PURPOSE: to conclude a Protocol to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and Uzbekistan, of the other part, extending the provisions of the said Agreement to bilateral trade in textiles.
LEGISLATIVE ACT: Council Decision (EU) 2017/594 of 21 March 2017 on the conclusion of 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 Republic of Uzbekistan, of the other part, amending the Agreement in order to extend the provisions of the Agreement to bilateral trade in textiles, taking account of the expiry of the bilateral textiles Agreement
BACKGROUND: on 9 June 2010 the Council authorised the Commission to enter into negotiations with Uzbekistan with a view to amending the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement establishing a partnership between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and Uzbekistan, of the other part, so as to ensure that the principles applicable to trade in other goods are formally extended to trade in textile products.
These negotiations were successfully concluded and the Protocol amending the Agreement by deleting Article 16 and all references to it was initialled on 1 July 2010.
In the context of the negotiations, it was agreed to proceed with a clean-up of the agreement by abolishing an obsolete technical provision which expired in 1998 and the corresponding annex referring to this provision.
In accordance with Council Decision 2011/250/EU, the Protocol to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement establishing a partnership between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and Uzbekistan, of the other part, amending that Agreement in order to extend its provisions to bilateral trade in textiles, in view of the expiry of the bilateral textiles agreement, was signed on 7 April 2011, subject to its conclusion.
The Protocol should now be approved on behalf of the European Union.
CONTENT: With this proposal for a decision, the Protocol to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement establishing a partnership between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and Uzbekistan, of the other part, amending that Agreement in order to extend its provisions to bilateral trade in textiles, taking into account the expiry of the bilateral textiles agreement, is hereby approved on behalf of the Union.
The text of the Protocol is attached to the Decision.
ENTRY INTO FORCE: the Decision enters into force on 21.3.2017.