Decision No 1/1999 of the Association Council between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Slovenia, of the other part, of 22 February 1999 adopting its rules of procedure - Rules of procedure of the Association Committee
Date: 1999-02-22
Institutions: EC–Slovenia Association Council
Subjects: Association Council (EU), Slovenia, association agreement (EU), committee (EU), operation of the Institutions, rules of procedure

10. 4. 1999

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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II

(Acts whose publication is not obligatory)

COUNCIL

DECISION No 1/1999 OF THE ASSOCIATION COUNCIL

between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part,
and the Republic of Slovenia, of the other part

of 22 February 1999

adopting its rules of procedure

(1999/247/EC)

THE ASSOCIATION COUNCIL,

Having regard to the Europe Agreement establishing an
Association between the European Communities and
their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of
Slovenia, of the other part, and in particular Articles 110,
111, 112, 113, 114 and 115 thereof,

Whereas that Agreement entered into force on 1 February
1999,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

Chairmanship

The Association Council shall be presided over alternately
the
for periods of 12 months by a representative of
Council of
the
the European Union, on behalf of
Community and its Member States, and a representative
of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia. The first
period shall begin on the date of the first Association
Council meeting and end on 31 December 1999.

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 rep-
resented 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
Council shall exercise all the rights of that member.

the Association

Article 4

Delegations

Article 2

Meetings

The members of the Association Council may be accom-
panied by officials.

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

The Association Council shall meet regularly at minis-
terial level once a year. Special sessions of the Association
Council may be held if the Parties so agree, at the request
of either Party.

A representative of the European Investment Bank shall
attend the meetings of the Association Council, as an
observer, when matters which concern the Bank appear
on the agenda.

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The Association Council may invite non-members to
attend its meetings in order to provide information on
particular subjects.

Article 5

Secretariat

those appearing on the provisional agenda may be placed
on the agenda if the two Parties so agree.

The President may,

2.
in agreement with the two
Parties, shorten the time limits specified in paragraph 1 in
order to take account of the requirements of a particular
case.

An official of the General Secretariat of the Council of the
European Union and an official of the Mission of the
Republic of Slovenia in Brussels shall act jointly as Sec-
retaries of the Association Council.

Article 9

Minutes

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 other members of
the Association Council. Correspondence circulated shall
be sent to the General Secretariat of the Commission, the
Permanent Representations of the Member States and the
Mission of the Republic of Slovenia in Brussels.

Communications from the President of the Association
Council shall be sent to the addressees by the two Secret-
to the other
aries and circulated, where appropriate,
members of the Association Council at the addresses indi-
cated in the preceding 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 inclu-
sion in the agenda not later than 21 days before the
beginning of the meeting, save that 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 despatch of the agenda.

The agenda shall be adopted by the Association Council
at the beginning of each meeting. An item other than

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:

(cid:190) the documentation submitted to the Association

Council,

(cid:190) statements the entry of which has been requested by a

member of the Association Council,

(cid:190) the decisions and recommendations taken, the state-
ments agreed upon and the conclusions adopted.

The draft minutes shall be submitted to the Association
Council for approval. 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 who is
acting as depository of the documents of the Association;
a certified copy shall be forwarded to each of
the
addressees referred to in Article 6.

Article 10

Decisions and recommendations

1.
The Association Council shall take its decisions and
recommendations by common agreement of the Parties.

During the inter-sessional period, the Association Council
may take decisions or
recommendations by written
procedure if both Parties so agree.

2.
The decisions and recommendations of the Associa-
tion Council within the meaning of Article 112 of the
Europe Agreement shall be entitled respectively ‘Deci-
sion' and ‘Recommendation' followed by a serial number,
by the date of their adoption and by a description of their
subject.

The decisions and recommendations of the Association
Council shall be signed by the President and authenti-
cated by the two Secretaries.

Decisions and recommendations shall be forwarded to
each of the addressees referred to in Article 6 above.

Each Party may decide on the publication of decisions
and recommendations of the Association Council in its
respective official publication (Official Journal of the
European Communities and Uradni List Republike Slov-
enije).

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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 these
languages.

Article 12

Expenses

The Community and the Republic of Slovenia shall each
defray the expenses they incur by reason of their partici-
pation 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
Slovenian, which shall be borne by the Republic of Slov-
enia.

Other expenditure relating to the material organisation of
meetings shall be borne by the Party which hosts the
meetings.

Article 13

Association Committee

1.
An Association Committee is hereby established in
order to assist the Association Council in carrying out its
duties. It shall be composed of representatives of the
members of the Council of the European Union and of
members of the Commission of the European Communi-
ties, on the one hand, and of representatives of the Slov-
enian Government, on the other, normally at senior civil
servant level.

2.
The Association Committee shall prepare the meet-
ings and the deliberations of the Association Council,
the Association Council
implement

the decisions of

where appropriate and, in general, ensure continuity of
the association relationship and the proper functioning of
the Europe 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 Europe Agreement. It shall
submit proposals or any draft decisions/recommendations
for adoption to the Association Council.

