PURPOSE: to conclude an Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation amending the Agreement on trade in agricultural products.

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Council Decision 2009/805/EC on the conclusion of the Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation amending Annex 11 to the Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on trade in agricultural products.

CONTENT: the Commission negotiated, on behalf of the Community, an Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation amending Annex 11 to the 2002 Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on trade in agricultural products. It entered into force on 1 June 2002 and provided for some reciprocal tariff concessions regarding agricultural products and for the removal of a series of technical barriers to trade.

The final Annex of the Agreement (Annex 11) concerns animal-health, veterinary public health and zootechnical measures applicable to trade in live animals and pets and animal products. Progress had been made since 2002 to take account of the changes to the acquis and Swiss legislation. It is for this reason that the new Agreement is necessary. The Agreement, together with the Final Act, was signed, on behalf of the Community, on 23 December 2008 subject to its conclusion, in accordance with Council Decision 2008/979/EC .

The purpose of this Decision is therefore to approve the Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation amending Annex 11 to the Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on trade in agricultural products and to take account of the updates and the changes in Community legislation on animal-health, veterinary public health and zootechnical measures applicable to trade in live animals and pets and animal products.

ENTRY INTO FORCE: the Agreement shall provisionally apply from 1 January 2009.

Decision 2009/805
OJ L 288 04.11.2009, p. 0022

Results of vote in Parliament

The European Parliament adopted by 558 votes to 33, with 23 abstentions, a legislative resolution approving unamended, under the consultation procedure, the proposal for a Council decision on the conclusion of the Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation amending Annex 11 to the Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on trade in agricultural products.

T6-0198/2009

A6-0122/2009

A6-0122/2009

The Committee on International Trade adopted the report drawn up by Béla GLATTFELDER (EPP-ED, HU) approving unamended, under the consultation procedure, the proposal for a Council decision on the conclusion of the Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation amending Annex 11 to the Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on trade in agricultural products.

This proposal for a decision forms the legal basis by which the European Community and the Swiss Confederation amends Annex 11 to the Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on trade in agricultural products.

The content of the Agreement is, in essence, consistent with the Commission’s initial proposal (refer to the initial proposal of 7 November 2008).

The Agreement, together with the Final Act thereto, was signed, on behalf of the Community, on 23 December 2008 subject to its conclusion.

This decision requires the European Parliament’s assent .

The text of the Agreement is attached to this proposal for a decision (see Council doc 15472/2008 ).

15523/2008

PE419.905

This proposal for a decision forms the legal basis by which the European Community and the Swiss Confederation amends Annex 11 to the Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on trade in agricultural products.

The content of the Agreement is, in essence, consistent with the Commission’s initial proposal (refer to the initial proposal of 7 November 2008).

The Agreement, together with the Final Act thereto, was signed, on behalf of the Community, on 23 December 2008 subject to its conclusion.

This decision requires the European Parliament’s assent .

The text of the Agreement is attached to this proposal for a decision (see Council doc 15472/2008 ).

15523/2008

This proposal concerns the final act of the draft Council Decision on the signing on behalf of the Community and the provisional application of the Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation amending Annex 11 to the Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on trade in agricultural products.

The content of the Agreement has not been amended and is in line with the Commission initial proposal (please refer to the summary of the previous initial proposal of 07/11/2008).

The Agreement should be signed and applied on a provisional basis from 1 January 2009 pending the completion of the procedures for its formal conclusion.

15472/2008

PURPOSE: to approve an Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation amending the Agreement on trade in agricultural products.

PROPOSED ACT: Council Decision.

BACKGROUND: the Commission recently adopted a proposal for a decision aiming to amend the EC-Swiss Agreement on the exchange of agricultural products (see AVC/2008/0163 ).

To recall, the Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on trade in agricultural products entered into force on 1 June 2002 (see AVC/1999/0108 ) and provided for some reciprocal tariff concessions regarding agricultural products and for the removal of a series of technical barriers to trade .

