Council Decision (EU) 2024/3025 of 21 November 2024 on the position to be adopted on behalf of the European Union within the Joint Committee established by the Euro-Mediterranean Interim Association Agreement on trade and cooperation between the European Community, of the one part, and the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) for the benefit of the Palestinian Authority of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, of the other part, with regard to a decision establishing the general requirements for proofs of origin issued electronically under Article 17(4) of Appendix A to Protocol 3 to that Agreement

Official Journal EN of the European Union L series 2024/3025 11.12.2024 COUNCIL DECISION (EU) 2024/3025 of 21 November 2024 on the position to be adopted on behalf of the European Union within the Joint Committee established by the Euro-Mediterranean Interim Association Agreement on trade and cooperation between the European Community, of the one part, and the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) for the benefit of the Palestinian Authority of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, of the other part, with regard to a decision establishing the general requirements for proofs of origin issued electronically under Article 17(4) of Appendix A to Protocol 3 to that Agreement 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 Euro-Mediterranean Interim Association Agreement on trade and cooperation between the European Community, of the one part, and the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) for the benefit of the Palestinian Authority of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, of the other part (the ‘Agreement’) was concluded by the Union by Council Decision 97/430/EC (1) and entered into force on 1 July 1997. (2) Pursuant to Article 63 of the Agreement, the Joint Committee, established under that Article (the ‘Joint Committee’), may take decisions in the cases provided for in the Agreement. (3) At its next meeting, the Joint Committee is to take a decision establishing the general requirements for proofs of origin issued electronically. (4) It is appropriate to establish the position to be adopted on the Union’s behalf within the Joint Committee as the decision of the Joint Committee will have legal effects. (5) The Regional Convention on pan-Euro-Mediterranean preferential rules of origin (the ‘Convention’) was concluded by the Union by Council Decision 2013/94/EU (2) and entered into force in relation to the Union on 1 May 2012. By Decision (EU) 2019/2198 (3), the Council supported the amendment of the Convention providing for a new set of modernised and more flexible rules of origin (the ‘amendment of the Convention’). The amendment of the Convention will enter into force on 1 January 2025. (6) At the technical meeting held in Brussels on 5 February 2020, the majority of the Contracting Parties to the Convention agreed to implement an alternative set of rules of origin, based on the amendment of the Convention on a transitional, bilateral basis (the ‘Transitional rules’). The Transitional rules apply in parallel with the rules of the Convention, pending the entry into force of the amendment of the Convention. (7) The application of the Transitional rules ensures the adaptation of the trade flows and customs practices pending the entry into force of the amendment of the Convention. (1) Council Decision 97/430/EC of 2 June 1997 concerning the conclusion of the Euro-Mediterranean Interim Association Agreement on trade and cooperation between the European Community, of the one part, and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) for the benefit of the Palestinian Authority of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip (OJ L 187, 16.7.1997, p. 1). (2) Council Decision 2013/94/EU of 26 March 2012 on the conclusion of the Regional Convention on pan-Euro-Mediterranean preferential rules of origin (OJ L 54, 26.2.2013, p. 3). (3) Council Decision (EU) 2019/2198 of 25 November 2019 on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union within the Joint Committee established by the Regional Convention on pan-Euro-Mediterranean preferential rules of origin as regards the amendment of the Convention (OJ L 339, 30.12.2019, p. 1). ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2024/3025/oj 1/2EN OJ L, 11.12.2024 (8) Since 1 September 2021, a number of bilateral protocols on rules of origin among several Contracting Parties to the Convention (4) have entered into force, rendering the Transitional rules applicable pending the entry into force of the amendment of the Convention. As regards the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) for the benefit of the Palestinian Authority of the West Bank and Gaza Strip (‘Palestine’), Protocol 3 to the Agreement was replaced by a new Protocol 3 by Decision No 1/2021 of the EU-PLO Joint Committee (5). The Transitional rules are set out in Appendix A to that new Protocol 3. (9) The main two objectives of the Transitional rules are, firstly, to provide for less strict rules, making it easier for goods to qualify for preferential originating status and, secondly, to enable the use of proofs of origin that have been issued electronically and/or submitted electronically. (10) The Union and Palestine have agreed to apply Article 17(4) of Appendix A to Protocol 3 to the Agreement, as regards proofs of origin issued electronically. Therefore, a framework of general requirements for proofs of origin issued electronically should be determined. (11) The position of the Union within the Joint Committee should therefore be based on the attached draft decision, HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: Article 1 The position to be adopted on the Union’s behalf within the Joint Committee established by the Euro-Mediterranean Interim Association Agreement on trade and cooperation between the European Community, of the one part, and the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) for the benefit of the Palestinian Authority of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, of the other part (the ‘Agreement’) at its next meeting, with regard to a decision establishing the general requirements for proofs of origin issued electronically under Article 17(4) of Appendix A to Protocol 3 to that Agreement, shall be based on the draft decision of the Joint Committee attached to this Decision. Article 2 This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption and shall expire on 31 December 2025. Done at Brussels, 21 November 2024. For the Council The President SZIJJÁRTÓ P. (4) The European Union, Iceland, the Swiss Confederation (including Liechtenstein), the Kingdom of Norway, the Faroe Islands, the State of Israel, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Palestine (this designation shall not be construed as recognition of a State of Palestine and is without prejudice to the individual positions of the Member States on this issue), the Republic of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo (this designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence), the Republic of North Macedonia, the Republic of Serbia, Montenegro, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. (5) Decision No 1/2021 of the EU-PLO Joint Committee of 30 August 2021 amending the Euro-Mediterranean Interim Association Agreement on trade and cooperation between the European Community, of the one part, and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) for the benefit of the Palestinian Authority of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, of the other part, by replacing Protocol 3 thereto concerning the definition of the concept of ‘originating products’ and methods of administrative cooperation (OJ L 328, 16.9.2021, p. 23). 2/2 ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2024/3025/oj