EN Official Journal of the European Communities L 33/22

PROTOCOL OF ACCESSION

of the Principality of Monaco to the Convention on the Protection of the Alps

THE REPUBLIC OF AUSTRIA,

THE FRENCH REPUBLIC,

THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY,

THE ITALIAN REPUBLIC,

THE PRINCIPALITY OF LIECHTENSTEIN,

THE REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA,

THE SWISS CONFEDERATION,

THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY,

Signatories to the Convention on the Protection of the Alps (Alpine Convention),

on the one hand,

and THE PRINCIPALITY OF MONACO,

on the other,

WHEREAS the Principality of Monaco has requested to become a Contracting Party to the Alpine Convention,

IN THEIR DESIRE to ensure the protection of the Alps throughout the entire Alpine area,

HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

The Principality of Monaco hereby becomes a Contracting Party to the Convention on the Protection of the Alps as amended by this Protocol of Accession.

Article 2

The words ‘Principality of Monaco’ shall be added to the preamble.

Article 3

The Annex describing and depicting the Alpine region to which the Alpine Convention applies is hereby amended as follows:

(a) the following shall be added to the list of administrative units of the Alpine area: — the Principality of Monaco;

(b) the map in the Annex to the Alpine Convention shall be replaced by the map attached to this Protocol of Accession.

Article 4

1. Consent to be bound by this Protocol of Accession may be expressed by:

— signature not subject to ratification, acceptance or approval. The State availing itself of this possibility shall notify the depositary at the time of its signature that its signature is equivalent to consenting to be bound by this Protocol of Accession,

— signature subject to ratification, acceptance or approval. The instruments of ratification, acceptance or approval shall be deposited with the depositary.

2. This Protocol of Accession shall enter into force three months after the date on which the following three conditions have been satisfied:

— the Alpine Convention has entered into force,

— the Contracting Parties to the Alpine Convention have expressed their consent to be bound by this Accession Protocol,

— the Principality of Monaco has expressed its consent to be bound by this Protocol of Accession.

3. For signatory States which are not yet Contracting Parties to the Alpine Convention, consent to be bound by this Protocol of Accession will take effect only on the date on which the Alpine Convention enters into force with regard to them.

Article 5

As from the date on which this Protocol of Accession is signed, no State shall be able to assert its consent to be bound by the Alpine Convention without having previously or simultaneously established its consent to be bound by this Protocol of Accession.

Article 6

This Protocol of Accession may be denounced only by denouncing the Alpine Convention.

Article 7

The depositary shall notify each of the Contracting and Signatory Parties of:

— any signature, specifying whether it is subject or not to ratification, acceptance or approval,

— the deposit of any instrument of ratification, acceptance or approval,

— any date of entry into force, in accordance with Article 4,

— any notification of denunciation and the date on which it becomes effective.