Draft DECISION OF THE EC-TURKEY ASSOCIATION COUNCIL on the establishment of Association committee subcommittees - Draft common position of the Community

(presented by the Commission)

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

The Association Committees and Councils have set up subcommittees for the candidate countries in Central and Eastern Europe. It is proposed that the same subcommittees be set up for Turkey, under the Association Committee.

The purpose of the subcommittees is to pave the way for examining Turkish legislation in the various fields of the Community acquis and to monitor the implementation of the Accession Partnership which the Commission intends to put forward by October in line with the mandate of the Helsinki European Council.

The proposal is to set up the following subcommittees :

- EU-Turkey subcommittee n°1: Agriculture and fisheries,

- EU-Turkey subcommittee n°2: Internal market and competition,

- EU-Turkey subcommittee n°3: Trade, industry and ECSC products,

- EU-Turkey subcommittee n°4: Economic and monetary issues, capital movements and statistics,

- EU-Turkey subcommittee n° 5: Innovation,

- EU-Turkey subcommittee n° 6: Transport, environment and energy (including Trans-European Networks),

- EU-Turkey subcommittee n° 7: Regional development, employment and social policy,

- EU-Turkey subcommittee n° 8: Customs, taxation, drug trafficking and money laundering.

The Commission is recommending that the Council adopt the attached Decision as the Community position for adoption by the Association Council.

Draft DECISION OF THE EC-TURKEY ASSOCIATION COUNCIL on the establishment of Association committee subcommittees

THE EC-TURKEY ASSOCIATION COUNCIL,

Having regard to the Agreement establishing an Association between the EC and Turkey, and in particular Article 24 thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Turkey is a candidate for accession to the European Union.

(2) The Helsinki European Council of 11 and 12 December 1999 called on the Commission to draw up an Accession Partnership for Turkey and to set up appropriate monitoring mechanisms. It also called on the Commission to prepare for an analytical examination of the Community acquis.

(3) Subcommittees have been set up under the other candidate countries' Association Committees to monitor progress with the priorities of the Accession Partnerships and approximation of legislation.

(4) Similar subcommittees should also be set up to assist the EC-Turkey Association Committee established by Decision 3/64 of the Association Council,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS :

Sole Article

The subcommittees listed in the Annex to this Decision shall be attached to the EC-Turkey Association Committee.

The subcommittees shall work under the authority of the Association Committee, to which they shall report after each of their meetings.

The Association Council may decide to set up further subcommittees or groups or to abolish existing subcommittees or groups.

The Association Committee shall adopt the terms of reference of the subcommittees, take any other action needed to ensure that they operate properly and inform the Association Council accordingly.

The subcommittees shall have no decision-making power.

Done at Brussels, [...]

For the Association Council

The President

ANNEX

EC-Turkey Association Agreement

Subcommittees attached to the Association Committee

Title // Issues

1. Agriculture and fisheries // Products of agriculture and fisheries.

Agricultural cooperation and rural development.

Processed agricultural products.

Veterinary and plant-health issues.

Trade matters.

2. Internal market and competition // Free movement of goods, including standardisation, certification, conformity assessment and market surveillance.

Intellectual and industrial property rights.

Public procurement, data protection and civil law.

Company law, accounting and e-commerce.

Consumer protection.

Competition and state aid.

Services, including financial services (banking, insurance, investment) and postal services.

Movement of workers, except coordination of social security.

Right of establishment and provision of services.

Turkish participation in Community programmes.

3. Trade, industry and ECSC products // Trade issues.

ECSC products.

Investment promotion.

Small and medium-sized enterprises and Turkish participation in Community SME programmes.

Industrial policy and cooperation; tourism.

4. Economic and monetary issues, capital movements and statistics // Economic and monetary issues.

Current payments and movements of capital, including investment protection.

Reform of the financial sector.

Statistical cooperation.

5. Innovation // Education, training courses and youth, and Turkish participation in Community programmes.

Science, research and technological development and Turkish participation in research and technological development programmes and demonstration programmes.

Telecommunications and information technology.

Cultural cooperation and audiovisual policy; Turkish participation in Community programmes.

6. Transport, environment and energy (including Trans-European Networks) // Transport.

Environment; Turkish participation in Community programmes.

Energy, including nuclear safety; Turkish participation in Community programmes.

7. Regional development, employment and social policy // Employment policy, social policy, Turkish participation in Community social programmes. Coordination of social policies.

Regional development policy.

8. Customs, taxation, drug trafficking and money laundering // Customs cooperation.

Indirect taxation; Turkish participation in Community programmes in the field of taxation.

Money laundering.

Drugs.

Auditing and financial control.