Considerations on COM(2011)598 - Amendment of Regulation 1528/2007 as regards the exclusion of a number of ACP countries that were granted duty-free, quota-free access to the EU market

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dossier COM(2011)598 - Amendment of Regulation 1528/2007 as regards the exclusion of a number of ACP countries that were granted duty-free, ...
document COM(2011)598 EN
date May 21, 2013
 
table>(1)Negotiations on the Economic Partnership Agreements (‘the Agreements’) between:

the CARIFORUM states, of the one part, and the European Community and its Member States, of the other part, were concluded on 16 December 2007;

the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the Central Africa Party, of the other part, were concluded on 17 December 2007 (the Republic of Cameroon);

Ghana, of the one part, and the European Community and its Member States, of the other part, were concluded on 13 December 2007;

Côte d’Ivoire, of the one part, and the European Community and its Member States, of the other part, were concluded on 7 December 2007;

the Eastern and Southern Africa States, of the one part, and the European Community and its Member States, of the other part, were concluded on 28 November 2007 (the Republic of Seychelles and the Republic of Zimbabwe), on 4 December 2007 (the Republic of Mauritius), on 11 December 2007 (the Union of the Comoros and the Republic of Madagascar) and 30 September 2008 (the Republic of Zambia);

the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the SADC EPA states, of the other part, were concluded on 23 November 2007 (the Republic of Botswana, the Kingdom of Lesotho, the Kingdom of Swaziland, the Republic of Mozambique) and 3 December 2007 (the Republic of Namibia);

the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the East African Community Partner States, of the other part, were concluded on 27 November 2007;

the European Community, of the one part, and the Pacific States, of the other part, were concluded on 23 November 2007.

(2)The conclusion of negotiations on the Agreements by Antigua and Barbuda, the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, the Republic of Botswana, the Republic of Burundi, the Republic of Cameroon, the Union of the Comoros, the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, the Commonwealth of Dominica, the Dominican Republic, the Republic of Fiji, the Republic of Ghana, Grenada, the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, the Republic of Haiti, Jamaica, the Republic of Kenya, the Kingdom of Lesotho, the Republic of Madagascar, the Republic of Mauritius, the Republic of Mozambique, the Republic of Namibia, the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, the Republic of Rwanda, the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the Republic of Seychelles, the Republic of Suriname, the Kingdom of Swaziland, the United Republic of Tanzania, the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the Republic of Uganda, the Republic of Zambia and the Republic of Zimbabwe permitted their inclusion in Annex I to Council Regulation (EC) No 1528/2007 of 20 December 2007 applying the arrangements for products originating in certain states which are part of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States provided for in agreements establishing, or leading to the establishment of, Economic Partnership Agreements (2).

(3)The Republic of Botswana, the Republic of Burundi, the Republic of Cameroon, the Union of the Comoros, the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, the Republic of Fiji, the Republic of Ghana, the Republic of Haiti, the Republic of Kenya, the Kingdom of Lesotho, the Republic of Mozambique, the Republic of Namibia, the Republic of Rwanda, the Kingdom of Swaziland, the United Republic of Tanzania, the Republic of Uganda and the Republic of Zambia have not taken the necessary steps towards ratification of their respective Agreements.

(4)Consequently, in accordance with Article 2(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1528/2007, and in particular point (b) thereof, Annex I to that Regulation should be amended to remove those countries from that Annex.

(5)In order to ensure that those countries can swiftly be reinstated in Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 1528/2007 as soon as they have taken the necessary steps towards ratification of their respective Agreements, and pending entry into force thereof, the power to adopt acts in accordance with Article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union should be delegated to the Commission to reinstate the countries removed from Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 1528/2007 pursuant to this Regulation. It is of particular importance that the Commission carry out appropriate consultations during its preparatory work, including at expert level. The Commission, when preparing and drawing up delegated acts, should ensure a simultaneous, timely and appropriate transmission of relevant documents to the European Parliament and to the Council,