Decision No 1/2000 of the EU-Israel Association Council of 13 June 2000 adopting its rules of procedure
Date: 2000-06-13
Institutions: Association Council
Subjects: Association Council (EU), European Union, Israel, rules of procedure

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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II

(Acts whose publication is not obligatory)

COUNCIL

DECISION No 1/2000 OF THE EU-ISRAEL ASSOCIATION COUNCIL

of 13 June 2000

adopting its rules of procedure

(2000/398/EC)

THE ASSOCIATION COUNCIL,

Having regard to the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement estab-
lishing an Association between the European Communities and
their Member States, of the one part, and the State of Israel, of
the other part, and in particular Articles 67 to 75 thereof,

Whereas that Agreement entered into force on 1 June 2000,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

Chairmanship

The Association Council shall be presided over alternately for
periods of 12 months by a representative of the Presidency of
the Council of
the
Community and its Member States, and a representative of the
Government of Israel. The first period shall begin on the date
the first Association Council meeting and end on 31
of
December 2000.

the European Union, on behalf of

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 meet-
ings of the Council of the European Union at a date agreed by
both Parties.

The meetings of
convened by the secretaries of
agreement with the President.

the Association Council shall be jointly
in

the Association Council

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

The Association Council may decide to invite, by agreement
between the Parties, 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 Mission of Israel
in
Brussels shall act
the Association
Council.

jointly as secretaries of

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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 Associa-
tion Council. Correspondence circulated shall be sent to the
General Secretariat of the Commission, the Permanent Repre-
sentations of the Member States and the Mission of Israel in
Brussels.

Communications from the President of the Association Council
shall be sent to the addresses by the two secretaries and circu-
lated, where appropriate, to the other members of the Associa-
tion Council at the addresses indicated in the second para-
graph.

Article 7

Publicity

Unless otherwise decided,
Council shall not be public.

the meetings of

the Association

Article 8

Agenda for meetings

The President shall draw up a provisional agenda for each
1.
meeting. It shall be forwarded by the secretaries of the Associa-
tion Council to the addresses 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 items shall not be written into the provi-
sional 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
two Parties so agree.

2.
The President may, 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 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 the entry of which has been requested by a

member of the Association Council,

— the decisions taken, the statements agreed upon and the

conclusions adopted.

after

The draft minutes shall be submitted to the Association
Council for approval. They shall be approved within three
each Association Council meeting. When
months
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

The Association Council shall

1.
recommendations by common agreement of the Parties.

take its decisions and

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 Association
Council within the meaning of Article 69 of the Euro-Mediter-
ranean Agreement shall be entitled respectively ‘Decision’ and
‘Recommendation’ followed by a serial number, by the date of
their adoption and by 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 Communities and the Reshumot of Israel (Israeli Official
Journal).

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 Israel 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, trans-
lation 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 Hebrew,
which shall be borne by Israel.

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

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Article 13
Association Committee

The Association Committee shall assist the Association
1.
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
Communities, on the one hand, and of representatives of the
Israeli Government on the other.
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 relation-
ship 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 and/or recommendations for adoption to
the Association Council.

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.

The rules of procedure of the Association Committee are

4.
annexed to this Decision.

Done at Brussels, 13 June 2000.

For the Association Council

The President

J. GAMA

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ANNEX

RULES OF PROCEDURE OF THE EU-ISRAEL ASSOCIATION COMMITTEE

Article 1

Chairmanship

The Association Committee shall be presided over alternatively for
periods 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 Israel. The
first period shall begin on the date of the first Association Council
meeting and end on 31 December 2000.

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 normally at least once a year.

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 Council of the European
Union and an official of the Israeli Government shall act jointly as
secretaries of the Association Committee.

All communications intended for the Chairman of the Association
Committee or sent by him or her under this Decision shall be addressed
to the secretaries of the Association Committee and to 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

Agenda 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 addresses 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 items shall
not be written into the provisional agenda unless the supporting docu-

mentation has been forwarded to the secretaries not later than the date
of dispatch of the agenda.

The Association Commitee may ask experts to attend its meeting 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 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 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
take decisions/recommendations, these acts shall be entitled respectively
‘Decision’ and ‘Recommendation’, followed by a serial number, by the
date of their adoption and by a description of their subject.

Whenever the Association Committee takes a decision, Articles 10 and
11 of Decision No 1/2000 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 of this Annex.

Article 9

Expenses

Each Party shall each defray the expenses related to its participation in
the meetings of the Association Committee and any working parties set
up under Article 73 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 Hebrew, which shall be borne by Israel.

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