COUNCIL DECISION (EU) 2021/926

of 7 June 2021

on the positions to be taken on behalf of the European Union in written procedures by the Participants to the Arrangement on Officially Supported Export Credits and by the Participants to the Sector Understanding on Export Credits for Civil Aircraft as regards the requests by the United Kingdom to become a Participant thereto

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular the first subparagraph of Article 207(4), in conjunction with Article 218(9) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

Whereas:

(1) The guidelines contained in the Arrangement on Officially Supported Export Credits (the ‘Arrangement’) developed within the framework of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) apply in the Union by virtue of Regulation (EU) No 1233/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1).

(2) The Participants to the Arrangement are Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, Turkey and the United States.

(3) The Sector Understanding on Export Credits for Civil Aircraft (the ‘ASU’) is contained in Annex III to the Arrangement and is an integral part of the Arrangement. The ASU therefore also applies in the Union by virtue of Regulation (EU) No 1233/2011.

(4) The Participants to the ASU are Australia, Brazil, Canada, the European Union, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and the United States.

(5) The Arrangement, including the ASU, provides a framework for the orderly and transparent use of officially supported export credits in their respective areas of application. It seeks to foster a level playing field for officially supported export credits, in order to encourage competition among exporters based on quality and price of goods and services exported rather than on the most favourable officially supported financial terms and conditions.

(6) The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the ‘United Kingdom’) withdrew from the Union with effect from 1 February 2020 (2).

(7) In accordance with Article 3 of the Arrangement, Members of the OECD who are not Participants to the Arrangement and non-members of the OECD may be invited to become Participants by the current Participants. A non-Participant to the ASU may become a Participant thereto in accordance with the procedures set out in Appendix I to the ASU.

(8) In a letter of 28 January 2021, the United Kingdom requested that the Participants to the Arrangement and the Participants to the ASU agree to it becoming a Participant to the Arrangement and to the ASU, respectively. The Participants to the Arrangement and the Participants to the ASU are to decide by written procedure on those requests.

(9) It is appropriate to establish the position to be taken on the Union’s behalf on the decision to be adopted by the Participants to the Arrangement, as well as the position to be taken on the Union’s behalf on the decision to be adopted by the Participants to the ASU, as both envisaged decisions will be binding on the Union by virtue of Article 2 of Regulation (EU) No 1233/2011,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1 1. The position to be taken on the Union’s behalf in the written procedure by the Participants to the Arrangement on Officially Supported Export Credits regarding the request by the United Kingdom to become a Participant to the Arrangement shall be to support that request. 2. The position to be taken on the Union’s behalf in the written procedure by the Participants to the Sector Understanding on Export Credits for Civil Aircraft regarding the request by the United Kingdom to become a Participant to the Sector Understanding shall be to support that request.

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

Done at Luxembourg, 7 June 2021. For the Council The President F. VAN DUNEM

(1) Regulation (EU) No 1233/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 November 2011 on the application of certain guidelines in the field of officially supported export credits and repealing Council Decisions 2001/76/EC and 2001/77/EC (OJ L 326, 8.12.2011, p. 45).

(2) Council Decision (EU) 2020/135 of 30 January 2020 on the conclusion of the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community (OJ L 29, 31.1.2020, p. 1).