PURPOSE: to conclude the Agreement between the European Union and the United Arab Emirates on the short-stay visa waiver.
PROPOSED ACT: Council Decision.
ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: Council may adopt the act only if Parliament has given its consent to the act.
BACKGROUND: the Commission has negotiated on behalf of the EU, an Agreement with the United Arab Emirates on the short-stay visa waiver.
In accordance with a Council Decision, the Agreement has been signed and is applied on a provisional basis.
It is now necessary to approve this Agreement on behalf of the European Union.
CONTENT: under this proposal, the Council is invited to approve the Agreement between the European Union and the United Arab Emirates on the short-stay visa waiver.
For further details on the content of the Agreement, please refer to the summary of the initial legislative proposal dated 5.3.2015.
Territorial provisions: the provisions of the Agreement do not apply to the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The Agreement sets up a Joint Committee of experts for the management of the Agreement. The Union is to be represented within that Joint Committee by the Commission, which should be assisted by the representatives of the Member States.