Council Regulation (EU) 2020/874 of 15 June 2020 amending Regulation (EU) No 1387/2013 suspending the autonomous Common Customs Tariff duties on certain agricultural and industrial products
Council Regulation (EU) 2020/874of 15 June 2020amending Regulation (EU) No 1387/2013 suspending the autonomous Common Customs Tariff duties on certain agricultural and industrial productsTHE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 31 thereof,Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,Whereas:(1)In order to ensure a sufficient and uninterrupted supply of certain agricultural and industrial products which are not produced in the Union and thereby avoid any disturbances in the market for those products, Common Customs Tariff (CCT) duties of the type referred to in Article 56(2)(c) of Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilRegulation (EU) No 952/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 October 2013 laying down the Union Customs Code (OJ L 269, 10.10.2013, p. 1). ("CCT duties") on those products have been suspended by Council Regulation (EU) No 1387/2013Council Regulation (EU) No 1387/2013 of 17 December 2013 suspending the autonomous Common Customs Tariff duties on certain agricultural and industrial products and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1344/2011 (OJ L 354, 28.12.2013, p. 201).. Those products can be imported into the Union at reduced or zero duty rates.(2)The Union production of certain products that are not listed in the Annex to Regulation (EU) No 1387/2013 is inadequate or non-existent. It is therefore in the interest of the Union to grant a total suspension of the CCT duties on those products.(3)With a view to promoting integrated battery production in the Union in accordance with the communication from the Commission of 17 May 2018 entitled "Europe on the Move – Sustainable Mobility for Europe: safe, connected, and clean", a partial suspension of the CCT duties should be granted in respect of certain products that are not listed in the Annex to Regulation (EU) No 1387/2013. In addition, only a partial suspension of the CCT duties should be granted in respect of certain products that are currently subject to complete suspensions. The date for the mandatory review of those suspensions should be 31 December 2020 in order for that review to have regard to the evolution of the battery sector in the Union.(4)In respect of the products on the candidate list referred to in Article 59 of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilRegulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), establishing a European Chemicals Agency, amending Directive 1999/45/EC and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 793/93 and Commission Regulation (EC) No 1488/94 as well as Council Directive 76/769/EEC and Commission Directives 91/155/EEC, 93/67/EEC, 93/105/EC and 2000/21/EC (OJ L 396, 30.12.2006, p. 1)., only a partial suspension of the CCT duties should be granted. The date for the mandatory review of those suspensions should be 31 December 2021, in order to allow economic operators to replace such products with alternatives.(5)It is necessary to amend the product description, classification and end-use requirement for certain CCT duty suspensions listed in the Annex to Regulation (EU) No 1387/2013 in order to take into account technical product developments and economic trends in the market.(6)It is no longer in the interest of the Union to maintain suspensions of CCT duties for certain products listed in the Annex to Regulation (EU) No 1387/2013. The suspensions for those products should therefore be withdrawn.(7)Regulation (EU) No 1387/2013 should therefore be amended accordingly.(8)In order to avoid any interruption of the application of the autonomous suspension scheme and to comply with the guidelines in the communication from the Commission of 13 December 2011 concerning autonomous tariff suspensions and quotas, the changes provided for in this Regulation regarding the suspensions for the products concerned should apply from 1 July 2020. This Regulation should therefore enter into force as a matter of urgency,HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: