2001/917/EC: Council Decision of 3 December 2001 on the conclusion of an Additional Protocol adjusting the trade aspects of the Interim Agreement between the European Community, of the one part, and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, of the other part, to take account of the outcome of the negotiations between the parties on reciprocal preferential concessions for certain wines, the reciprocal recognition, protection and control of wine names and the reciprocal recognition, protection and control of designations for spirits and aromatised drinks
Date: 2001-12-03
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: North Macedonia, alcoholic beverage, association agreement (EU), designation of origin, tariff quota, wine

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COUNCIL DECISION

of 3 December 2001

on the conclusion of an Additional Protocol adjusting the trade aspects of the Interim Agreement
between the European Community, of the one part, and the former Yugoslav Republic of Mace-
donia, of the other part, to take account of the outcome of the negotiations between the parties on
reciprocal preferential concessions for certain wines, the reciprocal recognition, protection and
control of wine names and the reciprocal recognition, protection and control of designations for
spirits and aromatised drinks

(2001/917/EC)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community, and in particular Article 133, in conjunction with
the first sentence of the first subparagraph of Article 300(2),
and Article 300(4) thereof,

(4)

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Whereas:

(5)

The Stabilisation and Association Agreement, between
the European Communities and their Member States, of
the one part, and the former Yugoslav Republic of Mace-
donia, of the other part, hereinafter referred to as the
‘Stabilisation and Association Agreement’, was initialled
on 24 November 2000 and signed by Exchange of
Letters in Luxembourg on 9 April 2001. Article 27(4) of
the Stabilisation and Association Agreement provides
that the trade arrangements to apply to wine and spirits
products remain to be defined.

An Interim Agreement which ensures the development
of trade links through the establishment of a contractual
relation and which implements the provision of the
Stabilisation and Association Agreement on trade and
trade-related matters entered into force 1 June 2001.
Article 14(4) of
the Interim Agreement repeats the
commitment to a separate wine and spirits agreement.

In accordance with the directives adopted by the Council
on 11 March 1998, the Commission and the former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia reached agreement on
20 June 2001 on new reciprocal trade concessions for
certain wines and on the reciprocal recognition, protec-
tion and control of wine names and spirits designations.
In order to ensure consistency within the overall stabili-

sation process, the results of these negotiations should
be integrated into the framework of the Stabilisation and
Association Agreement in the form of an Additional
Protocol.

Provisions to adopt the implementing Regulations on
preferential trade concessions provided for certain wines
should be made by the Commission, assisted by the
Customs Code Committee set up by Article 248a of
Council Regulation (EEC) No 2913/92 of 12 October
1992 establishing the Community Customs Code (1),
notwithstanding Article 62 of Council Regulation (EC)
No 1493/1999 of 17 May 1999 on the common organ-
isation of the market in wine (2). The Commission shall
make the necessary amendments and technical adapta-
tions to the implementing Regulations which might
result
from new preferential agreements, protocols,
Exchanges of Letters or other acts concluded between
the European Community and the former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia, or which are necessary
following the changes to the Combined Nomenclature
and TARIC codes.

In order to facilitate the implementation of certain
provisions of the Protocol, the Commission should be
authorised to approve, on behalf of the Community,
decisions amending the lists and the Protocols to the
Agreement on reciprocal recognition, protection and
control of wine names (Annex II to the Protocol) and
the Agreement on reciprocal recognition, protection and
control of designations of spirits and aromatised drinks
(Annex III to the Protocol). In adopting these acts, the
Commission should be assisted by the Management
Committee for Wine set up by Article 74 of Regulation
(EC) No 1493/1999, on the one hand, and by the Imple-
mentation Committee for Spirit Drinks set up by Article
13 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 1576/89 of 29 May
1989 laying down general
rules on the definition,
description and presentation of spirit drinks (3) and the
Implementation Committee for Aromatised Wines set
up by Article 12 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 1601/
91 of 10 June 1991 laying down general rules on the
definition, description and presentation of aromatised
wines, aromatised wine-based drinks and aromatised
wine-product cocktails (4), on the other hand.

(1) OJ L 302, 19.10.1992, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regula-

tion (EC) No 2700/2000 (OJ L 311, 12.12.2000, p. 17).

(2) OJ L 179, 14.7.1999, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regula-

tion (EC) No 2826/2000 (OJ L 328, 23.12.2000, p. 2).

(3) OJ L 160, 12.6.1989, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regula-
the

the European Parliament and of

tion (EC) No 3378/94 of
Council (OJ L 366, 31.12.1994, p. 1).

