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

The text of the Protocol is attached to this Decision (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 between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Russian Federation, 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, subject to possible conclusion at a later stage.

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,

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.

On 8 December 2003, the Council authorised the Commission, on behalf of the Community and its Member States, to negotiate with the Russian Federation 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.

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

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

Having regard to the Treaty of Accession of 16 April 2003, and in particular Article 2(3) thereof,

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,

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 Russian Federation, 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

PROTOCOL

to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement establishing a partnership between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Russian Federation, 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 RUSSIAN FEDERATION

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 Russian Federation, of the other part, signed at Corfu on 24 June 1994 (hereinafter the Agreement) and shall respectively adopt and take note, in the same manner, as the other Member States of the Community, of the texts of the Agreement, as well as of the Joint Declarations, Exchanges of Letters, and Declaration by the Russian Federation annexed to the Final Act signed on the same date and the Protocol to the Agreement of 21 May 1997 that entered into force on 12 October 2000.

Article 2

To take into account recent institutional developments within the European Union, the Parties agree that following the 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 Russian Federation 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 1 May 2004 provided that all the instruments of approval of this Protocol have been deposited before that date.

2. If not all the 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 the deposit of the last instrument of approval.

3. If not all the 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 21 May 1997 are drawn up in the Czech, Estonian, Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Slovene and Slovak languages.

They are annexed to this Protocol (2) 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 21 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, Slovene, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish and Russian languages, each of these texts being equally authentic.