EU approves Pakistan deal on tariff-rate quotas after Brexit

The Council of the European Union has approved, on behalf of the Union, the agreement in the form of an exchange of letters with the Islamic Republic of Pakistan that reapportions all the tariff-rate quotas included in the EU Schedule CLXXV following the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union. The approval is set out in Council Decision (EU) 2026/1953 of 10 July 2026, published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 21 August 2026, together with the text of the agreement itself in OJ L 2026/1954.

The agreement is concluded pursuant to Article XXVIII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994, which governs the modification of concessions and the renegotiation of tariff commitments. It affects agricultural trade and the import operators who manage the EU’s tariff-rate quotas, and it recognises Pakistan’s initial negotiating rights over husked brown rice.

Background of the negotiation

The process began on 15 June 2018, when the Council authorised the Commission to open negotiations under Article XXVIII of the GATT on the apportionment of the tariff-rate quotas in the EU Schedule CLXXV as a consequence of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal. Negotiations with Pakistan were concluded on 25 January 2021 with the initialling of the agreement, and the text was signed on behalf of the Union on 3 February 2026, subject to later conclusion, in accordance with Council Decision (EU) 2021/524 of 22 March 2021.

The European Parliament gave its consent on 17 June 2026, clearing the way for the Council’s final approval. The decision was adopted in Brussels on 10 July 2026 and entered into force on the date of its adoption.

Content of the agreement

Under the exchange of letters, Pakistan agrees with the principle and methodology of apportioning the EU’s scheduled quantitative commitments in the form of tariff-rate quotas that previously included the United Kingdom. The apportionment follows the shares set out in WTO document G/SECRET/42/Add.2, with the EU taking on the quantity that no longer includes the UK and the remainder taken on by the United Kingdom.

• The EU recognises that Pakistan is holding separate consultations with the UK on the remainder of the original EU tariff-rate quotas.
• The agreement is without prejudice to negotiations between the EU and other WTO Members holding rights under Article XXVIII of the GATT.
• The EU undertakes to consult Pakistan if the outcome of those negotiations were to change the shares set out in document G/SECRET/42/Add.2.
• The EU acknowledges that Pakistan holds Initial Negotiating Rights (INRs) with respect to tariff line 10062000, husked brown rice, as recognised in WTO document G/SECRET/18/Add.3 of 19 June 2013.

Entry into force

The EU and Pakistan shall notify each other of the completion of their internal procedures for the entry into force of the agreement, which will take effect on the date of the last notification. The date of entry into force will be published in the Official Journal by the General Secretariat of the Council.

For EU import operators and the agricultural sector, the agreement provides legal certainty on the volumes of tariff-rate quotas available after the UK’s departure, notably for rice and other products covered by the EU’s Schedule CLXXV. It also preserves Pakistan’s negotiating rights over husked brown rice, a key export line, while leaving the door open to further adjustments should negotiations with other WTO members alter the agreed shares.

Source: Official Journal of the European Union, L series, 21.8.2026 (official reference: Council Decision (EU) 2026/1953, CELEX L_202601953; Agreement, CELEX L_202601954).