Proposal for a Council Decision concerning the conclusion of the Agreement between the European Community and the Republic of India on customs cooperation and mutual administrative assistance in customs matters
Date: 2004-01-20
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: India, administrative cooperation, agreement (EU), customs cooperation

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES

Brussels, 20.01.2004
COM(2003) 856 final

2003/0335 (ACC)

Proposal for a

COUNCIL DECISION

concerning the conclusion of the Agreement between the European Community and
the Republic of India on customs cooperation and mutual administrative assistance in
customs matters

.

(presented by the Commission)

EN

  EN

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

On 27-28 January 2003 the Council adopted a Decision authorising the Commission
to  negotiate  a  customs  cooperation  agreement  on  behalf  of  the  Community  with
India.  The  Council  lays  down  that  such  negotiations  shall  be  conducted  in
accordance with the Directives set out in the Council Decision of 1993.

The  Decision  requires  that  the  negotiations  be  conducted  in  accordance  with  the
Directives  set  out  in  its  Decision  of  April  1993  regarding  Canada,  Hong  Kong,
Japan,  Korea  and  the  United  States,  extended  in  May  1997  with  regard  to  the
ASEAN  countries  and  China.  Such  agreements  have  so  far  been  signed  with  the
Republic of Korea (1997), the USA (1997), Canada (1997) and Hong Kong (1999).

The same procedure followed for the extension of the mandate to India and ASEAN
countries  has  been  followed  for  India.  The  proposal  did  not  require  a  formal
Commission  proposal  as  the  original  mandate  of  the  Council  from  1993  provides
already for the possibility to extend the negotiating mandate.

There have been a number of meetings with the authorities of India, both in Brussels
and  Delhi  regarding  the  Customs  co-operation  agreement.  Following  the  round  of
negotiations that took place in Delhi on 20 October the parties agreed on the text of
the Agreement enclosed.

In order to enable the Agreement on customs co-operation and mutual administrative
assistance  in  customs  matters  to  be  signed  as  soon  as  possible,  the  Commission
proposes that the Council approve the attached proposal for a decision on the signing
and conclusion of the Agreement.

2

 
2003/0335 (ACC)

Proposal for a

COUNCIL DECISION

concerning the conclusion of the Agreement between the European Community and
the Republic of India on customs cooperation and mutual administrative assistance in
customs matters

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article
133 read in conjunction with Article 300 (2), sub-paragraph one, first sentence, thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission1,

Whereas:

(1) 

(2) 

on 27-28 January 2003 the Council authorised the Commission to negotiate, on behalf
of the Community, a customs cooperation agreement with India,

the  Agreement  between  the  European  Community  and  the  Republic  of  India  on
customs  cooperation  and  mutual  administrative  assistance  in  customs  matters  should
be approved,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

The  Agreement  between  the  European  Community  and  India  on  customs  cooperation  and
mutual  administrative  assistance  in  customs  matters  is  hereby  approved  on  behalf  of  the
European Community.

The text of the Agreement is attached to this Decision.

Article 2

The  Commission,  assisted  by  representatives  of  the  Member  States,  shall  represent  the
Community  on  the  Joint  Customs  Cooperation  Committee  set  up  under  Article  21  of  the
Agreement.

1

OJ C […] […], p. […]

3

 
                                                
Article 3

The President of the Council is hereby authorised to designate the persons empowered to sign
the  Agreement  on  behalf  of  the  Community,  thereby  expressing  the  consent  of  the
Community to be bound.

Article 4

The  President  of  the  Council  shall  effect  the  notification  provided  for  in  Article  22  of  the
Agreement on behalf of the Community.2

Done at Brussels, […]

For the Council
The President

2

The  date  of  the  entry  into  force  of  the  Agreement  will  be  published  in  the  Official  Journal  of  the
European Union by the General Secretariat of the Council.

4

 
                                                
ANNEX

AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY  AND  THE REPUBLIC
OF INDIA ON CO-OPERATION AND MUTUAL ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANCE
ON CUSTOMS MATTERS

THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY AND GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDIA
(HEREINAFTER REFERRED TO AS THE ‘CONTRACTING PARTIES’)

CONSIDERING the importance of the commercial links between  the European  Community
and  India,  and  desirous  of  contributing,  to  the  benefit  of  both  Contracting  Parties,  to  the
harmonious development of those links;

BELIEVING  THAT,  in  order  to  attain  this  objective,  there  should  be  an  undertaking  to
develop customs co-operation;

TAKING  into  account  the  development  of  customs  co-operation  between  the  Contracting
Parties, concerning customs procedures;

CONSIDERING  that  operations  in  breach  of  customs  legislation,  are  prejudicial  to  the
economic,  fiscal  and  commercial  interests  of  both  Contracting  Parties,  and  recognising  the
importance of ensuring the accurate assessment of Customs duties and other taxes;

CONVINCED that action against such operations can be made more effective by co-operation
between competent administrative authorities;

HAVING regard to obligations imposed under international conventions already accepted by,
or applied to the Contracting Parties; and having regard also to the recommendations  of the
Customs  Co-operation  Council  (World  Customs  Organisation)  on  mutual  administrative
assistance  of  5  December,  1953,  as  well  as  Customs  related  activities  undertaken  by  the
World Trade Organisation.

WHEREAS a Co-operation Agreement between the European Economic Community and the
Republic of India on Partnership and Development was signed on 20 December 1993

HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS:

5

 
TITLE I
GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1

Definitions

For the purpose of this Agreement:

a)

b)

c)

d)

e)

f)

g)

h)

“Customs  legislation”  shall  mean  any  laws,  provisions  or  other  legally  binding
instruments of the European Community or India, governing the imports, export and
transit  of  goods  and  their  placing  under  any  other  customs  procedures,  including
measures of prohibitions, restrictions and control falling under the competence of the
customs authorities and other administrative authorities;

‘customs authority’ shall mean, in the European Community, the competent services
of the Commission of the European Communities and the customs authorities of the
Member  States  of  the  European  Community  and,  in  India,  the  Central  Board  of
Excise and Customs in the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance;

‘applicant authority’ shall mean a competent administrative authority which has been
designated  by  a  Contracting  Party  for  this  purpose  and  which  makes  a  request  for
assistance, on the basis of this Agreement;

‘requested  authority’  shall  mean  a  competent  administrative  authority  which  has
been designated by a Contracting Party for this purpose and which receives a request
for assistance, on the basis of this Agreement;

‘personal  data’  shall  mean  all  information  relating  to  an  identified  or  identifiable
individual;

‘operation  in  breach  of  customs  legislation’  shall  mean  any  violation  or  attempted
violation of the customs legislation;

‘person’ shall mean any natural or legal person;

‘information’ shall mean data, whether or not processed or analysed, and documents,
reports, and other communications in any format, including electronic, or certified or
authenticated copies thereof.

Article 2

Territorial Application

This Agreement shall apply, on the one hand, to the territories where the Treaty establishing
the European Community is applied and under the conditions laid down in that Treaty and, on
the other hand, to India.

6

 
Article 3

Future Developments

The  Contracting  Parties  may  by  mutual  consent  expand  this  agreement  with  a  view  to
increasing  and  supplementing  customs  co-operation  in  accordance  with  their  respective
customs legislation, by means of agreements on specific sectors or matters.

Article 4

Scope of the co-operation

1.

The contracting parties undertake to develop customs co-operation. In particular, the
Contracting Parties shall seek to cooperate in

(a)

establishing  and  maintaining  channels  of  communications  between  their
customs authorities to facilitate the secure and rapid exchange of information;

(b)

facilitating effective co-ordination between their customs authorities;

(c)

any other administrative matters related to this Agreement that may from time
to time require their joint action;

The contracting parties undertake also to develop trade facilitation actions in the field
of customs in accordance with international standards.

Under  this  Agreement,  customs  co-operation  shall  cover  all  matters  relating  to  the
application of customs legislation.

Article 5

Scope of assistance

The Contracting Parties shall assist each other, in the areas within their competence
and  within  the  limits  of  available  resources,  and  in  the  manner  and  under  the
conditions laid down in this Agreement, to ensure the correct application of customs
legislation,  in  particular  by  preventing,  investigating  and  combating  operations  in
breach of that legislation.

Assistance in customs matters  under  this  Agreement  shall  be  provided  between  the
customs  and  other  administrative  authorities  of  the  Contracting  Parties,  which  are
competent  for  the  application  of  this  Agreement.  It  shall  not  prejudice  the  rules
governing  mutual  assistance  in  criminal  matters.  Nor  shall  it  cover  information
obtained under powers exercised at the request of a judicial authority.

2.

3.

1.

2.

3.

Assistance to recover duties, taxes or fines is not covered by this Agreement.

7

 
Article 6

Obligations imposed under other agreements

1.

Taking  into  account  the  respective  competencies  of  the  European  Community  and
the Member States, the provisions of this Agreement shall:

(a)

(b)

(c)

not  affect  the  obligations  of  the  Contracting  Parties  under  any  other
international agreement or convention,

be deemed complementary with agreements on customs co-operation and
mutual administrative assistance which  have  been  or  may  be  concluded
between individual Member States and India,

not  affect  the  Community  provisions  governing  the  communication
between  the  competent  services  of  the  Commission  and  the  customs
authorities of the Member States of any information obtained under this
Agreement which could be of interest to the Community.

2.

3.

Notwithstanding  the  provisions  of  paragraph  1,  the  provisions  of  this  Agreement
shall take precedence over the provisions of any bilateral agreement on customs co-
operation and mutual administrative assistance which has been or may be concluded
between individual Member  States and  India, insofar as  the  provisions  of  the  latter
are incompatible with those of this Agreement.

In respect of questions relating to the applicability of this Agreement, the Contracting
Parties  shall  consult  each  other  to  resolve  the  matter  in  the  framework  of  the  Joint
Customs Co-operation Committee set up under article 21 of this Agreement.

TITLE II
CUSTOMS COOPERATION

Article 7

Co-operation in customs procedures

The  Contracting  parties  affirm  their  commitment  to  the  facilitation  of  the  legitimate
movement  of  goods  and  shall  exchange  information  and  expertise  on  measures  to  improve
customs  techniques  and  procedures  and  on  computerised  system  with  a  view  towards
implementing that commitment in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement.

8

 
Article 8

Technical assistance

The  customs  authorities  may  provide  technical  assistance  to  each  other  and  exchange
personnel and  expertise on measures to improve  customs  techniques and procedures and  on
computerised systems with a view towards achieving these objectives in accordance with the
provisions of this Agreement.

Article 9

Discussions in international organisations

The customs authorities shall seek to develop and strengthen their co-operation on topics of
common interest with a view to facilitating discussions on customs matters in the framework
of international organisations.

TITLE III
MUTUAL ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANCE

Article 10

Assistance on request

1.

At the request of the applicant authority, the requested authority shall provide it with
all  relevant  information  which  may  enable  it  to  ensure  that  customs  legislation  is
correctly  applied,  including  information  regarding  activities  detected  or  planned
which are or could be operations in breach of customs legislation.

In  particular,  upon  request,  the  Customs  authority  shall  furnish  to  each  other
information regarding activities that may result in offences within the territory of the
other  Party,  for  example,  incorrect  customs  declarations  and  certificates  of  origin,
invoices,  or  other  documents  known  to  be,  or  suspected  of  being,  incorrect  or
falsified.

2.

At the request of the applicant authority, the requested authority shall inform it:

(a) whether  goods  exported  from  one  of  the  Contracting  Parties  have  been
properly  imported  into  the  other,  specifying  where  appropriate,  the
customs procedure applied to the goods;

(b) whether  goods  imported  into  one  of  the  Contracting  Parties  have  been
properly  exported  from  the  other,  specifying  where  appropriate,  the
customs procedure applied to the goods.

