# Council Decision of 5 June 2014 on the position to be adopted, on behalf of the European Union, within the EEA Joint Committee            concerning an amendment to Protocol 31 to the EEA Agreement, on cooperation in specific fields outside the four freedoms (2014/348/EU)         

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U.K.

# Council Decision

# of 5 June 2014

# on the position to be adopted, on behalf of the European Union, within the EEA Joint Committee concerning an amendment to                        Protocol 31 to the EEA Agreement, on cooperation in specific fields outside the four freedoms                     

# (2014/348/EU)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 46(d), Article 149, Article                           153(2)(a), Article 175, third paragraph, and Article 218(9) thereof,                        

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 2894/94 of 28 November 1994 concerning arrangements for implementing the Agreement                           on the European Economic Area(1), and in particular Article 1(3) thereof,                        

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

Whereas:

(1)Protocol 31 to the Agreement on the European Economic Area (‘the EEA Agreement’) contains specific provisions and arrangements                              concerning cooperation in specific fields outside the four freedoms.

(2)It is appropriate to extend the cooperation of the Contracting Parties to the EEA Agreement to include Regulation (EU) No                              1296/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council(2).

(3)Protocol 31 to the EEA Agreement should therefore be amended accordingly, in order to allow for this extended cooperation                              to take place from 1 January 2014.

(4)The position of the Union within the EEA Joint Committee should therefore be based on the attached draft Decision,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

# Article 1U.K.

The position to be adopted, on behalf of the European Union, in the EEA Joint Committee on the proposed amendment to Protocol                     31 to the EEA Agreement, on cooperation in specific fields outside the four freedoms, shall be based on the draft Decision                     of the EEA Joint Committee attached to this Decision.                  

# Article 2U.K.

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

Done at Luxembourg, 5 June 2014.

*For the Council*                            

*The President*                            

N. Dendias                            

U.K.

DRAFT

# DECISION OF THE EEA JOINT COMMITTEE No .../2014

# of

# amending Protocol 31 to the EEA Agreement, on cooperation in specific fields outside the four freedoms

THE EEA JOINT COMMITTEE,

Having regard to the Agreement on the European Economic Area (‘the EEA Agreement’), and in particular Articles 86 and 98 thereof,

Whereas:

(1)It is appropriate to extend the cooperation of the Contracting Parties to the EEA Agreement to include Regulation (EU) No                                    1296/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 on a European Union Programme for Employment and                                    Social Innovation (‘EaSI’) and amending Decision No 283/2010/EU establishing a European Progress Microfinance Facility for                                    employment and social inclusion(3).

(2)Protocol 31 to the EEA Agreement should therefore be amended in order to allow for this extended cooperation to take place                                    from 1 January 2014,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

# Article 1U.K.

Article 15 of Protocol 31 to the EEA Agreement shall be amended as follows:

In paragraph 2, the words ‘and which are carried out before 1 January 2014,’ are added after the words ‘paragraph 1’.

The following is added in paragraph 8:

## ‘—**32013 R 1296**: Regulation (EU) No 1296/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 on a European Union Programme                                          for Employment and Social Innovation (“EaSI”) and amending Decision No 283/2010/EU establishing a European Progress Microfinance                                          Facility for employment and social inclusion (OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 238).

Liechtenstein shall be exempted from the participation in, and the financial contribution to, this programme. Norway shall                                       participate in, and financially contribute to, only the EURES axis of the programme.’                                 

The text of paragraph 5 is replaced by the following:

‘The EFTA States shall participate in the Community activities referred to in the first indent of paragraph 8 as from 1 January                                       1999, in the activities referred to in the second indent as from 1 January 2003 and in the activities referred to in the third                                       indent as from 1 January 2014.’                                 

# Article 2U.K.

This Decision shall enter into force on the day following the last notification under Article 103(1) of the EEA Agreement(4).                        

It shall apply from 1 January 2014.

# Article 3U.K.

This Decision shall be published in the EEA Section of, and in the EEA Supplement to, the *Official Journal of the European Union*.                        

Done at Brussels,

*For the EEA Joint Committee*                                  

*The President*                                  

*The Secretaries*                                  

*to the EEA Joint Committee*                                  

1

OJ L 305, 30.11.1994, p. 6.                           

2

Regulation (EU) No 1296/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 on a European Union Programme                              for Employment and Social Innovation (‘EaSI’) and amending Decision No 283/2010/EU establishing a European Progress Microfinance                              Facility for employment and social inclusion (OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 238).                           

3

OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 238.                           

4

[No constitutional requirements indicated.] [Constitutional requirements indicated.]