Proposal for a Council Decision concerning the Community position on the establishment and terms of reference of the working groups of the Joint Committee on Agriculture set up by the Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on trade in agricultural products
Date: 2003-04-22
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Switzerland, agricultural trade, elective office, joint body (EU), rules of procedure

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES

Brussels, 22.4.2003
COM(2003) 192 final

Proposal for a

COUNCIL DECISION

concerning the Community position on the establishment and terms of reference of the
working groups of the Joint Committee on Agriculture set up by the Agreement
between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation
on trade in agricultural products

Proposal for a

COUNCIL DECISION

concerning the Community position on the adoption of the Rules of Procedure
of the Joint Committee on Agriculture set up by the Agreement between
the European Community and the Swiss Confederation
on trade in agricultural products

(presented by the Commission)

Proposal for a

COUNCIL DECISION

concerning the Community position on the establishment and terms of reference of the
working groups of the Joint Committee on Agriculture set up by the Agreement
between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation
on trade in agricultural products

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,

Having regard to Decision 2002/309/EC, Euratom of the Council and of the Commission as
regards the  Agreement  on Scientific and  Technological Cooperation of 4  April  2002  on  the
conclusion  of  seven  Agreements  with  the  Swiss  Confederation1,  and  in  particular  the  first
subparagraph of Article 5(2) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,2

Whereas:

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

The  Agreement  between  the  European  Community  and  the  Swiss  Confederation  on
trade in agricultural products (hereinafter referred to as the "Agricultural Agreement")
entered into force on 1 June 2002.

Article 6 of the Agricultural Agreement sets up a Joint Committee on Agriculture to be
responsible for the administration of the Agreement and ensure its proper functioning.

Article 6(7) of the Agricultural Agreement lays down that the Joint Committee is to set
up the working groups needed to administer the Annexes to the Agreement.

The Community must decide on the position to be adopted within the Joint Committee
regarding  the  setting-up  of  the  Working  Groups  and  the  adoption  of  their  terms  of
reference,

HAS DECIDED:

1

2

OJ L 114, 30.4.2002, p. 1.
OJ C ..., ..., p. ...

2

                                                
Sole Article

The position to be adopted by the Community within the Joint Committee set up by Article 6
of the Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on trade in
agricultural  products,  regarding  the  setting-up  of  Working  Groups  and  the  adoption  of  the
terms  of  reference  of  those  Groups,  shall  be  based  on  the  draft  Decision  of  the  Joint
Committee, which is annexed to this Decision.

Done at Brussels,

For the Council
The President

3

ANNEX

Proposal for

DECISION N° 2/2003 OF THE JOINT COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE SET UP BY
THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY AND THE
SWISS CONFEDERATION ON TRADE IN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS

concerning the setting-up of the Working Groups
and the adoption of the terms of reference of those Groups

THE COMMITTEE,

Having regard to the Agreement between the European Community, of the one part, and the
Swiss Confederation, of the other part, on trade in agricultural products (hereinafter referred
to as "the Agreement"), and in particular Article 6(7) thereof,

Whereas that Agreement entered into force on 1 June 2002,

HAS DECIDED:

The following Working Groups shall be set up under the Agreement:

Sole Article

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

Working Group on Plant Health,

Working Group on Animal Feed,

Working Group on Seeds,

Working Group on Wine-Sector Products,

Working Group on Spirit Drinks,

Working Group on Organic Products,

Working Group on Fruit and Vegetables,

Working Group on PDOs and PGIs,

Working Group on Cheeses and Yogurt,

Working Group on Enlargement.

The respective terms of reference of these Working Groups are contained in the Annex to this
Decision.

Done at Brussels,

For the Joint Committee on Agriculture

4

ANNEX

Working Group on Plant Health

Basis in the Agreement (Annex 4)

Article 10 of Annex 4 on plant health.

