EN Official Journal of the European Union L 224/8

COUNCIL DECISION

of 29 April 2004

on the signing and provisional application of a Protocol to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement establishing a partnership between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Moldova, of the other part, to take account of the accession of the Czech Republic, the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Cyprus, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, the Republic of Hungary, the Republic of Malta, the Republic of Poland, the Republic of Slovenia and the Slovak Republic to the European Union

(2006/535/EC)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 44(2), the last sentence of Article 47(2), and Articles 55, 57(2), 71, 80(2), 93, 94, 133 and 181a, in conjunction with Article 300(2) first subparagraph, first sentence, thereof,

Having regard to the 2003 Treaty of Accession, and in particular Article 2(3) thereof,

Having regard to the 2003 Act of Accession, and in particular Article 6(2) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Whereas:

(1) On 8 December 2003, the Council authorised the Commission, on behalf of the Community and its Member States, to negotiate with the Republic of Moldova a Protocol to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement to take account of the accession of the Czech Republic, the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Cyprus, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, the Republic of Hungary, the Republic of Malta, the Republic of Poland, the Republic of Slovenia and the Slovak Republic to the European Union, and to provide for certain technical adjustments linked to the institutional and legal developments within the European Union.

(2) Subject to its possible conclusion at a later date, the Protocol has been negotiated between the parties and should now be signed on behalf of the European Community and its Member States.

(3) The Protocol should be applied on a provisional basis as from the date of accession, pending completion of the relevant procedures for its formal conclusion,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

The President of the Council is hereby authorised to designate the person(s) empowered to sign, on behalf of the European Community and its Member States, the Protocol to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement establishing a partnership between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Moldova, of the other part, to take account of the accession of the Czech Republic, the Republic of Cyprus, the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Hungary, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, the Republic of Malta, the Republic of Poland, the Republic of Slovenia and the Slovak Republic to the European Union, subject to possible conclusion at a later stage.

The text of the Protocol is attached to this Decision (1).

Article 2

Pending its entry into force, the Protocol shall be applied on a provisional basis from the date of accession.

Done at Luxembourg, 29 April 2004. For the Council The President M. McDOWELL

(1) See page 10 of this Official Journal.

PROTOCOL

to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement establishing a partnership between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Moldova, of the other part, to take account of the accession of the Czech Republic, the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Cyprus, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, the Republic of Hungary, the Republic of Malta, the Republic of Poland, the Republic of Slovenia and the Slovak Republic to the European Union

THE KINGDOM OF BELGIUM,

THE CZECH REPUBLIC,

THE KINGDOM OF DENMARK,

THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY,

THE REPUBLIC OF ESTONIA,

THE HELLENIC REPUBLIC,

THE KINGDOM OF SPAIN,

THE FRENCH REPUBLIC,

IRELAND,

THE ITALIAN REPUBLIC,

THE REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS,

THE REPUBLIC OF LATVIA,

THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA,

THE GRAND DUCHY OF LUXEMBOURG,

THE REPUBLIC OF HUNGARY,

THE REPUBLIC OF MALTA,

THE KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS,

THE REPUBLIC OF AUSTRIA,

THE REPUBLIC OF POLAND,

THE PORTUGUESE REPUBLIC,

THE REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA,

THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC,

THE REPUBLIC OF FINLAND,

THE KINGDOM OF SWEDEN,

THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND,

hereinafter referred to as the ‘Member States’, represented by the Council of the European Union, and

THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY AND THE EUROPEAN ATOMIC ENERGY COMMUNITY,

hereinafter referred to as ‘the Communities’, represented by the Council of the European Union and the European Commission,

of the one part, and

THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

of the other part,

HAVING REGARD TO the accession of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia to the European Union on 1 May 2004,

HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

The Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia shall be Parties to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement establishing a partnership between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Moldova, of the other part, signed in Brussels on 28 November 1994 (hereinafter the Agreement) and shall respectively adopt and take note, in the same manner as the other Member States, of the texts of the Agreement, the Joint Declarations, Exchanges of Letters, the Declaration by the Republic of Moldova annexed to the Final Act signed on the same date and the Protocol to the Agreement of 15 May 1997 that entered into force on 12 October 2000.

Article 2

To take account of recent institutional developments within the European Union, the Parties agree that, following expiry of the Treaty establishing the European Coal and Steel Community, existing provisions in the Agreement referring to the European Coal and Steel Community shall be deemed to refer to the European Community, which has taken over all rights and obligations contracted by the European Coal and Steel Community.

Article 3

This Protocol shall form an integral part of the Agreement.

Article 4

1. This Protocol shall be approved by the Communities, by the Council of the European Union on behalf of the Member States and by the Republic of Moldova in accordance with their own procedures.

