Imports of textile products from certain third countries not covered by bilateral agreements, protocols or other arrangements, or by other specific Union import rules. Recast

The Committee on International Trade adopted the report by Jarosław WAŁĘSA (EPP, PL) on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on common rules for imports of textile products from certain third countries not covered by bilateral agreements, protocols or other arrangements, or by other specific Union import rules (recast).

The proposal is part of an alignment exercise following the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon to ensure that the previous decision making procedures in trade policy were aligned to the new regime of delegated and implementing acts.

The committee recommended that the European Parliament’s position adopted at first reading following the ordinary legislative procedure should amend the Commission proposal. The amendments aim to make the proposal clearer and enhance legal certainty. They aim to:

·         stipulate that implementing acts are no longer adopted by the Council, but by the Commission following the new comitology procedure;

·         keep in force, in its amended version, Annex VII on Outward Processing Traffic (OPT) from Council Regulation (EEC) 3030/93, which is in the process of being repealed and transferred to the recast version as OPT is still in use;

·         transfer CN code 3005 90 31 Gauze and articles of gauze from Council Regulation (EEC) 3030/93, which is in the process of being repealed, to Annex I.A under category 163 of the recast version. This specific product was used in the past with China and might be used again in future.