Terms of reference of the Working Group according to Articles 3, 5, 8 and 10

(cid:1)  assess the consequences for Annex 4 to the Agreement of changes in legislation on plant-
health  measures  with  a  view  to  proposing  any  amendments  to  the  relevant  Appendices
(Article 3);

(cid:1)  propose, on the basis of best practice in the field, the percentage of checks to be conducted
at borders on consignments of plants subject to plant-health sampling checks, and propose
a reduction in this percentage (Article 5);

(cid:1)  propose the procedure for joint checks at borders (Article 8);

(cid:1)  consider all matters which may arise in connection with Annex 4 and its implementation;
periodically  consider  the  state  of  the  laws  and  regulations  of  the  two  Parties  and  put
forward  proposals  with  a  view  to  adapting  and  updating  the  Appendices  to  Annex  4
(Article 10).

Working Group on Animal Feed

Basis in the Agreement (Annex 5)

Article 11 of Annex 5 on animal feed.

Terms of reference of the Working Group according to Article 11

(cid:1)  consider all matters which may arise in connection with Annex 5 and its implementation;

(cid:1)  periodically consider the state of the domestic laws of the two Parties;

(cid:1)  put forward proposals with a view to updating the Appendices to Annex 5.

Working Group on Seeds

Basis in the Agreement (Annex 6)

Article 9 of Annex 6 on seeds.

Terms of reference of the Working Group according to Articles 5, 8 and 9

(cid:1)  technical consultations with a view to  assessing the data on  which  acceptance of  a  given
variety  is  based;  cooperation  concerning  the  registration  of  varieties  in  the  catalogue
(Article 5);

(cid:1)  comparative trials in the Parties (Article 8);

5

(cid:1)  consider all matters which may arise in connection with Annex 6 and its implementation;
periodically  consider  the  state  of  the  laws  and  regulations  of  the  two  Parties  and  put
forward  proposals  with  a  view  to  adapting  and  updating  the  Appendices  to  Annex  6
(Article 9).

Working Group on Wine-Sector Products

Basis in the Agreement (Annex 7)

Article 27 of Annex 7 on wine-sector products.

Terms of reference of the Working Group according to Article 27

(cid:1)  The  Working  Group  shall  periodically  consider  the  state  of  the  domestic  laws  and

regulations of the Parties in the fields covered by Annex 7.

(cid:1)  It may in particular put forward proposals to the Joint Committee with a view to adapting
and updating the Appendices to Annex 7 and, if necessary, proposals aimed at adapting the
Annex itself.

Working Group on Spirit Drinks

Basis in the Agreement (Annex 8)

Article 17 of Annex 8 on the mutual recognition and protection of names of spirit drinks and
aromatised wine-based drinks.

Terms of reference of the Working Group according to Article 17

(cid:1)  The  Working  Group  shall  consider  all  issues  which  may  arise  in  connection  with  the

implementation of Annex 8.

(cid:1)  In  particular,  it  may  make  recommendations  to  the  Joint  Committee  to  contribute  to  the
attainment  of  the  objectives  of  Annex  8  and,  if  necessary,  make  proposals  aimed  at
adapting the Annex itself.

Working Group on Organic Products

Basis in the Agreement (Annex 9)

Article 8 of Annex 9 on organically produced agricultural products and foodstuffs.

Terms of reference of the Working Group according to Article 8

1. 

2. 

The Working Group on Organic Products, hereinafter called the "Working  Group",
set  up  pursuant  to  Article  6(7)  of  the  Agreement,  shall  consider  all  matters  which
may arise in connection with this Annex and its implementation.

The Working Group shall periodically consider the state of the respective laws  and
regulations of the Parties in the fields covered by this Annex. It shall be responsible
in particular for:

6

(cid:1)  verifying that the Parties' laws and regulations are equivalent with a view to their

inclusion in Appendix 1;

(cid:1)  recommending 

to 

requisite
the  Committee,  where  necessary, 
implementing rules be included in Appendix 2 with a view to ensuring consistent
implementation  of  the  laws  and  regulations  covered  by  this  Annex  in  the
respective territory of the Parties;

that 

the 

(cid:1)  recommending  to  the  Committee  that  the  scope  of  this  Annex  be  extended  to

products other than those covered by Article 2(1).

Working Group on Fruit and Vegetables

Basis in the Agreement (Annex 10)

Article 6 of Annex 10 on recognition of conformity checks for fruit and vegetables subject to
marketing standards.

Terms of reference of the Working Group according to Article 6

1. 

2. 

