EU/Argentina Agreement: modification of concessions on all the tariff-rate quotas included in the EU Schedule CLXXV as a consequence of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union

The European Parliament adopted by 545 votes to 34, with 36 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the draft Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the Union, of the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Union and the Argentine Republic amending the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Union and the Argentine Republic pursuant to Article XXVIII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994 relating to the modification of concessions on all the tariff-rate quotas included in the EU Schedule CLXXV as a consequence of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union.

Parliament gave its consent to the conclusion of the Agreement.

The objective of the Agreement is to amend the Agreement between the Union and Argentina signed on 10 May 2021 in relation of the volume of two tariff-rate quotas and provide for the apportionment of the tariff-rate quotas included in the EU Schedule CLXXV of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994 as a consequence of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the Union, pursuant to Article XXVIII of GATT 1994.

Following negotiations between the EU and other WTO members benefiting from rights under Article XXVIII of the GATT 1994, the EU has agreed to modify the shares of two tariff quotas for which Argentina has negotiating rights, as follows:

- Tariff rate quota 030 (skimmed milk powder): the EU share of the erga omnes quota is revised to 62 917 tonnes to avoid a non-commercially viable volume on UK side;

- Tariff rate quota 110 (fruit juice): the Union share of the erga omnes quota is revised to 6 551 tonnes, taking into account trade in reference periods 2015-2017 and 2016-2018.