2001/152/EC: Decision No 1/2001 of the EU-Mexico Joint Council of 27 February 2001 establishing the Rules of Procedure of the EU-Mexico Joint Council and the Rules of Procedure of the EU-Mexico Joint Committee
Date: 2001-02-27
Institutions: European Union, Joint Council, Mexico
Subjects: Association Council (EU), European Union, Mexico, committee (EU), rules of procedure

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(Acts whose publication is not obligatory)

COUNCIL

DECISION No 1/2001 OF THE EU-MEXICO JOINT COUNCIL

of 27 February 2001

establishing the Rules of Procedure of the EU-Mexico Joint Council and the Rules of Procedure
of the EU-Mexico Joint Committee

(2001/152/EC)

THE JOINT COUNCIL,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Having regard to the Economic Partnership, Political Coordi-
nation and Cooperation Agreement between the European
Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the
United Mexican States, of the other part, (hereinafter referred
to as the ‘Agreement’), signed in Brussels on 8 December 1997,
and in particular Articles 46(3) and 48(1) thereof,

Article 1

The Rules of Procedure of the Joint Council are established as
set out in the Annex.

Article 2

Whereas:

This Decision shall enter into force on 27 February 2001.

(1)

The Agreement entered into force on 1 October 2000.

Done at Brussels, 27 February 2001.

(2)

The Joint Council is to establish its Rules of Procedure
and determine the duties of the Joint Committee and
how that Committee is to function,

For the Joint Council

The President
J. CASTAN˜ EDA

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ANNEX

RULES OF PROCEDURE OF THE EU-MEXICO JOINT COUNCIL

Article 1

Presidency

Article 6

Documents

The Joint Council shall be presided over alternately for periods
of twelve months by a member of the Council of the European
Union, and by a representative of the Government of Mexico.
However the first period of presidency shall start on the date
on which the first meeting of the Joint Council takes place and
end on 31 December of the same year.

When the deliberations of the Joint Council are based on
written supporting documents, such documents shall be
numbered and circulated as documents of the Joint Council by
the two Secretaries.

Article 2

Meetings

The Joint Council shall meet at ministerial

1.
level, at
regular intervals and when circumstances require if the Parties
so agree.

Each session of the Joint Council shall be held in a place

2.
mutually agreed upon by the Parties.

The meetings of

3.
convened by the Secretaries of the Joint Council.

the Joint Council shall be jointly

Article 3

Representation

1.

The members of the Joint Council may be represented.

2.
A member wishing to be represented shall notify the
Chairman of the name of his representative before the meeting
at which he is to be so represented. The representative of a
member of the Joint Council shall exercise all the rights of that
member.

Article 4

Delegations

The members of the Joint Council may be accompanied by
officials. Before each meeting, the Chairman of the Joint
Council shall be informed of the intended composition and of
the Head of the delegation of each Party.

Article 5

Secretariat

An official of the General Secretariat of the Council of the
European Union, of the one part, and an official of the
Government of Mexico, of the other part, shall act jointly as
Secretaries of the Joint Council.

Article 7

Correspondence

1.
All correspondence addressed to the Joint Council or to
the Chairman of the Council shall be forwarded to both
Secretaries of the Joint Council.

The two Secretaries shall ensure that correspondence is
2.
forwarded to the Chairman of the Joint Council and, where
appropriate, circulated as documents referred to in Article 6 to
other members of the Joint Council. Correspondence circulated
shall be sent to the Secretariat General of the European
Commission, the Permanent Representations of the Member
States of the European Union, and the Mission of Mexico to
the European Union.

3.
Correspondence from the Chairman of the Joint Council
shall be sent to the recipients by the respective Secretary and,
where appropriate, circulated as documents referred to in
Article 6 to the other members of the Joint Council at the
addresses indicated in paragraph 2.

Article 8

Agenda for the meetings

1.
A provisional agenda for each meeting shall be drawn
up by the Secretaries of the Joint Council on the basis of
suggestions by the Parties.
It shall be forwarded by the
corresponding Secretary to the addressees referred to in
Article 7 no later than fifteen days before the beginning of the
meeting.

The provisional agenda shall include items in respect of which
a request for entry on the agenda has been received by either
of the two Secretaries not later than twenty-one 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 provisional agenda. The agenda
shall be adopted by the Joint 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.

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2. With the agreement of
the time limits
specified in paragraph 1 may be shortened in order to take
account of the requirements of a particular case.

the Parties,

3.
The decisions and recommendations of the Joint Council
shall be authenticated by the two Secretaries and two authentic
copies signed by Heads of delegation of the two Parties.

Article 9

Minutes

1. Minutes of each meeting shall be drawn up as soon as
possible jointly by the two Secretaries.

The minutes shall, as a general rule, indicate in respect

2.
of each item on the agenda:

(a)

the documentation submitted to the Joint Council;

(b)

statements the entry of which has been requested by a
member of the Joint Council;

(c)

the decisions taken, recommendations made, statements
agreed upon and conclusions adopted on specific items.

3.
The minutes shall also include a list of members of the
Joint Council or their representatives who took part in the
meeting.

4.
The draft minutes shall be submitted to the Joint Council
for approval at its next meeting. They may also be agreed in
writing by both Parties. When approved, two authentic copies
of the minutes shall be signed by the two Secretaries and filed
by the Parties. A copy of the minutes shall be forwarded to
each of the addressees referred to in Article 7.

Article 10

Decisions and Recommendations

1.
The Joint Council shall take decisions and make rec-
ommendations by common agreement between the Parties.
During the inter-session period, the Joint Council may adopt a
decision or make recommendations by written procedure if
both Parties so agree. A written procedure shall consist of an
exchange of notes between the two Secretaries, acting in
agreement with the Parties.

2.
The decisions and recommendations of the Joint Council
within the meaning of Article 47 of the Agreement shall be
entitled ‘decision’ and ‘recommendation’ respectively, followed
by a serial number, by the date of their adoption and by a
description of their subject.

4.
Decisions and recommendations shall be forwarded to
each of the addressees referred to in Article 7 as documents of
the Joint Council.

Article 11

Publicity

Unless decided otherwise, the meetings of the Joint

1.
Council shall not be public.

2.
Each Party may decide on the publication of the decisions
and the recommendations of the Joint Council in its respective
official publication.

Article 12

Official languages

The official languages of the Joint Council shall be the

1.
official languages of the Parties.

2.
Unless decided otherwise, the Joint Council shall nor-
mally base its deliberations and take its Decisions on docu-
mentation and proposals prepared in the official languages.

Article 13

Expenses

The United Mexican States and the European Community
1.
shall each defray the expenses they incur by reason of their
participation in the meetings of the Joint Council, both with
regard to staff, travel and subsistence expenditure and to postal
and telecommunications expenditure.

2.
Expenditure in connection with the organisation of
meetings, interpretation at meetings, translation and repro-
duction of documents shall be borne by the Party which hosts
the meeting.

Article 14

Joint Committee

A Joint Committee is hereby established in accordance
1.
with Article 48 of the Agreement in order to assist the Joint
Council in the performance of its duties.

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2.
The Joint Committee shall be composed of representa-
tives of the members of the Council of the European Union
and of the European Commission, on the one hand, and of
representatives of the Government of Mexico on the other,
normally at senior civil servant
level, having regard to
Article 48 of the Agreement, Article 48 of Decision No 2/2000
and Article 44 of Decision No 2/2001 of the Joint Council.

of the decisions and recommendations of the Joint Council
where appropriate and, in general, the proper functioning of
the Agreement. It shall consider any matter referred to it by
the Joint Council as well as any other matter, which may
arise in the course of the day-to-day implementation of the
Agreement. It shall submit any proposals of decisions and/or
recommendations for adoption to the Joint Council.

3.
The Joint Committee shall prepare the meetings and the
deliberations of the Joint Council, monitor the implementation

The rules of procedure of the Joint Committee are

4.
attached as an Appendix to these rules of procedure.

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Appendix

RULES OF PROCEDURE OF THE JOINT COMMITTEE

Article 1

Presidency

Article 5

Publicity

the Joint Committee shall be presided
Each meeting of
alternatively by a representative of the European Commission
and by the Permanent Representative of Mexico to the
European Union or a high level official designated by the
Government of Mexico, subject to Article 48 of Decision
No 2/2000 and Article 44 of Decision No 2/2001of the Joint
Council.

Article 2

Meetings

The Joint Committee shall meet once a year or when circum-
stances require with the agreement of the Parties. Each meeting
of the Joint Committee shall be jointly convened by both
Secretaries and held alternatively in Brussels and Mexico at a
time agreed by the Parties.

Article 3

Delegations

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

Article 6

Agenda for the meetings

A provisional agenda for each meeting shall be drawn
1.
up by the Secretaries of the Joint Committee. It shall be
forwarded to the Chairman and Secretaries of the Joint Council
as well as to the members of the Joint Committee not later
than fifteen days before the beginning of the meeting. The
provisional agenda shall include items in respect of which the
Chairman has received a request for entry on the agenda not
later than twenty-one 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
provisional agenda. The agenda shall be adopted by the Joint
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. With the agreement of
the Parties the time limits
specified in paragraph 1 may be shortened in order to take
account of the requirements of a particular case.

Before each meeting, the Chairman of the Joint Committee
shall be informed of the intended composition and the Head
of the delegation of each Party.

Article 7

Minutes

Article 4

Secretariat

An official of the European Commission, of one part,
1.
and an official of the Government of Mexico, shall act jointly
as Secretaries of the Joint Committee, subject to Article 48 of
Decision No 2/2000 and Article 44 of Decision No 2/2001 of
the Joint Council.

2.
All correspondence to and from the Chairman of the
Joint Committee provided for in these rules of procedure shall
be forwarded to the Secretaries of the Joint Committee and to
the Secretaries and the Chairman of the Joint Council and,
where appropriate, to the members of the Joint Committee.

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 Joint Committee. Upon adoption by the Joint Com-
mittee, 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 the Chairman and Secretaries of
the Joint Council and to the members of the Joint Committee.

Article 8

Decisions and Recommendations

1. Where the Joint Committee is empowered to take
decisions or make recommendations in accordance with
Article 48(2) of the Agreement, such acts shall be entitled

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‘decision’ or ‘recommendation’, followed by a serial number,
by the date of their adoption and by a description of their
subject.

Article 9

Expenses

2. Where the Joint Committee adopts a decision or makes
a recommendation, the provisions of Articles 10, 11 and 12
of the rules of procedure of the Joint Council shall apply
mutatis mutandis.

The decisions and recommendations of the Joint Council
3.
shall be forwarded to each of the addressees mentioned in
Article 4(2).

1.
The United Mexican States and the European Community
shall each defray the expenses they incur by reason of their
participation in the meetings of the Joint Committee, both
with regard to staff, travel and subsistence expenditure and to
postal and telecommunications expenditure.

2.
Expenditure in connection with the material organisation
and the interpretation at meetings, translation and repro-
duction of documents shall be borne by the Party which hosts
the meetings.