EN Official Journal of the European Union L 9/33

DECISION No 1/2008 OF THE EU-JORDAN ASSOCIATION COUNCIL

of 10 November 2008

on the establishment of a tariff dismantling schedule for products appearing in Annex IV to the Association Agreement

(2009/20/EC)

THE ASSOCIATION COUNCIL,

Having regard to the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement establishing an Association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, of the other part (1) (hereinafter the ‘Association Agreement’), signed in Brussels on 24 November 1997 and which entered into force on 1 May 2002, and in particular Articles 6 and 11(5) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Under the Association Agreement the Community and Jordan are progressively to establish a free trade area over a transitional period lasting for a maximum of 12 years beginning from the entry into force of the Association Agreement, in accordance with the provisions of the Agreement and in conformity with those of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade of 1994.

(2) In accordance with the Association Agreement, the Association Council is to re-examine the arrangements to be applied to products listed in Annex IV to the Agreement, containing a list of industrial products originating in the Community, four years after its entry into force, and at the time of that re-examination, to establish a tariff dismantling schedule for those products.

(3) The tariff dismantling schedule for products appearing in Annex IV to the Association Agreement has been negotiated by the European Commission and Jordan,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

Imports into Jordan of the products originating in the Community listed in Annex IV to the Association Agreement shall be subject to the tariff dismantling schedule detailed in Article 2. The schedule shall apply with effect from 1 May 2008.

Article 2

1. Customs duties applicable to imports into Jordan of products originating in the Community listed in list 1 of the Annex to this Decision shall be eliminated over a period of two years, beginning on 1 May 2008, and such products shall be duty free with effect from 1 May 2009. The phasing out of the customs duties shall take place in accordance with the following schedule:

(a) on 1 May 2008, the duty shall be reduced to 3 %;

(b) on 1 May 2009, the remaining duty shall be abolished.

2. Customs duties applicable to imports into Jordan of products originating in the Community listed in list 2 of the Annex to this Decision shall be eliminated over seven years beginning on 1 May 2008, and such products shall be duty free with effect from 1 May 2014. The phasing out of the customs duties shall take place in accordance with the following schedule:

(a) on 1 May 2008, the duty shall be reduced to 90 % of the basic duty;

(b) on 1 May 2009, the duty shall be reduced to 80 % of the basic duty;

(c) on 1 May 2010, the duty shall be reduced to 70 % of the basic duty;

(d) on 1 May 2011, the duty shall be reduced to 60 % of the basic duty;

(e) on 1 May 2012, the duty shall be reduced to 50 % of the basic duty;

(f) on 1 May 2013, the duty shall be reduced to 40 % of the basic duty;

(g) on 1 May 2014, the remaining duty shall be abolished.

3. Customs duties applicable to imports into Jordan of products originating in the Community listed in list 3 of the Annex to this Decision shall not be abolished. The Jordanian authorities and European Commission shall jointly review in the industry, trade and services subcommittee the evolution of Community imports into Jordan of beer (HS 2203) and vermouth (HS 2205), to assess any significant reduction of Community imports caused by the preferential treatment accorded to other trading partners. In the event that a significant reduction of Community imports is proved, the Jordanian authorities and the European Commission shall review the applicable customs duties on those two products with a view to remedying the identified imbalance.

Article 3

This Decision shall enter into force on the day of its adoption by the Association Council.

Done at Brussels, 10 November 2008. For the Association Council The President J.-P. JOUYET

(1) OJ L 129, 15.5.2002, p. 3.