# EUR-Lex - 52013PC0873 - EN

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# 52013PC0873

**Proposal for a COUNCIL DECISION on the signing, on behalf of the European Union, of the Arrangement with the Principality of Liechtenstein on the modalities of its participation in the European Asylum Support Office /* COM/2013/0873 final - 2013/0424 (NLE) */**

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EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

1.           CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL

Regulation (EU) No 439/2010 established the
European Asylum Support Office[1]
to strengthen practical cooperation between Member States on asylum, enhance
the implementation of the Common European Asylum System and support Member
States whose asylum and reception systems are under particular pressure.

Recital 24 of the Regulation foresees that
"to fulfil its purpose, the Support Office should be open to participation
by countries which have concluded agreements with the Union by virtue of which
they have adopted and apply law of the Union in the fields covered by this
Regulation, in particular Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland".
These countries are referred to as the "associate countries".

Accordingly, Article 49 (1) of the
Regulation stipulates that "the Support Office shall be open to the
participation of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland as observers.
Arrangements shall be made, specifying in particular the nature, extent and manner
in which those countries are to participate in the Support Office's work. Such
arrangements shall include provisions relating to participation in initiatives
undertaken by the Support Office, financial contributions and staff. As regards
staff matters, those arrangements shall, in any event, comply with the Staff
Regulations."

The participation of associate countries in
the Support Office's work is not only a logical step, having regard to their
association to the Dublin system, but also has a clear added value to the
Support Office's support offer such as: the exchange of best practices and
expertise, the Support Office's permanent and emergency support, the Support
Office's information gathering and analysis, the Support Office's early warning
and preparedness system.

On that basis the Commission presented on 1
July 2011 a recommendation to the Council in order to authorise the Commission
to open negotiations with Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein on international agreements establishing such arrangements.

The Commission received the Council
authorisation to open negotiations with Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein on arrangements on the modalities of these countries’ participation
in EASO on 27 January 2012.

The negotiations were held jointly with all
associate countries. Four rounds of negotiations took place. The final text of
the draft Arrangement with Liechtenstein was initialled on 28 June 2013.

Member States have been informed and
consulted in the relevant Council Working Groups.

On the part of the Union, the legal basis
for the Arrangement is Articles 74 and 78 (1) and (2) in conjunction with
Article 218 of the TFEU.

The attached proposal constitutes the legal
instrument for the signature of the Arrangement. The Council will decide by
qualified majority.

2.           RESULTS OF NEGOTIATIONS

The Commission considers that the
objectives set by the Council in its negotiating directives were attained and
that the draft Arrangement is acceptable to the Union.

The final content of it can be summarised
as follows:

The draft Arrangement foresees the full
participation of Liechtenstein in the activities of the Support Office [Article
1], representation in the Support Office's Management Board as an observer and
without voting rights [Article 2], annual financial contributions of Liechtenstein,
to the budget of the Support Office by an annual sum calculated in accordance
with its GDP as a percentage of GDP of all States participating in the Support
Office's work [Article 3 and Annex I].

In addition Liechtenstein accepted
provisions concerning a possible increased contribution if the Union
contribution is increased [Article 3 and Annex I];

Furthermore the draft Arrangement foresees
the establishment of a committee composed of representatives of the Commission
and of the associate countries. For reasons of efficiency, this committee shall
meet jointly with the corresponding Committees set up
with other associated countries participating on the basis of Article 49 (1) of
the Regulation. The committee was not mentioned in the
negotiating directives and has been requested by the associate countries in
order to allow for an exchange of information and monitor the proper
implementation of the Arrangement [Article 11].

3.           BUDGETARY IMPLICATION

Article 3 and Annex I of the draft Arrangement
describe the provisions related to the annual financial contributions of Liechtenstein to the budget of the Support Office and their possible adaptation to the
situation described as per Annex I.

4.           CONCLUSION

In light of the above-mentioned results,
the Commission proposes that the Council decides that the Arrangement between
the European Union and Liechtenstein on the modalities of its participation in
the European Asylum Support Office be signed on behalf of the Union and to authorise
the Commission to appoint the person(s) duly empowered to sign on behalf of the
Union.

