Committee on International Trade adopted the report by Helmut SCHOLZ (GUE/NGL, DE) on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the tariff treatment for goods originating from Ecuador. It recommended the European Parliament to adopt its position at first reading taking over the Commission proposal.

• 2014/12/04 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
• 2014/10/20 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
• 2014/10/01 Legislative proposal published
  • COM(2014)0585 summary

    PURPOSE: as from 1 January 2015, to maintain the level of duty rates applicable to Ecuador to those which apply from the date of initialling of the Protocol of Accession of this country to the Trade Agreement concluded between the EU and Colombia/Peru.PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the Council and the European Parliament.ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and on an equal footing with the Council.BACKGROUND: on 17 July 2014 the negotiations were concluded with Ecuador for its accession to the Trade Agreement concluded between the EU and Colombia/Peru. As a result of these negotiations, a Protocol of Accession by Ecuador to the Agreement was initialled between the parties.In order to avoid unnecessary trade disruption pending the completion of the procedures for the approval and application of the Protocol of Accession, it is necessary to ensure that customs duties applied on the date of initialling of the Protocol of Accession are not increased and that no new customs duties are applied on products originating in Ecuador.To this end, the proposed Regulation provides for the maintenance of the level of duty rates that were applicable to Ecuador on the date of initialling of the Protocol of Accession.CONTENT: this proposal seeks to put in place an interim reciprocal arrangement for the establishment of a free-trade area with Ecuador in order to avoid unnecessary trade disruption, following the initialling of the Protocol of Accession.As from 1 January 2015, customs duties applied on the date of initialling of the Protocol of Accession are not increased nor new customs duties applied on products originating in Ecuador.Duration of the application: the Regulation shall apply from 1 January 2015. It shall expire six months after the Protocol of Accession enters into force or, where appropriate, is applied provisionally, or on 31 December 2016, whichever occurs first.Condition for the application: Ecuador should abstain from introducing new duties or charges having equivalent effect or new quantitative restrictions or measures having equivalent effect for imports originating in the Union, or from increasing existing levels of duties or charges or from introducing any other restrictions from [the date of initialling of the Protocol of Accession].Ecuador should also:maintain its commitment to core international conventions on human and labour rights, environmental protection and good governance;be subject to benefit from the tariff treatment provided under this Regulation should be conditional on compliance by Ecuador with the relevant rules of origin of products and the procedures related thereto.In the event of failure to comply with any of the conditions laid down in this Regulation, implementing powers should be conferred on the Commission to suspend temporarily in whole or in part the tariff treatment provided therein. Those powers should be exercised in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and the Council.BUDGETARY IMPLICATION: the proposal maintains the current market access arrangements and in this sense does not have any additional financial implications for the EU budget.The absence of its application would, however, entail a potential increase in the customs revenue collection. The amount of this customs revenue collection is difficult to predict, but would in any case be relatively small. The duty savings incurred by current market access regime enjoyed by Ecuador and which lapses on 1 January 2015 are in the range of EUR 215 million (based on 2013 trade figures).

  • DG {'url': 'http://ec.europa.eu/trade/', 'title': 'Trade'}, MALMSTRÖM Cecilia

Documents

• Legislative proposal published: COM(2014)0585
• Committee report tabled for plenary, 1st reading/single reading: A8-0056/2014
• Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
• Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T8-0087/2014
• : Regulation 2014/1384
• : OJ L 372 30.12.2014, p. 0005

