{"change_dates":[],"dossier":{"amendments":[],"changes":{"2017-09-07T02:41:49":[{"data":[{"body":"EC","commission":[],"date":"2017-07-18T00:00:00","docs":[{"title":"COM(2017)0378","type":"Legislative proposal published","url":"http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/docs_autres_institutions/commission_europeenne/com/2017/0378/COM_COM(2017)0378_EN.pdf"}],"type":"Legislative proposal published"}],"path":["activities"],"type":"added"},{"data":[],"path":["other"],"type":"added"},{"data":[{"body":"EP","committee":"INTA","committee_full":"International Trade","responsible":true}],"path":["committees"],"type":"added"},{"data":{},"path":["links"],"type":"added"},{"data":{"legal_basis":["Treaty on the Functioning of the EU TFEU 207-p3","Treaty on the Functioning of the EU TFEU 207-p4","Treaty on the Functioning of the EU TFEU 218-p6a"],"reference":"2017/0159(NLE)","stage_reached":"Preparatory phase in Parliament","subject":["6.20.05 Multilateral economic and trade agreements and relations"],"subtype":"Consent by Parliament","title":"International Rubber Study Group (IRSG): membership of the EU","type":"NLE - Non-legislative enactments"},"path":["procedure"],"type":"added"}],"2017-09-22T06:15:17":[{"data":{"Commissioner":"BIE\u0143KOWSKA El\u017cbieta","DG":{"title":"Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs","url":"http://ec.europa.eu/info/departments/internal-market-industry-entrepreneurship-and-smes_en"}},"path":["activities",0,"commission",0],"type":"added"},{"data":{"body":"EC","commissioner":"BIE\u0143KOWSKA El\u017cbieta","dg":{"title":"Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs","url":"http://ec.europa.eu/info/departments/internal-market-industry-entrepreneurship-and-smes_en"}},"path":["other",0],"type":"added"}],"2017-09-28T04:48:01":[{"data":["
PURPOSE: to propose the withdrawal of the European\nUnion from the International Rubber Study Group.
\nPROPOSED ACT: Council Decision.
\nROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: Council may adopt the\nact only if Parliament has given its consent to the act.
\nBACKGROUND: the International Rubber Study Group\n(IRSG) is an intergovernmental organisation established in 1944 and\ncomposed of rubber producing and consuming stakeholders. It\nprovides a forum for the discussion on supply and demand issues for\nboth natural and synthetic rubber.
\nBy Council Decision 2002/651/EC, the European\nCommunity became a member of the IRSG. The accession of the EU as a\nsingle member dates back to 1 July 2011.
\nDuring the preparation of the amended IRSG\nconstitution in 2011, the Commission has repeatedly stressed its\nconcern on the limited and declining relevance of IRSG\nfollowing the withdrawal in 2010-2011 of important member countries\n(USA, Thailand, Malaysia).
\nIRSG's current membership is representative of only\nabout 10% of the world production and 25% of the world consumption\nof natural rubber, respectively.
\nIn its resolution\napproving Council Decision 2012/283/EU on 2011 constitution, the\nEuropean Parliament asked the Commission to work on the expansion\nof the membership of the International Rubber Study\nGroup.
\nTherefore, the Commission called upon IRSG and its\nother members as well as industry to encourage non-member\ngovernments to join IRSG. However, despite repeated efforts by the\nIRSG Secretariat in the last four years, none of the potential new\nmembers that have been approached gave any reliable indication that\nthey would be prepared to join the Group. There are no reasonable\nperspectives of this situation being reversed.
\nDuring a period marked by significant increases in\nnatural rubber prices (mid-2008 to mid-2011), the IRSG was\nconsidered by industry as a tool to control excessive volatility in\ncommodity prices. This argument is no longer valid given that the\nlargest producers are no longer represented in the IRSG and that\nnatural rubber prices have fallen to less than half the record\nlevel reached six years ago.
