30.11.2013   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 321/1

(1)

Since 2000, the Union has granted unlimited duty-free access to the Union market for almost all products originating in the Western Balkan countries. Currently, this system is provided for in Council Regulation (EC) No 1215/2009 (2).

(2)

All of the Western Balkan countries benefit from preferential trade arrangements, including individual tariff quotas, under the Stabilisation and Association Agreements or Interim Agreements on trade and trade-related matters concluded with those countries, with the exception of Kosovo (3).

(3)

Regulation (EC) No 1215/2009 made available a global tariff quota of 50 000 hl for wine, on a ‘first-come, first-served’ basis to all the beneficiaries, subject to the exhaustion of their individual tariff quotas available under the Stabilisation and Association Agreements or Interim Agreements.

(4)

Stable access to the market of the Union is necessary for the socioeconomic development of Kosovo, which has demonstrated the capacity to export wine. In the absence of an individual tariff quota, Kosovan wine producers lack the necessary predictability for their exports.

(5)

It is appropriate to allocate an individual annual tariff quota of 20 000 hl for wine exports from Kosovo to the Union, and to reduce proportionately the global annual tariff quota for wine available to all the beneficiaries from 50 000 hl to 30 000 hl.

(6)

The allocation of an individual tariff quota is achieved by closing the existing global tariff quota and opening two new ones, whose total volume is equivalent to the volume of the tariff quota closed.

(7)

It is also appropriate to introduce a mechanism which avoids legal uncertainties as regards the tariff quotas available on the date of entry into force of this Regulation, and to prevent the overall volume of the concession from exceeding 50 000 hl.

(8)

As the total volume of the concessions is not modified, this Regulation does not affect the wine sector of the Union. The specific concessions provided for in the Stabilisation and Association Agreements or the Interim Agreements are also not affected by this Regulation.

(9)

This Regulation does not affect the obligations of the Union in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and does not need to receive a WTO waiver.

(10)

Regulation (EC) No 1215/2009 should therefore be amended accordingly,

(1)

in Article 7a, paragraphs 2 and 3 are replaced by the following:

‘2.   The power to adopt delegated acts referred to in Article 7 shall be conferred on the Commission for a period of five years from 3 December 2013. The Commission shall draw up a report in respect of the delegation of power not later than nine months before the end of the five-year period. The delegation of power shall be tacitly extended for periods of an identical duration, unless the European Parliament or the Council opposes such extension not later than three months before the end of each period.

3.   The delegation of power referred to in Article 7 may be revoked at any time by the European Parliament or by the Council. A decision to revoke shall put an end to the delegation of the power specified in that decision. It shall take effect on the day following the publication of the decision in the Official Journal of the European Union or at a later date specified therein. It shall not affect the validity of any delegated acts already in force.’;

(2)

Annex I is replaced by the text set out in the Annex to this Regulation.

(1)

the new tariff quotas under the order numbers 09.1530 and 09.1560 shall inherit proportionally the balance of the tariff quota 09.1515 on 3 December 2013, as follows:

(2)

the pending (not allocated) tariff quota requests for the tariff quota 09.1515 shall be transferred to the tariff quotas 09.1530 and 09.1560 respectively, according to the origin of the wine.