Commission Implementing Decision of 19 October 2011 on the position to be taken by the European Union within the Joint Committee on Agriculture set up by the Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on trade in agricultural products, as regards the amendment of Annex 9 to the Agreement (2011/793/EU)

Commission Implementing Decision

of 19 October 2011

on the position to be taken by the European Union within the Joint Committee on Agriculture set up by the Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on trade in agricultural products, as regards the amendment of Annex 9 to the Agreement

(2011/793/EU)

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Decision 2002/309/EC, Euratom of the Council, and of the Commission as regards the Agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation, of 4 April 2002 on the conclusion of seven Agreements with the Swiss Confederation(1), and in particular the sixth indent of the second subparagraph of Article 5(2) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) The Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on trade in agricultural products(2) (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Agreement’) entered into force on 1 June 2002.

(2) Article 6 of the Agreement sets up a Joint Committee on Agriculture (hereinafter ‘the Committee’) to be responsible for the administration of the Agreement and ensure its proper functioning.

(3) In accordance with Article 6(4) and (7) of the Agreement, on 21 October 2003 the Committee adopted its Rules of Procedure(3) and set up the working groups needed to administer the Annexes to the Agreement(4).

(4) The bilateral Working Group on Organic Products met to examine, in particular, the scope of Annex 9, the import rules applied by the two Parties and the exchanges of information between them to make recommendations on this to the Committee with a view to adapting Annex 9 to the Agreement.

(5) Pursuant to Article 11 of the Agreement, the Committee may decide to amend the Annexes to the Agreement.

(6) The Head of the European Union Delegation within the Joint Committee on Agriculture expresses the European Union’s support for the final version of the draft Decision of the Joint Committee.

(7) The measures provided for by this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee set up by Article 37 of Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007(5),

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

(1)

OJ L 114, 30.4.2002, p. 1.

(2)

OJ L 114, 30.4.2002, p. 132.

(3)

Common position adopted by the Council on 21 July 2003; Decision of the Joint Committee No 1/2003 of 21 October 2003 concerning the adoption of its Rules of Procedure (OJ L 303, 21.11.2003, p. 24).

(4)

Common position adopted by the Council on 21 July 2003; Decision of the Joint Committee No 2/2003 of 21 October 2003 concerning the setting-up of the Working Groups and the adoption of the terms of reference of those groups (OJ L 303, 21.11.2003, p. 27).

(5)

OJ L 189, 20.7.2007, p. 1.