CELEX: 
Language: en
Date: 2018-02-19 00:00:00
Title: COMMISSION DELEGATED REGULATION (EU) …/... amending Council Regulation (EC) No 673/2005 establishing additional customs duties on imports of certain products originating in the United States of America

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
            
            
               1.CONTEXT OF THE DELEGATED ACT
            
            
               This draft Commission Delegated Regulation aims to adjust the annual level of retaliation applied in the WTO dispute on the United States’ Continued Dumping and Subsidy Offset Act of 2000 (‘CDSOA’, or the Byrd Amendment).
            
            
               The CDSOA mandates the yearly distribution of the anti-dumping and countervailing duties collected during the previous fiscal year to US companies. The CDSOA was found incompatible with the United States' WTO obligations in January 2003. 
            
            
               Given that the United States failed to bring itself in compliance with its obligations under the WTO agreements, the EU was authorised to impose an additional import duty above bound customs duties on a list of US products covering on a yearly basis a total value of trade not exceeding the amount of 72% of the CDSOA disbursement from duties collected on imports from the EU for the most recent year for which data are available. Since 1 May 2005, the EU applies an ad valorem additional customs duty on imports of certain products originating in the United States
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                on a yearly basis, adjusting the level of retaliation proportionately to the amount disbursed from duties collected on EU products in the most recent distribution. 
            
            
               This draft Commission Delegated Regulation does not involve any discretionary choice, but is entirely constrained by legal obligations imposed by the Council:
            
            
               1.The new level of retaliation to apply as from 1 May 2018 amounts to USD 682.823 and has been established on the basis of the latest CDSOA distribution of anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties collected during the Fiscal Year 2017 (1 October 2016 – 30 September 2017).
            
            
               2.The new level of retaliation of USD 682.823 represents a significant decrease as compared to the current level of retaliation, which amounts to USD 8.165.179 and that has been applied since 1 May 2017. 
            
            
               3.The Commission is obliged to adjust the new level of retaliation by, first, adding or removing products from Annex I. If the level cannot be adjusted in this way, then the rate of additional duty, to which Annex I products are subjected, should be amended. For this year, by removing goods from in Annex the level of suspension would either exceed or be below the 72% of the CDSOA disbursements. Therefore, since this year the level of suspension cannot be adjusted to the level of nullification or impairment by adding or removing products from Annex I, Article 3(1)(e) of Council Regulation (EU) No 673/2005 applies:
            
            
               (a)Accordingly, no products are added to or removed from Annex I and therefore, the list of products therein remains unchanged. 
            
            
               (b)On the other hand, the rate of additional duty to which Annex I products are subjected is amended, i.e. it decreases from last year’s 4,3% to 0,3% in order to adjust to the level of retaliation. 
            
            
               4.Consequently and in accordance with Article 3(1)(e) of Council Regulation (EC) No 673/2005, the draft Delegated Regulation subjects sweet corn, frames and mountings for spectacles, crane lorries, and women's denim trousers and breeches originating in the US to an ad valorem additional rate of duty of 0,3% as from 1 May 2018. 
            
            
               5.The effect of a 0,3% ad valorem additional duty on imports from the United States of the four products listed in Annex I represents, over one year, a value of trade that does not exceed USD 682.823 (see Articles 3(1)(a) and (b) of Regulation (EC) No 673/2005). Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 673/2005 remains unchanged, as all of the products of that list have already been added to Annex I. 
            
            
               2.CONSULTATIONS PRIOR TO THE ADOPTION OF THE ACT
            
            
               A consultation was carried out in line with paragraph 4 of the Common Understanding on delegated acts between the European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission. No additional consultations with interested parties or stakeholders, or a preparation of an impact assessment are necessary. 
            
            
               3.LEGAL ELEMENTS OF THE DELEGATED ACT
            
            
               The legal basis for this Delegated Regulation is Article 3(3) of Council Regulation (EC) No 673/2005 establishing additional customs duties on imports of certain products originating in the United States of America, as amended by Regulation (EU) No 38/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council amending certain regulations relating to the common commercial policy as regards the granting of delegated and implementing powers for the adoption of certain measures. 
            
            
               Article 1 of Council Regulation (EC) No 673/2005 mandates the suspension of the tariff concessions and related obligations under GATT 1994 in respect of products originating in the United States of America listed in Annex I to that Regulation. Article 3(1) defines the criteria under which the Commission shall adjust the level of suspension annually to the level of nullification or impairment caused by the Byrd Amendment to the EU at that time.
            
            
               COMMISSION DELEGATED REGULATION (EU) …/...
            
