PURPOSE: to include the 10 new Member States in the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement with Lebanon.
PROPOSED ACT: Council Decision.
CONTENT: according to the terms of Article 6(2) of the Act of Accession of the new Member States to the EU, accession of the new EU Member States to the Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreement is to be agreed by means of a protocol to this Agreement. The same article provides for a simplified procedure, whereby the protocol is to be concluded by the Council, acting unanimously on behalf of the Member States, and by the third country concerned. This procedure is without prejudice to the Community’s own competences.
To recall, the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement was signed in Luxembourg on 17 June 2002 and entered into force on 1 April 2006.
On 10 February 2004, the Council approved a mandate for the Commission to negotiate such a protocol with Lebanon. These negotiations have since been completed to the satisfaction of the Commission.
The text of the protocol negotiated with Lebanon is attached. The most important aspects of the protocol are provision for the accession of the new Member States to the EU-Lebanon Association Agreement (AVC/2002/0083) and inclusion of the new official languages of the EU.
The Commission asks the Council to approve the attached draft Council Decisions for the signature and conclusion of the Protocol. The European Parliament will be called upon to give its assent to this Protocol.