The Committee on International Trade adopted the report by Paul MURPHY (GUE/NGL, IE) on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on imports of rice originating in Bangladesh.
The committee recommended that the European Parliament’s position adopted at first reading, following the ordinary legislative procedure, should amend the Commission proposal as follows:
Export tax: in the Commission proposal, explicit reference is made to an export tax of an amount corresponding to the reduction of the import duty which should be collected by the exporting country as an export requirement to the EU. Members stated that this is a decision to be made by the political legislators in Bangladesh and not by the European institutions.
Therefore, they deleted the references and provisions to this effect.
Suspension of the preferential import arrangement: the Commission should adopt an implementing act suspending the application of the preferential import arrangement once it ascertains that, during the year in progress, imports qualifying under the said arrangement have reached the quantity indicated in the Regulation. That implementing act should be adopted without applying the Committee procedure.
Delegated acts: Members suggested limiting the empowerment of delegated acts on the Commission to a period of five years that may be tacitly extended for periods of an identical duration.
The delay to formulate an objection to the delegated act should be four months as opposed to two as suggested by the Commission.
In order to ensure the reliability and the efficiency of the preferential import arrangement, the power to adopt delegated acts should be delegated to the Commission to establish rules making the participation in the arrangement conditional upon the lodging of a security in line with Commission Regulation (EC) No 1964/2006 of 22 December 2006 laying down detailed rules for the opening and administration of an import quota for rice originating in Bangladesh, pursuant to Council Regulation (EEC) No 3491/901.
Committee procedure: the report suggested including in the Regulation a provision on the Committee procedure. The Committee should be assisted by the Committee for the Common Organisation of the Agricultural Markets. This Committee should be a committee within the meaning of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011.
Lastly, Members introduced a new Recital stressing that the Regulation needs to be in line with the general provisions of Article 208 of the TFEU as well as with the general objectives of sustainable economic development, decent working conditions and poverty eradication in Bangladesh.