Proposal for a Council Regulation adopting autonomous and transitional measures to open Community tariff quotas for the import of sausages and certain meat products originating in Switzerland
Date: 2007-10-04
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Switzerland, import, import policy, meat product, originating product, tariff quota

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 4.10.2007 
COM(2007) 567 final 

2007/0204 (ACC) 

Proposal for a 

COUNCIL REGULATION 

adopting autonomous and transitional measures to open Community tariff quotas  
for the import of sausages and certain meat products originating in Switzerland 

(presented by the Commission) 

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EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 

The  agreed  minutes  of  2  May  2007  between  the  services  of  the  Commission  and  the  Swiss 
Federal Administration foresee the consolidation of bilateral preferential trade in sausages and 
certain meat products within the Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss 
Confederation  on  trade  in  agricultural  products1.  This  consolidation  will  replace  the 
concessions granted by Switzerland to some Member States only, by virtue of old agreements. 
At  the  same  time,  additional  quantities  are  foreseen  for  both  Parties  to  take  account  of 
increased  bilateral  trade  interests  for  these  products,  but  on  an  asymmetrical  base,  with 
consideration  to  the  higher  trade  and  concessional  values  of  the  import  quotas  into 
Switzerland.  

The  bilateral  trade  concessions  laid  down  in  Annexes  1  and  2  to  that  Agreement  therefore 
need  to  be  adapted.  However,  pending  completion  of  bilateral  procedures  for  amending  the 
Agreement, there is the need for autonomous and transitory measures, in order to ensure that 
quota benefit be available as from 1 January 2008. 

It  is  therefore  proposed  that  the  Council  adopt  without  delay  the  attached  autonomous  and 
transitional  measures  to  open  new  Community  tariff  quotas  for  the  import  of  sausages  and 
certain meat products originating in Switzerland. 

Budgetary implications: since the import will take place at zero duty, it is estimated that there 
is no impact on revenue side. 

1 

OJ L 114, 30.4.2002, p. 132. 

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2007/0204 (ACC) 

Proposal for a 

COUNCIL REGULATION 

adopting autonomous and transitional measures to open Community tariff quotas  
for the import of sausages and certain meat products originating in Switzerland 

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 

Having  regard  to  the  Treaty  establishing  the  European  Community,  and  in  particular 
Article 133 thereof, 

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, 

Whereas: 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

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The Community and Switzerland agree that trade concessions in sausages and certain 
meat  products  previously  granted  by  Switzerland  to  some  Member  States  only,  by 
virtue  of  old  bilateral  agreements  between  those  Member  States  and  Switzerland, 
should be consolidated within the framework of the Agreement between the European 
Community and the Swiss Confederation on trade in agricultural products2 (hereinafter 
referred  to  as  the  "Agreement"),  approved  by  Decision  2002/309/EC,  Euratom  of  the 
Council,  and  of  the  Commission3  and  which  entered  into  force  on  1  June  2002.  The 
consolidation  of  these  concessions  will  take  place  together  with  an  increase  of 
preferences  in  sausages  and  certain  meat  products.  This  includes  the  opening  of  new 
Community  tariff  quotas  for  the  import  of  different  products  falling  under  CN codes 
ex 0210 1950, ex 0210 1981, ex 1601 00 and ex 1602 4919, originating in Switzerland. 

The  bilateral  procedures  for  adapting  the  concessions  in  Annexes  1  and  2  to  the 
Agreement  will  take  time.  In  order  to  ensure  that  quota  benefit  is  available  until  the 
entry into force of the said adaptation, it is appropriate to open those tariff quotas on an 
autonomous and transitional basis and to open those tariff quotas from 1 January 2008 
until  31 December 2009.  This  will  ensure  ample  time  for  finalising  both  bilateral 
procedures and subsequent implementation measures by Parties. 

Detailed  rules  for  the  implementation  of  this  Regulation  and,  in  particular,  the 
provisions  required  for  quota  management  should  be  adopted  in  accordance  with  the 
procedure  referred  to  in  Article  24(2)  of  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No 2759/75  of 
29 October 1975 on the common market organisation in pigmeat4. 

OJ L 114, 30.4.2002, p. 132. Agreement as last amended by Decision 1/2007 of the Joint Committee on 
Agriculture (OJ L 173, 3.7.2007, p. 31). 
OJ L 114, 30.4.2002, p. 1. 
OJ L 282, 1.11.1975, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1913/2005 (OJ L 307, 
25.11.2005, p. 2). 

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(4) 

To  be  eligible  for  the  benefit  of  these  tariff  quotas,  products  shall  originate  in 
Switzerland in conformity with the rules referred to in Article 4 of the Agreement, 

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: 

Article 1 

1. 

2. 

A duty-free Community tariff quota for products and volume listed in the Annex and 
originating  in  Switzerland  shall  be  opened  annually,  on  an  autonomous  and 
transitional  basis,  for  the  period  from  1  January  to  31  December,  under  the  order 
number  09.4180.  It  shall  be  opened  from  1  January  2008  and  shall  end  on 
31 December 2009. 

The  rules  of  origin  applicable  to  the  products  referred  to  in  paragraph  1  are  those 
referred to in Article 4 of the Agreement. 

The  detailed  rules  for  the  implementation  of  this  Regulation  shall  be  adopted  in  accordance 
with the procedure referred to in Article 24(2) of Regulation (EC) No 2759/75. 

Article 2 

This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in 
the Official Journal of the European Union. 

Article 3 

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. 

Done at Brussels,  

For the Council 
The President 

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ANNEX 

CN Code 

Description of goods 

Duty applicable 

Quantity in tonnes 
(net weight of 
product) 

ex 0210 19 50 

Ham, in brine, boneless, enclosed in a bladder 
or in an artificial gut 

0 

1 900 

ex 0210 19 81 

Piece of boneless chop, in brine and smoked 

ex 1601 00 

Sausages  and  similar  products,  of  meat,  meat 
offal  or  blood;  food  preparations  based  on 
these products:  
of animals of headings 0101–0104, other than 
wild boars 

ex 0210 19 81   
ex 1602 49 19 

Pork neck, in brine and dried in air, whole, in 
pieces or thinly sliced 

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