3. 

The  Working  Party  on  Fruit  and  Vegetables  set  up  under  Article  6(7)  of  the
Agreement  shall  consider  any  matter  arising  in  connection  with  this  Annex  and  its
implementation. It shall periodically review the Parties' internal laws and regulations
in the fields covered by this Annex.

It shall in particular put forward proposals to the Committee with a view to adapting
and updating the Appendix to this Annex.

It  may  appoint  external  experts  if  required  in  order  to  comply  with  its  terms  of
reference.

Working Group on Cheeses and Yogurt

Basis in the Agreement (Annexes 2 and 3)

Annex  2  (concessions  granted  by  the  Community)  where  yogurt  is  concerned  and  Annex  3
(concessions regarding cheese), points 3 to 5.

Terms of reference of the Working Group

(cid:1)  evaluate market conditions, and bilateral trade in cheese and milk products;

(cid:1)  consider  periodically  and  reciprocally  the  state  of  laws  and  regulations,  and  exchange

information regularly;

(cid:1)  examine the system for allocating quotas for cheese and yogurt;

(cid:1)  put  forward  proposals  with  a  view  to  facilitating  trade  arrangements  and,  if  necessary,

make suggestions to the Joint Committee.

7

Working Group on PDOs and PGIs

Basis in the Agreement

Joint Declaration on the protection of  geographical indications and designations of origin of
agricultural products and foodstuffs (Appendix D to the Agreement).

Terms of reference of the Working Group

According  to  the  above  Declaration,  the  Parties  shall  provide  for  the  incorporation  of
provisions on the mutual protection of PDOs and PGIs. It is specified that such incorporation
should take place after Article 17 (simplified procedure) of Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92 has
been fully applied as regards the Community as constituted at present. In the meantime, the
Joint Committee shall be kept regularly informed of the progress of the work in this area.

Consequently, it is proposed that a Working Group be set up on an exploratory basis for the
purposes  of  the  mutual  protection  of  PDOs  and  PGIs.  This  Working  Group  for  PDOs  and
PGIs shall consider all matters which may arise in connection with the mutual protection of
PDOs  and  PGIs  and  shall  exchange  the  information  required  in  order  to  implement  this
protection.

Working Group on Enlargement

Basis in the Agreement

Articles 11 and 16 of the Agreement.

Terms of reference of the Working Group

The Group shall be set up temporarily in order to consider the implications of the enlargement
of the European Union, with a view to establishing whether any adaptations need be made to
the Agreement on account of enlargement, and shall draw up recommendations for the Joint
Committee.  That  shall  concern  in  particular  the  impact  on  bilateral  trade  in  agricultural
products, the Annexes on tariff  concessions (Annexes 1 to 3), and the Annexes on reducing
the technical barriers to trade (Annexes 3 to 103), and involve drawing up any other relevant
measure required in order to take account of enlargement in the context of bilateral trade in
agriculture.

3

Annex 11 on animal-health and zootechnical  measures  applicable  to  trade  in  live  animals  and  animal
products.

8

                                                
Proposal for a

COUNCIL DECISION

concerning the Community position on the adoption of the Rules of Procedure
of the Joint Committee on Agriculture set up by the Agreement between
the European Community and the Swiss Confederation
on trade in agricultural products

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,

Having regard to Decision 2002/309/EC, Euratom of the Council and of the Commission as
regards the  Agreement  on Scientific and Technological  Cooperation  of 4  April  2002  on  the
conclusion  of  seven  Agreements  with  the  Swiss  Confederation4,  and  in  particular  the  first
subparagraph of Article 5(2) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission5,

Whereas:

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

The  Agreement  between  the  European  Community  and  the  Swiss  Confederation  on
trade in agricultural products (hereinafter referred to as the "Agricultural Agreement")
entered into force on 1 June 2002.

Article 6 of the Agricultural Agreement sets up a Joint Committee on Agriculture to be
responsible for the administration of the Agreement and ensure its proper functioning.

Article  6(4)  of  the  Agricultural Agreement lays  down  that  the  Joint  Committee  is  to
establish its own Rules of Procedure.

