International Agreement on Olive Oil and Table Olives (2015)

The Committee on International Trade adopted the report by Eleonora FORENZA (GUE/NGL, IT) on the draft Council decision on the conclusion on behalf of the European Union of the International Agreement on Olive Oil and Table Olives, 2015.

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

In the explanatory memorandum accompanying the recommendation, it is recalled that the International Agreement on Olive Oil and Table Olives 2015 was signed on behalf of the Union on 28 November 2016 at United Nations Headquarters in New York, subject to its conclusion at a later date. The Agreement entered into force provisionally on 1 January 2017.

The International Agreement has several objectives, namely to:

- foster international cooperation for the integrated and sustainable development of world olive growing;

- promote the coordination of production, industrialisation, storage and marketing policies for olive oils, olive-pomace oils and table olives;

- encourage research and development;

- foster the transfer of technology and training activities in the olive products sector.

The Agreement establishes a decision-making body, called the ‘Council of Members’, which exercises all powers and performs all the functions necessary to achieve the objectives of the Agreement.

The rapporteur regretted the late transmission of this Agreement to Parliament and the lack of timely information from the other institutions during the negotiations.

Since international agreements under the Union's common commercial policy are subject to Parliament's consent, the rapporteur invited the Council and the Commission to inform Parliament as appropriate, in particular with regard to any decision that may be taken in relation to Article 4 of the Council's decision. In this respect, it called on the Commission to provide Parliament, in due course, with detailed information equivalent to that provided to the Council, in particular with regard to the activities of the Council of Members established by the Agreement.