         
         
            
               of 19.2.2018
            
            
               amending Council Regulation (EC) No 673/2005 establishing additional customs duties on imports of certain products originating in the United States of America
            
            
               THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
            
            
               Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, 
            
            
               Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 673/2005 of 25 April 2005 establishing additional customs duties on imports of certain products originating in the United States of America
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               , and in particular Article 3 thereof,
            
            
               Whereas:
            
            
               (1)As a result of the United States' failure to bring the Continued Dumping and Subsidy Offset Act (CDSOA) in compliance with its obligations under the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements, Regulation (EC) No 673/2005 imposed a 15% ad valorem additional customs duty on imports of certain products originating in the United States of America as from 1 May 2005. In conformity with the WTO authorisation to suspend the application of concessions to the United States, the Commission is to adjust the level of suspension annually to the level of nullification or impairment caused by the CDSOA to the European Union at that time.
            
            
               (2)The CDSOA disbursements for the most recent year for which data are available relate to the distribution of anti-dumping and countervailing duties collected during the Fiscal Year 2017 (1 October 2016 – 30 September 2017). On the basis of the data published by the United States' Customs and Border Protection, the level of nullification or impairment caused to the Union is calculated at USD 682.823.
            
            
               (3)The level of nullification or impairment and consequently of suspension has decreased. However, the level of suspension cannot be adjusted to the level of nullification or impairment by adding or removing products from the list in Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 673/2005. By removing all of the products but one, the level of retaliation (4,3% of additional import duty) would be in excess of, whereas by leaving the last product in Annex I, it would be below the 72% of the CDSOA disbursement amount. As a consequence, in accordance with Article 3(1)(e) of that Regulation, the Commission should keep the list of products in Annex I unchanged and amend the rate of the additional duty in order to adjust the level of suspension to the level of nullification or impairment. The four products listed in Annex I should therefore be maintained on the list and the rate of additional import duty should be amended and set at 0,3%.
            
            
               (4)The effect of a 0,3% ad valorem additional import duty on imports from the United States of the products in Annex I represents, over one year, a value of trade that does not exceed USD 682.823.
            
            
               (5)To make sure that there are no delays in the application of the amended rate of additional import duty, this Regulation should enter into force on the day of its publication.
            
            
               (6)Regulation (EC) No 673/2005 should therefore be amended accordingly,
            
            
               HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
            
            
               Article 1
            
            
               Regulation (EC) No 673/2005 is amended as follows:
            
            
               (1)Article 2 of Council Regulation (EC) No 673/2005 is replaced by the following:
            
            
               "Article 2
            
            
               An ad valorem duty of 0,3% additional to the customs duty applicable under Regulation (EU) No 952/2013* shall be imposed on the products originating in the United States of America listed in Annex I to this Regulation.
            
            
               _________________________
            
            
               * OJ L 269, 10.10.2013, p. 1"
            
         
         
            
               (2)Annex I of Council Regulation (EC) No 673/2005 is replaced by the text in the Annex to this Regulation.
            
            
               Article 2
            
            
               This Regulation shall enter into force on the day of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
            
            
               It shall apply from 1 May 2018. 
            
            
               This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
            
            
               Done at Brussels, 19.2.2018
            
            
               
                     For the Commission
               
               
                     The President
                     Jean-Claude JUNCKER
               
            
         
         
            
                  
                     (1)
                  
                        Council Regulation (EC) No 673/2005 (the "Byrd Regulation") establishing additional customs duties of 15% on imports of certain products originating in the United States of America (OJ L 110, 30.4.2005, p. 1), as amended with Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/750 of 24 February 2017, (OJ L 113, 29.4.2017, p. 12), applying 4,3% additional duty.
               
               
                  
                     (2)
                  
                        OJ L 110, 30.4.2005, p. 1; as amended by Regulation of the European Parliament and the Council (EU) No 38/2014 (OJ L 18, 21.1.2014, p. 52).
               
            
      
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               ANNEX
            
            
               "ANNEX I
            
            
               The products on which additional duties are to apply are classified under the eight-digit CN codes and match the given descriptions.
            
            
                     
                        0710 40 00
                     
                  
                  
                     
                        Sweetcorn
                     
                  
               
                     
                        6204 62 31
                     
                  
                  
                     
                        Women's or girl's trousers and breeches, other than industrial and occupational, of denim cotton.
                     
                  
               
                     
                        8705 10 00
                     
                  
                  
                     
                        Crane lorries
                     
                  
               
                     
                        Ex 9003 19 00
                     
                  
                  
                     
                        Frames and mountings for spectacles, goggles or the like, of base metal
                     
                  
               
               "