Decision 2019/1955 - EU position within the General Council of the World Trade Organization as regards the adoption of a decision on the review of the Understanding on Tariff Rate Quota Administration Provisions of Agricultural Products (TRQ Understanding) - Main contents
Please note
This page contains a limited version of this dossier in the EU Monitor.
Contents
official title
Council Decision (EU) 2019/1955 of 21 November 2019 on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union within the General Council of the World Trade Organization as regards the adoption of a decision on the review of the Understanding on Tariff Rate Quota Administration Provisions of Agricultural Products (TRQ Understanding)Legal instrument | Decision |
---|---|
Number legal act | Decision 2019/1955 |
Original proposal | COM(2019)563 |
CELEX number i | 32019D1955 |
Document | 21-11-2019; Date of adoption |
---|---|
Publication in Official Journal | 27-11-2019; OJ L 306 p. 20-25 |
Effect | 21-11-2019; Entry into force Date of document See Art 2 |
End of validity | 31-12-9999 |
27.11.2019 |
EN |
Official Journal of the European Union |
L 306/20 |
COUNCIL DECISION (EU) 2019/1955
of 21 November 2019
on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union within the General Council of the World Trade Organization as regards the adoption of a decision on the review of the Understanding on Tariff Rate Quota Administration Provisions of Agricultural Products (‘TRQ Understanding’)
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular the first subparagraph of Article 207(4) in conjunction with Article 218(9) thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,
Whereas:
(1) |
On 22 December 1994, the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (the ‘WTO Agreement’) was concluded by the Union by Council Decision 94/800/EC (1) and entered into force on 1 January 1995. |
(2) |
Pursuant to paragraph 1 of Article IV of the WTO Agreement, the Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (‘WTO’) has the authority to take decisions on all matters under any of the Multilateral Trade Agreements. |
(3) |
Pursuant to paragraph 2 of Article IV of the WTO Agreement, in the intervals between meetings of the Ministerial Conference the functions of the Ministerial Conference are to be conducted by the General Council of the WTO. |
(4) |
Pursuant to paragraph 1 of Article IX of the WTO Agreement, WTO bodies usually take decisions by consensus. |
(5) |
In December 2013, the Ninth Session of the WTO Ministerial Conference adopted a Ministerial Decision on Understanding on Tariff Rate Quota Administration Provisions of Agricultural Products, as defined in Article 2 of the Agreement on Agriculture (WT/MIN(13)/39) (the ‘TRQ Understanding’) that governs the management of tariff rate quotas of agricultural products. |
(6) |
Pursuant to paragraph 13 of the TRQ Understanding, a review of the operation of the TRQ Understanding is to commence no later than four years following its adoption, taking into account experience gained up to that time. The objective of this review is to promote a continuing process of improvement in the utilisation of tariff rate quotas. |
(7) |
In accordance with paragraph 13 of the TRQ Understanding, the Committee on Agriculture proceeded with the review of that Understanding in 2018. The review findings will be presented to the December 2019 meeting of the General Council of the WTO in the form of a report issued by the Committee on Agriculture (Report No G/AG/29 ‘Review of the Operation of the Bali Decision on TRQ Administration’ of 31 October 2019). |
(8) |
Given the lack of consensus among WTO members on the substantive amendments to the TRQ Understanding, the report recommends prolonging the review period until the end of 2021, so that a consensus on substantive amendments may be reached. The report further includes recommendations intended to increase the transparency of TRQ administration. |
(9) |
In its December 2019 meeting, the General Council of the WTO should be invited to consider the adoption of the recommendations laid down in Annex 2 of Report No G/AG/29 in the form of a decision on the review of the TRQ Understanding. |
(10) |
It is appropriate to establish the position to be taken on the Union’s behalf in the General Council of the WTO, as the decision to be adopted will be binding on the Union. |
(11) |
In the General Council of the WTO, the Union is to be represented by the Commission, in accordance with Article 17(1) of the Treaty on European Union, |
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
Article 1
The position to be taken on the Union’s behalf within the General Council of the World Trade Organization...
More
This text has been adopted from EUR-Lex.
This dossier is compiled each night drawing from aforementioned sources through automated processes. We have invested a great deal in optimising the programming underlying these processes. However, we cannot guarantee the sources we draw our information from nor the resulting dossier are without fault.
This page is also available in a full version containing the legal context, de Europese rechtsgrond, other dossiers related to the dossier at hand and the related cases of the European Court of Justice.
The full version is available for registered users of the EU Monitor by ANP and PDC Informatie Architectuur.
The EU Monitor enables its users to keep track of the European process of lawmaking, focusing on the relevant dossiers. It automatically signals developments in your chosen topics of interest. Apologies to unregistered users, we can no longer add new users.This service will discontinue in the near future.