2013/0424 (NLE)

Proposal for a

COUNCIL DECISION

on the signing, on behalf of the European
Union, of the Arrangement with the Principality of Liechtenstein on the
modalities of its participation in the European Asylum Support Office

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the
Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 74 and 78 (1) and
(2) in conjunction with Article 218 (5) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the
European Commission,

Whereas:

(1)       Regulation (EU) No
439/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 May 2010
establishing a European Asylum Support Office[2]
provides, in Article 49 (1) thereof, that the Support Office shall be open to
the participation of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland as observers. Furthermore, arrangements shall be made, specifying in particular the
nature, extent and manner in which those countries are to participate in the
Support Office's work.

(2)       On 27 January 2012 the
Council authorised the Commission to open negotiations with Liechtenstein for an Arrangement on the modalities of its participation in the Support Office. The
negotiations were successfully concluded by the initialling of the Arrangement
on 28 June 2013.

(3)       The Arrangement should be
signed by the negotiator on behalf of the Union, subject to its conclusion at
the later date.

(4)       As specified in recital 21
of Regulation (EU) No 439/2010, the United Kingdom and Ireland are taking part and are bound by that Regulation. They should therefore give effect to
Article 49 (1) of the Regulation by taking part in this Decision. The United Kingdom and Ireland are therefore taking part in this Decision.

(5)       As specified in recital 22
of Regulation (EU) No 439/2010, Denmark is not taking part and is not bound by
that Regulation. Denmark is therefore not taking part in this Decision.

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

The signing of the Arrangement between the
European Union and Liechtenstein on the modalities of its participation in the
European Asylum Support Office is hereby authorised on behalf of the Union, subject to the conclusion of the said Arrangement.

The text of the Arrangement to be signed is
attached to this Decision.

Article 2

The Commission is hereby authorised to
designate the person(s) empowered to sign the Arrangement on behalf of the Union.

Article 3

This Decision shall enter into force on the
day of its adoption.

Done at Brussels,

For
the Council

The
President

ANNEX

ARRANGEMENT
between the European Union and the Principality of Liechtenstein on the modalities of its participation in the
European Asylum Support Office

THE EUROPEAN UNION, hereinafter referred to as the 'EU'

of the one part, and

THE
PRINCIPALITY OF LIECHTENSTEIN, hereinafter referred to as 'Liechtenstein',

of the
other part

Having regard to Article 49(1) of
Regulation (EU) No 439/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19
May 2010 establishing a European Asylum Support Office[3],
hereinafter referred to as the 'Regulation',

Whereas

(1) The Regulation states that, to fulfil
its purpose, the European Asylum Support Office, hereafter referred to as the
"Support Office", should be open to participation by countries which
have concluded agreements with the EU by virtue of which they have adopted and
apply law of the EU in the field covered by this Regulation, in particular,
Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, hereinafter referred to as the 'associate countries',

(2) Liechtenstein has
concluded agreements with the EU, by virtue of which it has adopted and applies
law of the EU in the field covered by the Regulation, in particular
Liechtenstein has acceded the Agreement between the European Communities and
the Swiss Confederation concerning the criteria and mechanisms for establishing
the State responsible for examining a request for asylum lodged in a Member
State or in Switzerland[4],

HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1
Extent of participation

Liechtenstein shall
participate fully in the work of the Support Office and be entitled to receive
support actions from the Support Office as described in the Regulation and in
accordance with the terms set out by the present Arrangement.

Article 2
Management Board

Liechtenstein shall
be represented in the Management Board of the Support Office as an observer
without the right to vote.

Article 3
Financial contribution

1. Liechtenstein shall contribute to the
revenue of the Support Office an annual sum calculated in accordance with its
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as a percentage of the GDP of all participating
States in accordance with the formula described in Annex I.

2. The financial contribution referred to
in Paragraph 1 shall be incurred as from the day following the entry into force
of this Arrangement. The first financial contribution shall be reduced
proportionally to the remaining time in year after the entry into force of this
Arrangement.

Article 4
Data Protection

1. In applying this Arrangement
Liechtenstein shall process data in line with Directive 95/46/EC of the
European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 1995 on the protection of
individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free
movement of such data.[5]

2. For the purpose of this Arrangement,
Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18
December 2000 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of
personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement
of such data[6] shall apply to the processing of personal data carried out by the
Support Office.

