Proposal for a Council Decision on the position to be adopted by the European Union within the Joint Committee established by the Agreement in the form of an exchange of letters between the European Economic Community and the Principality of Andorra as regards the replacement of the Appendix to the Agreement concerning the definition of the concept of ‘originating products’ and methods of administrative cooperation

The Appendix to the Agreement in the form of an exchange of letters between the European Economic Community and the Principality of Andorra, concerning the definition of the concept of ‘originating products’ and methods of administrative cooperation, lays down provisions on the origin of goods of Chapters 1 to 24 of the Harmonised System traded between the European Union and the Principality of Andorra. Such goods are not covered by the customs union between the European Union and Andorra.

To improve legal certainty for traders and ensure uniform application by both parties, the current Appendix should be amended to take account of the changes in the rules of origin in the pan-Euro-Mediterranean region brought about by the Regional Convention on pan-Euro-Mediterranean preferential rules of origin (hereinafter ‘the Convention’).

Alignment with the Convention is also necessary to ensure consistent application of the preferences granted to products of Chapters 25 to 97 of the Harmonised System by contracting parties to the Convention which have concluded a free-trade agreement with the European Union. A declaration is included in each free-trade agreement specifying that products in these chapters originating in Andorra shall be accepted by the contracting parties to the Convention as products originating in the Union in accordance with the rules of the Convention.

EUR-Lex: COM(2015)230: Follow the progress of this proposal through the decision-making procedure http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/HIS/?uri=COM:2015:230:FIN

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