EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Brussels, 12.4.2021
COM(2021) 173 final
2021/0092(NLE)
Proposal for a
COUNCIL DECISION
on the position to be taken, on behalf of the European Union, in the Trade Committee of the Trade Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and Colombia, Peru and Ecuador, of the other part, as regards the amendments to Decisions No 1/2014, No 2/2014, No 3/2014, No 4/2014 and No 5/2014 of the Trade Committee to take account of the accession of Ecuador to the Trade Agreement and to update the lists of arbitrators and of experts in Trade and Sustainable Development
EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
1.Subject-matter of the proposal
This proposal concerns the decision establishing the position to be adopted, on behalf of the European Union, in the Trade Committee of the Trade Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and Colombia, Peru and Ecuador of the other part (hereinafter ‘the Trade Agreement’), to modify the Decisions of the Trade Committee to take into account the accession of Ecuador to the Agreement and to update the list of arbitrators and experts in Trade and Sustainable Development contained therein.
2.Context of the proposal
2.1.The Trade Agreement
The Trade Agreement between the European Union and its Member States of the one part and Colombia and Peru of the other part, was signed in Brussels on 26 June 2012. In accordance with Council Decision 2012/735/EU, the Trade Agreement has been provisionally applied with Peru from 1 March 2013 and with Colombia from 1 August 2013.
The Agreement was amended by the Protocol of Accession to the Trade Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and Colombia and Peru, of the other part, to take account of the accession of Ecuador, signed in Brussels on 11 November 2016. The Trade Agreement is provisionally applied between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and Ecuador, of the other part, from 1 January 2017.
Article 12 of the Trade Agreement establishes the Trade Committee, that comprises representatives of the EU Party and representatives of each signatory Andean Country, at the level of Ministers or the representatives that such levels may designate. The Trade Committee supervises and facilitates the operation of the Trade Agreement and the correct application of its provisions, and considers other ways to attain its general objectives. It evaluates and adopts decisions as envisaged in the Trade Agreement regarding any subject matter which is referred to it by the specialised bodies established according to the Trade Agreement. The Trade Committee adopts its decisions by consensus.
The Trade Committee has adopted decisions that need to be amended to take into account the accession of Ecuador to the Agrement.
Title XII of the Trade Agreement covers all disputes concerning the interpretation or application of the provisions of the Trade Agreement, except as otherwise provided in the Trade Agreement.
Pursuant the Accession of Ecuador, the Trade Committee is to update the Rules of Procedure of the Trade Committee, the Rules of Procedure and Code of Conduct for arbitrators, the list of arbitrators, the Rules of Procedure for the Group of Experts in Trade and Sustainable Development and the Group of Experts on issues covered by the Title on Trade and Sustainable Development.
2.2.The Trade Committee
The Trade Committee established by Article 12 of the Trade Agreement supervises and facilitates the operation of the Trade Agreement and the correct application of its provisions; evaluates the results from the application of the Trade Agreement, in particular the evolution of the trade and economic relations between the Parties; supervises the work of all specialised bodies established under the Trade Agreement and recommends any necessary action; evaluates and adopts decisions regarding any subject matter which is referred to it by the specialised bodies; and adopts its own rules of procedure, as well as its meeting schedule and the agenda for its meetings. The Trade Committee adopts its decisions by consensus. The decisions adopted are binding upon the Parties, which take all necessary measures to implement them. In the cases referred to in Article 12 paragraph 4 of the Trade Agreement, any decision shall be adopted by the EU Party and the signatory Andean Country concerned and shall have effect only between those Parties, provided that such decisions do not affect the rights and obligations of another signatory Andean Country (Article 14 paragraph 3).
3.Position to be adopted on behalf of the Union
This proposal for a Council Decision establishes the position to be adopted, on behalf of the European Union, in the Trade Committee of the Trade Agreement between the European Union and its Member States of the one part and Colombia, Ecuador and Peru of the other part, to modify the Decisions of the Trade Committee to take into account the accession of Ecuador to the Trade Agreement and to update the list of arbitrators and experts in Trade and Sustainable Development contained therein.
