The Committee on Legal Affairs adopted the report by Ilana CICUREL (Renew, FR) on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on an authorisation addressed to France to negotiate a bilateral agreement with Algeria on matters related to judicial cooperation in civil and commercial matters.
Members proposed that the act be referred to as the "Ilana Cicurel Decision on the authorisation granted to France to negotiate a bilateral agreement with Algeria on matters relating to judicial cooperation in civil and commercial matters".
The committee responsible recommended that the European Parliament's position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure should amend the proposal as follows:
France is hereby empowered to negotiate an agreement with Algeria on matters related to judicial cooperation in civil and commercial matters, provided that the following negotiating guidelines are followed:
- inform Algeria that the European Commission may take part in the negotiations as an observer and will be informed of any progress and results achieved during the various stages of the negotiations;
- encourage Algeria to consider accession to the core Conventions developed by the Hague Conference on Private International Law and start an analysis of the most appropriate means to remove the obstacles which have prevented Algeria to do so for the time being;
- inform Algeria that, after the conclusion of negotiations, an authorisation from the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union is required before France is allowed to conclude the agreement;
- inform Algeria that the authorisation from the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union to conclude the agreement, following a proposal from the Commission, may provide that the agreement may have a limited validity in time, possibly with a system of a tacit renewal to be indicated in the decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the conclusion of the agreement;
- insert a provision providing for full or partial denunciation of the agreement or direct replacement of the relevant provisions in the agreement in the event of the conclusion of a subsequent agreement between the Union or the Union and its Member States, on the one hand, and Algeria, on the other hand, or Algeria's accession to the relevant Hague Conventions;
- ensure that the provisions of the agreement negotiated with Algeria comply with the relevant Union acquis and Hague Conventions.
Ireland and Denmark are not taking part in the adoption of this Decision and is not bound by it or subject to its application.