2. The Parties shall notify each other of the accomplishment of the corresponding procedures referred to in the preceding paragraph. The instruments of approval shall be deposited with the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union.

Article 5

1. This Protocol shall enter into force on the same day as the 2003 Treaty of Accession, provided that all the instruments of approval of this Protocol have been deposited before that date.

2. Where not all instruments of approval of this Protocol have been deposited before that date, this Protocol shall enter into force on the first day of the first month following the date of deposit of the last instrument of approval.

3. Where not all instruments of approval of this Protocol have been deposited before 1 May 2004, this Protocol shall apply provisionally with effect from 1 May 2004.

Article 6

The texts of the Agreement, the Final Act and all documents annexed to it, as well as the Protocol to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement of 15 May 1997, are drawn up in the Czech, Estonian, Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Slovak and Slovene languages.

These texts are annexed (1) to this Protocol and are equally authentic with the texts in the other languages in which the Agreement, the Final Act and the documents annexed to it, as well as the Protocol to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement of 15 May 1997, are drawn up.

Article 7

This Protocol is drawn up in duplicate in the Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish and Moldovan languages, each of these texts being equally authentic.

Hecho en Bruselas, el treinta de abril de dos mil cuatro. V Bruselu dne třicátého dubna dva tisíce čtyři. Udfærdiget i Bruxelles den tredivte april to tusind og fire. Geschehen zu Brüssel am dreißigsten April zweitausendundvier. Kahe tuhande neljanda aasta kolmekümnendal aprillil Brüsselis. Έγινε στις Βρυξέλλες, στις τριάντα Απριλίου δύο χιλιάδες τέσσερα. Done at Brussels on the thirtieth day of April in the year two thousand and four. Fait à Bruxelles, le trente avril deux mille quatre. Fatto a Bruxelles, addì trenta aprile duemilaquattro. Briselē, divi tūkstoši ceturtā gada trīsdesmitajā aprīlī. Priimta du tūkstančiai ketvirtų metų balandžio trisdešimtą dieną Briuselyje. Kelt Brüsszelben, a kétezer-negyedik év április havának tizenharmadik napján. Magħmul fi Brussel fit-tletin jum ta' April tas-sena elfejn u erbgħa. Gedaan te Brussel, de dertigste april tweeduizendvier. Sporządzono w Brukseli, dnia trzynastego kwietnia roku dwa tysiące czwartego. Feito em Bruxelas, em trinta de Abril de dois mil e quatro. V Bruseli tridsiateho apríla dvetisícštyri. V Bruslju, dne tridesetega aprila leta dva tisoč štiri. Tehty Brysselissä kolmantenakymmenentenä päivänä huhtikuuta vuonna kaksituhattaneljä. Som skedde i Bryssel den trettionde april tjugohundrafyra. Întocmit la Bruxelles în a treizecea zi a lunii aprilie în anul doua mii patru. Por los Estados miembros Za členské státy For medlemsstaterne Für die Mitgliedstaaten Liikmesriikide nimel Για τα κράτη μέλη For the Member States Pour les États membres Per gli Stati membri Dalībvalstu vārdā Valstybių narių vardu A tagállamok részéről Għall-Istati Membri Voor de lidstaten W imieniu Państw Członkowskich Pelos Estados-Membros Za členské štáty Za države članice Jäsenvaltioiden puolesta På medlemsstaternas vägnar Pentru Statele Membre Por las Comunidades Europeas Za Evropská společenství For De Europæiske Fællesskaber Für die Europäischen Gemeinschaften Euroopa ühenduste nimel Για τις Ευρωπαϊκές Κοινότητες For the European Communities Pour les Communautés européennes Per le Comunità europee Eiropas Kopienu vārdā Europos Bendrijų vardu Az Európai Közösségek részéről Għall-Komunitajiet Ewropej Voor de Europese Gemeenschappen W imieniu Wspólnot Europejskich Pelas Comunidades Europeias Za Európske spoločenstvá Za Evropske skupnosti Euroopan yhteisöjen puolesta På Europeiska gemenskapernas vägnar Pentru Comunitatile Europene Por la República de Moldova Za Moldavskou republiku For Republikken Moldova Für die Republik Moldau Moldova Vabariigi nimel Για τη Δημοκρατία της Μολδαβίας For the Republic of Moldova Pour la République de Moldova Per la Repubblica di Moldova Moldovas Republikas vārdā Moldovos Respublikos vardu Moldova részéről Għar-Repubblika tal-Moldavja Voor de Republiek Moldavië W imieniu Republiki Mołdowy Pela República da Moldávia Za Moldavskú republiku Za Republiko Moldavijo Moldovan tasavallan puolesta På Republiken Moldaviens vägnar Pentru Republica Moldova

(1) The Czech, Estonian, Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Slovak and Slovenian versions of the Agreement shall be published in the special edition of the Official Journal at a later date.