3. Liechtenstein shall respect the rules on
confidentiality of documents held by the Support Office, as set out in the
Rules of Procedure of the Management Board.

Article 5
Legal status

The Support Office shall have legal
personality under the law of Liechtenstein and shall enjoy in Liechtenstein the most extensive legal capacity accorded to legal persons under the law of Liechtenstein. It may, in particular, acquire or dispose of movable and immovable property
and may be party to legal proceedings.

Article 6
Liability

The liability of the Support Office shall
be governed by Article 45 (1), (3) and (5) of the Regulation.

Article 7
Court of Justice

Liechtenstein shall recognise the
jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the European Union over the Support
Office, as provided for in Article 45 (2) and (4) of the Regulation.

Article 8
Staff of the Support Office

1. In accordance with Article 38 (1) and 49
(1) of the Regulation, the Staff Regulations of Officials and the Conditions of
Employment of Other Servants of the European Union, the rules adopted jointly
by the European Union institutions for the purpose of applying these Staff
Regulations and the rules adopted by the Support Office according to Article 38
(2) of the Regulation apply to nationals of Liechtenstein recruited as staff
members by the Support Office.

2. By way of derogation from Article 12 (2)
(a) and Article 82 (3) (a) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of
the European Union, nationals of Liechtenstein enjoying their full rights as
citizens may be engaged under contract by the Executive Director of the Support
Office according to the existing rules for selection and engagement of staff
adopted by the Support Office.

3. Article 38 (4) of the Regulation shall
apply mutatis mutandis to the nationals of Liechtenstein.

4. Nationals of Liechtenstein may not,
however, be appointed to the post of Executive Director of the Support Office.

Article 9
Privileges and immunities

Liechtenstein shall
apply to the Support Office and to its staff the Protocol on the Privileges and
Immunities of the European Union[7] as well as any rules adopted pursuant to this Protocol relating to staff
matters of the Support Office.

Article 10
Combating fraud

The provisions with regard to Article 44 of
the Regulation relating to financial control by the EU in Liechtenstein concerning the participants in the activities of the Support Office are set out
in Annex II.

Article 11 
Committee

1. A Committee,
composed of representatives of the European Commission and Liechtenstein, shall monitor the proper implementation of the Arrangement and ensure a
continuous process of information provision and exchange of views in this
respect. For practical reasons, the Committee shall meet jointly with the
corresponding Committees set up with other associated countries participating
on the basis of Article 49 (1) of the Regulation. It shall meet upon request by
either Liechtenstein or the European Commission. The
Management Board of the Support Office shall be informed about the work of this
Committee.

2. Information about foreseen EU
legislation, which either directly affects or amends the Regulation or is
expected to have implications relating to the financial contribution laid down
in Article 3 of this Arrangement, shall be shared and an exchange of views
thereon shall take place in the Committee.

Article 12
Annexes

The Annexes to this Arrangement shall
constitute an integral part of the Arrangement.

Article 13

Entry into force

1. The Contracting Parties shall approve
this Arrangement in accordance with their own internal procedures. They shall
notify each other of the completion of these procedures.

2. This Arrangement shall enter into force
on the first day of the first month following the day of the last notification
referred to in paragraph 1.

Article 14
Termination and validity

1. This Arrangement shall be concluded for
an unlimited period.

2. Each Contracting Party may, after
consultations within the Committee, denounce this Arrangement by notifying the
other Contracting Party. The Arrangement shall cease to apply six months after
the date of such notification.

This Arrangement shall be terminated in
case of termination of the Protocol on the accession of the Principality of
Liechtenstein to the Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss
Confederation concerning the criteria and mechanisms for establishing the State
responsible for examining a request for asylum lodged in a Member State or in Switzerland.

4. This Arrangement shall be drawn up in
one single original in the Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English,
Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian,
Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, and Swedish
languages, each of those texts being equally authentic.

...............

ANNEX I

Formula to calculate the contribution

1. The financial contribution of Liechtenstein to the revenue of the Support Office defined in Article 33 (3) (d) of the
Regulation is calculated in the following way:

The most updated final figures of the Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) of Liechtenstein available on 31 March of each year
shall be divided by the sum of the GDP figures of all the States participating
in the Support Office available for the same year. The obtained percentage will
be applied to the part of the authorised Support Office's revenue as defined in
Article 33 (3) (a) of the Regulation in the year under consideration to obtain
the amount of the financial contribution of Liechtenstein.

2. The financial contribution shall be paid in
Euro.

3. Liechtenstein shall pay its financial
contribution no later than 45 days after receiving the debit note. Any delay in
payment shall give rise to the payment of default interest by Liechtenstein on the outstanding amount from the due date. The interest rate shall be the
rate applied by the European Central Bank to its principal refinancing
operations, as published in the C series of the Official Journal of the
European Union, in force on the first calendar day of the month in which the
deadline falls, increased by 3.5 percentage points.

4. Liechtenstein’s financial contribution shall
be adapted in accordance with this Annex in case the financial contribution
from the European Union entered in the general budget of the European Union as
defined in Article 33 (3) a of the Regulation is increased pursuant to Articles
26, 27 or 41 of the Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012[8] on the financial rules
applicable to the general budget of the Union and repealing Council Regulation
(EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002. In this case, the difference shall be due 45 days
after receiving the debit note.

5. In the event that payment credits of the
Support Office received from the EU according to Article 33 (3) a of the
Regulation related to a year N are not spent before 31 December of year N or
that the Support Office budget of the year N has been lowered according to
Articles 26, 27 or 41 of the Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012[9] on the financial rules
applicable to the general budget of the Union and repealing Council Regulation
(EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002, the part of these unspent or lowered payment
credits corresponding to the percentage of the contribution made by Liechtenstein,
is transferred to the budget of year N+1 of the Support Office. Liechtenstein's contribution to the Support Office’s budget of year N+1 will be reduced
accordingly.

ANNEX II

Financial control as regards participants
from Liechtenstein in activities of the Support Office

Article 1
Direct communication

The Support Office and the European
Commission shall communicate directly with all persons or entities established
in Liechtenstein and participating in activities of the Support Office, as
contractors, participants in Support Office programmes, recipients of payments
from the Support Office or the EU budget, or subcontractors. Such persons may
send directly to the European Commission and to the Support Office all relevant
information and documentation which they are required to submit on the basis of
the instruments referred to in this Arrangement and of contracts or agreements
concluded and any decisions taken pursuant to them.

Article 2
Audits

1. In accordance
with Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 [10]
on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union and
repealing Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002, with Commission
Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2343/2002 [11]on
the framework Financial Regulation for the bodies referred to in Article 185 of
Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 on the Financial Regulation
applicable to the general budget of the European Communities and with the other
instruments referred to in this Arrangement, contracts or agreements concluded
and decisions taken with beneficiaries established in Liechtenstein may provide
for scientific, financial, technological or other audits to be conducted at any
time on the premises of the beneficiaries and of their subcontractors by
Support Office and European Commission officials or by other persons mandated
by the Support Office and the European Commission.

2. Support Office and European Commission
officials and other persons mandated by the Support Office and the European
Commission shall have appropriate access to sites, works and documents and to
all the information required in order to carry out such audits, including in
electronic form. This right of access shall be stated explicitly in the
contracts or agreements concluded to implement the instruments referred to in
this Arrangement.

3. The European Court of Auditors shall
have the same rights as the European Commission.

4. The audits may take place until five
years after the expiry of this Arrangement or under the terms of the contracts
or agreements concluded and the decisions taken.

5. The National Audit Office of Liechtenstein shall be informed in advance of audits conducted on the territory of Liechtenstein. This information shall not be a legal condition for carrying out such audits.

Article 3
On-the-spot checks

1. Under this Arrangement, the European
Commission (OLAF) shall be authorised to carry out on-the-spot checks and
inspections on the territory of Liechtenstein, under the terms and conditions
set out in Council Regulation (Euratom, EC) No 2185/96 concerning on-the-spot
checks and inspections carried out by the Commission in order to protect the
European Communities' financial interests against fraud and other
irregularities[12].

