Explanatory Memorandum to COM(2016)426 - Signing and provisional application of the International Agreement on Olive Oil and Table Olives, 2015 - Main contents
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This page contains a limited version of this dossier in the EU Monitor.
| dossier | COM(2016)426 - Signing and provisional application of the International Agreement on Olive Oil and Table Olives, 2015. |
|---|---|
| source | COM(2016)426  |
| date | 28-06-2016 |
1. CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL
The International Agreement on Olive Oil and Table Olives, 2005 1 , which was due to expire on 31 December 2014, was extended until 31 December 2015. Article 47(3) thereof provides that the agreement will remain in force until the new agreement enters into force, provided that the period of such extension does not exceed 12 months. The existing agreement will therefore expire no later than 31 December 2016.
On 19 November 2013, the Council authorised the Commission to open negotiations on behalf of the Union in order to conclude a new international agreement on olive oil and table olives.
During the United Nations Conference for the Negotiation of a Successor Agreement to the International Agreement on Olive Oil and Table Olives, 2005, held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva from 5 to 9 October 2015, the representatives of 24 Member States of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and two intergovernmental organisations drew up the text of the new agreement.
The text of the agreement, which was negotiated in consultation with the Working Party on Commodities (PROBA), duly reflects the negotiating directives issued by the Council.
The new agreement will be open for signature at the United Nations Headquarters in New York until 31 December 2016 inclusive. It should enter into force on 1 January 2017, provided that at least five of the Contracting Parties accounting for at least 80 % of the participation shares have signed it definitively or have ratified, accepted or approved it, or have acceded thereto. If, on 1 January 2017, the new agreement has not entered fully into force, it may be applied provisionally in accordance with the requirements laid down in Article 31(2) and (3) of the new agreement.
2. LEGAL BASIS, SUBSIDIARITY AND PROPORTIONALITY
In the light of the above, the Commission proposes:
that, in accordance with Articles 207 i and 218(5) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, the Council authorise the Commission to sign the agreement on behalf of the European Union, subject to its conclusion at a later date.
3. BUDGETARY IMPLICATIONS
The new agreement will require the European Union to contribute to the budgets of the IOC. That contribution is budgeted under item 05 06 01 of the EU budget (International agricultural agreements).