The Community must decide on the position to be adopted within the Joint Committee
regarding the establishment of its Rules of Procedure,

HAS DECIDED:

4

5

OJ L 114, 30.4.2002, p. 1.
OJ C ..., ..., p. ...

9

                                                
Sole Article

The position to be adopted by the Community within the Joint Committee set up by Article 6
of the Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on trade in
agricultural products, regarding the adoption of its Rules of Procedure, shall be based on the
draft Decision of the Joint Committee, which is annexed to this Decision.

Done at Brussels,

For the Council
The President

10

ANNEX

Proposal for

DECISION N° 1/2003 OF THE JOINT COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE SET UP BY THE
AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY AND THE SWISS CONFEDERATION
ON TRADE IN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS

concerning the adoption of its Rules of Procedure

THE COMMITTEE,

Having regard to the Agreement between the European Community, of the one part, and the
Swiss Confederation, of the other part, on trade in agricultural products (hereinafter referred
to as "the Agreement"), and in particular Article 6(4) thereof,

Whereas that Agreement entered into force on 1 June 2002,

HAS DECIDED TO ADOPT THE FOLLOWING RULES OF PROCEDURE:

Article 1
Chair

The  office  of  Chair  of  the  Committee  shall  be  held  alternately  for  a  period  of  one  calendar
year by the European Community and the Swiss Confederation, hereinafter referred to as "the
Parties".

Article 2
Secretariat

The Chair shall carry out the secretarial duties of the Committee. The Chair shall transmit to
the heads of delegation the name and other particulars of the person performing the secretarial
tasks.

Article 3
Meetings

1. 

2. 

3. 

The  Chair shall fix the  date and venue  of meetings  in  agreement with the  heads  of
delegation.

If a head of delegation requests that an extraordinary meeting be held, the Chair shall
convene such a meeting within thirty days of the request being received.

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

11

Article 4
Delegations

1. 

2. 

3. 

Before each meeting, the heads of delegation shall inform the Chair of the intended
composition of their delegation.

The Parties shall appoint the heads of delegation who, outside the meetings, are to be
the contact persons for all matters relating to the Agreement.

The Committee may invite persons who are not members of the delegations to attend
meetings in order to provide information on specific issues.

Article 5
Correspondence

All correspondence to or for the Chair of the Committee shall be sent to the secretariat of the
Committee. The latter shall send a copy of all correspondence relating to the Agreement to the
heads of delegation, to the Swiss Mission to the European Union, and to the Commission of
the European Communities.

1. 

2. 

3. 

1. 

Article 6
Agendas for meetings

The  Chair  shall  draw  up  the  provisional  agenda  for  each  meeting.  The  provisional
agenda  shall  be  sent  to  the  heads  of  delegation  no  later  than  fifteen  working  days
before the start of the meeting.

The  provisional  agenda  shall  include  the  items  in  respect  of  which  the  Chair  has
received  a  request  for  inclusion  in  the  agenda  at  least  twenty-one  days  before  the
start of the meeting. Such items shall be included in the provisional agenda only if,
where relevant, the documents relating to them have been sent to the Chair no later
than the date on which that agenda is sent.

The  agenda  shall  be  adopted  by  joint  agreement  by  the  heads  of  delegation  at  the
start of each meeting. An item other than those appearing on the provisional agenda
may be placed on the agenda if the heads of delegation so agree.

With the agreement of the heads of delegation, the Chairman may agree to reduce the
time limits set out in paragraph 1 in order to  take  account of  the  requirements of a
particular case.

Article 7
Minutes

The secretariat shall draw up draft minutes of each meeting. The draft shall state the
decisions taken, the recommendations made and the conclusions adopted. The draft
minutes  shall  be  submitted  to  the  Committee  for  approval.  Once  adopted  by  the
Committee,  the  minutes  shall  be  signed  by  the  Chair,  the  secretariat  of  the
Committee  and  the  head of delegation of the  Party not  holding the  office  of  Chair.
An original copy shall be kept by each of the Parties.

12

2. 

1. 

2. 

The draft minutes shall be drawn up within ten working days of the meeting and shall
be  submitted  to  the  Committee  for  approval  by  the  written  procedure  set  out  in
Article 9. If that procedure cannot be completed, the minutes shall be adopted by the
Committee at the next meeting.

