# Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1421/2013Show full title

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1421/2013 of 30 October 2013 amending Annexes I, II and IV to Regulation (EU) No 978/2012            of the European Parliament and of the Council applying a scheme of generalised tariff preferences         

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# Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1421/2013                     

# of 30 October 2013

# amending Annexes I, II and IV to Regulation (EU) No 978/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council applying a scheme                        of generalised tariff preferences                     

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 978/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 applying a scheme                           of generalised tariff preferences and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 732/2008(1), and in particular Articles 3(2), 5(3) and 17(2) thereof,                        

Whereas:

(1)Article 3 of Regulation (EU) No 978/2012 provides that a list of eligible countries should be amended to take account of changes                              in the international status or classification of countries. The list of eligible countries is established in Annex I to that                              Regulation.

(2)Article 4 of Regulation (EU) No 978/2012 establishes criteria for the granting of tariff preferences under the general arrangement                              of the Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP). In accordance with such criteria, a country that has been classified by the                              World Bank as a high or an upper-middle income country for three consecutive years should not benefit from such preferences.                              The list of beneficiary countries of the general arrangement of the GSP is established in Annex II to that Regulation.

(3)Article 17(1) of Regulation (EU) No 978/2012 provides that a country that is identified by the UN as a least-developed country                              should benefit from the tariff preferences under the special arrangement for the least-developed countries (EBA). The list                              of EBA beneficiary countries is established in Annex IV to that Regulation.

(4)The Republic of Croatia (hereinafter Croatia) became a member of the European Union as of 1 July 2013. Therefore, Croatiashould                              be removed from Annex I.

(5)The Republic of South Sudan (hereinafter South Sudan) has become an independent State. On 14 July 2011, the General Assembly                              of United Nations adopted Resolution A/RES/65/308 admitting South Sudan to membership in the United Nations. On 18 December                              2012, the General Assembly of United Nations adopted Resolution A/RES/67/136 adding South Sudan to the list of Least Developed                              Countries. Therefore, South Sudan should be included in Annexes I, II and IV.

(6)Regulation (EU) No 607/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 June 2013 repealing Council Regulation (EC)                              No 552/97 temporarily withdrawing access to generalised tariff preferences from Myanmar/Burma(2) repealed the temporary withdrawal of Myanmar/Burma’s access to the Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) tariff preferences.                              Therefore, Myanmar/Burma should be removed from the table in Annex I, which lists the ‘Eligible countries of the scheme referred                              to in Article 3 which have been temporarily withdrawn from the scheme, in respect of all or of certain products originating                              in these countries’, from the table in Annex II which lists the ‘Beneficiary countries of the general arrangement referred                              to in point (a) of Article 1(2) which have been temporarily withdrawn from that arrangement, in respect of all or of certain                              products originating in these countries’ and from the table in Annex IV, which lists the ‘Beneficiary countries of the special                              arrangement for the least-developed countries referred to in point (c) of Article 1(2) which have been temporarily withdrawn                              from that arrangement, in respect of all or of certain products originating in these countries’.

(7)The People’s Republic of China (hereinafter China), the Republic of Ecuador (hereinafter Ecuador), the Republic of Maldives                              (hereinafter the Maldives) and the Kingdom of Thailand (hereinafter Thailand) have been classified by the World Bank as upper-middle                              income countries in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Accordingly, China, Ecuador, the Maldives and Thailandshould be removed from Annex                              II as from one year after the date of entry into force of this Regulation.

(8)Commission Regulation (EU) No 1127/2010(3) establishes a three-year transitional period for withdrawing the Maldives from the special arrangement for the least-developed                              countries (Everything But Arms (EBA)) and provides for the removal of the Maldivesfrom the list of EBA beneficiary countries                              as of 1 January 2014. Therefore, the Maldivesshould be removed from Annex IV.

(9)Article 5(2) of the GSP Regulation provides a GSP beneficiary country and economic operators with time for orderly adaptation                              to the change in the country’s status under the scheme. This period should be indicated for each GSP beneficiary country concerned                              in the respective Annex to Regulation (EU) No 978/2012,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

# Article 1U.K.

Regulation (EU) No 978/2012 is amended as follows:

Annex I is replaced by the text set out in Annex I to this Regulation;

Annex II is replaced by the text set out in Annex II to this Regulation;

Annex IV is replaced by the text set out in Annex III to this Regulation.

# Article 2U.K.

This Regulation shall enter into force on 1 January 2014.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 30 October 2013.

*For the Commission*                            

*The President*                            

José Manuel Barroso                            

## ANNEX IU.K.

### “ANNEX I

#### **Eligible countries** (4) **of the scheme referred to in Article 3**U.K.

:

alphabetical code, in accordance with the nomenclature of countries and territories for the Union external trade statistics

:

name

#### **Eligible countries of the scheme referred to in Article 3 which have been temporarily withdrawn from the scheme, in respect                           of all or of certain products originating in these countries**U.K.

:

alphabetical code, in accordance with the nomenclature of countries and territories for the Union external trade statistics

:

name

## ANNEX IIU.K.

### “ANNEX II

#### **Beneficiary countries** (5) **of the general arrangement referred to in point (a) of Article 1(2)**U.K.

:

alphabetical code, in accordance with the nomenclature of countries and territories for the Union external trade statistics

:

name

#### **Beneficiary countries of the general arrangement referred to in point (a) of Article 1(2) which have been temporarily withdrawn                           from that arrangement, in respect of all or of certain products originating in these countries**U.K.

:

alphabetical code, in accordance with the nomenclature of countries and territories for the Union external trade statistics

:

name

## ANNEX IIIU.K.

### “ANNEX IV

#### **Beneficiary countries** (6) **of the special arrangement for the least-developed countries referred to in point (c) of Article 1(2)**U.K.

:

alphabetical code, in accordance with the nomenclature of countries and territories for the Union external trade statistics

:

name

#### **Beneficiary countries of the general arrangement referred to in point (c) of Article 1(2) which have been temporarily withdrawn                           from that arrangement, in respect of all or of certain products originating in these countries**U.K.

:

alphabetical code, in accordance with the nomenclature of countries and territories for the Union external trade statistics

:

name

1

OJ L 303, 31.10.2012, p. 1.                           

2

OJ L 181, 29.6.2013, p. 13.                           

3

Commission Regulation (EU) No 1127/2010 of 3 December 2010 establishing a transitional period for withdrawing the Republic                              of Maldives from the list of beneficiary countries of the special arrangement for least developed countries, as set out in                              Council Regulation (EC) No 732/2008 applying a scheme of generalised tariff preferences for the period from 1 January 2009                              to 31 December 2011 (OJ L 318, 4.12.2010, p. 15).                           

4

This list includes countries for which preferences may have been temporarily withdrawn or suspended. The Commission or the                              competent authorities of the country concerned will be able to provide an updated list.                           

5

This list includes countries for which preferences may have been temporarily withdrawn or suspended. The Commission or the                              competent authorities of the country concerned will be able to provide an updated list.                           

6

This list includes countries for which preferences may have been temporarily withdrawn or suspended. The Commission or the                              competent authorities of the country concerned will be able to provide an updated list.