ADDITIONAL PROTOCOL

to the Agreement between the European Economic Community and the Kingdom of Norway

THE EUROPEAN UNION

and

THE KINGDOM OF NORWAY

HAVING REGARD to the Agreement between the European Economic Community and the Kingdom of Norway signed on 14 May 1973, hereinafter called the ‘Agreement’, and to the existing arrangements for trade in fish and fishery products between Norway and the Community,

HAVING REGARD to the Additional Protocol to the Agreement between the European Economic Community and the Kingdom of Norway concerning special provisions applicable for the period 2009-2014 to imports into the Union of certain fish and fishery products, and in particular Article 1 thereof,

HAVING REGARD to the Additional Protocol to the Agreement between the European Economic Community and the Kingdom of Norway consequent to the accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union, and in particular Article 2 and 3 thereof,

HAVE DECIDED TO CONCLUDE THIS PROTOCOL:

Article 1

1.   The special provisions applicable to imports into the European Union of certain fish and fishery products originating in Norway are laid down in this Protocol and the Annex thereto.

2.   The annual duty-free tariff quotas are set out in the Annex to this Protocol. These quotas shall cover the period from 1 May 2014 to 30 April 2021. The quota levels shall be reviewed by the end of the period taking into account all relevant interests.

Article 2

1.   The tariff quotas shall be opened on the day on which the provisional application of this Protocol becomes effective, according to procedures laid down in paragraph 3 of Article 5.

2.   The first tariff quota shall be available from the date of provisional application of this Protocol until 30 April 2017. From 1 May 2017 onwards, subsequent tariff quotas shall be allocated annually from 1 May to 30 April until the end of the period referred to in Article 1 of this Protocol.

3.   The tariff quota volumes covering the period from 1 May 2014 until the provisional application this Protocol shall be proportionally allocated and made available for the rest of the period referred to in Article 1 of this Protocol.

Article 3

Norway shall take the necessary steps to ensure the continuation of the arrangement allowing for free transit of fish and fishery products landed in Norway from vessels flying the flag of a Member State of the European Union.

Taking into account the period from 1 May 2014 to the provisional application of this Protocol when the transit arrangement was not in place, the arrangement shall apply for seven years from the day on which the provisional application of this Protocol becomes effective.

Article 4

The rules of origin applicable for the tariff quotas listed in the Annex to this Protocol shall be those set out in Protocol 3 to the Agreement between the European Economic Community and the Kingdom of Norway signed on 14 May 1973.

Article 5

1.   This Protocol shall be ratified or approved by the Parties in accordance with their own procedures. The instruments of ratification or approval shall be deposited with the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union.

2.   It shall enter into force on the first day of the second month following after the last instrument of ratification or approval has been deposited.

3.   Pending the completion of the procedures referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2, this Protocol shall be applied on a provisional basis from the first day of the third month following the deposit of the last notification to this effect.

Article 6

This Protocol, drawn up in a single original, in the Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish and Norwegian languages, the text in each of these texts being equally authentic, shall be deposited with the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union, which will remit a certified copy to each of the Parties.