The decision establishing this list of arbitrators from Ecuador should have been taken at the first meeting of the Trade Committee, and must now be taken as soon as possible to fully implement Title XII of the Trade Agreement on Dispute Settlement.
The Parties to the Trade Agreement discussed the envisaged Decision of the Trade Committee and agreed that, subject to the Union's decision-making procedures, the Trade Committee should adopt this Decision in the second half of 2020.
The Decision is essential for completing the institutional framework of the Trade Agreement and hence for ensuring a smooth implementation of the Trade Agreement.
4.Legal basis
4.1.Procedural legal basis
4.1.1.Principles
Article 218(9) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) provides for decisions establishing ‘the positions to be adopted on the Union’s behalf in a body set up by an agreement, when that body is called upon to adopt acts having legal effects, with the exception of acts supplementing or amending the institutional framework of the agreement.’
The notion of ‘acts having legal effects’ includes acts that have legal effects by virtue of the rules of international law governing the body in question. It also includes instruments that do not have a binding effect under international law, but that are ‘capable of decisively influencing the content of the legislation adopted by the EU legislature’.
4.1.2.Application to the present case
The Trade Committee is a body set up by an agreement, namely the Trade Agreement between the European Union and its Member States of the one part and Colombia and Peru of the other part.
The decision which the Trade Committee is called upon to adopt constitutes an act having binding legal effects, in accordance with Article 14 paragraph 2 of the Trade Agreement. The envisaged act does not supplement or amend the institutional framework of the Trade Agreement.
The procedural legal basis for the proposed decision is, therefore, Article 218(9) TFEU.
4.2.Substantive legal basis
4.2.1.Principles
The substantive legal basis for a decision under Article 218(9) TFEU depends primarily on the objective and content of the envisaged act in respect of which a position is adopted on behalf of the Union. If the envisaged act pursues two aims or has two components and if one of those aims or components is identifiable as the main one, whereas the other is merely incidental, the decision under Article 218(9) TFEU must be founded on a single substantive legal basis, namely that required by the main or predominant aim or component.
4.2.2.Application to the present case
The main objective and content of the envisaged act, i.e. amend Decisions No 1/2014, No 2/2014, No 3/2014, No 4/2014 and No 5/2014 of the Trade Committee to inter alia update the lists of arbitrators and of experts in Trade and Sustainable Development contained therein, fall under the common commercial policy.
The substantive legal basis of the proposed decision is, therefore, Article 207 TFEU and in particular its paragraph 4.
4.3.Conclusion
The legal basis of the proposed decision should be the first subparagraph of Article 207(4) TFEU, in conjunction with Article 218(9) thereof.
5.Publication of the envisaged act
As the act of the Council will amend Decisions No 1/2014, No 2/2014, No 3/2014, No 4/2014 and No 5/2014 of the Trade Committee, it is appropriate to publish it in the Official Journal of the European Union after its adoption.
2021/0092 (NLE)
Proposal for a
COUNCIL DECISION
on the position to be taken, on behalf of the European Union, in the Trade Committee of the Trade Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and Colombia, Peru and Ecuador, of the other part, as regards the amendments to Decisions No 1/2014, No 2/2014, No 3/2014, No 4/2014 and No 5/2014 of the Trade Committee to take account of the accession of Ecuador to the Trade Agreement and to update the lists of arbitrators and of experts in Trade and Sustainable Development
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 207(4), first subparagraph, in conjunction with Article 218(9) thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,
Whereas:
(1)The Trade Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and Colombia and Peru, of the other part (‘the Trade Agreement’) was signed in Brussels on 26 June 2012. In accordance with Council Decision 2012/735/EU, the Trade Agreement has been provisionally applied between the Union and its Member States and Peru from 1 March 2013, and Colombia from 1 August 2013.
(2)The Trade Agreement was amended by the Protocol of Accession to take account of the accession of Ecuador, signed in Brussels on 11 November 2016. In accordance with Council Decision 2012/735/EU, the Trade Agreement has been provisionally applied between the Union and its Member States and Ecuador from 1 January 2017.
(3)In accordance with Article 13(2), point (g)(vi), of the Trade Agreement, the Trade Committee may advance in the achievement of the objectives of the Trade Agreement by means of modifications provided for therein, of other provisions subject to modifications by the Trade Committee pursuant to an explicit provision of the Trade Agreement.
(4)Pursuant to Article 13(5) of the Trade Agreement, in the exercise of any of the functions set out in that Article 13, the Trade Committee may adopt any decision as envisaged in the Trade Agreement.
(5)The Trade Committee is to adopt, by written procedure, a decision to amend its Decisions No 1/2014, No 2/2014, No 3/2014, No 4/2014 and No 5/2014.
(6)It is appropriate to establish the position to be taken on the Union's behalf in the Trade Committee, as the decision will be binding on the Union.
(7)Decision No 1/2014 of the Trade Committee provided for the adoption of its Rules of Procedure pursuant to Article 13(1), point (j), of the Trade Agreement.
(8)Decision No 2/2014 of the Trade Committee provided for the adoption of the Rules of Procedure and Code of Conduct for arbitrators pursuant to Article 13(1), point (h), and Article 315 of the Trade Agreement.
(9)Decision No 3/2014 of the Trade Committee provided for the establishment of the lists of arbitrators pursuant to Article 304(1) and (4) of the Trade Agreement.
(10)Decision No 4/2014 of the Trade Committee provided for the adoption of the Rules of Procedure for the Group of Experts in Trade and Sustainable Development pursuant to Article 284(6) of the Trade Agreement.
(11)Decision No 5/2014 of the Trade Committee provided for the establishment of a Group of Experts in issues covered by the Title on Trade and Sustainable Development pursuant to Article 284(3) of the Trade Agreement.
(12)In order to take account of the accession of Ecuador to the Trade Agreement and of the need to update the lists of arbitrators and of experts in Trade and Sustainable Development, Decisions No 1/2014, No 2/2014, No 3/2014, No 4/2014 and No 5/2014 of the Trade Committee should be amended accordingly,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
Article 1
The position to be taken on the Union's behalf in the Trade Committee of the Trade Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and Colombia, Peru and Ecuador, of the other part, as regards the amendments to Decisions No 1/2014, No 2/2014, No 3/2014, No 4/2014 and No 5/2014 of the Trade Committee shall be based on the draft decision of the Trade Committee attached to this Decision.
Article 2
After its adoption, the decision of the Trade Committee shall be published in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Article 3
This Decision is addressed to the Commission.
Done at Brussels,
For the Council
The President
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Brussels, 12.4.2021
COM(2021) 173 final
ANNEX
to the
Proposal for a Council Decision
on the position to be taken, on behalf of the European Union, in the Trade Committee of the Trade Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and Colombia, Peru and Ecuador, of the other part, as regards the amendments to Decisions No 1/2014, No 2/2014, No 3/2014, No 4/2014 and No 5/2014 of the Trade Committee to take account of the accession of Ecuador to the Trade Agreement and to update the lists of arbitrators and of experts in Trade and Sustainable Development
DRAFT
DECISION 2/2021 OF THE EU-COLOMBIA-PERU-ECUADOR TRADE COMMITTEE
of XXX
amending Decisions No 1/2014, No 2/2014, No 3/2014, No 4/2014 and No 5/2014 to take account of the accession of Ecuador to the Trade Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and Colombia, Peru and Ecuador , of the other part, and to update the lists of arbitrators and of experts in Trade and Sustainable Development
THE TRADE COMMITTEE,
Having regard to the Trade Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and Colombia, Peru and Ecuador, of the other part (hereinafter ‘the Trade Agreement’), and in particular Article 13 thereof,
Whereas:
(1)In accordance with Article 13(2), point (g)(vi), of the Agreement, the Trade Committee may advance in the achievement of the objectives of the Agreement by means of modifications provided for therein, of, other provisions subject to modifications by the Trade Committee pursuant to an explicit provision of the Agreement. Pursuant to Article 13(5) of the Agreement, in the exercise of any of the functions set out in that Article, the Trade Committee may adopt any decision as envisaged in the Agreement.
(2)Decision No 1/2014 provided for the adoption of its Rules of Procedure pursuant to Article 13(1), point (j), of the Agreement.
(3)Decision No 2/2014 provided for the adoption of the Rules of Procedure and Code of Conduct for arbitrators pursuant to Article 13(1), point (h), and Article 315 of the Agreement.
(4)Decision No 3/2014 provided for the establishment of the lists of arbitrators pursuant to Article 304(1) and (4) of the Agreement.
(5)Decision No 4/2014 provided for the adoption of the Rules of Procedure for the Group of Experts in Trade and Sustainable Development pursuant to Article 284(6) of the Agreement.
(6)Decision No 5/2014 provided for the establishment of a Group of Experts on issues covered by the Title on Trade and Sustainable Development pursuant to Article 284(3) of the Agreement.
(7)In order to take account of the accession of Ecuador to the Trade Agreement and of the need to update the lists of arbitrators and of experts in Trade and Sustainable Development, Decisions No 1/2014, No 2/2014, No 3/2014, No 4/2014 and No 5/2014 of the Trade Committee should be amended accordingly,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
Article 1
The Annex to Decision No 1/2014 of the EU-Colombia-Peru Trade Committee of 16 May 2014 on the adoption of the Rules of Procedure referred to in point (j) of Article 13(1) of the Trade Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and Colombia and Peru, of the other part [2015/1045], is amended as follows:
(1)Article 1 is amended as follows:
(a) paragraph 1 is replaced by the following:
ʽ1. The Trade Committee that is established in accordance with Article 12 of the Trade Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and Colombia, Peru and Ecuador, of the other part (‘the Agreement’), shall perform its duties as provided for in Article 12 of the Agreement and take responsibility for the operation and correct application of the Agreement.ʼ,
(b) paragraph 3 is replaced by the following:
ʽ3. The Trade Committee shall be chaired on a rotational basis for a period of one year by the Minister for Trade, Industry and Tourism of Colombia, the Minister for Foreign Trade and Tourism of Peru, the Minister of Production, Foreign Trade, Investment and Fisheries of Ecuador, or the Member of the European Commission responsible for Trade. The first period shall begin on the date of the first Trade Committee meeting and end on 31 December of the same year. The Chairperson may arrange to be represented by respective designees as provided for in Article 12(2) of the Agreement.ʼ;
(2)in Article 3, paragraph 1 is replaced by the following:
ʽ1. The Trade Committee shall meet once a year or at the request of either Party, as provided for in Article 12(2) of the Agreement. The meetings shall be held on a rotational basis, in Bogota, Brussels, Lima and Quito, unless the Parties agree otherwise.ʼ.
Article 2
The Annex to Decision No 2/2014 of the EU-Colombia-Peru Trade Committee of 16 May 2014 on the adoption of the Rules of Procedure and Code of Conduct for arbitrators, referred to in point (h) of Article 13(1) and Article 315 of the Trade Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and Colombia and Peru, of the other part [2015/1046], is amended as follows:
(1)in Rule 1, point (a) is replaced by the following:
‘(a) ‘the Agreement’ means the Trade Agreement between Colombia and Peru, of the one part, and the European Union and its Member States, of the other part, signed in Brussels on 26 June 2012, as amended by the Protocol of Accession of Ecuador to the Agreement, signed on 11 November 2016;’
(2)Rule 7 is replaced by the following:
‘7. If the last day for delivery of a document falls on a legal holiday of Colombia, Peru, Ecuador or of the EU, the document may be delivered on the next business day.’
(3)Rule 33 is replaced by the following:
‘33. Unless the disputing parties agree otherwise, the hearing shall be held in Brussels if the complaining Party is Colombia, Peru or Ecuador and in Bogota, Lima or Quito, as the case may be, if the complaining Party is the EU.’