Article 8
Adoption of instruments

The  decisions  and  recommendations  of  the  Committee  within  the  meaning  of
Articles  6  and  12  of  the  Agreement  shall  bear  the  title  "Decision"  and
"Recommendation",  followed  by  a  serial  number,  the  date  of  adoption  and  an
indication of the subject matter.

The  decisions  and  recommendations  of  the  Committee  shall  bear  the  signatures  of
the  Chair,  the  secretariat  of  the  Committee  and  the  head  of  delegation  of  the  Party
not holding the office of Chair.

3. 

Either Party may decide to publish any instrument adopted by the Committee.

Article 9
Written procedure

1. 

2. 

The  instruments of the Committee may be  adopted by  written  procedure  where  the
two heads of delegation so agree.

The  Party  proposing  the  use  of  the  written  procedure  shall  submit  the  draft
instrument  to  the  other  Party.  The  other  Party  shall  reply,  indicating  whether  it
accepts or does not accept the draft, whether it proposes any amendments, or whether
it requests further time for reflection.  If the draft is adopted,  it shall be finalised in
accordance with Article 8.

Article 10
Expenses

Each Party shall bear the expenses it incurs in taking part in the meetings of the Committee.

Article 11
Confidentiality

The deliberations of the Committee shall be governed by professional secrecy.

Article 12
Working Groups

The Working Groups shall operate under the authority of the Committee, to which they shall
submit a written report after each of their meetings. The report shall be sent to the secretariat
of  the  Committee,  which  shall  forward  it  to  the  heads  of  delegation.  They  shall  not  be
authorised to take decisions, but may make recommendations to the Committee.

13

Each Working Group shall be assisted by the representatives of the Parties, which shall decide
on the number and identity of those representatives.

Done at Brussels,

For the Joint Committee on Agriculture
The Chair

The head of delegation of the Party not holding the office of Chair,

The secretariat of the Committee,

14

LEGISLATIVE FINANCIAL STATEMENT

Policy area: External aspects of certain policies

Activities: International Agricultural Agreements

TITLE  OF  ACTION:  CREATION  OF  THE  JOINT  COMMITTEE  ON  AGRICULTURE  SET  UP  BY  THE
AGREEMENT  BETWEEN  THE  EUROPEAN  COMMUNITY  AND  THE  SWISS
CONFEDERATION ON TRADE IN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS

1.

2.

2.1

2.2

2.3

c)

BUDGET HEADINGS: A-7030, A-7031, A-7032, A-7040, A-7005, A-01100

OVERALL FIGURES

Total allocation for the action (Part B): € million in commitment appropriations

No funding

Application period: 1 January 2003-31 December 2010

Overall multiannual estimate of expenditure:

Overall  financial  impact  of  human  resources  and  other  administrative  expenditure
(see points 7.2 and 7.3)

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

CA/PA

367 200

367 200

367 200

367 200

367 200

367 200

367 200

367 200

TOTAL c

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

CA

PA

2.4

2.5

367 200

367 200

367 200

367 200

367 200

367 200

367 200

367 200

367 200

367 200

367 200

367 200

367 200

367 200

367 200

367 200

Compatibility with the financial programming and the financial perspective

Financial impact on revenue

X

No financial implications (involves technical aspects regarding implementation
of a measure)

3.

BUDGET CHARACTERISTICS

Type of expenditure

New

EFTA
participation

Participation
applicant
countries

Heading
Financial
Perspective

CE

DA/NDA

YES

NO

NO

No 8

15

4.

LEGAL BASIS

Article 133 of the Treaty in conjunction with Article 300

5.

5.1

DESCRIPTION AND GROUNDS

Objectives

Need  for  Community  action:  the  Agreement  between  the  EC  and  the  Swiss
Confederation  on  trade  in  agricultural  products  (hereinafter  referred  to  as  "the
Agreement"),  which  entered  into  force  on  1  June  2002  (Decision  2002/309/EC,
Euratom  of  the  Council  and  of  the  Commission  as  regards  the  Agreement  on
Scientific and Technological Cooperation of 4 April 2002, OJ L 114, 30.4.2002), sets
up a Joint Committee on Agriculture to be responsible for the administration of the
Agreement and ensure its proper functioning.