9

 
3.

At  the  request  of  the  applicant  authority,  the  requested  authority  shall,  within  the
framework  of  its  laws,  regulations  or  other  legally  binding  instruments,  take  the
necessary steps to ensure special surveillance of;

(a)

(b)

(c)

persons in respect of whom there are reasonable grounds for believing that they
are or have been involved in operations in breach of customs legislation;

places where stocks of goods have been or may be stored or assembled in such
a  way  that  there  are  reasonable  grounds  for  believing  that  these  goods  are
intended to be used in operations in breach of customs legislation;

goods  that  are  or  may  be  transported  in  such  a  way  that  there  are  reasonable
grounds for believing that they are intended to be used in operations in breach
of customs legislation;

(d) means  of  transport  that  are  or  may  be  used  in  such  a  way  that  there  are
reasonable grounds for believing that they are intended to be used in operations
in breach of customs legislation.

Article 11

Spontaneous assistance

The Contracting Parties shall assist each other, at their own initiative and in accordance with
their  laws,  regulations  or  other  legally  binding  instruments,  if  they  consider  that  to  be
necessary  for  the  correct  application  of  customs  legislation,  in  particular,  in  situations  that
could  involve  substantial  damage  to  the  economy,  public  health,  public  security,  or  similar
vital interest of the other party, particularly by providing information obtained pertaining to:

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

(e)

activities which are or appear to be operations in breach of customs legislation and
which may be of interest to the other Contracting Party;

new  means  or  methods  employed  in  carrying  out  operations  in  breach  of  customs
legislation;

goods known to be subject to operations in breach of customs legislation;

persons  in  respect  of  whom  there  are  reasonable  grounds  for  believing  they  are  or
have been involved in operations in breach of customs legislation;

means of transport in respect of which there are reasonable grounds for believing that
they have been, are, or may be used in operations in breach of customs legislation.

10

 
Article 12

Delivery, notification

1.

2.

1.

At the request of the applicant authority, the requested authority shall, in accordance
with  laws,  regulations  or  other  legally  binding  instruments  applicable  to  the  latter,
take all necessary measures in order:

(a)

to deliver any documents of an administrative nature;

(b)

to  notify  any  decisions,  emanating  from  the  applicant  authority  and  falling
within the scope of this Agreement, to an addressee  residing or established in
the jurisdiction of the requested authority.

Requests  for  delivery  of  documents  or  notification  of  decisions  shall  be  made  in
writing in an official language of the requested authority or in a language acceptable
to  that  authority.  This  requirement  shall  not  apply  to  any  documents  that  are  to  be
delivered under paragraph 1.

Article 13

Form and substance of requests for assistance

Requests  pursuant  to  this  Agreement  shall  be  made  in  writing.  They  shall  be
accompanied  by  the  documents  necessary  to  enable  compliance  with  the  request.
When  required  because  of  the  urgency  of  the  situation,  an  oral  request  may  be
accepted, but must be confirmed immediately in writing.

2.

Requests pursuant to paragraph 1 shall include the following information:

(a)

the applicant authority;

(b)

the action requested;

(c)

the object of and the reason for the request;

(d)

the laws, regulations or other legally binding instruments involved;

(e)

indications as exact and comprehensive as possible on the persons who are the
target of the investigations;

(f)

a summary of the relevant fact of the enquiries already carried out.

3.

4.

Requests shall be submitted in an official language of the requested authority or in a
language  acceptable  to  that  authority.  This  requirement  shall  not  apply  to  any
documents that accompany the request under paragraph 1.

If  a  request  does  not  meet  the  formal  requirement  set  out  above,  its  correction  or
completion  may  be  requested;  precautionary  measures  may  be  taken  in  the
meantime.

11

 
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

1.

2.

3.

Article 14

Execution of requests

In  order  to  comply  with  a  request  for  assistance,  the  requested  authority  shall
proceed,  within  the  limits  of  its  competence  and  available  resources,  as  though  it
were  acting  on  its  own  account  or  at  the  request  of  other  authorities  of  that  same
Contracting  Party,  by  supplying  information  already  possessed,  by  carrying  out
appropriate enquiries or by arranging for them to be carried out. This provision shall
also  apply  to  any  other  authority  to  which  the  request  has  been  addressed  in
accordance  with  this  Agreement  by  the  requested  authority  when  the  latter  can  not
act on its own.

Requests for assistance shall be executed in accordance with the laws, regulations or
other legally binding instruments of the requested Contracting Party.

Duly authorised officials of a Contracting Party may, with the agreement of the other
Contracting Party and subject to the conditions laid down by the latter, be present to
obtain  in  the  offices  of  the  requested  authority  or  any  other  concerned  authority  in
accordance  with  paragraph  1,  information  related  to  activities  that  are  or  may  be
operations  in  breach  of  customs  legislation  which  the  applicant  authority  needs  for
the purpose of this Agreement.

Duly authorised officials of a Contracting Party may, with the agreement of the other
Contracting Party and subject to the conditions laid down by the latter, be present at
enquiries carried out in the latter’s jurisdiction into specific cases.

In the event that the request cannot be complied with, the applicant authority shall be
notified  promptly  of  that  fact,  with  a  statement  of  the  reasons  and  of  any  other
information  that  the  requested  authority  considers  may  be  of  assistance  to  the
applicant authority.

Article 15

Form in which information is to be communicated

The  requested  authority  shall  communicate  results  of  enquiries  to  the  applicant
authority in writing together with relevant documents, certified copies or other items.

This information may be in computerised form.

Original files and documents shall be transmitted only upon request in cases where
certified copies would be insufficient. These originals shall be returned at the earliest
opportunity.  The  rights  of  the  requested  authority  or  of  third  parties  relating  to  the
originals shall remain unaffected.

12

 
1.

2.

3.

4.

1.

2.

Article 16

Exceptions to the obligation to provide assistance

Assistance may be refused or may be subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions
or  requirements,  in  cases  where  a  Party  is  of  the  opinion  that  assistance  under  this
Agreement would:

(a)

be likely to prejudice the vital interests of India or those of a Member State of
the  European  Community  which  has  been  requested  to  provide  assistance
under this Agreement.

(b)

be  likely  to  prejudice  public  order,  security  or  other  essential  principles,  in
particular those referred to under Article 17(2); or

(c)

violate an industrial, commercial or professional secret.

Assistance  may  be  postponed  by  the  requested  authority  on  the  ground  that  it  will
interfere with an ongoing investigation, prosecution or proceedings.  In  such  a  case,
the  requested  authority  shall  consult  with  the  applicant  authority  to  determine  if
assistance can be given subject to such terms or conditions as the requested authority
may require.

Where  the  applicant  authority  seeks  assistance  which  it  would  itself  be  unable  to
provide if so requested, it shall draw attention to that fact in its request. It shall then
be for the requested authority to decide how to respond to such a request.

For  the  cases  referred  to  in  paragraphs  1  and  2,  the  decision  of  the  requested
authority  and  the  reasons  thereof  must  be  communicated  to  the  applicant  authority
without undue delay.

Article 17

Information exchange and confidentiality

Any information communicated in whatsoever form pursuant to this Agreement shall
be of a confidential or restricted nature, depending on the rules applicable in each of
the Contracting Parties. It shall be covered by the obligation of official secrecy and
shall enjoy the protection extended to similar information under the relevant laws of
the Contracting Party  that  received  it  and  the  corresponding  provisions  applying  to
the Community authorities.

