General System Preference

31.10.2012

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 303/1

I

(Legislative acts)

REGULATIONS

REGULATION (EU) No 978/2012 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 25 October 2012 applying a scheme of generalised tariff preferences and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 732/2008

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, (4)

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 207 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national parliaments,

The Union’s common commercial policy is to be consistent with and to consolidate the objectives of the Union policy in the field of development cooperation, laid down in Article 208 of the Treaty on the Func­ tioning of the European Union (TFEU), in particular the eradication of poverty and the promotion of sustainable development and good governance in the developing countries. It is to comply with World Trade Organisation (WTO) requirements, in particular with the Decision on Differential and More Favourable Treatment, Reciprocity and Fuller Participation of Developing Countries (the ‘Enabling Clause’), adopted under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in 1979, under which WTO Members may accord differential and more favourable treatment to developing countries.

Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure (1),

(5)

Whereas:

The Commission Communication of 7 July 2004 entitled ‘Developing countries, international trade and sustainable development: the function of the Community’s gener­ alised system of preferences (GSP) for the 10-year period from 2006 to 2015’ sets out the guidelines for the application of the scheme of generalised tariff pref­ erences for the period 2006 to 2015.

(1)

Since 1971, the Community has granted trade pref­ erences to developing countries under its scheme of generalised...