Proposal for a Council Decision on the position to be adopted within the EEA Joint Committee concerning an amendment to Annex XX to the EEA Agreement

The draft Decision of the EEA Joint Committee (annexed to the proposed Council Decision) aims to amend Annex XX (Environment) to the EEA Agreement in order to incorporate Directive (EU) 2016/802 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 May 2016 relating to a reduction in the sulphur content of certain liquid fuels.

Iceland was classified as an outermost region under Council Directive 1999/32/EC upon its incorporation into the EEA Agreement. Whereas Directive (EU) 2016/802 replaces Directive 1999/32/EC but retains exemptions for EU outermost regions, the adaptation regarding Iceland’s status should also be carried over under the new Directive. Therefore, an adaptation provides that Iceland is included in the definition of ‘outermost territory’ for the purposes of Directive (EU) 2016/802.