Proposal to amend Decision 2013/755/EU on the association of the overseas countries and territories with the European Union

Summary:

Proposal presented on 2 August 2019 by the European Commission aiming to implement the application of the Registered Exporters (REX) System.

Further information:

The objective of the proposal is to amend Annex VI of Decision 2013/755/EU on the association of the overseas countries and territories (OCTs) with the European Union (EU). Annex VI defines ‘originating products’ and methods of administrative cooperation between the EU and the OCTs. The amendment is required for the deployment of the registered exporters (REX) system for origin certification.

Background:

Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) have been associated with the European Union (EU) since the entry into force of the Treaty of Rome. These 25 islands located in the Atlantic, Antarctic, Arctic, Caribbean, Indian Ocean and Pacific regions are not sovereign countries, but depend on four EU Member States: Denmark, France, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.

Decision EU/2013/755 – the Overseas Association Decision (OAD) – covers relations between the OCTs (including Greenland), the Member States to which they are linked and the European Union. It outlines the special relationship that OCTs have with the Union and the specific legal framework which applies to them, based on three main pillars: political, trade and cooperation.