Article 3
The Annex to Decision No 3/2014 of the EU-Colombia-Peru Trade Committee of 16 May 2014, establishment of the lists of arbitrators, referred to in Article 304(1) and (4) of the Trade Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and Colombia and Peru, of the other part [2015/1047], is amended as follows:
(1)the ‘List of arbitrators referred to in Article 304(1) of the Agreement’ is amended as follows:
(a) in the list of ‘Arbitrators proposed by Colombia’, points 2 and 3 are replaced by the following:
ʻ2.Javier Gamboa
3.Claudia Orozco’,
(b)the following list is inserted between the list of ‘Arbitrators proposed by Colombia’ and the list of ‘Arbitrators proposed by the EU’:
‘Arbitrators proposed by Ecuador
1.Hugo Perezcano Díaz
2.Alejandro Sánchez
3.Carlos Vejar
4.Alan Yanovich
5.Andrés Jana’,
(c) in the list of ‘Arbitrators proposed by Peru’, points 4 and 5 are replaced by the following:
ʽ4.Victor Saco
5.Javier Hernando Illescas Mucha’,
(d) in the list of ‘Chairpersons’, point 2 is replaced by the following:
ʻ2.Pedro Negueloaetcheverry (Ecuador)’
(2)the ‘Additional list of arbitrators with sectorial experience on specific subjects covered by the agreement referred to in Article 304(4) of the Agreement’ is amended as follows:
(a) under the heading ‘Trade in Goods experts’, the following list is inserted between the list of ‘Arbitrators proposed by Colombia’ and the list of ‘Arbitrators proposed by the EU’:
‘Arbitrators proposed by Ecuador
1.Pablo Bentes
2.Jan Bohanes
3.Sofía Bonilla’,
(b) under the heading ‘Experts in areas of Trade in Services, Establishments, Competition, Intellectual Property Rights or Government Procurement’, the following list is inserted between the list of ‘Arbitrators proposed by Colombia’ and the list of ‘Arbitrators proposed by the EU’:
‘Arbitrators proposed by Ecuador
1.Gustavo Guerra
2.Alfredo Corral
3.Genaro Eguiguren’,
(c) under the heading ‘Experts in areas of Trade in Services, Establishments, Competition, Intellectual Property Rights or Government Procurement’, in the List of Chairpersons, point 2 is replaced by the following:
ʻ2.Tania Voonʼ
Article 4
The Annex to Decision No 4/2014 of the EU-Colombia-Peru Trade Committee of 16 May 2014 on the adoption of the Rules of Procedure for the Group of Experts in Trade and Sustainable Development referred to in Article 284(6) of the Trade Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and Colombia and Peru, of the other part [2015/1048], is amended as follows:
(1) in Rule 1, point (a) is replaced by the following:
ʽ(a)‘the Agreement’ means the Trade Agreement between Colombia and Peru, of the one part, and the European Union and its Member States, of the other part, signed on 26 June 2012, as amended by the Protocol of Accession of Ecuador to the Agreement, signed on 11 November 2016.’
Article 5
The Annex to Decision No 5/2014 of the EU-Colombia-Peru Trade Committee of 16 May 2014, establishing a Group of Experts on issues covered by the Title on Trade and Sustainable Development, referred to in Article 284(3) of the Trade Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and Colombia and Peru, of the other part [2015/1049], is amended as follows:
(1)in the ‘List of experts’, the following points 13, 14, 15 and 16 are added:
‘13.María Amparo Albán
14.Alice Tipping
15.Leopoldo González
16.Fabián Jaramillo’;
(2)in the list of ‘Chairpersons’, the following points 7 and 8 are added:
‘7.Jacob Olander
8.Martín Padulla’.
Article 6
This Decision shall enter into force on […].
This Decision shall be drawn up in the official languages of the Parties to the Agreement, each of these texts being equally authentic
Done at […]
For the Trade Committee