Emergency autonomous trade measures for Tunisia

PURPOSE: to introduce emergency autonomous trade measures in favour of Tunisia.

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Regulation (EU) 2016/580 of the European Parliament and of the Council for the Republic of Tunisia.

CONTENT: the Regulation opens an annual duty free import tariff quota of 35 000 tons for the calendar years 2016 and 2017 for imports into the Union of untreated olive oil originating in Tunisia, where such untreated olive oil is wholly obtained in Tunisia and transported directly from there to the Union.

Conditions for entitlement to the annual import tariff quota: entitlement to the annual import tariff quota shall be subject to compliance by Tunisia with the rules regarding the origin of products and with the procedures related thereto, provided for in Protocol No 4 to the Agreement.

Access to the annual import tariff quota: the annual import tariff quota shall be made available only after the exhaustion of the volume of the annual untreated olive oil duty free tariff quota provided for in the association agreement with Tunisia.

Temporary suspension: where the Commission finds that there is sufficient evidence of a failure by Tunisia to comply with the conditions of entitlement to the import tariff quota, it may adopt an implementing act suspending temporarily in whole or in part the preferential arrangements.

Mid-term review: the Commission shall conduct an assessment of the impact of this Regulation on the Union olive oil market at mid-term following its entry into force and present the conclusions of that assessment to the European Parliament and to the Council. If it is found that the provisions of the Regulation affect the Union olive oil market, the Commission shall be empowered to adopt an implementing act in order to introduce corrective measures aiming to restore the situation on that market.

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 19.4.2016. The Regulation is applicable until 31.12.2017.