5.2

Actions envisaged and arrangements for budget intervention

This  Joint  Committee  needs  to  draw  up  its  Rules  of  Procedure,  meet  regularly  in
order  to  perform  its  task  of  managing  the  Agreement  and  in  particular  adopt
decisions,  and  reach  agreement  on  any  issue  falling  within  the  scope  of  its
responsibilities.

The Rules of Procedure do not lay down any obligations regarding the frequency of
meetings, but the Committee is to be convened at least once a year and the meetings
of the different Working Groups specified by the Annexes to the Agreement are to be
arranged.

5.3

Implementing rules

Direct  management  by  DG  AGRI  and  DG  SANCO  with  statutory  staff  and/or
experts.

6.

6.1

6.2.

FINANCIAL IMPACT

Total financial impact on Part B (for the entire programming period): none

Calculation  of  costs  by  measure  envisaged  in  Part  B  (for  the  entire
programming period): none

16

7.

IMPACT ON STAFF AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENDITURE

7.1.

Impact on human resources

Staff to be assigned to management
of the action using existing and/or
additional resources

Number of
permanent posts

Number of
temporary posts

Total

Description of tasks deriving
from the action

Type of post

DG AGRI
Officials or
temporary staff

DG SANCO

A
B
C

A
B
C

0.5
1
0.2

0.5
1
0.2

Other human resources

Total

3.4

Preparation  of  and  follow-up  to  the
meetings of the Joint Committee and
its different Working Groups and,  in
particular,  preparation  of  Council
Decisions  prior  to  the  adoption  of
decisions by the Joint Committee.
Preparation  of  and  follow-up  to  the
meetings of the Joint Committee and
its different Working Groups and,  in
particular,  preparation  of  Council
Decisions  prior  to  the  adoption  of
decisions by the Joint Committee.

0.5
1
0.2

0.5
1
0.2

3.4

7.2

Overall financial impact of human resources

Type of human resources

Amounts (€)

Method of calculation

Officials
Temporary staff

Other human resources

108 000 * 3.4 =
367 200

average  standard  cost  deducted  by
DG BUDG

Total

367 200

The amounts are total expenditure for twelve months.

7.3

Other operating expenditure deriving from the action

Budget heading
(No and heading)

Overall budget (Title A7)
A0701 - Missions
A07030 – Meetings
A07031 – Compulsory committees
A07031 – Compulsory committees
A07040 – Conferences
A0705 – Studies and consultations

Information systems (A-5001/A-4300)

Other expenditure - Part A

Amounts (€)

Method of calculation

20 000

information,
studies, 
Seminars, 
special  invitations  in  connection
with  controls,  in  accordance  with
the  Agricultural  Agreement  and
Rules of Procedure

The amounts are total expenditure in respect of the action for twelve months.

Total

20 000

17

Article 17 of the Agreement lays down that the Agreement shall be  concluded  for  an initial
period of seven years, straddling the years 2002 to 2010; the year 2010 will also be needed to
carry out an assessment of the initial period and probably to relaunch the operation.

I.
II.
III.

Annual total (7.2 + 7.3)
Duration of the action
Total cost of the action (I x II)

€ 387 200
8 years
€ 3 097 600

Human resources and administrative requirements will be covered from the allocation given
to the managing DG under the annual allocations procedure.

8.

8.1

FOLLOW-UP AND EVALUATION

Follow-up arrangements

Annual activity report, report by each committee

8.2

Details and frequency of planned evaluations

DG  AGRI  will  report  regularly  on  its  bilateral  activities  with  Switzerland,
particularly to DG RELEX and the Council EFTA Group, and in the context of the
annual reports on the activities of the Commission.  In this context, the activities of
the  Joint  Committee  and  its  groups  will  be  reviewed  regularly,  and  its  functioning
will be adapted accordingly.

The Agreement is concluded for an initial period of seven years. It will subsequently
be renewed for an indefinite period, unless one of the Parties decides otherwise. The
functioning  of  the  Agreement  will  be  the  subject  of  an  evaluation  prior  to  any
renewal.

9.

MEASURES TO COMBAT FRAUD

NO

18