Explanatory Memorandum to COM(2008)374 - Community position within the EU/Mexico Joint Council concerning the amendments to the Joint Council Decision 2/2000, as amended by Joint Council Decision 3/2004

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dossier COM(2008)374 - Community position within the EU/Mexico Joint Council concerning the amendments to the Joint Council Decision 2/2000, as ...
source COM(2008)374 EN
date 19-06-2008
The EU/Mexico Free Trade area was established by decisions of the EU Mexico Joint Council. Consequently the necessary adaptations to the trade provisions, following the EU enlargement, are made by means of Joint Council decisions and have not been addressed in the Additional Protocol to the EU/Mexico Agreement that was submitted for Council approval via another procedure.

The EU/Mexico Joint Council Decision 2/2000 amended by Joint Council Decision 3/2004 provides for the liberalization of the trade in goods. Following the EU enlargement some adaptations are needed, in particular the addition of the entities of the New Member States to the relevant sections of Annex VI, Part B of Joint Council Decision 2/2000 and new language versions of certain expressions contained in Annex III to that same Decision No 2/2000.

On 23 October 2006 the Council authorised the Commission to negotiate those adaptations. Subsequent negotiations with Mexico resulted in an agreement to add of the entities of the New Member States the relevant sections of Annex VI and to open an import tariff quota for 2000 tonnes of bananas originating in Mexico with a duty rate of 70 EUR/tonne within the quota.

The Commission therefore recommends the Council to adopt the enclosed Council Decision as the EU common position on the proposed EU/Mexico Joint Council Decision in annex.