EC/Tajikistan Partnership and Cooperation Agreement: accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the EU. Protocol

PURPOSE: to include Romania and Bulgaria in the Protocol to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and Tajikistan.

PROPOSED ACT: Council and Commission Decision.

CONTENT: the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Tajikistan (AVC/2004/0176), of the other part, signed in Luxemburg on 11 October 2004 has not yet entered into force. As it was signed before the enlargement of the European Union to include the Republic of Bulgaria and Romania, a Protocol to the PCA therefore needs to be drawn up to allow the new Member States to accede to the Agreement when it will enter into force.

As authorised by the Council on 23 October 2006, the Commission has negotiated, on behalf of the Community and its Member States, with the Republic of Tajikistan with a view to concluding a Protocol to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement. The negotiations with the Republic of Tajikistan have been completed and the text of the negotiated protocol is attached.

The Commission proposes that the Council should conclude the Protocol on behalf of the European Community and its Member States and gives its approval for conclusion of the Protocol by the European Atomic Energy Community.