EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

1. CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL

The 2005 International Agreement on Olive Oil and Table Olives (hereinafter the Agreement) establishing the International Olive Council (IOC) provides in its Article 40 that any State may accede to this Agreement upon conditions established by the Council of Members of that organisation.

The Agreement expires on 31 December 2014 and the decision on its prolongation is expected be made before that date. Bearing this in mind, the Council Decision (2014/664/EU) authorises the Commission to request and vote on behalf of the European Union in favour of a one-year extension of the current Agreement. Since 2013 the Members of the IOC have been negotiating the revision of the Agreement. In this context, on 19 November 2013 the Council authorized the Commission to negotiate on behalf of the European Union a new and substantially renewed agreement that takes into account economic, technical and commercial developments in the olive sector.

In line with the negotiating mandate of the Council, the Union submitted a proposal for the revision of the Agreement to the IOC. This proposal covers also provisions pertaining to the expansion of the organisation in order to welcome new members, including both exporting and importing countries, and provisions on the revision of the participation shares (Article 8 of the current Agreement).

The Council of Members of the IOC decides on the possible accession of new members to the Agreement on the basis of Article 40 "Accession" and Article 8 "Participation shares" of the Agreement. The ongoing negotiations will redefine these Articles, as well as the framework of the future IOC with new goals and new governance. Under these conditions, it is necessary that the new agreement first enters into force before the IOC can make decisions on the accessions to the organisation.

2014/0324 (NLE)

Proposal for a

COUNCIL DECISION

on the position to be adopted on behalf of the European Union within the Council of Members of the International Olive Council concerning the accession of new Members

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

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

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

Whereas:

(1) Council Decision 2014/664/EU[1] authorised the Commission to request and vote in favour of a one-year prolongation of the existing 2005 International Agreement on Olive Oil and Table Olives,[2] as this Agreement will expire on 31 December 2014.

(2) On 19 November 2013, the Council authorised the Commission to open negotiations on behalf of the Union for the conclusion of a new international agreement on olive oil and table olives. Those negotiations are expected to redefine the objectives, the functioning and the structure of the future International Olive Council, including the rules that have impact on the rights and obligations of Members.

(3) In that context, it is therefore not appropriate for the current International Olive Council to decide on applications for new membership to that organisation. This question needs to be analysed and discussed within the framework established by a new international agreement on olive oil and table olives,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

The position to be adopted on the Union's behalf, within the Council of Members of the International Olive Council, shall be to request the postponement of the vote on all requests for new accessions until a new international agreement on olive oil and table olives is in force.

Should that request not be honoured, and should the Council of Members of the International Olive Council be requested to take a decision on new accessions, the position to be adopted on the Union's behalf shall be to abstain from the vote.

Article 2

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

Done at Brussels,

For the Council

The President

[1] Council Decision 2014/664/EU of 15 September 2014 on the position to be adopted on behalf of the European Union within the Council of Members of the International Olive Council concerning the prolongation of the 2005 International Agreement on olive oil and table olives (OJ L 275, 17.9.2014, p. 6).

[2] OJ L 302, 19.11.2005, p. 47.