Attachment

THE JOINT COMMITTEE,

Having regard to Decision No 2/2000 of the EC-Mexico Joint Council of 23 March 2000^f1 and its Annex III, and in particular Article 38 of Annex III,

Whereas:

Annex III to Decision No 2/2000 (‘Annex III’) sets out the rules of origin for the products originating in the territory of the Parties to the Economic Partnership, Political Coordination and Cooperation Agreement between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the United Mexican States, of the other part, signed in Brussels on 8 December 1997^f2 (‘the Agreement’).

The European Union has in place customs unions with the Principality of Andorra and with the Republic of San Marino, respectively, and, as a result, goods originating in Mexico benefit from preferential treatment when exported to those two countries.

It has been agreed that Mexico will accept products falling within Chapters 25 to 97 of the Harmonized System originating in the Principality of Andorra and products falling within Chapters 1 to 97 of the Harmonised System originating in the Republic of San Marino as products originating in the European Union within the meaning of Annex III.

An Appendix VI should therefore be added to Annex III to allow those products to be treated, when imported into Mexico, in a similar way to products originating in the European Union, and to establish provisions regarding the application of Annex III to those products.

On … the Joint Committee adopted Decision No 1/2017^{f3 f4}, which extends the application of the rules of origin established in Notes 2 and 3 of Appendix II(a) to Annex III (‘Notes 2 and 3’) for the fourth time. The extension provided for in Decision No 1/2017 applies until 31 December 2019.

It is appropriate to extend the application of the rules of origin established in Notes 2 and 3 on a permanent basis, because they are in line with the principles of the modernisation of the Agreement.

Annex III should therefore be amended accordingly,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: