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            COUNCIL DECISION         

of 13 December 2004         

on the signing and provisional application of a Protocol to the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement establishing an Association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, of the other part, to take account of the accession of the Czech Republic, the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Cyprus, the Republic of Hungary, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, the Republic of Malta, the Republic of Poland, the Republic of Slovenia, and the Slovak Republic to the European Union

(2005/736/EC)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 310 in conjunction with the second sentence of Article 300(2) thereof,

Having regard to the 2003 Act of Accession, and in particular Article 6(2) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Whereas:

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

The President of the Council is hereby authorised to designate the person(s) empowered to sign, on behalf of the European Community and its Member States, and subject to its conclusion, the Protocol to the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement establishing an Association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, of the other part, to take account of the accession of the Czech Republic, the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Cyprus, the Republic of Hungary, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, the Republic of Malta, the Republic of Poland, the Republic of Slovenia, and the Slovak Republic to the European Union.

The text of the Protocol is attached to this Decision.

Article 2

The European Community and its Member States hereby agree to apply provisionally the terms of the Protocol, subject to its conclusion.

Done at Brussels, 13 December 2004.

For the Council

The President

B. R. BOT            

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(1)OJ L 129, 15.5.2002, p. 3.

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            PROTOCOL         

to the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement establishing an Association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, of the other part, to take account of the accession of the Czech Republic, the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Cyprus, the Republic of Hungary, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, the Republic of Malta, the Republic of Poland, the Republic of Slovenia, and the Slovak Republic to the European Union

THE KINGDOM OF BELGIUM,

THE CZECH REPUBLIC,

THE KINGDOM OF DENMARK,

THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY,

THE REPUBLIC OF ESTONIA,

THE HELLENIC REPUBLIC,

THE KINGDOM OF SPAIN,

THE FRENCH REPUBLIC,

IRELAND,

THE ITALIAN REPUBLIC,

THE REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS,

THE REPUBLIC OF LATVIA,

THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA,

THE GRAND DUCHY OF LUXEMBOURG,

THE REPUBLIC OF HUNGARY,

THE REPUBLIC OF MALTA,

THE KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS,

THE REPUBLIC OF AUSTRIA,

THE REPUBLIC OF POLAND,

THE PORTUGUESE REPUBLIC,

THE REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA,

THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC,

THE REPUBLIC OF FINLAND,

THE KINGDOM OF SWEDEN,

THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND,

hereinafter referred to as ‘EC Member States’, represented by the Council of the European Union, and

THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY, hereinafter referred to as ‘the Community’, represented by the Council of the European Union and the European Commission,

of the one part,

and THE HASHEMITE KINGDOM OF JORDAN, hereinafter referred to as ‘Jordan’,

of the other part,

WHEREAS the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement establishing an Association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, of the other part, hereinafter referred to as ‘the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement’, was signed in Brussels on 24 of November 1997 and entered into force on 1 May 2002;

WHEREAS the Treaty concerning the accession of the Czech Republic, the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Cyprus, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, the Republic of Hungary, the Republic of Malta, the Republic of Poland, the Republic of Slovenia and the Slovak Republic to the European Union and the Act concerning the conditions of accession thereto were signed in Athens on 16 April 2003 and entered into force on 1 May 2004;

WHEREAS, pursuant to Article 6(2) of the 2003 Act of Accession, the accession of the new Contracting Parties to the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement is to be agreed by the conclusion of a Protocol to that Agreement;

WHEREAS consultations pursuant to Article 22(2) of the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement have taken place in order to ensure that account has been taken of the mutual interests of the Community and Jordan,

HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

The Czech Republic, the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Cyprus, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, the Republic of Hungary, the Republic of Malta, the Republic of Poland, the Republic of Slovenia, and the Slovak Republic hereby become Contracting Parties to the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement establishing an Association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, of the other part, and shall respectively adopt and take note, in the same manner as the other Member States of the Community, of the texts of the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement, as well as of the Joint Declarations, Declarations and Exchanges of Letters thereto.

Article 2

To take account of recent institutional developments within the European Union, the Parties agree that following the expiry of the Treaty establishing the European Coal and Steel Community, existing provisions in the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement referring to the European Coal and Steel Community shall be deemed to refer to the European Community, which has taken over all rights and obligations contracted by the European Coal and Steel Community.

CHAPTER I

AMENDMENTS TO THE EURO-MEDITERRANEAN AGREEMENT, INCLUDING ITS ANNEXES AND PROTOCOLS

Article 3

Presidency of the Association Committee

Article 93(3) shall be replaced by the following:

‘3.   The Association Committee shall be chaired in turn by a representative of the Commission of the European Communities and by a representative of the Government of Jordan.’

Article 4

Rules of origin

Protocol 3 shall be amended as follows:

CHAPTER II

TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS

Article 5

Proofs of origin and administrative cooperation

1.   Proofs of origin properly issued by either Jordan or a new Member State in the framework of preferential agreements or autonomous arrangements applied between them shall be accepted in the respective countries under this Protocol, provided that:

Where goods were declared for importation in either Jordan or a new Member State, prior to the date of accession, under preferential agreements or autonomous arrangements applied between Jordan and that new Member State at that time, proof of origin issued retrospectively under those agreements or arrangements may also be accepted provided that it is submitted to the customs authorities within the period of four months from the date of accession.

2.   Jordan and the new Member States are authorised to retain the authorisations with which the status of ‘approved exporters’ has been granted in the framework of preferential agreements or autonomous arrangements applied between them, provided that:

3.   Requests for subsequent verification of proof of origin issued under the preferential agreements or autonomous arrangements referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 shall be accepted by the competent customs authorities of either Jordan or the Member States for a period of three years after the issue of the proof of origin concerned and may be made by those authorities for a period of three years after acceptance of the proof of origin submitted to those authorities in support of an import declaration.

Article 6

Goods in transit

1.   The provisions of the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement may be applied to goods exported from either Jordan to one of the new Member States or from one of the new Member State to Jordan, which comply with the provisions of Protocol 3 thereto and which on the date of accession are either en route or in temporary storage, in a customs warehouse or in a free zone in Jordan and in that new Member State.

2.   Preferential treatment may be granted in such cases, subject to the submission to the customs authorities of the importing country, within four months of the date of accession, of a proof of origin issued retrospectively by the customs authorities of the exporting country and any other documents that provide supporting evidence of the condition of transport.

CHAPTER III

GENERAL AND FINAL PROVISIONS

Article 7

Jordan undertakes that it shall neither make any claim, request or referral nor modify or withdraw any concession pursuant to GATT 1994 Articles XXIV.6 and XXVIII in relation to this enlargement of the Community.

Article 8

This Protocol shall form an integral part of the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement.

Article 9

1.   This Protocol shall be approved by the European Community, by the Council of the European Union on behalf of the Member States, and by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in accordance with their own procedures.

2.   The instruments of approval shall be deposited with the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union.

Article 10

1.   This Protocol shall enter into force on the first day of the first month following the date of deposit of the last instrument of approval.

2.   This Protocol shall apply provisionally as from 1 May 2004.

Article 11

This Protocol shall be drawn up in duplicate in the following languages: Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish and Arabic; the texts in each language being equally authentic.

Article 12

The text of the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement, including the Annexes and Protocols forming an integral part thereof, and the Final Act together with the Declarations annexed thereto, shall be drawn up in the Czech, Estonian, Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Slovak and Slovenian languages and these texts shall be authentic in the same way as the original texts. The Association Council shall approve these texts.

Hecho en Luxemburgo, el treinta y uno de mayo de dos mil cinco.

V Lucemburku dne třicátého prvního května dva tisíce pět.

Udfærdiget i Luxembourg den enogtredivte maj to tusind og fem.

Geschehen zu Luxemburg am einunddreißigsten Mai zweitausendfünf.

Kahe tuhande viienda aasta maikuu kolmekümne esimesel päeval Luxembourgis.

Έγινε στο Λουξεμβούργο, στις τριάντα μία Μαΐου δύο χιλιάδες πέντε.

Done at Luxembourg on the thirty-first day of May in the year two thousand and five.

Fait à Luxembourg, le trente-et-un mai deux mille cinq.

Fatto a Lussembourgo, addì trentuno maggio duemilacinque.

Luksemburgā, divtūkstoš piektā gada trīsdesmit pirmajā maijā.

Priimta du tūkstančiai penktų metų gegužės trisdešimt pirmą dieną Liuksemburge.

