Import of agricultural products originating in Turkey: suspending certain concessions. Codification

PURPOSE: to codify Council Regulation (EC) No 1506/98 suspending certain concessions relating to the import into the Union of agricultural products originating in Turkey.

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Regulation (EU) 2015/756 of the European Parliament and of the Council suspending certain concessions relating to the import into the Union of agricultural products originating in Turkey.

CONTENT: in the interests of clarity and rationality, this Regulation undertook a codification of Council Regulation (EC) No 1506/98 of 13 July 1998 establishing a concession in the form of a Community tariff quota for Turkey in 1998 in respect of hazelnuts and suspending certain concessions.

The new Regulation will supersede the various acts incorporated in it; it fully preserves the content of the acts being codified and hence does no more than bring them together with only such formal amendments as are required by the codification exercise itself.

Under the Agreement establishing an Association between the European Economic Community and Turkey, concessions were granted to that country in respect of certain agricultural products.

A Council Decision provides for the improvement and consolidation of trade preferences relating to the import into the Union of agricultural products originating in Turkey and establishes a series of preferential concessions for Union exports of meat and live animals to Turkey.

Turkey has since 1996 been applying a ban on the import of live animals of the bovine species and restrictions on the import of beef. Those measures, being quantitative restrictions, are incompatible with the Agreement and prevent the Union from benefiting from the concessions granted to it under Decision No 1/98 of the EC-Turkey Association Council.

As a result of those measures, exports to Turkey of the products in question originating in the Union are blocked.

Suspension of concessions: in order to protect the Union's commercial interests, the situation should be counterbalanced by means of equivalent measures. The concessions set out in the Annex to this Regulation should therefore be suspended.

In order to ensure uniform conditions for the implementation of this Regulation, implementing powers should be conferred on the Commission. Those powers should be exercised in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council (examination procedure).

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 8.6.2015. Regulation (EC) No 1506/98 is repealed.