EN Official Journal of the European Union L 293/37

DECISION No 1/2012 OF THE EU-LEBANON ASSOCIATION COUNCIL

of 17 September 2012

establishing the Rules of Procedure of the Association Council

(2012/655/EU)

THE EU-LEBANON ASSOCIATION COUNCIL,

Having regard 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 (1) (‘the Agreement’), and in particular Articles 74 to 81 thereof,

Whereas:

(1) The Agreement entered into force on 1 April 2006.

(2) Article 75 of the Agreement provides that the Association Council has to establish its rules of procedure.

(3) The Rules of Procedure of the Association Council should therefore be adopted,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

Chairmanship

The Association Council shall be chaired, alternately, for a period of 12 months by a representative of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, on behalf of the European Union and its Member States, and a representative of the Government of the Republic of Lebanon. The first period shall begin on the date of the first Association Council meeting and end on 31 December of the same year.

Article 2

Meetings

The Association Council shall meet regularly at ministerial level once a year. Special sessions of the Association Council may be held if the Parties so agree, at the request of either Party.

Unless otherwise agreed by the Parties, each session of the Association Council shall be held at the usual venue for meetings of the Council of the European Union at a date agreed by both Parties.

The meetings of the Association Council shall be jointly convened by the secretaries of the Association Council in agreement with the Chairman of the Association Council.

Article 3

Representation

The members of the Association Council may be represented if unable to attend. If a member wishes to be so represented, he must notify the Chairman of the name of his representative before the meeting at which he is to be so represented.

The representative of a member of the Association Council shall exercise all the rights of that member.

Article 4

Delegations

The members of the Association Council may be accompanied by officials.

Before each meeting, the Chairman shall be informed of the intended composition of the delegation of each Party.

A representative of the European Investment Bank may attend the meetings of the Association Council as an observer when matters which concern the Bank appear on the agenda.

The Association Council may, by agreement between the Parties, invite non-members to attend its meetings in order to provide information on particular subjects.

Article 5

Secretariat

An official of the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union and an official of the Embassy of the Republic of Lebanon in Brussels shall act jointly as secretaries of the Association Council.

Article 6

Correspondence

Correspondence addressed to the Association Council shall be sent to the Chairman of the Association Council at the address of the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union.

The two secretaries shall ensure that correspondence is forwarded to the Chairman of the Association Council and, where appropriate, circulated to the other members of the Association Council. Correspondence circulated shall be sent to the General Secretariat of the European Commission, the Permanent Representations of the Member States, and the Embassy of the Republic of Lebanon in Brussels.

Communications from the Chairman of the Association Council shall be sent to the addressees by the two secretaries and circulated, where appropriate, to the other members of the Association Council at the addresses indicated in the second paragraph.

Article 7

Publicity

Unless otherwise decided, the meetings of the Association Council shall not be public.

Article 8

Agendas for meetings

1. The Chairman shall draw up a provisional agenda for each meeting. It shall be forwarded by the secretaries of the Association Council to the addressees referred to in Article 6 not later than 15 days before the beginning of the meeting.

The provisional agenda shall include the items in respect of which the Chairman has received a request for inclusion in the agenda not later than 21 days before the beginning of the meeting, save that such items shall not be written into the provisional agenda unless the supporting documentation has been forwarded to the secretaries not later than the date of dispatch of the agenda.

The agenda shall be adopted by the Association Council at the beginning of each meeting. An item other than those appearing on the provisional agenda may be placed on the agenda if the Parties so agree.

2. The Chairman may, in agreement with the Parties, shorten the periods specified in paragraph 1 in order to take account of the requirements of a particular case.

Article 9

Minutes

Draft minutes of each meeting shall be drawn up by the two secretaries.

The minutes shall, as a general rule, indicate in respect of each item on the agenda:

(a) the documentation submitted to the Association Council;

(b) statements which a member of the Association Council has asked to be entered;

(c) the decisions taken, the statements agreed upon and the conclusions adopted.

The draft minutes shall be submitted to the Association Council for approval. They shall be approved within six months after each Association Council meeting. When approved, the minutes shall be signed by the Chairman and the two secretaries. The minutes shall be filed in the archives of the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union; a certified true copy shall be forwarded to each of the addressees referred to in Article 6.

Article 10

Decisions and recommendations

1. The Association Council shall adopt its decisions and recommendations by mutual agreement of the Parties.

In the period between meetings, the Association Council may adopt decisions or recommendations by written procedure if both Parties so agree.

2. The decisions and recommendations of the Association Council within the meaning of Article 76 of the Agreement shall be entitled respectively ‘Decision’ and ‘Recommendation’ followed by a serial number, the date of their adoption and a description of their subject. Each decision shall specify the date of its entry into force.

The decisions and recommendations of the Association Council shall be signed by the Chairman and authenticated by the two secretaries.

Decisions and recommendations shall be forwarded to each of the addressees referred to in Article 6.

The Association Council may decide to order publication of its decisions and recommendations in the Official Journal of the European Union and the Official Journal of the Republic of Lebanon.

Article 11

Languages

The official languages of the Association Council shall be the official languages of the two Parties.

Unless otherwise decided, the Association Council shall base its deliberations on documentation prepared in those languages.

Article 12

Expenses

The European Union and the Republic of Lebanon shall each defray its own expenses incurred by reason of its participation in the meetings of the Association Council, both with regard to staff, travel and subsistence expenditure and to postal and telecommunications expenditure.

Expenditure in connection with interpreting at meetings, translation and reproduction of documents shall be borne by the European Union, with the exception of expenditure in connection with interpreting or translation into or from Arabic, which shall be borne by the Republic of Lebanon.

Other expenditure relating to the material organisation of meetings shall be borne by the Party which hosts the meetings.

Article 13

Association Committee

1. The Association Council shall be assisted in carrying out its duties by the Association Committee. The Committee shall be composed of representatives of the European Commission and of representatives of the members of the European Union, on the one hand, and of representatives of the Government of the Republic of Lebanon, on the other hand.

2. The Association Committee shall prepare the meetings and the deliberations of the Association Council, implement the decisions of the Association Council where appropriate and, in general, ensure continuity of the Association relationship and the proper functioning of the Agreement. It shall consider any matter referred to it by the Association Council as well as any other matter which may arise in the course of the day-to-day implementation of the Agreement. It shall submit proposals or any draft decisions/recommendations to the Association Council for its approval.

3. In cases where the Agreement refers to an obligation to consult or a possibility of consultation, such consultation may take place within the Association Committee. The consultation may continue in the Association Council if the two Parties so agree.

4. The Rules of Procedure of the Association Committee are attached to this Decision.

Article 14

Entry into force

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

Done at Brussels, 17 September 2012. For the EU-Lebanon Association Council The Chairman C. ASHTON

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