Proposal for a COUNCIL DECISION establishing the position to be taken by the European Union within the Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as regards an extension of the moratoria on customs duties on electronic transmissions ("e-commerce moratorium") and non-violation and situation complaints
Date: 2013-10-30
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: World Trade Organisation, abolition of customs duties, electronic commerce













EUR-Lex - 52013PC0746 - EN











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52013PC0746

Proposal for a COUNCIL DECISION establishing the position to be taken by the European Union within the Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as regards an extension of the moratoria on customs duties on electronic transmissions ("e-commerce moratorium") and non-violation and situation complaints /* COM/2013/0746 final - 2013/0360 (NLE) */









EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
1.           OBJECTIVE OF THE PROPOSAL
The objective of this proposal is to allow
the European Union to join a consensus in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on
the adoption by the WTO Ministerial Conference of two decisions extending the moratoria
on customs duties on electronic transmissions ("e-commerce
moratorium") and non-violation and situation complaints. 
The Union has always supported the
extension of the "e-commerce moratorium" as, from the Union's
perspective, e-commerce is a service and therefore it should not be subject to
customs duties. Further, the moratorium provides significant economic benefits
to the Union companies. 
As
regards non-violation and situation complaints, the Union is of the opinion
that they were designed to maintain a balance of negotiated market access and
tariff concessions under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade of 1994 (“GATT”)
and, accordingly, it does not appear appropriate to have them apply at this
stage under the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property
Rights (“TRIPS”).
The proposal provides that the Council
authorises the Commission to take a position on behalf of the European Union
within the WTO to join a consensus as regards the said decisions. 
2.           LEGAL BASIS OF PROPOSAL
Article 218(9) of the Treaty on the Functioning
of the European Union (TFEU) provides that when a Decision having legal effects
needs to be taken in a body set up by an international agreement, the Council,
on a proposal from the Commission or the High Representative of the Union for
Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, shall adopt a Decision establishing the
position to be adopted on the Union’s behalf. The
extension of the moratoria falls under this provision as the Decision is taken
in a body set up by an international agreement (the WTO Ministerial Conference)
affecting the rights and obligations of the Union.
The envisaged e-commerce moratorium relates
to matters falling within the scope of the common commercial policy (Article
207 TFEU) and in particular, to obligations under the General Agreement on
Trade in Services. Similarly, the envisaged moratorium on non-violation and situation complaints relates to matters
falling within the scope of the common commercial policy, in particular to
obligations under the TRIPS. 
3.           SCOPE OF THE PROPOSAL
The Commission will be authorised to take a
position on behalf of the European Union to support the extension of the
e-commerce and non-violation and situation complaints moratoria by the WTO Ministerial
Conference. Should there be an emerging consensus to propose the indefinite
extension of the "e-commerce moratorium" and/or the non violation and
situation complaints moratorium, so that the moratoria in question become
permanent, the European Union should be supportive. 
Consistent with Article 218(10), the
European Parliament will be immediately and fully informed.
2013/0360 (NLE)
Proposal for a
COUNCIL DECISION
establishing the position to be taken by
the European Union within the Ministerial Conference of the World Trade
Organisation (WTO) as regards an extension of the moratoria on customs duties
on electronic transmissions ("e-commerce moratorium") and
non-violation and situation complaints
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard
to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article
207(4), in conjunction with Article 218(9) thereof, 
Having regard to the proposal from the
European Commission, 
Whereas:
(1)       A moratorium on customs
duties on electronic transmissions ("e-commerce moratorium") stating
that “members will continue their current practice of not imposing customs
duties on electronic transmissions” was adopted in the form of a
declaration at the 1998 Ministerial conference of the World Trade Organisation
(“WTO”). 
(2)       Currently the moratorium
takes the form of a WTO Ministerial Conference decision, which has been renewed
every two years since 1998. The moratorium was last extended at the WTO Ministerial
Conference in December 2011 till 2013. It should be further extended by the WTO
Ministerial Conference or made permanent should a consensus to that effect
arise in the on-going or future discussions.
(3)       No consensus on banning or
allowing non-violation or situation complaints under the TRIPS Agreement has
been possible up to now. The Declaration adopted at the WTO Ministerial
Conference in Hong Kong in 2005 states: “We take note of the work done by
the Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights pursuant
to paragraph 11.1 of the Doha Decision on Implementation-Related Issues and
Concerns and paragraph 1.h of the Decision adopted by the General Council on 1
August 2004, and direct it to continue its examination of the scope and
modalities for complaints of the types provided for under subparagraphs 1(b)
and 1(c) of Article XXIII of GATT 1994 and make recommendations to our next
Session. It is agreed that, in the meantime, Members will not initiate such
complaints under the TRIPS Agreement.”
(4)       The procedure so far for
the successive extensions of the moratorium on non-violation and situation
complaints has been a decision by the WTO Ministerial Conference following a recommendation
from the Council for Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights.
Considering that a very limited number of WTO members are insisting that the
debate surrounding the application of non-violation and situation complaints
continues, should those countries change their stance in favour of a permanent
waiver, the EU should be ready to join the consensus.
(5)       It is in the interest of
the European Union to give its support to the extension of the moratoria on
e-commerce and non-violation and situation complaints.
(6)       The
Commission will report regularly to the Trade Policy Committee on the state of
play of the discussions on further extensions of the moratoria on e-commerce
and non-violation and situation complaints, in particular should the positions
of other Members in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on the adoption of
sucessive decisions by the WTO Ministerial Conference change,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
Article 1
The position of the European Union within
the Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation shall be to support
the extension of the moratoria on customs duties on
electronic transmissions ("e-commerce moratorium") and non-violation
and situation complaints.
Should there be an emerging consensus to
propose the indefinite extension of the "e-commerce moratorium" and/or
the non-violation and situation complaints moratorium, the position of the European Union within the Ministerial Conference
of the World Trade Organisation shall be to support the longer period of time
or the turning of the moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions
and/or the moratorium on non-violation and situations complaints into a
permanent one.
Article 2
This Decision shall enter into force on the day of its adoption.
Done at Brussels,
                                                                       For
the Council
                                                                       The
President