THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 978/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 applying a scheme of generalised tariff preferences and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 732/2008, and in particular Article 8(3) thereof,
Whereas:
(1)
In accordance with Article 8(1) of Regulation (EU) No 978/2012 the tariff preferences of the general arrangement of the generalised scheme of preferences (GSP) are to be suspended in respect of products of a GSP section originating in a GSP beneficiary country when the average value of Union imports of such products over three consecutive years from that GSP beneficiary country exceeds the thresholds listed in Annex VI of that Regulation.
(2)
Pursuant to Article 8(2) of Regulation (EU) No 978/2012 and based on trade statistics concerning calendar years 2009-2011, Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1213/2012 established the list of product sections for which the tariff preferences were suspended from 1 January 2014 until 31 December 2016.
(3)
In line with Article 8(3) of Regulation (EU) No 978/2012, the Commission should, every three years, review that list through an implementing act to suspend or re-establish the tariff preferences. The revised list should apply for three years as of 1 January 2017. The list is based on trade statistics concerning calendar years 2012-2014 as available on 1 September 2015 and takes into account imports from GSP beneficiary countries listed in Annex II of Regulation (EU) No 978/2012 as applicable on that date. However, the value of imports from GSP beneficiaries which, as from 1 January 2017, no longer benefit from the tariff preferences under point (b) of Article 4(1) of Regulation (EU) No 978/2012 is not taken into account.
(4)
The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Generalised Preferences Committee,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: