[pic] | COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES |

Brussels, 22.2.2007

COM(2006) 64 final

Proposal for a

COUNCIL DECISION

on a Community position in the Association Council on the implementation of Article 75 of the Euro-Mediterranean Association 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

(presented by the Commission)

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

(1) The Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreement between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Lebanon, of the other part, was signed on 17 June 2002 and entered into force on 1 April 2006.

(2) An Association Council is established under Article 74 of the Agreement. The Association Council shall examine any major issue arising within the framework of the Agreement and any other bilateral or international issues of mutual interest. Under Article 75 of the Agreement the Association Council shall establish its own rules of procedure.

(3) Following Article 77 of the Agreement an Association Committee is established, subject to the powers of the Association Council. The Association Committee shall be responsible for the implementation of the Agreement. Under Article 78 of the Agreement the Association Committee shall establish its own rules of procedure.

(4) The proposal drawn up by the Commission is closely based on the rules of procedure adopted for the other Euro-Med Association Agreements.

(5) The Council is requested to adopt, in the form of a common Community position, the attached draft Decision of the EU/Lebanon Association Council adopting its rules of procedure, to which draft rules of procedure for the Association Committee are annexed.

Proposal for a

COUNCIL DECISION

on a Community position in the Association Council on the implementation of Article 75 of the Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreement between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Lebanon, of the other part

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular the second subparagraph of Article 300(2) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission[1],

Whereas:

1. The Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreement between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Lebanon, of the other part, was signed on 17 June 2002.

2. Article 74 of the said Agreement establishes an Association Council, which is to examine any major issues arising within the framework of the Agreement and any other bilateral or international issues of mutual interest.

3. Article 77 of the said Agreement establishes an Association Committee, subject to the powers of the Association Council, which is to be responsible for the implementation of the Agreement.

4. Articles 75 and 78 of the said Agreements provide respectively that the Association Council and the Association Committee are to adopt their rules of procedure.

5. The Community should determine the position to be taken within the Association Council with regard to the adoption of the rules of procedure for the Association Council and the Association Committee.

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Sole Article

The position to be adopted by the Community within the Association Council established by the Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreement between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Lebanon, of the other part, on the implementation of Article 75 of the Agreement, shall be based on the draft decision of the Association Council annexed to this Decision.

Done at Brussels,

For the Council

The President

ANNEX I

Draft

DECISION OF THE EU/LEBANON ASSOCIATION COUNCIL

Establishing the Association Council’s rules of procedure

The EU-Lebanon Association Council,

Having regard to the Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreement between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Lebanon, of the other part, and in particular Articles 74 to 81 thereof,

Whereas that Agreement entered into force on 1st of April 2006,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

Presidency

The Association Council shall be presided over alternately for a period of 12 months by a representative of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, on behalf of the Community 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 President.

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 President 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 President 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 President 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 President of the Association Council and, where appropriate, circulated to the other members of the Association Council. Correspondence circulated shall be sent to the Secretariat-General of the Commission, the Permanent Representations of the Member States and the Embassy of the Republic of Lebanon in Brussels.

Communications from the President 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 President 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 President 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 President 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:

- the documentation submitted to the Association Council,

- statements which a member of the Association Council has asked to be entered,

- 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 President 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 Euro-Mediterranean 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 President 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 Community and the Republic of Lebanon shall each defray the expenses they incur by reason of their 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 Community, 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 Commission of the European Communities and of representatives of the members of the Council 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 Euro-Mediterranean 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 Euro-Mediterranean Agreement. It shall submit proposals or any draft decisions/recommendations to the Association Council for its approval.

3. In cases where the Euro-Mediterranean 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 draft Rules of Procedure of the Association Committee are annexed to this Decision.

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

Done at

For the Association Council

The President

ANNEX

RULES OF PROCEDURE OF THE ASSOCIATION COMMITTEE

Association between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Lebanon, of the other part

Article 1

Chairmanship

The Association Committee shall be presided over alternately for periods of 12 months by a representative of the Commission of the European Communities on behalf of the Community 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 Committee shall meet when circumstances require, with the agreement of both Parties.

Each meeting of the Association Committee shall be held at a time and place agreed by both Parties.

The meetings of the Association Committee shall be convened by the Chairman.

Article 3

Delegations

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

Article 4

Secretariat

An official of the General Secretariat of the Commission of the European Community and an official of the Government of the Republic of Lebanon shall act jointly as secretaries of the Association Committee.

All communications to or from the Chairman of the Association Committee in the framework of these Rules of Procedure shall be addressed to the secretaries of the Association Committee and the secretaries and President of the Association Council.

Article 5

Publicity

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

Article 6

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 Committee to the addressees referred to in Article 4 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 Association Committee may ask experts to attend its meetings in order to provide information on particular subjects.

The agenda shall be adopted by the Association Committee at the beginning of each meeting.

An item other than those appearing on the provisional agenda may be placed on the agenda if the two Parties so agree.

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

Article 7

Minutes

Minutes shall be taken for each meeting and shall be based on a summing-up by the Chairman of the conclusions arrived at by the Association Committee.

When approved by the Association Committee, the minutes shall be signed by the Chairman and by the secretaries and filed by each of the Parties. A copy of the minutes shall be forwarded to each of the addressees referred to in Article 4.

Article 8

Deliberations

In the specific cases where the Association Committee is empowered by the Association Council under the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement to adopt decisions/recommendations, those acts shall be entitled respectively "Decision" and "Recommendation", followed by a serial number, the date of their adoption and a description of their subject.

Whenever the Association Committee takes a decision, Articles 10 and 11 of Decision No xx/200x of the Association Council adopting its Rules of Procedure shall be applied mutatis mutandis.

Decisions and recommendations of the Association Committee shall be forwarded to the addressees referred to in Article 4.

Article 9

Expenses

Each Party shall defray the expenses related to its participation in the meetings of the Association Committee and of any working groups or bodies which might be set up in accordance with Article 80 of the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement, 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 Community, with the exception of expenditure in connection with interpreting and/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.

The Community and the Republic of Lebanon shall each defray the expenses they incur by reason of their participation in the meetings of the Association Committee and sub-committees, both with regard to staff, travel and subsistence expenditure and to postal and telecommunications expenditure. Other expenditure relating to the organisation of meetings shall be borne by the Party hosting the meetings.

[1] OJ C , , p. .