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

The Committee on International Trade adopted the report by Pablo ZALBA BIDEGAIN (EPP, ES) on the draft Council decision on the conclusion of the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Union and the Eastern Republic of Uruguay 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.

The committee recommended the European Parliament to give its consent to the conclusion of the Agreement.

With the accession of the Republic of Croatia, the EU enlarged its customs union and was therefore required under WTO rules (Article XXIV:6 of the GATT 1994) to enter into negotiations with Uruguay regarding the tariff schedule of Croatia in order to eventually agree on a compensatory adjustment as the EU's external tariff regime results in an increase of tariffs.

Recalling that the negotiations with Uruguay resulted in a draft Agreement initialled on 18 December 2015 in Nairobi, Members stated that the EU will incorporate in its schedule for the customs territory of the EU 28 that of the EU 27 with modifications related to tariff rate quotas on bovine meat.

Against this background, the European Parliament's consent to this Council Decision is a mandatory component in the completion of the ratification process of the Additional Protocol.