EC/Serbia Stabilisation and Association Agreement: procedures for applying the Agreement and the Interim Agreement

The Council's Position at first reading reflects the compromise reached in negotiations between the Council and the European Parliament. This compromise was endorsed through the adoption of a political agreement by Coreper on 15 January 2014 and by the Council on 20 January 2014. On 18 December 2013, the Chair of that Committee addressed a letter to the Presidency indicating that, should the Council transmit formally to the Parliament its position in the form that it was presented in the Annex to that letter, the Chair would recommend to the Plenary to accept the Council's position without amendment.

The amendments of the Council mainly reflect the need to ensure consistency with the equivalent Western Balkan regulations as amended by the Trade Omnibus I-package.

Moreover, references to the Interim Agreement were removed where appropriate. The European Parliament could accept these changes. They refer to:

• Comitology: the examination procedure was provided for throughout, to be consistent with the equivalent Western Balkan regulations. The European Parliament's amendment, according to which a written procedure could be terminated without result upon decision by the Chair of the relevant Committee or a majority of Committee members, was not retained as it was not consistent with the equivalent Western Balkan regulations.
• Interim Agreement: it is provided that Articles 2, 3 and 4 of the Regulation apply from the date of entry into force of the Interim Agreement in order to ensure the effective application and management of tariff quotas granted under the Interim Agreement and the SAA, as well as to ensure legal certainty and equal treatment with regard to the levying of duties.