\nThe Commission questions whether membership in IRSG\nremains a priority in the context of increasing budget restrictions\nand new challenges. This concern is reinforced by increasing\nmembership fees, which are the consequence of the reduced number of\nmember governments. For the financial year 2016/17, the EU\ncontribution to the IRSGs budget was EUR 132 000 and will\nincrease to EUR 135 000 for the next financial year\n(2017-2018).
\nFor these reasons, the Commission considers that the\nEU should withdraw from the International Rubber Study\nGroup.
\nCONTENT: the Commission proposes that the European\nUnion withdraws from the International Rubber Study Group.\nIt considers that the withdrawal of the EU is necessary in order to\nput an end to annual budgetary expenses that bring limited\nbenefits, lower than those expected at the time when the European\nCommunity joined the IRSG.
\nBUDGETARY IMPLICATIONS: by withdrawing from the IRSG,\nthe Union could save over EUR 150 000 in annual\ncontributions, as well as the human and logistical resources\nneeded to manage membership.
\nPURPOSE: to propose the withdrawal of the European\nUnion from the International Rubber Study Group.
\nPROPOSED ACT: Council Decision.
\nROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: Council may adopt the\nact only if Parliament has given its consent to the act.
\nBACKGROUND: the International Rubber Study Group\n(IRSG) is an intergovernmental organisation established in 1944 and\ncomposed of rubber producing and consuming stakeholders. It\nprovides a forum for the discussion on supply and demand issues for\nboth natural and synthetic rubber.
\nBy Council Decision 2002/651/EC, the European\nCommunity became a member of the IRSG. The accession of the EU as a\nsingle member dates back to 1 July 2011.
\nDuring the preparation of the amended IRSG\nconstitution in 2011, the Commission has repeatedly stressed its\nconcern on the limited and declining relevance of IRSG\nfollowing the withdrawal in 2010-2011 of important member countries\n(USA, Thailand, Malaysia).
\nIRSG's current membership is representative of only\nabout 10% of the world production and 25% of the world consumption\nof natural rubber, respectively.
\nIn its resolution\napproving Council Decision 2012/283/EU on 2011 constitution, the\nEuropean Parliament asked the Commission to work on the expansion\nof the membership of the International Rubber Study\nGroup.
\nTherefore, the Commission called upon IRSG and its\nother members as well as industry to encourage non-member\ngovernments to join IRSG. However, despite repeated efforts by the\nIRSG Secretariat in the last four years, none of the potential new\nmembers that have been approached gave any reliable indication that\nthey would be prepared to join the Group. There are no reasonable\nperspectives of this situation being reversed.
\nDuring a period marked by significant increases in\nnatural rubber prices (mid-2008 to mid-2011), the IRSG was\nconsidered by industry as a tool to control excessive volatility in\ncommodity prices. This argument is no longer valid given that the\nlargest producers are no longer represented in the IRSG and that\nnatural rubber prices have fallen to less than half the record\nlevel reached six years ago.
\nThe Commission questions whether membership in IRSG\nremains a priority in the context of increasing budget restrictions\nand new challenges. This concern is reinforced by increasing\nmembership fees, which are the consequence of the reduced number of\nmember governments. For the financial year 2016/17, the EU\ncontribution to the IRSGs budget was EUR 132 000 and will\nincrease to EUR 135 000 for the next financial year\n(2017-2018).
\nFor these reasons, the Commission considers that the\nEU should withdraw from the International Rubber Study\nGroup.
\nCONTENT: the Commission proposes that the European\nUnion withdraws from the International Rubber Study Group.\nIt considers that the withdrawal of the EU is necessary in order to\nput an end to annual budgetary expenses that bring limited\nbenefits, lower than those expected at the time when the European\nCommunity joined the IRSG.
\nBUDGETARY IMPLICATIONS: by withdrawing from the IRSG,\nthe Union could save over EUR 150 000 in annual\ncontributions, as well as the human and logistical resources\nneeded to manage membership.
\n