DECISION NO 1/2020 OF THE EU-REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA ASSOCIATION COMMITTEE IN TRADE CONFIGURATION

of 23 January 2020

concerning the update of Annex XV (Elimination of customs duties) to the Association Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Moldova, of the other part [2020/168]

THE ASSOCIATION COMMITTEE IN TRADE CONFIGURATION,

Having regard to the Association Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Moldova, of the other part, signed in Brussels on 27 June 2014, and in particular Article 147(4) and (5), Article 148(5) and Article 438(3) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) The Association Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Moldova, of the other part (‘the Agreement’) entered into force on 1 July 2016.

(2) Following consultations the EU and the Republic of Moldova have agreed on a reciprocal basis, in accordance with Article 147 of the Agreement, to increase the volume of some products subject to annual duty-free tariff rate quotas.

(3) The EU has agreed to increase the volume of the tariff rate quotas (‘TRQs’) for goods originating in the Republic of Moldova for table grapes and plums, and to introduce a new TRQ for cherries. The Republic of Moldova has agreed to gradually increase the volume of the TRQs for goods originating in the EU for the following products included in the schedule of concessions (Republic of Moldova) set out in Annex XV-D to the Agreement: pork (TRQ 1), poultry (TRQ 2), dairy (TRQ 3) and sugar (TRQ 5).

(4) Following a request made by the Republic of Moldova in accordance with Article 148 of the Agreement, the Union has agreed to increase the trigger volume for wheat (flour and pellets), barley (flour and pellets), maize (flour and pellets) and cereal processed.

(5) On 16 December 2014 the Association Council, by means of Decision No 3/2014, delegated to the Association Committee in Trade configuration, as referred to in Article 438(4) of the Agreement, the power to update or amend certain trade-related Annexes to the Agreement,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1 Annex XV to the Agreement is amended as follows: (1) Annex XV-A is replaced by the text set out in the Annex to this Decision; (2) in Annex XV-B, in the list of products subject to entry price, the entry with the CN code 2012 0809 29 00 and the product description ‘Cherries (excl. sour cherries), fresh’ is deleted; (3) in Annex XV-C, the trigger volumes for the following product categories are amended as follows: (a) for product category 6 (‘Wheat, flour and pellets’), in the column with the title ‘Trigger volume (tonnes)’, the amount ‘75 000’ is replaced by the amount ‘150 000’; (b) for product category 7 (‘Barley, flour and pellets’), in the column with the title ‘Trigger volume (tonnes)’, the amount ‘70 000’ is replaced by the amount ‘100 000’; (c) for product category 8 (‘Maize, flour and pellets’), in the column with the title ‘Trigger volume (tonnes)’, the amount ‘130 000’ is replaced by the amount ‘250 000’; and (d) for product category 10 (‘Cereal processed’), in the column with the title ‘Trigger volume (tonnes)’, the amount ‘2 500’ is replaced by the amount ‘5 000’; (4) in Annex XV-D, in the schedule of concessions (Republic of Moldova), the fourth column with the title ‘Category’ is amended as follows: (a) all references to ‘TRQ 1 (4 000 t)’ are replaced by ‘TRQ 1 (4 500 t; for the year 2021: 5 000 t; and as of the year 2022: 5 500 t)’; (b) all references to ‘TRQ 2 (4 000 t)’ are replaced by ‘TRQ 2 (5 000 t; for the year 2021: 5 500 t; and as of the year 2022: 6 000 t)’; (c) all references to ‘TRQ 3 (1 000 t)’ are replaced by ‘TRQ 3 (1 500 t; and as of the year 2021: 2 000 t)’; (d) all references to ‘TRQ 5 (5 400 t)’ are replaced by ‘TRQ 5 (7 000 t; for the year 2021: 8 000 t; and as of the year 2022: 9 000 t)’.

Article 2 This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption.