PURPOSE: to conclude an Agreement between the EU and Morocco establishing a Dispute Settlement Mechanism.
NON-LEGISLATIVE ACT: Council Decision 2011/392/EU on the conclusion of an Agreement between the European Union and the Kingdom of Morocco establishing a dispute settlement mechanism.
BACKGROUND: on 24 February 2006 the Council authorised the Commission to open negotiations with partners in the Mediterranean region in order to establish a dispute settlement mechanism related to trade provisions.
These negotiations have been concluded and an Agreement between the European Union and the Kingdom of Morocco establishing a Dispute Settlement Mechanism was initialled on 9 December 2009 and signed on 13 December 2010.
It is now necessary to conclude the Agreement on behalf of the European Union.
CONTENT: with this Decision, the Agreement between the European Union and the Kingdom of Morocco establishing a Dispute Settlement Mechanism is hereby approved on behalf of the Union.
The Agreement follows the model of the chapter on dispute settlement, which is included in the current negotiations of free trade agreements, and is based on the Memorandum of Understanding of the WTO, adapted to a bilateral context.
The scope of the dispute settlement mechanism includes Title II of the Association Agreement between the EU and Morocco, with the usual exception of the article on anti-dumping measures. After the entry into force of the Agreement on the liberalisation measures on agricultural products, signed on 14 December 2009, disputes will be governed by this Agreement.
The Agreement provides for the following:
ENTRY INTO FORCE: 13 May 2011. The date of entry into force of the Agreement will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union by the General Secretariat of the Council.