Brussels, 14/04/2011 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 14 April, the Council adopted a decision authorising the signing, on behalf of the EU, of the Regional Convention on pan-Euro-Mediterranean preferential rules of origin, a text which brings together rules which allow the origin of goods traded under free trade agreements with in the Euro-Mediterranean area to be determined so that tariff preferences, reductions or cancellation of customs duties or similar taxes can be applied.
This decision, which was called for by the European Council of 25 March seeks to replace the current pan-Euro-Mediterranean cumulation of origin system based on various protocols applicable between two partner countries with a simple legal instrument which takes the form of a regional convention on preferential rules of origin. In practice, the convention will make it easier to determine the cumulated added value produced in more than one country of the region. From now on, the value added produced in the countries of the region can be added together when determining whether a certain product complies with the threshold for preferential treatment. The agreement also removes the difficulties related to the interconnected network of bilateral protocols, which require amendment of all bilateral agreements if any rule has to be amended, and this includes the accession of a new country. This new single convention will replace the network of protocols.
In addition to the 27 EU member states, 22 countries are contracting parties to the convention: the EFTA States: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland; the participants in the Barcelona Process: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the Palestine Liberation Organisation for the benefit of the Palestinian Authority of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey; the participants in the EU's Stabilisation and Association Process: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo (under resolution 1244(1999) of the United Nations; and the Faroe Islands. (E.H./transl.rt)