30.12.2015   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 440/100

—

having regard to the Commission proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the indication of the country of origin of certain products imported from third countries (COM(2005)0661 — C7-0048/2010 — 2005/0254(COD)),

—

having regard to the report of its Committee on International Trade (A7-0273/2010),

—

having regard to its position at first reading adopted on 21 October 2010 (1),

—

having regard to the annex to the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions entitled ‘Commission Work Programme 2013’, of 23 October 2012 (COM(2012)0629),

—

having regard to all its previous resolutions on origin marking,

—

having regard to Rules 115(5) and 110(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.

whereas on 21 October 2010 it adopted its position at first reading on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the indication of the country of origin of certain products imported from third countries by 525 votes to 49, with 44 abstentions;

B.

whereas, although more than two years have passed, the Council has not yet adopted its common position, leaving the codecision process in a state of stalemate;

C.

whereas in its Work Programme 2013 the Commission indicates that, in addition to the lack of agreement in Council, recent developments in the legal interpretation of WTO rules by that organisation’s Appellate Body have rendered its proposal outdated;

D.

whereas the EU does not have harmonised rules in force on stating the origin of imported goods, except for certain cases in the agriculture sector;

E.

whereas compulsory origin marking schemes have been implemented for certain products by non-EU WTO member countries such as Brazil, Canada, China and the USA;

F.

whereas common provisions are necessary to enhance competitiveness among WTO member countries and to ensure a level playing field with producers in those of the EU’s major partner countries which have implemented origin marking;

G.

whereas information is one of the cornerstones of citizens’ freedom and consumer protection;

1.

Deplores the Commission’s intention to withdraw the proposal for a regulation on the indication of the country of origin for certain products imported from third countries, approved at first reading by Parliament, without having duly informed Parliament in a timely manner and without having provided the colegislators with a detailed explanation of its purpose before taking the decision;

2.

Calls on the Commission to reconsider its planned decision;

3.

Urges the Commission, alternatively, to propose new WTO-compatible legislation that would allow the EU to deal with those issues originally targeted by the initial proposal;

4.

Invites the Commission to inform Parliament of the timeline for the future actions necessary to relaunch the legislative process and overcome the current stalemate;

5.

Calls on the Commission, as a matter of urgency, to initiate a comparative study of the legislative regulations on origin marking currently in force in and implemented in each WTO member country, with a view to analysing the underlying principles and evaluating compatibility with WTO rules;

6.

Recalls, as on previous occasions, the importance of preserving, as part of multilateral trade, a level playing field between EU enterprises and their competitors from third countries and of taking a consistent approach in order to ensure consumer protection; stresses that this is also important in order to give value to high-quality production and environmental and social standards in the present context of global competition, which is particularly relevant for SMEs;

7.

Stresses the need, until such time as new legislation is in place, to use all available means — at regional, national and EU level — more efficiently in order to allow consumers in the single market to make better-informed purchase choices, including through education and by raising public awareness through the mass media;

8.

Calls on the Council to define its common position following Parliament’s first reading in order to permit the normal institutional debate;

9.

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States.