EN Official Journal of the European Union L 88/73

COUNCIL COMMON POSITION 2006/244/CFSP

of 20 March 2006

on participation by the European Union in the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organisation (KEDO)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on European Union, and in particular Article 15 thereof,

Whereas:

(1) On the basis of Common Position 2001/869/CFSP (1), the European Union has participated in the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organisation (KEDO), in order to contribute to finding an overall solution to the issue of nuclear non-proliferation in the Korean Peninsula.

(2) The EU strategy against proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, adopted by the European Council on 12 December 2003, attaches particular importance to compliance by all parties with the provisions of the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

(3) Through its participation in KEDO, the European Union has been making a contribution to the European Union's objective, namely to find an overall solution to the issue of nuclear proliferation in the Korean peninsula in accordance with the objectives of the six-party-talks.

(4) There is consensus amongst the Executive Board Members of KEDO to terminate KEDO's nuclear light water reactor project (hereinafter referred to as LWR project) as soon as possible and to wind up KEDO in an orderly manner before the end of 2006.

(5) To that end the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) has negotiated the renewal of its membership of KEDO with the specific purpose of supporting the objective of terminating the LWR project and of winding up KEDO.

(6) The existing detailed arrangements for the representation of the European Union on KEDO's Executive Board should be kept in place. In that connection, the Council and the Commission have agreed that if KEDO's Executive Board was to address any matter falling outside Euratom's competence, it is the Presidency of the Council which should take the floor to express a position on such matters.

(7) Common Position 2001/869/CFSP expired on 31 December 2005 and should be replaced by a new Common Position,

HAS ADOPTED THE FOLLOWING COMMON POSITION:

Article 1

The objective of this Common Position is to enable the European Union to participate in the process to terminate the LWR project as soon as possible and to wind up KEDO in an orderly manner before the end of 2006.

Article 2

1. For matters falling outside the competence of Euratom, the position within KEDO's Executive Board shall be determined by the Council and expressed by the Presidency.

2. The Presidency shall therefore be closely associated with the proceedings of KEDO's Executive Board and shall be informed immediately of any common foreign and security policy matter which must be discussed at Executive Board meetings.

3. The Commission shall report to the Council, on a regular basis and as the need arises, under the authority of the Presidency assisted by the Secretary-General/High Representative for the CFSP.

Article 3

This Common Position shall take effect on the date of its adoption. It shall be applicable from 1 January 2006 until the termination of KEDO or until 31 December 2006, whichever date occurs first.

Article 4

This Common Position shall be published in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Done at Brussels, 20 March 2006. For the Council The President U. PLASSNIK

(1) OJ L 325, 8.12.2001, p. 1.