(4) OJ L 149, 14.6.1991, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regula-
the

the European Parliament and of

tion (EC) No 2061/96 of
Council (OJ L 277, 30.10.1996, p. 1).

(1)

(2)

(3)

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(6)

The measures necessary for the implementation of this
Decision should be adopted in accordance with Council
Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down
the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers
conferred on the Commission (1),

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

The Additional Protocol adjusting the trade aspects of the
Interim Agreement between the European Community, of the
one part, and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, of
the other part, to take account of the outcome of the nego-
tiations between the parties on reciprocal preferential conces-
sions for certain wines, the reciprocal recognition, protection
and control of wine names and the reciprocal recognition,
protection and control of designations for spirits and aroma-
tised drinks (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Protocol’), is hereby
approved on behalf of the Community.

The text of the Protocol

is attached to this Decision.

Article 2

The President of the Council

1.
is hereby authorised to
designate the person empowered to sign the Protocol on behalf
of the Community,
in order to express the consent of the
Community to be bound.

The President of

2.
the
Community, make the notification of approval provided for in
Article 3 of the Protocol.

the Council shall, on behalf of

Article 3

Provisions for the application of the tariff quotas for certain
wines provided in Annex I to the Protocol, as well as amend-
ments and technical adaptations to the implementing Regula-
tions necessary following changes to the Combined Nomencla-
ture codes and to the TARIC subdivisions or arising from the
conclusion of new agreements, protocols, Exchanges of Letters
or other acts between the Community and the former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia, shall be adopted by the Commission
according to the procedure set out in Article 4(2) of this
Decision, notwithstanding Article 62 of Council Regulation
(EC) No 1493/1999.

Article 4

The Commission shall be assisted by the Customs Code
1.
Committee set up by Article 248a of Regulation (EEC) No
2913/92.

2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Articles 4 and
7 of Decision 1999/468/EC shall apply.

The period provided for in Article 4(3) of Decision 1999/
468/EC shall be set at three months.

(1) OJ L 184, 17.7.1999, p. 23.

3.

The Committee shall adopt its rules of procedure.

Article 5

For the purposes of decisions of the Cooperation Council
1.
concerning the establishment of
lists of protected names
provided for in Article 4(7) and in Article 14(2)(a) of the
Agreement on the reciprocal
recognition, protection and
control of wine names, the Community's position shall be
established by the Council acting by qualified majority on a
proposal from the Commission.

2. Without prejudice to paragraph 1, for the purposes of
Articles 13 and 14 of the Agreement on the reciprocal recogni-
tion, protection and control of wine names, the Commission
shall conclude the necessary acts amending the lists and the
Protocol to the Agreement according to the procedure set out
in Article 6(2) of this Decision. For all other cases coming
under the said Articles, the Community position shall be estab-
lished and presented by the Commission.

Article 6

1.
The Commission shall be assisted by the Management
Committee for Wine set up by Article 74 of Regulation (EC)
No 1493/1999.

2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Articles 4 and
7 of Decision 1999/468/EC shall apply.

The period provided for in Article 4(3) of Decision 1999/
468/EC shall be fixed at one month.

3.

The Committee shall adopt its rules of procedure

Article 7

1.
For the purposes of decisions of the Cooperation Council
concerning the establishment of lists of protected designations
provided for in Article 4(5) and Article 14(2)(a) of the Agree-
ment on the reciprocal recognition, protection and control of
designations for spirits and aromatised drinks, the Communi-
ty's position shall be established by the Council acting by
qualified majority on a proposal from the Commission.

2. Without prejudice to paragraph 1, for the purposes of
Articles 13 and 14 of the Agreement on the reciprocal recogni-
tion, protection and control of designations for spirits and
aromatised drinks, the Commission shall conclude the neces-
sary acts amending the lists and the Protocol to the Agreement
according to the procedure set out in Article 8(2) of this
Decision. For all other cases coming under the above Articles,
the Community position shall be established and presented by
the Commission.

Article 8

The Commission shall be assisted by the Implementation
1.
Committee for Spirit Drinks instituted by Article 13 of Regula-
tion (EEC) No 1576/89 and by the Implementation Committee
for Aromatised Wines, Aromatised Wine-Based Drinks and
Aromatised Wine-Product Cocktails set up by Article 12 of
Regulation (EEC) No 1601/91.

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2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Articles 5 and 7 of Decision 1999/468/EC shall apply.

The period provided for in Article 5(6) of Decision 1999/468/EC shall be one month.

3.

The Committees shall adopt their rules of procedure.

This Decision shall be published in the Official Journal of the European Communities.

Article 9

Done at Brussels, 3 December 2001.

For the Council

The President

F. VANDENBROUCKE