Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the tariff treatment for goods originating from Ecuador

On 17 July 2014 negotiations were concluded with Ecuador for its accession to the Trade Agreement concluded between the EU and Colombia/Peru. As a result of these negotiations, a Protocol of Accession by Ecuador to the Agreement (hereinafter “the Protocol of Accession") was initialled.

In order to avoid unnecessary trade disruption pending the completion of the procedures for the approval and application of the Protocol of Accession, it is necessary to ensure that customs duties applied on the date of initialling of the Protocol of Accession are not increased and that no new customs duties are applied on products originating in Ecuador. To this end, the proposed Regulation provides for the maintenance of the level of duty rates that were applicable to Ecuador on the date of initialling of the Protocol of Accession.

This Regulation will apply as of 1 January 2015 and until six months after the Protocol of Accession enters into force (or, where appropriate, is applied provisionally), or until 31 December 2016, whichever occurs first. This duration is necessary to provide for sufficient time to carry out all the necessary internal procedures in the EU, but also in Ecuador, for the application of the Protocol of Accession.

Additional delays could be incurred due to the necessary consultation and approval of the Protocol of Accession by Colombia and Peru prior to the Commission decision on the proposal for the Council Decisions on signature and provisional application and on conclusion of the Protocol of Accession. The potential six month overlap of this Regulation and of the application of the Protocol of Accession is deemed necessary to enable the economic operators to adjust to the new customs procedures.

• Primary Source

EUR-Lex: COM(2014)585: Follow the progress of this proposal through the decision-making procedure http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/HIS/?uri=COM:2014:0585:FIN

ESO: Background information: EU and Ecuador conclude negotiations for trade and development agreement http://www.europeansources.info/record/eu-and-ecuador-conclude-negotiations-for-trade-and-development-agreement/

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