EC/Israel Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreement: technical adaptations. EU/Israel Protocol

PURPOSE: to conclude in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Union, of the one part, and the State of Israel, of the other part, amending the Annexes to Protocols 1 and 2 of the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement establishing an association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the State of Israel, of the other part.

NON-LEGISLATIVE ACT: Council Decision 2013/66/EU on the conclusion of the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Union, of the one part, and the State of Israel, of the other part, amending the Annexes to Protocols 1 and 2 of the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement establishing an association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the State of Israel, of the other part.

BACKGROUND: on 20 November 1995, the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement establishing an association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the State of Israel, of the other part, was signed.

On 14 November 2005, the Council authorised the Commission to conduct negotiations in order to achieve greater liberalisation of trade in agricultural products, processed agricultural products and fish and fishery products with certain Mediterranean countries.

The negotiations with Israel were successfully concluded on 18 July 2008. The results of those negotiations are contained in an Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Community and the State of Israel concerning reciprocal liberalisation measures on agricultural products, processed agricultural products and fish and fishery products, the replacement of Protocols 1 and 2 and their Annexes and amendments to the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement establishing an association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the State of Israel, of the other part, which entered into force on 1 January 2010.

After the entry into force of the 2010 Agreement, the European Commission and Israel held a number of technical meetings relating to its implementation. Those meetings showed that some technical adjustments to the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement were necessary in order to comply with the commitments of the previous agreements between the European Communities and the State of Israel, which entered into force in 2000 and 2006. On 19 September 2011, the Commission and Israel concluded the negotiation of the necessary technical adjustments, which are contained in a new Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Union, of the one part, and the State of Israel, of the other part, amending the Annexes to Protocols 1 and 2 of the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement.

The Agreement was signed on 18 June 2012, in compliance with Council Decision 2012/338/EU.

The Agreement should be approved.

CONTENT: by means of this Decision, the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Union, of the one part, and Israel, of the other part, amending the Annexes to Protocols 1 and 2 of the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement establishing an association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the State of Israel, of the other part, is approved on behalf of the Union.

The amendments seek to modify the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters.

- In the new Protocol 1 (EU concessions granted to Israel), in the list of sensitive products CN subheadings 1702 11 00 (chemically pure lactose) ex 1702 30 50 and ex 1702 30 90 (chemically pure glucose) were not mentioned as excluded from heading 1702, (which during the negotiations with Israel was on the whole considered as sensitive on the EU side). Therefore, since 1.1.2010, the EU side was applying full duty to imports from Israel of chemically pure lactose and glucose. These technical changes are required in order to comply with the commitments on market access of agricultural products and processed agricultural products of the previous Agreements.

- Using the opportunity of these necessary technical modifications of the Association Agreement, some additional technical corrections for processed agricultural products were also included, in order to clarify an interpretation in the interest of legal certainty of the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters signed on 4 November 2009 between the European Communities and the State of Israel concerning reciprocal liberalisation measures on the above mentioned products.

ENTRY INTO FORCE: the Decision enters into force on 30/11/2012. The Agreement enters into force when the necessary procedures for this purpose have been completed.