Amendments

Dossier

12

2014/0287(COD) 2014/11/07 INTA 12 amendments... Amendment 11 # Ska KELLER Proposal for a regulation Recital 6 (6) As a condition for the application of the tariff treatment granted under this Regulation, Ecuador should abstain from introducing new duties or charges having equivalent effect or new quantitative restrictions or measures having equivalent effect for imports originating in the Union, or from increasing existing levels of duties or charges or from introducing any other restrictions from [the date of initialling of the Protocol of Accession].deleted Amendment 12 # Ska KELLER Proposal for a regulation Recital 6 (6) As a condition for the application of the tariff treatment granted under this Regulation, Ecuador should abstain from introducing new duties or charges having equivalent effect or new quantitative restrictions or measures having equivalent effect for imports originating in the Union, unless such duties or charges are related to social, health or environmental legislation, or from increasing existing levels of duties or charges or from introducing any other restrictions from [the date of initialling of the Protocol of Accession]. Amendment 13 # Helmut SCHOLZ Proposal for a regulation Recital 6 (6) As a condition for the application of the tariff treatment granted under this Regulation, Ecuador should abstain from introducing new duties or charges having equivalent effect or new quantitative restrictions or measures having equivalent effect for imports originating in the Union, or from increasing existing levels of duties or charges or from introducing any other restrictions from [the date of initialling of the Protocol of Accession]. This condition is without prejudice to Ecuador's right to apply safeguard clauses to protect itself from a sudden increase in the import of products from the EU, in such quantities and under such conditions as to cause or threaten to cause serious injury to Ecuadorian producers of like or directly competing products, into the territory of Ecuador, provided that such measures are in conformity with the Agreement on Safeguards adopted pursuant to Article XIX of GATT 1994. Amendment 14 # Helmut SCHOLZ (7) To ensure that Ecuador maintains its commitment to core international conventions on human and labour rights, environmental protection and good governance, the application of this measure should be subject to the continued and effective implementation of those conventions as well as to general requirements for all or certain products originating in Ecuador, such as compliance with international conventions on anti-terrorism and money laundering and respect for the objectives adopted by the Regional Fishery Organisation or any international arrangements concerning the conservation and management of fishery resources to which the Union is a party. Amendment 15 # Helmut SCHOLZ Proposal for a regulation Recital 9 a (new) (9a) The Commission should monitor the compliance of Ecuador with the conditions laid down in this Regulation and report to the European Parliament and the Council on this matter. The report may be delivered in the form of a score card. Amendment 16 # Helmut SCHOLZ Proposal for a regulation Recital 10 (10) In the event of failure to comply with any of the conditions laid down in this Regulation, implementing powersthe power to adopt acts in accordance with Article 290 of TFEU should be conferrdelegated ton the Commission to suspendin respect of temporarily suspending, in whole or in part, the tariff treatment provided therein. Those powers should be exercised in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and the Council1. ________________________ 1Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 ofe Commission, when preparing and drawing up delegated acts, should ensure a simultaneous, timely and appropriate transmission of relevant documents to the European Parliament and tof the Council of 16 February 2011 laying down the rules and general principles concerning mechanisms for control by Member States of the Commission’s exercise of implementing powers (OJ L 55, 28.2.2011, p. 13). The procedure for suspension should be guided by the spirit of the procedure for suspension of GSP+ preferences as defined in Article 15 of Regulation (EU) No 978/2012. Amendment 17 # Ska KELLER Proposal for a regulation Article 3 – point b (b) abstention by Ecuador from introducing new duties or charges having equivalent effect and new quantitative restrictions or measures having equivalent effect for imports from the Union, or from increasing existing levels of duties or charges or from introducing any other restrictions from [the date of initialling of the Protocol of Accession]deleted Amendment 18 # Ska KELLER Proposal for a regulation Article 3 – point b (b) abstention by Ecuador from introducing new duties or charges having equivalent effect and new quantitative restrictions or measures having equivalent effect for imports from the Union, unless such duties or charges are related to social, health or environmental legislation, or from increasing existing levels of duties or charges or from introducing any other restrictions from [the date of initialling of the Protocol of Accession] Amendment 19 # Helmut SCHOLZ Proposal for a regulation Article 3 – point b (b) abstention by Ecuador from introducing new duties or charges having equivalent effect and new quantitative restrictions or measures having equivalent effect for imports from the Union, or from increasing existing levels of duties or charges or from introducing any other restrictions from [the date of initialling of the Protocol of Accession], without prejudice to the right of Ecuador to apply safeguard clauses, in conformity with the Agreement on Safeguards adopted pursuant to Article XIX of GATT 1994; Amendment 20 # Helmut SCHOLZ Proposal for a regulation Article 3 – point c a (new) (ca) compliance with international conventions on anti-terrorism and money laundering, compliance with objectives adopted by Regional Fishery Organisations or any international arrangement to which the Union is party concerning the conservation and management of fishery resources. Amendment 21 # Helmut SCHOLZ Article 3a The Commission shall monitor the compliance of Ecuador with the conditions of entitlement to the tariff treatment, as laid down in Article 3 of this Regulation, and report to the European Parliament and the Council on this matter. The report may be delivered in form of a score card. Amendment 22 # Helmut SCHOLZ Proposal for a regulation Article 4 Where it finds that there is sufficient evidence of failure to comply with the conditions set out in Article 3, the Commission may adopt implementing acts in order to suspend tariff treatment temporarily, in respect of all or of certain products originating in Ecuador. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 6(2)shall be empowered, after inviting Ecuador and relevant stakeholders for comment, to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 4a concerning the temporary suspension of tariff treatment provided for by this regulation, in respect of all or of certain products originating in Ecuador. source: 541.532

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)