Notice concerning the application of the Registered Exporter system of the European Union by Côte d’Ivoire and Madagascar under, respectively, the EU - Côte d’Ivoire stepping-stone Economic Partnership Agreement and the EU – Eastern and Southern Africa interim EPA 2023/C 23/04
Date: 2023-01-23
Institutions: Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union, European Commission
Subjects: Côte d'Ivoire, Madagascar, certificate of origin, cooperation agreement (EU), economic cooperation, import (EU), interim agreement (EU), invoicing, tariff exemption








C_2023023EN.01001901.xml










23.1.2023   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 23/19






Notice concerning the application of the Registered Exporter system of the European Union by Côte d’Ivoire and Madagascar under, respectively, the EU - Côte d’Ivoire stepping-stone Economic Partnership Agreement and the EU – Eastern and Southern Africa interim EPA
(2023/C 23/04)
This notice is issued for the information of customs authorities, importers and economic operators, which are involved in imports into the European Union of products originating in:






—


Côte d’Ivoire under the EU-Côte d’Ivoire stepping-stone Economic Partnership Agreement (‘the stepping-stone EPA’); and










—


Madagascar under the EU-Eastern and Southern Africa interim Economic Partnership Agreement (‘the EU-ESA iEPA’).




Complementing the notice 2022/C 452/06 of 29 November 2022, Côte d’Ivoire has notified the European Commission that, in accordance with its Circular No 2226/MBPE/DGD of 16 November 2022, exporters from Côte d’Ivoire are registered in the Registered Exporter system of the European Union (‘the REX system’). Therefore, as from 2 December 2022, products originating in Côte d’Ivoire shall, on importation into the EU, benefit from the preferential tariff treatment of the stepping-stone EPA only upon submission of an origin declaration made out, as provided for in Article 21 of Protocol No 1, by:






(i)


an exporter from Côte d’Ivoire registered in the REX system, or










(ii)


any exporter from Côte d’Ivoire, for any consignment consisting of one or more packages containing originating products, the total value of which does not exceed EUR 6 000.




Following a notification made by Madagascar to the Customs Cooperation Committee of the EU-ESA iEPA activating Article 18(3) of Protocol 1 to the EU-ESA iEPA (1), and without prejudice to the exemptions laid down in Articles 18(2) and 29 of Protocol 1, as from 1 January 2023, products originating in Madagascar shall, on importation into the EU, benefit from the preferential tariff treatment of the EU-ESA iEPA only upon submission of an invoice declaration made out, as provided for in Article 23 of Protocol 1, by:






(i)


an exporter from Madagascar registered in the REX system, or










(ii)


any exporter from Madagascar, for any consignment consisting of one or more packages containing originating products, the total value of which does not exceed EUR 6 000.




From that date, paragraphs 1(a) and (b) of Article 18 shall cease to apply for imports into the EU of originating products in Madagascar.


(1)  As amended by Decision 1/2020 of 14 January 2020 of the EU-ESA EPA Committee