Since 2002, a number of amendments have been made to the Agreement following decisions by the Joint Veterinary Committee to take account of the changes to the acquis and Swiss legislation. The Commission decided to amend this Agreement in August 2008 on particular issues (see AVC/2008/0168 ). However, Annex 11 needs to be updated and amended which is the purpose of this proposal.

CONTENT: the Swiss Confederation has undertaken to include in its national legislation the provisions of:

Council Directive 91/496/EEC laying down the principles governing the organisation of veterinary checks on animals entering the Community from third countries and amending Directives 89/662/EEC, 90/425/EEC and 90/675/EEC; Council Directive 97/78/EC laying down the principles governing the organisation of veterinary checks on products entering the Community from third countries; Council Directive 2002/99/EC laying down the animal health rules governing the production, processing, distribution and introduction of products of animal origin for human consumption; Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 on official controls performed to ensure the verification of compliance with feed and food law, animal health and animal welfare rules, and all the provisions adopted for their implementation in the control of imports from third countries into the European Union; Regulation (EC) No 998/2003 on the animal health requirements applicable to the non-commercial movement of pet animals and amending Council Directive 92/65/EEC.

The provisions of Annex 11 to the Agreement on Agriculture should be adapted accordingly.

Procedure : in accordance with Article 5(2) of the Agreement on Agriculture, the amendment procedure laid down in Article 11 thereof does not apply to Annex 11. Consequently, any amendment to Annex 11 must be approved by means of a procedure identical to the procedure for the Agreement on Agriculture (assent given from the European Parliament).

The provisional application of this Decision, pending the completion of the internal procedures of the Parties, allows account to be taken of the changes resulting from amendments to the Appendices of Annex 11 and of the discontinuation of veterinary inspections at borders from 1 January 2009.

It should be noted that the amendment will not entail any financial implications.

COM(2008)0685
EUR-Lex

PURPOSE: to approve an Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation amending the Agreement on trade in agricultural products.

PROPOSED ACT: Council Decision.

BACKGROUND: the Commission recently adopted a proposal for a decision aiming to amend the EC-Swiss Agreement on the exchange of agricultural products (see AVC/2008/0163 ).

To recall, the Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on trade in agricultural products entered into force on 1 June 2002 (see AVC/1999/0108 ) and provided for some reciprocal tariff concessions regarding agricultural products and for the removal of a series of technical barriers to trade .

Since 2002, a number of amendments have been made to the Agreement following decisions by the Joint Veterinary Committee to take account of the changes to the acquis and Swiss legislation. The Commission decided to amend this Agreement in August 2008 on particular issues (see AVC/2008/0168 ). However, Annex 11 needs to be updated and amended which is the purpose of this proposal.

CONTENT: the Swiss Confederation has undertaken to include in its national legislation the provisions of:

Council Directive 91/496/EEC laying down the principles governing the organisation of veterinary checks on animals entering the Community from third countries and amending Directives 89/662/EEC, 90/425/EEC and 90/675/EEC; Council Directive 97/78/EC laying down the principles governing the organisation of veterinary checks on products entering the Community from third countries; Council Directive 2002/99/EC laying down the animal health rules governing the production, processing, distribution and introduction of products of animal origin for human consumption; Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 on official controls performed to ensure the verification of compliance with feed and food law, animal health and animal welfare rules, and all the provisions adopted for their implementation in the control of imports from third countries into the European Union; Regulation (EC) No 998/2003 on the animal health requirements applicable to the non-commercial movement of pet animals and amending Council Directive 92/65/EEC.

The provisions of Annex 11 to the Agreement on Agriculture should be adapted accordingly.

Procedure : in accordance with Article 5(2) of the Agreement on Agriculture, the amendment procedure laid down in Article 11 thereof does not apply to Annex 11. Consequently, any amendment to Annex 11 must be approved by means of a procedure identical to the procedure for the Agreement on Agriculture (assent given from the European Parliament).

The provisional application of this Decision, pending the completion of the internal procedures of the Parties, allows account to be taken of the changes resulting from amendments to the Appendices of Annex 11 and of the discontinuation of veterinary inspections at borders from 1 January 2009.

It should be noted that the amendment will not entail any financial implications.

COM(2008)0685
EUR-Lex