Regulation (EU) 2016/580 on the introduction of emergency autonomous trade measures for the Republic of Tunisia

What it is

to introduce emergency autonomous trade measures for the Republic of Tunisia. PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council. 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: the current framework for trade relations between the EU and Tunisia is provided by the Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreement, signed in 1995. The Agreement entered into force in 1998 and laid the foundation for the establishment of a Free Trade Area, including a progressive liberalisation on agriculture. Tunisia and the EU are on the verge of engaging in negotiations for establishing a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) that will notably provide for further liberalisation of trade in agriculture. The Committee on International Trade adopted the report by Marielle DE SARNEZ (ALDE, FR) on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the introduction of emergency autonomous trade measures for the Republic of Tunisia. To recall, the Commission proposed to offer a temporary, zero-duty tariff quota of 35 000 tonnes per year (70 000 tonnes in total) for exports of olive oil from Tunisia to the EU, in the form of an autonomous trade measure, and to do this without increasing the overall volume of imports. This tariff-rate quota will be available for a period of two years, from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2017, and will enter into force as soon as the current duty-free tariff quota of 56 700 tonnes laid down in the EU-Tunisia association agreement has been exhausted. The amendments seek to stipulate that support measures for the Tunisian economy should be exceptional and temporary and that the trade measures should really benefit the Tunisian economy. The committee recommended that the European Parliament’s position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure should amend the Commission proposal. Members called on the Commission to conduct a mid-term review of the Union olive oil market following the entry into force of this Regulation, and to submit the conclusions of that assessment to the European Parliament and the Council. If it is found that the Union market is affected by the provisions of this Regulation, the Commission shall be empowered to adopt an implementing act in order to propose corrective measures aimed at restoring the situation on the Union market. The European Parliament adopted by 475 votes to 126, with 35 abstentions, amendments to the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the introduction of emergency autonomous trade measures for the Republic of Tunisia. The matter was referred back to committee . The vote has been postponed to a later sitting. The emergency autonomous trade measures established by this Regulation are intended to alleviate the difficult economic situation, which Tunisia is currently facing, due to the terrorist attacks. Those measures should therefore be limited in time and be without prejudice to negotiations between the Union and Tunisia on the establishment of a Deep…

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