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RECOMMENDATION (12378/2023 – C90460/2023 – 2023/0303(NLE))

On the draft Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the Union, of the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Union and the Argentine Republic amending the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Union and the Argentine Republic pursuant to Article XXVIII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994 relating to the modification of concessions on all the tariff-rate quotas included in the EU Schedule CLXXV as a consequence of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union

A-9-2024-0083

Committee on International Trade · Rapporteur: Jordi Cañas

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Parliament's committee report asks Parliament to give its consent to a Council decision concluding an EU-Argentina agreement in the form of an exchange of letters. The agreement amends an earlier EU-Argentina agreement on the apportionment of WTO tariff-rate quotas after the UK's withdrawal from the EU. The amendment revises the EU27 shares of two tariff-rate quotas for which Argentina has negotiating rights: skimmed-milk powder and fruit juices. The rapporteur recommends consent, and the agriculture committee agrees.

Committee position. The Committee on International Trade recommends that Parliament give its consent to the conclusion of the agreement, without prejudice to its democratic right of continuous scrutiny.

Key points

  1. Parliament gives its consent to the conclusion of the agreement between the EU and Argentina.
  2. The agreement amends the 2021 EU-Argentina exchange of letters on modifying concessions on tariff-rate quotas in the EU Schedule CLXXV after the UK's withdrawal.
  3. The EU27 share of the erga omnes tariff-rate quota on skimmed-milk powder is revised to 62 917 tonnes to avoid a non-commercially viable volume on the UK side.
  4. The EU27 share of the erga omnes tariff-rate quota on fruit juices is revised to 6 551 tonnes, taking into account trade in reference periods 2015-2017 and 2016-2018.
  5. Regulation (EU) 2019/216 and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1988 will be amended to reflect the amended tariff-rate quota volumes.
  6. The rapporteur recommends that Parliament give its consent to the conclusion of the agreement, without prejudice to its right of continuous scrutiny.
  7. The Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development agrees with the amendment to the agreement with Argentina and conveyed its opinion to the Committee on International Trade.

Who is affected

  • EU importers and traders of skimmed-milk powder and fruit juices, who face revised EU27 tariff-rate quota volumes.
  • Argentina, which holds negotiating rights on the two tariff-rate quotas being amended.

Figures and deadlines

  • 62 917 tonnes — revised EU27 share of the erga omnes tariff-rate quota on skimmed-milk powder.
  • 6 551 tonnes — revised EU27 share of the erga omnes tariff-rate quota on fruit juices.
  • 3 years from 2013 to 2015 — representative reference period for trade flows used in the apportionment methodology.
  • 2015-2017 and 2016-2018 — reference periods taken into account for the fruit juices quota revision.
  • 10 May 2021 — date the EU-Argentina agreement was signed.
  • 13 July 2021 — date the EU-Argentina agreement entered into force.

Legal basis: Article 207(4), first subparagraph, and Article 218(6), second subparagraph, point (a)(v), of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.