The Council adopted decisions on:
- the conclusion of the Protocol to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States and Ukraine on a Framework Agreement on the general principles for the participation of Ukraine in Union programmes;
- the signing, on behalf of the Union, and provisional application of the Protocol to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States and Ukraine on a Framework Agreement on the general principles for the participation of Ukraine in Union programmes. The text of the Protocol is attached to the Decision.
The Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States and Ukraine entered into force on 1 March 1998. The European Neighbourhood Policy, developed in 2004, also enables partners to participate in Community agencies and Community programmes on their merits and where the legal bases so allow.
As a consequence of the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon on 1 December 2009, the European Union has replaced and succeeded the European Community. The Protocol should therefore be signed on behalf of the Union, subject to its conclusion at a later date.