EC/Kyrgyzstan Partnership and Cooperation Agreement: accession of Croatia to the EU. Protocol

2017/0185(NLE)

PURPOSE: to conclude a Protocol to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement establishing a partnership between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Kyrgyz Republic, of the other part, to take account of the accession of Croatia to the European Union.

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: in accordance with its Act of Accession, Croatia has undertaken to accede to the international agreements signed or concluded by the European Union and its Member States by means of a Protocol to those Agreements.

The Partnership and Cooperation Agreement establishing a partnership between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Kyrgyz Republic, of the other part, was signed in Brussels on 9 February 1995 and entered into force on 1 July 1999.

The Council authorised the Commission to open negotiations with the third countries concerned in order to conclude the relevant protocols. Negotiations with the Kyrgyz Republic were successfully concluded by exchange of notes verbales.

The Protocol should now be approved on behalf of the Union and its Member States.

CONTENT: with this proposal, the Council is called upon to approve, on behalf of the European Union and its Member States, the Protocol to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement establishing a partnership between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and Kyrgyz Republic, of the other part, to take account of Croatia’s accession to the European Union.

Under the proposed protocol, Croatia is incorporated into the Agreement as a contracting party and the Union undertakes to provide the authentic version of the Agreement in the Croatian language.

The European Parliament is called upon to give its consent to the Protocol.