THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 207 in conjunction with Article 218(9) thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,
Whereas:
(1)
Annex III to Decision No 2/2000 of the EC-Mexico Joint Council established by the Economic Partnership, Political Coordination and Cooperation Agreement between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the United Mexican States, of the other part, signed in Brussels on 8 December 1997 (‘the Agreement’), sets out the rules of origin for the products originating in the territory of the Parties to the Agreement. Article 38 of Annex III to Decision No 2/2000 allows the EU-Mexico Joint Committee to amend that Annex.
(2)
The European Union has in place a customs union with the Principality of Andorra for products falling within Chapters 25 to 97 of the Harmonized System and with the Republic of San Marino for products falling within Chapters 1 to 97 of the Harmonized System. This customs union allows goods originating in Mexico to benefit from preferential treatment under Decision No 2/2000 also when exported to Andorra and San Marino.
(3)
It has been agreed that Mexico will accept products falling within Chapters 25 to 97 of the Harmonized System originating in the Principality of Andorra and products falling within Chapters 1 to 97 of the Harmonised System originating in the Republic of San Marino as products originating in the EU within the meaning of Annex III to Decision No 2/2000.
(4)
An Appendix VI should therefore be added to Annex III to Decision No 2/2000 to allow those products to be treated, when imported into Mexico, in a similar way to products originating in the Union, and to lay down provisions regarding the application of Annex III to those products.
(5)
Joint Declaration V to Decision No 2/2000 provides that the EC-Mexico Joint Committee established by the Agreement is to review the necessity to extend beyond 30 June 2003 the application of the rules of origin set out in Notes 2 and 3 of Appendix II(a) to Annex III to Decision No 2/2000 (‘Notes 2 and 3’). That review concerns the product-specific rules in Appendix II to Annex III to Decision No 2/2000 for certain chemical products under the Harmonised System headings 2914 and 2915.
(6)
The EU-Mexico Joint Committee is to adopt a Decision, extending the application of the rules of origin established in Notes 2 and 3 for the fourth time. That Decision is to apply until 31 December 2019.
(7)
It is appropriate to extend the application of the rules of origin established in Notes 2 and 3 on a permanent basis, because they are in line with the principles of the modernisation of the Agreement.
(8)
Appendix II to Annex III to Decision No 2/2000 should therefore be amended to extend the application of the rules of origin established in Notes 2 and 3 on a permanent basis.
(9)
The position of the Union within the EU-Mexico Joint Committee should therefore be based on the attached draft Decision,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: