Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters

concerning the conclusion of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, of the other part

THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES AND THEIR MEMBER STATES

Luxembourg, 9 April 2001

The Prime Minister of the Government of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Dear Sir,

We have the honour to propose that, if it is acceptable to your Government, this letter and your confirmation hereof shall together take the place of the signature of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with Annexes and Protocols, initialled by your Government and the European Commission on 24 November 2000.

We furthermore propose that, if it is acceptable to your Government, this letter and your confirmation hereof shall together take the place of the procedure whereby Declarations by the Conctracting Parties would be adopted in a Final Act on the signing of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, noting that the Declarations shall be subjected, in the same manner as this Agreement, to any procedures that may be necessary to ensure their validity.

The text of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with Annexes and Protocols, as well as the Joint Declarations adopted by the Parties, are annexed to this Exchange of Letters.

Also annexed to this Exchange of Letters are 2 Unilateral Declarations by the European Community taken note of by your side.

The Exchange of Letters should be considered as the equivalent of signature.

The texts of the Agreement and the Declarations which are the object of this Exchange of Letters, shall be subject to approval by the European Communities and their Member States.

Please accept, Sir, the assurance of our highest consideration.

For the European Communities

>PIC FILE= "L_2004084EN.000302.TIF">

>PIC FILE= "L_2004084EN.000303.TIF">

For the Republic of Austria

>PIC FILE= "L_2004084EN.000401.TIF">

For the Portuguese Republic

>PIC FILE= "L_2004084EN.000402.TIF">

For the Republic of Finland

>PIC FILE= "L_2004084EN.000403.TIF">

For the Kingdom of Sweden

>PIC FILE= "L_2004084EN.000404.TIF">

For the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

>PIC FILE= "L_2004084EN.000405.TIF">

For the French Republic

>PIC FILE= "L_2004084EN.000406.TIF">

For Ireland

>PIC FILE= "L_2004084EN.000501.TIF">

For the Italian Republic

>PIC FILE= "L_2004084EN.000502.TIF">

For the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

>PIC FILE= "L_2004084EN.000503.TIF">

For the Kingdom of the Netherlands

>PIC FILE= "L_2004084EN.000504.TIF">

For the Kingdom of Belgium

>PIC FILE= "L_2004084EN.000505.TIF">

Cette signature engage également la Communauté française, la Communauté flamande, la Communauté germanophone, la Région wallonne, la Région flamande et la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale./Deze handtekening verbindt eveneens de Vlaamse Gemeenschap, de Franse Gemeenschap, de Duitstalige Gemeenschap, het Vlaamse Gewest, het Waalse Gewest en het Brusselse Hoofdstedelijke Gewest./Diese Unterschrift bindet zugleich die Deutschsprachige Gemeinschaft, die Flämische Gemeinschaft, die Französische Gemeinschaft, die Wallonische Region, die Flämische Region und die Region Brüssel-Hauptstadt.

For the Kingdom of Denmark

>PIC FILE= "L_2004084EN.000601.TIF">

For the Federal Republic of Germany

>PIC FILE= "L_2004084EN.000602.TIF">

For the Hellenic Republic

>PIC FILE= "L_2004084EN.000603.TIF">

For the Kingdom of Spain

>PIC FILE= "L_2004084EN.000604.TIF">

GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA

The President

Courtesy translation

Luxembourg, 9 April, 2001

Dear Sir,

I have the honour to confirm the receipt of Your letter regarding the signature of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the Republic of Macedonia and the European Communities and their Member States with Annexes and Protocols, initialled by my Government and the European Commission on 24 November 2000. I confirm the acceptance of my Government that this letter together with your letter shall take place of the signature of the Agreement.

Furthermore, my Government agrees that this letter together with your letter take place of the procedure whereby Declarations by the Contracting Parties would be adopted in a Final Act on the signing of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, noting that the Declarations shall be subjected, in the same manner as this Agreement, to any procedures that may be necessary to ensure their validity.

I confirm that to this Exchange of Letters are annexed the text of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with Annexes and Protocols, as well as the Joint Declarations adopted by the Parties and the 2 Unilateral Declarations by the European Community for which my Government took note.

I consider this Exchange of Letters as the equivalent of signature.

The texts of the Agreement and the Declarations which are the object of this Exchange of Letters, shall be subject to approval by the Republic of Macedonia and the European Communities and their Member States.

However, I declare that the Republic of Macedonia does not accept the denomination used for my country in the above-mentioned documents having in view that the constitutional name of my country is the Republic of Macedonia.

Ljubco Georgievski

THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES AND THEIR MEMBER STATES

>PIC FILE= "L_2004084EN.000801.TIF">

THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES AND THEIR MEMBER STATES

Luxembourg, 9 April 2001

The Prime Minister of the Government of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Dear Sir,

We have the honour to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 9 April 2001.

The European Communities and their Member States note that the Exchange of Letters between the plenipotentiaries of the European Communities and their Member States and the Prime Minister of the Government of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, which takes the place of the signature of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with Annexes and Protocols, and of the procedure whereby Declarations by the Contracting Parties would be adopted in a Final Act on the signing of the Agreement has been accomplished, and that this cannot be interpreted as acceptance or recognition by the European Communities and their Member States in whatever form or content of a denomination other than the "former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia".

Please accept, Sir, the assurance of our highest consideration.

For the European Communities

>PIC FILE= "L_2004084EN.000901.TIF">

>PIC FILE= "L_2004084EN.000902.TIF">

For the Republic of Austria

>PIC FILE= "L_2004084EN.000903.TIF">

For the Portuguese Republic

>PIC FILE= "L_2004084EN.000904.TIF">

For the Republic of Finland

>PIC FILE= "L_2004084EN.001001.TIF">

For the Kingdom of Sweden

>PIC FILE= "L_2004084EN.001002.TIF">

For the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

>PIC FILE= "L_2004084EN.001003.TIF">

For the French Republic

>PIC FILE= "L_2004084EN.001004.TIF">

For Ireland

>PIC FILE= "L_2004084EN.001005.TIF">

For the Italian Republic

>PIC FILE= "L_2004084EN.001006.TIF">

For the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

>PIC FILE= "L_2004084EN.001101.TIF">

For the Kingdom of the Netherlands

>PIC FILE= "L_2004084EN.001102.TIF">

For the Kingdom of Belgium

>PIC FILE= "L_2004084EN.001103.TIF">

Cette signature engage également la Communauté française, la Communauté flamande, la Communauté germanophone, la Région wallonne, la Région flamande et la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale./Deze handtekening verbindt eveneens de Vlaamse Gemeenschap, de Franse Gemeenschap, de Duitstalige Gemeenschap, het Vlaamse Gewest, het Waalse Gewest en het Brusselse Hoofdstedelijke Gewest./Diese Unterschrift bindet zugleich die Deutschsprachige Gemeinschaft, die Flämische Gemeinschaft, die Französische Gemeinschaft, die Wallonische Region, die Flämische Region und die Region Brüssel-Hauptstadt.

For the Kingdom of Denmark

>PIC FILE= "L_2004084EN.001104.TIF">

For the Federal Republic of Germany

>PIC FILE= "L_2004084EN.001201.TIF">

For the Hellenic Republic

>PIC FILE= "L_2004084EN.001202.TIF">

For the Kingdom of Spain

>PIC FILE= "L_2004084EN.001203.TIF">