In cases where the Europe Agreement refers to an
3.
obligation to consult or a possibility of consultation, such
consultation may take place within the Association
Committee. The consultation may continue in the Asso-
ciation Council if the two Parties so agree.

The

4.
Committee are annexed to this Decision.

of procedure

rules

of

the Association

Article 14

Subcommittees and special groups

the
The subcommittees, mentioned in Article 115 of
to this
Europe Agreement, are listed in Annex II
Decision. Subcommittees shall work under the authority
of the Association Committee, to which they shall report
after each of their meetings.

The Association Committee may decide to abolish any
existing subcommittees or groups, modify their terms of
reference or set up further subcommittees or groups to
assist it in carrying out its duties.

These subcommittees and groups shall not have any
decision-making power.

Done at Brussels, 22 February 1999.

For the Association Council

The President

J. FISCHER

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ANNEX I

RULES OF PROCEDURE OF THE ASSOCIATION COMMITTEE

Article 1

Chairmanship

to in Article 4 not later than 15 days before the beginning
of the meeting.

The Association Committee shall be presided over alter-
nately for periods of 12 months by a representative of the
European Commission, on behalf of the Community and
its Member States, and a representative of the Govern-
ment of the Republic of Slovenia. The first period shall
begin on the date of the first Association Council meeting
and end on 31 December 1999.

The provisional agenda shall include the items in respect
of which the Chairman has received a request for inclu-
sion in the agenda not later than 21 days before the
beginning of the meeting, save that 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.

Article 2

Meetings

The Association Committee may ask experts to attend its
meetings in order to provide information on particular
subjects.

The Association Committee shall meet when circum-
stances 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
convened by the Chairman.

the Association Committee shall be

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 European Commission and an official
of the Slovenian Government shall act jointly as Secreta-
ries of the Association Committee.

All communications to and from the Chairman of the
Association Committee provided for in this Decision
shall be forwarded to the Secretaries of the Association
Committee and to the Secretaries and the 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

agenda

shall be

The
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.

The Chairman may,

2.
in agreement with the two
Parties, shorten the time limits 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 conclu-
sions 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 Article
114(2) of the Europe Agreement to take decisions/recom-
mendations, these acts shall be entitled respectively ‘Deci-
sion' and ‘Recommendation', followed by a serial number,
by the date of their adoption and by a description of their
subject. Decisions and recommendations shall be made
by common agreement between the Parties.

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The decisions and recommendations of the Association Committee shall be signed by the
President and authenticated by the two Secretaries and shall be forwarded to the addressees
referred to in Article 4 of this Annex. Each Party may decide on the publication of the decisions
and recommendations of this Association Committee in its respective official publication (i.e.
Official Journal of the European Communities and the Uradni List Republike Slovenije).

Article 9

Expenses

The Community and the Republic of Slovenia shall each defray the expenses they incur by
reason of their participation in the meetings of the Association Committee, 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 docu-
ments shall be borne by the Community, with the exception of expenditure in connection with
interpreting or translation into or from Slovenian, which shall be borne by the Republic of
Slovenia.

Other expenditure relating to the material organisation of meetings shall be borne by the Party
which hosts the meetings.

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ANNEX II

EC-SLOVENIA EUROPE AGREEMENT

PROPOSED MULTIDISCIPLINARY SUBCOMMITTEE STRUCTURE

Title

Issues

1. Agriculture and fisheries

Agriculture
Fisheries
Processed Agriculture

2. Approximation of

legislation, com- Approximation of legislation (all areas)

petition and opening up of Community White Paper on integration in the internal market
programmes

Competition
Intellectual and industrial property
Public procurement
Public administration
Community programmes

3. Trade,

consumer protection

industry, ECSC products and Commercial questions
Industrial cooperation
Standards and conformity assessment
Tourism
Small and medium-sized enterprises
Consumer protection
Coal and steel

4. Economic issues

Economic questions
Monetary policy

EA Article

19-22/79
23-24
Protocol 3

70-72

65-67
68
69

106

26-37
74
76
90
91
93
Protocol 2

73, 96
86

5. Human resources, research, technolo-
gical development and social policy

6. Transport Committee

7. Environment,
development

energy

and

regional

Education and training
Science and technology
Social cooperation (employment, labour market, legislation, indus-
trial relations, etc.)
Cultural legislation
Information communication

Transport
Maritime transport
Infrastructure and trans-European networks
Post and telecommunications

Environment and protection against natural disasters
Energy
Nuclear safety
Regional development

78
77

89
99
92

83

84

82
80
81
88

istics, drugs and prevention of illegal
activities

8. Cooperation in customs matters, stat- Customs
Taxation
Statistical cooperation
Drugs and money laundering
Prevention of illegal activities
Protocol on origin and mutual assistance

9. Financial services and establishment

and capital movements

Banking, insurance and other financial services
Investment promotion and protection
Movement of workers
Right of establishment and services
Capital movements and payments

94-35
27
95
87, 97
98
Protocols 4, 5

85
75
38-44
45-55
62-64