Proposal for a Council Decision on the position to be adopted in the Joint Committee of the Regional Convention on pan-Euro-Mediterranean preferential rules of origin, with regard to the amendment of Appendix II to that Convention

The Regional Convention on pan-Euro-Mediterranean preferential rules of origin lays down provisions on the origin of goods traded under relevant Agreements concluded between the Contracting Parties. Article 1 of Appendix II to the Convention provides that the Contracting Parties may apply in their bilateral trade special provisions derogating from the general provisions laid down in Appendix I. These special provisions are laid down in the Annexes to Appendix II.

The Joint Committee of the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA), involving the Republic of Moldova and the participants in the European Union’s Stabilisation and Association Process, introduced by its Decision 3/2015 of 26 November 2015 a possibility of duty drawback and of full cumulation in the trade between the CEFTA parties. All CEFTA parties are Contracting Parties to the Convention.

Decision 3/2015 of the Joint Committee of CEFTA contains provisions derogating from the provisions of Appendix I to the Convention and requires therefore an amendment of Appendix II to the Convention. The other provisions of Decision 3/2015 ensure the smooth implementation of these derogating provisions. It is also ensured that these derogating provisions have no effect on trade with other Contracting Parties of the Convention.

Article 4(3) of the Convention stipulates that amendments to the Convention and to the Appendixes shall be adopted by decision of the Joint Committee of the Convention. The position of the Union within the Joint Committee of the Convention should therefore be based on the attached draft Decision.

EUR-Lex: COM(2017)133: Follow the progress of this proposal through the decision-making procedure http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/HIS/?uri=COM:2017:133:FIN

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