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Emergency autonomous trade measures for Tunisia

2015/0218(COD)

This Commission working document assesses the impact of Regulation (EU) 2016/580 introducing emergency autonomous trade measures for Tunisia have had on the Union’s olive oil market at mid-term.

Regulation (EU) 2016/580 opened an autonomous annual duty free tariff quota of 35 000 tonnes for 2016 and 2017 for imports of lampante, virgin and extra virgin olive oils (CN codes 15091010 and 15091090) originating in Tunisia.

This autonomous trade measure was the EU’s urgent response to help support Tunisia’s economy following the 26 June 2015 terrorist attack. This temporary quota was to be made available only after the entire existing bilateral annual quota of 56 700 tonnes opened by Article 3 of Protocol No 1 to the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement establishing an association between the Union and Tunisia has been allocated. The Commission set out the details for the administration of this new temporary tariff quota of 35 000 tonnes in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/605 of 19 April 2016.

The entire bilateral tariff quota of 56 700 tonnes provided for in Regulation (EC) 1918/2006 was allocated in the first week of January 2016. The autonomous temporary tariff quota of 35 000 tonnes was made available in May 2016.

Between May and 30 October 2016, 29% of the total volume available under the autonomous temporary tariff quota of 35 000 tonnes was allocated, i.e. 10 168 tonnes. However, only 7.3% of total quantities were effectively imported between January and October 2016.

Taking into account the allocated volumes as well as the current pattern of use of the import licences for the temporary autonomous tariff quota of 35 000 tonnes, it is probable that this quota will be used only marginally by the end of the year. The main bilateral quota of 56 700 tonnes could also only be partially used by the end of 2016.

Main conclusions:

  • Bearing in mind the market conditions in 2016 and the pattern of the use of tariff quotas from Tunisia up to the end of October of that year, it is expected that the available volumes will not be fully used.
  • The expected level of production and the initial stocks in the EU point towards a balanced market during the current campaign 2016/17, which will easily absorb the expected limited volumes available for export in Tunisia.

Both market developments and the level of use of these tariff rate quotas show that the implementation of Regulation (EU) 2016/580 has a marginal impact on the EU olive oil market.