The European Parliament adopted by 685 votes to 5, with 5 abstentions, following a special legislative procedure (consultation), a legislative resolution on the proposal for a Council decision concerning the dock dues scheme in the French outermost regions and amending Decision No 940/2014/EU.
Parliament approved the Commission proposal without amendments.
The proposal establishes the legal framework for dock dues applicable after 30 June 2021 by providing for new derogation arrangements for the period from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2027, including a revision of the current provisions to make the scheme more flexible and transparent.
In parallel, it extends Decision No 940/2014/EU by six months, until 31 December 2021, to give France time to transpose the new arrangements applicable between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2027 into its national law.
The proposed extension of the derogation from the tax rules is justified by the economic difficulties inherent in production in the outermost regions and by the need to compensate for the competitive disadvantages suffered by the outermost regions in order to maintain local production.