PURPOSE: to include Bulgaria and Romania in the stabilisation and association agreement concluded between the EU and Albania.
PROPOSED ACT: Council Decision.
CONTENT: the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Albania, of the other part, was signed in Luxemburg on 12 June 2006 (please refer to AVC/2006/0044).
On 23 October 2006, the Council authorised the Commission to open negotiations, on behalf of the Community and its Member States, with the Republic of Albania in order to conclude a Protocol to the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Albania, of the other part, to take account of the accession of the Republic of Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union.
Negotiating rounds with Albania took place on 22 November 2006 and 1 February 2007. They continued by exchanges of letters on 2 April, 21 May, 9 July and 12 September 2007. The Protocol was initialled by the Commission and the Government of the Republic of Albania on 7 January 2008.
The aim of this proposal is to approve this protocol on behalf of the Community. To do this, the proposal uses a specific procedure.
The text of the initialled protocol is attached.