Brussels, 17/02/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 17 February, the Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA) approved a compromise text on the proposed regulation on imports of rice from Bangladesh. This text essentially aims to take account of the provisions of the Treaty of Lisbon. The European Parliament voted on this text in December 2013.
The compromise on this text was reached between the three institutions of the EU at a trialogue meeting held on 10 February. This regulation brings the 1990 regulation on rice imports from Bangladesh into line with Articles 290 (the legislator to delegate to the Commission the power to adopt non-legislative acts of general application to supplement or amend certain non-essential elements of a legislative act) and 291 (where uniform conditions for implementing legally binding EU acts are necessary, these acts confer implementing powers on the Commission) of the Treaty, as regards the implementing and delegation competences conferred upon the European Commission.
Regulation 3491/90 establishes the conditions to apply to the preferential import arrangements granted by the EU to rice originating from Bangladesh. These arrangements involve a reduction in the levy of imports into the EU within the limits of those quantities traditionally imported. This regulation belongs to a package of texts on agriculture for which alignment on the Treaty of Lisbon is ongoing.
Next steps. The text on imports of rice from Bangladesh will be voted on in April at the plenary session of the European Parliament. The Council will then adopt the text at first reading.
Additionally, with regard to the alignment of the texts on the Treaty of Lisbon, the Council adopted the following two texts without debate on Monday 17 February: 1) a regulation modifying regulations 2008/97, 779/98 and 1506/98 for imports of olive oil and other agricultural products from Turkey, regarding the delegated and implementing competences to be conferred upon the Commission; 2) a regulation on the management of certain Community tariff quotas for high-quality beef, and other agricultural products. Both of these texts have already been the subject of a compromise between the institutions. (LC/transl.fl)