Decision No 1/2000 of the EU-Morocco Association Council of 9 October 2000 adopting its Rules of Procedure - Rules of procedure of the Association Committee
Date: 2000-10-09
Institutions: Association Council
Subjects: Association Council (EU), Morocco, rules of procedure

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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

of 9 October 2000

adopting its Rules of Procedure

(2000/656/EC)

THE EU-MOROCCO 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 Kingdom of
Morocco, of the other part, and in particular Articles 78 to 86
thereof,

Whereas that Agreement entered into force on 1 March 2000,

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
Community and its Member States, and a representative of the
Government of the Kingdom of Morocco. The first period shall
begin on the date of the first Association Council meeting and
end on 31 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 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 the Kingdom
of Morocco 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.

shall ensure that correspondence is
The two secretaries
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 Permanent
Representations of the Member States and the Mission of the
Kingdom of Morocco in Brussels.

the Commission,

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,
Council shall not be public.

the meetings of

the Association

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 Associa-
tion 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.

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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.

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

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 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
for approval. They shall be approved within six
Council
months
each Association Council meeting. When
after
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

The Association Council shall adopt its decisions and

1.
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 80 of the Euro-Mediter-
ranean 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.

Article 12

Expenses

The Community and the Kingdom of Morocco 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 or translation into or from Arabic, which
shall be borne by the Kingdom of Morocco.

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 members of the Council
of the European Union and of representatives of the Commis-
sion of the European Communities, on the one hand, and of
representatives of
the Kingdom of
the Government of
Morocco, on the other hand.

The Association Committee shall prepare the meetings
2.
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/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
Committee are annexed to this Decision.

the Association

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

Done at Luxembourg, 9 October 2000.

The Association Council may decide to order publication of its
decisions and recommendations in the Official Journal of the
European Communities and the Official Journal of the Kingdom
of Morocco.

For the Association Council

The President

H. VÉDRINE

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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ANNEX

RULES OF PROCEDURE OF THE ASSOCIATION COMMITTEE

Association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the
Kingdom of Morocco, 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 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 Kingdom of Morocco. 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.

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
Government of the Kingdom of Morocco 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.

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

Article 5

Publicity

Article 6

Agendas for meetings

The Chairman shall draw up a provisional agenda for each meeting. It shall be forwarded by the
1.
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.

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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.

The Chairman may, in agreement with the two Parties, shorten the periods specified in paragraph 1 in

2.
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 respec-
tively ‘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 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 these Rules of Procedure.

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 84 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 Kingdom of Morocco.

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