EU/China Agreement: modification of concessions in the schedule of Croatia in the course of its accession to the European Union

PURPOSE: to conclude the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Union and China pursuant to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994 relating to the modification of concessions in the schedule of the Republic of Croatia in the course of its accession to the European Union.

PROPOSED ACT: Council Decision.

ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: Council may adopt the act only if Parliament has given its consent to the act. 

BACKGROUND: on 15 July 2013, the Council authorised the Commission to open negotiations with certain other Members of the World Trade Organization under Article XXIV:6 of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994, in the course of the accession to the European Union of Croatia.

Those negotiations have been concluded and an Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Union and China pursuant to Article XXIV:6 and Article XXVIII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994 relating to the modification of concessions in the schedule of Croatia in the course of its accession to the European Union was initialled on 7 October 2015.

The Agreement should now be approved.

CONTENT: the draft Decision seeks the approval, on behalf of the Union, of the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Union and China pursuant to Article XXIV:6 and Article XXVIII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994 relating to the modification of concessions in the schedule of the Republic of Croatia in the course of its accession to the European Union, is hereby approved on behalf of the Union.

For further details regarding the content of the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters, please refer to the summary of the Commission’s initial legislative proposal from 16.12.2015.