On Monday 5 November, the European Parliament's international trade committee (INTA) voted on the Quisthoudt-Rowohl draft report on the post-Brexit division of tariff quotas of the European Union list at the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The rapporteur, Godelieve Quisthoudt-Rowohl (EPP, Germany), also received her committee's approval to begin the inter-institutional negotiations with the EU Council.
“Today’s broad majority at the INTA committee vote on the TRQ report shows that trade MEPs support this coherent, objective and transparent approach. We have a strong mandate, which will simplify the upcoming trilogue negotiations. Further, this proves that the committee has the ability to act, when an insecure future threatens the EU”, Mrs Quisthoudt-Rowohl said after the vote.
The list of tariff quotas should be divided between the EU27 and the UK by 30 March 2019, the scheduled date for Brexit. The method advised considers the share of British use for each tariff quota, expressed as a percentage of the EU, and for a representative period of three years.
The Commission should now obtain agreement on the powers enabling it to divide these tariff quotas unilaterally, by changing their tariff concessions. Its proposal should also give it the power to change this division later, through delegated acts.
The EU is indeed already committed in the negotiations to seal agreements with around 20 WTO members who have a substantial interest or hold an initial right of negotiation on tariff quotas, and who have expressed reservation about the method of dividing the quotas (see EUROPE 12114).
Nevertheless, given the political sensitivity of certain agricultural quotas, these agreements could only come at a date after March 2019.
The MEPs did not retain any notable political amendments to the text proposed by the Commission – except undoubtedly an amendment presented by the agriculture committee. This calls for the administration of the agricultural tariff quotas to "be carried out in accordance with the European agricultural model… with emphasis also on explicit recognition of non-commercial considerations and catering for the needs of the public in the field of food safety, environmental protection, food quality and animal welfare".
On Wednesday 31 October, the EU member state ambassadors to the EU (Coreper) decided on the Council's negotiation position on this legislative proposal (see EUROPE 12129).
The inter-institutional trilogue negotiations are expected to start very quickly, the ultimate objective being the adoption of the regulation before the end of 2018, to prepare the necessary implementing acts immediately afterwards. (Original version in French by Hermine Donceel)