2. On-the-spot checks and inspections shall
be prepared and conducted by the European Commission in close cooperation with
the National Audit Office of Liechtenstein or with other competent authorities
in Liechtenstein appointed by National Audit Office, which shall be notified in
good time of the object, purpose and legal basis of the checks and inspections,
so that they can provide all the requisite help. To that end, the officials of
the competent authorities in Liechtenstein may participate in the on-the-spot
checks and inspections.

3. If the authorities of Liechtenstein concerned so wish, the on-the-spot checks and inspections may be carried out
jointly by the European Commission and by them.

4. Where the participants in the programme
resist an on-the-spot check or inspection, the authorities of Liechtenstein,
acting in accordance with national rules, shall give the European Commission
inspectors such assistance as they need to allow them to discharge their duty
in carrying out an on-the-spot check or inspection.

5. The European Commission shall report as
soon as possible to the National Audit Office of Liechtenstein any fact or
suspicion relating to an irregularity which has come to its notice in the
course of the on-the-spot check or inspection. In any event the Commission is
required to inform the aforementioned authority of the result of such checks
and inspections.

Article 4
Information and consultation

1. For the purposes of proper
implementation of this Annex, the competent authorities of Liechtenstein and the EU shall exchange information regularly and, at the request of one of
the Contracting Parties, shall conduct consultations.

2. The competent authorities of Liechtenstein shall inform the Support Office and the European Commission without delay of
any fact or suspicion which has come to their notice relating to an
irregularity in connection with the conclusion and implementation of the
contracts or agreements concluded in application of the instruments referred to
in this Arrangement.

Article 5
Confidentiality

Information communicated or acquired in any
form whatever pursuant to this Annex shall be covered by professional secrecy
and protected in the same way as similar information is protected by Liechtenstein law and by the corresponding provisions applicable to the EU institutions.
Such information shall not be communicated to persons other than those within
the EU institutions, in the Member States, or in Liechtenstein whose functions
require them to know it, nor may it be used for purposes other than to ensure
effective protection of the financial interests of the Contracting Parties.

Article 6
Administrative measures and penalties

Without prejudice to application of
Liechtenstein criminal law, administrative measures and penalties may be
imposed by the Support Office or the European Commission in accordance with Regulation
(EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 on the financial rules applicable to the general
budget of the Union and repealing Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002
and Commission delegated Regulation (EU) no 1268/2012[13] on the rules of
application of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 of the European Parliament
and of the Council on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of
the Union and with Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2988/95[14] on the protection of
the European Communities’ financial interests.

Article 7
Recovery and enforcement

Decisions taken by the Support Office or
the European Commission within the scope of this Arrangement which impose a
pecuniary obligation on persons other than States shall be enforceable in Liechtenstein. The enforcement order shall be issued, without any further control than
verification of the authenticity of the act, by the authority designated by the
government of Liechtenstein, which shall inform the Support Office or the
European Commission thereof. Enforcement shall take place in accordance with
the rules of procedure of Liechtenstein. The legality of the enforcement
decision shall be subject to control by the Court of Justice of the European
Union.

Judgments given by the Court of Justice of
the European Union pursuant to an arbitration clause shall be enforceable on
the same terms.

[1]               Regulation (EU) No 439/2010 of the European
Parliament and of the Council of 19 May 2010 establishing a European Asylum
Support Office; OJ L 132/11 of 29.05.2010.

[2]               OJ L 132/11 of 29.05.2010

[3]               OJ L 132, 29.5.2010, p.11

[4]               OJ L 160, 18.6.2011, p. 39

[5]               OJ L 281, 23.11.1995, p. 31

[6]               OJ L 8, 12.1.2011, p. 1

[7]               OJ C 83 of 30.3.2010, p.266.

[8]               OJ L 298, 26.10.2012, p. 1

[9]               OJ L 298, 26.10.2012, p. 1

[10]             OJ L 298, 26.10.2012, p. 1

[11]             OJ L 181, 10.7.2008, p. 23

[12]             OJ L 292, 15.11.1996, p. 2

[13]             OJ L 362,
31.12.2012, p.1

[14]             OJ L 312, 23.12.1995, p. 1