EN Official Journal of the European Union L 47/3

PROTOCOL

to the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement establishing an Association between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Lebanon, of the other part, on a Framework Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Lebanon on the general principles for the participation of the Republic of Lebanon in Union programmes

THE EUROPEAN UNION, hereinafter referred to as ‘the Union’,

of the one part, and

THE REPUBLIC OF LEBANON, hereinafter referred to as ‘Lebanon’,

of the other part,

hereinafter jointly referred to as ‘the Parties’,

Whereas:

(1) The Euro-Mediterranean Agreement establishing an Association between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Lebanon, of the other part (1) (‘the Agreement’), was signed in Brussels on 1 April 2002 and entered into force on 1 April 2006.

(2) The European Council of 17 and 18 June 2004 welcomed the European Commission's proposals for a European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) and endorsed the Council conclusions of 14 June 2004.

(3) The Council has, on numerous other occasions, endorsed that policy in its conclusions.

(4) The Council, on 5 March 2007, expressed support for the general approach outlined in the European Commission's Communication of 4 December 2006 to enable ENP partner countries to participate in Community agencies and Community programmes on their merits and where the legal bases so allow.

(5) Lebanon has expressed its wish to participate in a number of Union programmes.

(6) The specific terms and conditions regarding the participation of Lebanon in each particular Union programme, in particular, the financial contributions to be paid by Lebanon as well as the reporting and evaluation procedures, should be determined by agreement between the European Commission and the competent authorities of Lebanon,

HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

Lebanon shall be allowed to participate in all current and future Union programmes which are open to the participation of Lebanon, in accordance with the relevant provisions adopting those programmes.

Article 2

Lebanon shall make financial contributions to the general budget of the European Union corresponding to the specific Union programmes in which Lebanon participates.

Article 3

Lebanon's representatives shall be allowed to take part, as observers and for the points which concern Lebanon, in the management committees responsible for monitoring the Union programmes to which Lebanon makes financial contributions.

Article 4

Projects and initiatives submitted by participants from Lebanon shall, as far as possible, be subject to the same conditions, rules and procedures pertaining to the Union programmes concerned, as applied to Member States.

Article 5

1. The specific terms and conditions regarding the participation of Lebanon in each particular Union programme, in particular the financial contributions to be paid by Lebanon as well as the reporting and evaluation procedures, shall be determined by agreement between the European Commission and the competent authorities of Lebanon on the basis of the criteria established by the Union programmes concerned.

2. If Lebanon applies for external assistance of the Union to participate in a given Union programme on the basis of Article 3 of Regulation (EU) No 232/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council (2) or pursuant to any similar Regulation providing for external assistance of the Union to Lebanon that may be adopted in the future, the conditions governing the use by Lebanon of external assistance of the Union shall be determined in a financing agreement.

Article 6

1. Each agreement concluded pursuant to Article 5 shall stipulate, in accordance with Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (3), that financial control or audits or other verifications, including administrative investigations shall be carried out by, or under the authority of, the European Commission, the European Anti-Fraud Office and the European Court of Auditors.

2. Detailed provisions shall be made for financial control and audits, administrative measures, penalties and recovery, granting the European Commission, the European Anti-Fraud Office, and the European Court of Auditors powers equivalent to their powers with regard to beneficiaries or contractors established in the Union.

Article 7

1. This Protocol shall apply for the period during which the Agreement is in force.

2. This Protocol shall be signed and approved by the Parties in accordance with their respective procedures.

3. Either Party may renounce this Protocol by written notification to the other Party. This Protocol shall terminate six months after the date of such notification.

4. The termination of the Protocol due to renunciation by any of the Parties shall not affect the checks and controls to be carried out, where appropriate, under Articles 5 and 6.

Article 8

No later than three years after the date of entry into force of this Protocol, and every three years thereafter, both Parties may review the implementation of this Protocol on the basis of the actual participation of Lebanon in Union programmes.

Article 9

This Protocol shall apply, on the one hand, to the territories in which the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union applies and under the conditions laid down in that Treaty, and, on the other hand, to the territory of Lebanon.

Article 10

1. This Protocol shall enter into force on the first day of the month following the date on which the Parties notify each other through diplomatic channels of the completion of their procedures necessary for its entry into force.

2. The Parties agree to apply this Protocol on a provisional basis from the date of its signature, pending its conclusion at a later date.

Article 11

This Protocol shall form an integral part of the Agreement.

Article 12

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

Съставено в Брюксел на девети февруари две хиляди и петнадесета година. Hecho en Bruselas, el nueve de febrero de dos mil quince. V Bruselu dne devátého února dva tisíce patnáct. Udfærdiget i Bruxelles den niende februar to tusind og femten. Geschehen zu Brüssel am neunten Februar zweitausendfümfzehn. Kahe tuhande viieteistkümnenda aasta veebruarikuu üheksandal päeval Brüsselis. Έγινε στις Βρυξέλλες, στις εννέα Φεβρουαρίου δύο χιλιάδες δεκαπέντε. Done at Brussels on the ninth day of February in the year two thousand and fifteen. Fait à Bruxelles, le neuf février deux mille quinze. Arna dhéanamh sa Bhruiséil, an naoú lá de Feabhra an bhliain dhá mhíle agus a cúig déag. Sastavljeno u Bruxellesu devetog veljače dvije tisuće petnaeste. Fatto a Bruxelles, addì nove febbraio duemilaquindici. Briselē, divi tūkstoši piecpadsmitā gada devītajā februārī. Priimta du tūkstančiai penkioliktų metų vasario devintą dieną Briuselyje. Kelt Brüsszelben, a kétezer-tizenötödik év február havának kilencedik napján. Magħmul fi Brussell, fid-disa' jum ta' Frar tas-sena elfejn u ħmistax. Gedaan te Brussel, de negende februari tweeduizend vijftien. Sporządzono w Brukseli dnia dziewiątego lutego roku dwa tysiące piętnastego. Feito em Bruxelas, em nove de fevereiro de dois mil e quinze. Întocmit la Bruxelles la nouă februarie două mii cincisprezece. V Bruseli deviateho februára dvetisícpätnásť. V Bruslju, dne devetega februarja leta dva tisoč petnajst. Tehty Brysselissä yhdeksäntenä päivänä helmikuuta vuonna kaksituhattaviisitoista. Som skedde i Bryssel den nionde februari tjugohundrafemton. За Европейския съюз Рог la Unión Europea Za Evropskou unii For Den Europæiske Union Für die Europäische Union Euroopa Liidu nimel Για την Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση For the European Union Pour l'Union européenne Za Europsku uniju Per l'Unione europea Eiropas Savienības vārdā – Europos Sąjungos vardu Az Európai Unió részéről Għall-Unjoni Ewropea Voor de Europese Unie W imieniu Unii Europejskiej Pela União Europeia Pentru Uniunea Europeană Za Európsku úniu Za Evropsko unijo Euroopan unionin puolesta För Europeiska unionen За Република Ливан Por la República Libanesa Za Libanonskou republiku For Den Libanesiske Republik Für die Libanesische Republik Liibanoni Vabariigi nimel Για τη Δημοκρατία του Λιβάνου For the Republic of Lebanon Pour la République libanaise Za Libanonsku Republiku Per la Repubblica del Libano Libānas Republikas vārdā – Libano Respublikos vardu A Libanoni Köztársaság részéről Għar-repubblika tal-Libanu Voor de Republiek Libanon W imieniu Republiki Libańskiej Pela República do Líbano Pentru Republica Libaneză Za Libanonskú republiku Za Republiko Libanon Libanonin tasavallan puolesta För Republiken Libanon

(1) OJ L 143, 30.5.2006, p. 2.

(2) Regulation (EU) No 232/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2014 establishing a European Neighbourhood Instrument (OJ L 77, 15.3.2014, p. 27).

(3) Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union and repealing Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 (OJ L 298, 26.10.2012, p. 1).