Kelt Luxembourgban, a kettőezer-ötödik év május havanák harmincegyedik napján.

Magħmul fil-Lussemburgu, fil-wieħed u tletin jum ta’ Mejju tas-sena elfejn u ħamsa.

Gedaan te Luxemburg, de eenendertigste mei tweeduizend vijf.

Sporządzono w Luksemburgu dnia trzydziestego pierwszego maja roku dwutysięcznego piątego.

Feito en Luxemburgo, em trinta e um de Maio de dois mil e cinco.

V Luxembourgu, enaintridesetega maja leta dva tisoč pet.

V Luxemburgu, dňa tridsiateho prvého mája dvetisícpät’.

Tehty Luxemburgissa kolmantenakymmenentenäensimmäisenä päivänä toukokuuta vuonna kaksituhattaviisi.

Som skedde i Luxemburg den trettioförsta maj tjugohundrafem.

Por los Estados miembros

Za členské státy

For medlemsstaterne

Für die Mitgliedstaaten

Liikmesriikide nimel

Για τα κράτη μέλη

For the Member States

Pour les États membres

Per gli Stati membri

Dalībvalstu vārdā

Valstybių narių vardu

A tagállamok részéről

Għall-Istati Membri

Voor de lidstaten

W imieniu Państw Członkowskich

Pelos Estados-Membros

Za členské štáty

Za države članice

Jäsenvaltioiden puolesta

På medlemsstaternas vägnar

Por la Comunidad Europea

Za Evropské společenství

For Det Europæiske Fællesskab

Für die Europäische Gemeinschaft

Euroopa Ühenduse nimel

Για την Ευρωπαϊκή Κοινότητα

For the European Community

Pour la Communauté européenne

Per la Comunità europea

Eiropas Kopienas vārdā

Europos bendrijos vārdā

az Európai Közösség részéről

Għall-Komunità Ewropea

Voor de Europese Gemeenschap

W imieniu Wspólnoty Europejskiej

Pela Comunidade Europeia

Za Európske spoločenstvo

Za Evropsko skupnost

Euroopan yhteisön puolesta

På Europeiska gemenskapens vägnar

Por el Reino Hachemita de Jordania

Za Jordánské hášimovské království

For Det Hashemitiske Kongerige Jordan

Für das Haschemitische Königreich Jordanien

Jordaania Hašimiidi Kuningriigi nimel

Για το Χασεμιτικό Βασίλειο της Ιορδανίας

For the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

Pour le Royaume hachémite de Jordanie

Per il Regno hashemita di Giordania

Jordānijas Hāšemītu Karalistes vārdā

Jordanijos Hašimitų Karalystės vardu

A Jordán Hasimita Királyság részėről

Għar-Renju Ħaxemit tal-Ġordan

Voor het Hasjemitisch Koninkrijk Jordanië

W imieniu Jordańskiego Królestwa Haszymidzkiego

Pelo Reino Hachemita da Jordânia

Za Jordánske hášimovské kráľovstvo

Za Hašemitsko kraljevino Jordanijo

Jordanian hašemiittisen kuningaskunnan puolesta

På Hashemitiska konungariket Jordaniens vägnar

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(1)  When the invoice declaration is made out by an approved exporter within the meaning of Article 21 of the Protocol, the authorisation number of the approved exporter must be entered in this space. When the invoice declaration is not made out by an approved exporter, the words in brackets shall be omitted or the space left blank.

(2)  Origin of products to be indicated. When the invoice declaration relates in whole or in part, to products originating in Ceuta and Melilla within the meaning of Article 36 of the Protocol, the exporter must clearly indicate them in the document on which the declaration is made out by means of the symbol “CM”.

(3)  These indications may be omitted if the information is contained on the document itself.

(4)  See Article 20(5) of the Protocol. In cases where the exporter is not required to sign, the exemption of signature also implies the exemption of the name of the signatory.’         

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            EURO-MEDITERRANEAN AGREEMENT         

establishing an Association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, of the other part

The Agreement drawn up in 11 official languages of the European Union (Spanish, Danish, German, Greek, English, French, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Finnish, Swedish) was published in OJ L 129, 15.5.2002, p. 3. The Czech, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Hungarian, Maltese, Polish, Slovak and Slovenian versions are published in this Official Journal.

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