Decision

22 September 2021: Decision No.2/2021 of the Joint Committee for United Kingdom-Palestinian Authority Trade and Cooperation on amending Protocol 1

Published 4 November 2021

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Amending Protocol 1 to the Interim Political, Trade and Partnership Agreement between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 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, of the other part, done at Ramallah on 18 February 2019

THE JOINT COMMITTEE,

Having regard to the Interim Political, Trade and Partnership Agreement between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (“the United Kingdom”), 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 (“the Palestinian Authority”), of the other part, done at Ramallah on 18 February 2019, hereinafter referred to as “the Agreement”,

Whereas:

  1. The Agreement incorporates the provisions of the EU-Palestinian Authority Interim Association Agreement, as amended by the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Union, of the one part, and the Palestinian Authority of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, of the other part, providing further liberalisation of agricultural products, processed agricultural products and fish and fishery products and amending 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, of the other part done at Brussels on 13 April 2011 (“the amended EU–Palestinian Authority Interim Association Agreement”), in effect immediately before the amended EU–Palestinian Authority Interim Association Agreement ceased to apply to the United Kingdom.
  2. Protocol 1 concerning the provisional arrangements applicable to imports into the European Union of agricultural products, processed agricultural products and fish and fishery products originating in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip (“Protocol 1”), as incorporated by the Agreement, provides for the temporary elimination of customs duties and charges having equivalent effect (including their agricultural component) on the import into the United Kingdom of certain products originating in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and listed in chapters 1 to 24 of the Combined Nomenclature (CN) and of the customs tariff of the Palestinian Authority, and those listed in Annex 1(1)(ii) of the Agreement on Agriculture of the GATT, with exception of chemically pure lactose of CN code 1702 11 00 and of glucose and glucose syrup, containing in the dry state, 99 % or more by weight of glucose of CN codes ex 1702 30 50 and ex 1702 30 90 covered by Chapter 1.

  3. Article 9(2) of the Agreement provides that the Joint Committee may amend the Annexes and Protocols to the Agreement.

  4. The Parties consider it appropriate to extend the tariff-free access provided under Protocol 1 in order to facilitate international trade and the future economic development of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

ARTICLE 1

Point 1 of Protocol 1 shall be replaced with the following:

‘1. Customs duties and charges having equivalent effect (including their agricultural component), which are applicable on the import into the United Kingdom of products originating in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and listed in chapters 1 to 24 of the Combined Nomenclature (CN) and of the customs tariff of the Palestinian Authority, and those listed in Annex 1(1)(ii) of the Agreement on Agriculture of the GATT, with exception of chemically pure lactose of CN code 1702 11 00 and of glucose and glucose syrup, containing in the dry state, 99 % or more by weight of glucose of CN codes ex 1702 30 50 and ex 1702 30 90 covered by Chapter 1, shall be temporarily eliminated for a period of 10 years from 1 January 2022. The Joint Committee shall periodically review the operation of this temporary elimination of customs duties and charges having equivalent effect and may decide to further extend or otherwise modify the operation of this, depending on the future economic development of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.’

ARTICLE 2

This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption.

Done in duplicate at London and Ramallah, on 22 September 2021.

For the Joint Committee United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Nick Clements Deputy Director, Department for International Trade

The Palestine Liberation Organization for the benefit of the Palestinian Authority of the West Bank and Gaza Strip

Suha Awadallah

Chief of Staff, Ministry of National Economy

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