Personal  data  may  be  exchanged  only  where  the  Contracting  Party  which  may
receive  it  undertakes  to  protect  such  data  in  at  least  an  equivalent  way  to  the  one
applicable  to  that  particular  case  in  the  Contracting  Party  that  may  supply  it.  The
Contracting  Party  that  may  supply  the  information  shall  not  stipulate  any
requirements that are more onerous than those applicable to it in its own jurisdiction.

The  Contracting  Parties  shall  communicate  to  each  other  information  on  their
applicable  rules,  including  where  appropriate,  legal  provisions  in  force  in  the
Member States of the Community.

13

 
3.

4.

5.

1.

1.

2.

Nothing  in  this  Agreement  shall  preclude  the  use  of  information  or  documents
obtained  in  accordance  with  this  Agreement  as  evidence  in  proceedings  or  charges
subsequently  instituted  before  the  courts  or  tribunals  in  respect  of  operations  in
breach  of  customs  legislation.  Therefore,  the  Contracting  Parties  may,  in  their
records  of evidence, reports and  testimonies  and  in  proceedings  and  charges  which
may  subsequently  be  brought  before  the  courts  or  tribunals,  use  as  evidence
information obtained and documents consulted in accordance with the provisions of
this  Agreement.  The  competent  authority  which  supplied  that  information  or  gave
access to those documents shall be notified of such use.

Information obtained shall be used solely for the purposes of this Agreement. Where
one of the Contracting Parties wishes to use such information for other purposes, it
shall  obtain  the  prior  written  consent  of  the  authority  which  provided  the
information.  Such  use  shall  then  be  subject  to  any  restrictions  laid  down  by  that
authority.

Practical arrangements for the implementation of this Article shall be determined by
the Joint Customs Co-operation Committee established under Article 21.

Article 18

Experts and witnesses

An  official  of  a  requested  authority  may  be  authorised  to  appear,  within  the
limitations of the authorisation granted, as an expert or witness before an authority in
the  other  Contracting  Party  regarding  the  matters  covered  by  this  Agreement,  and
produce such objects, documents or confidential or certified copies thereof as may be
needed for this purpose. The request for appearance must indicate specifically before
which  authority  the  official  will  have  to  appear,  on  what  matters  and  by  virtue  of
what title or qualification the official will be questioned.

Article 19

Assistance expenses

The Contracting Parties shall waive all claims on each other for the reimbursement of
expenses  incurred  pursuant  to  this  Agreement,  except,  as  appropriate,  for  expenses
payable  to  experts  and  witnesses,  and  those  to  interpreters  and  translators  who  are
not public service employees.

If  during  the  execution  of  a  request  it  becomes  apparent  that  completion  of  the
execution of the request will entail expenses of an extraordinary nature, the Customs
authorities  shall  consult  to  determine  the  terms  and  conditions  under  which  the
execution may continue.

14

 
TITLE IV

FINAL PROVISIONS

Article 20

Implementation

1.

2.

1.

2.

The implementation of  this  Agreement shall be  entrusted to  the  competent services
of  the  Commission  of  the  European  Communities  and,  where  appropriate,  the
customs  authorities  of  the  Member  States  of  the  European  Community  on  the  one
hand,  and  to  the  Central  Board  of  Excise  and  Customs  in  Department  of  Revenue,
Ministry  of  Finance,  on  the  other.  They  shall  decide  on  all  practical  measures  and
arrangements  necessary  for  its  application,  taking  into  consideration  the  rules  in
force  in  particular  in  the  field  of  data  protection.  They  may  recommend  to  the
competent  bodies  amendments  which  they  consider  should  be  made  to  this
Agreement.

The  Contracting  Parties  shall  consult  each  other  and  subsequently  keep  each  other
informed  of  the  detailed  rules  of  implementation  which  are  adopted  in  accordance
with the provisions of this Agreement.

Article 21

Joint Customs Co-operation Committee

A  Joint  Customs  Co-operation  Committee  is  hereby  established,  consisting  of
representatives of the European Community and of India. It shall meet at a place, on
a date and with an agenda, fixed by mutual agreement.

The Joint Customs Co-operation Committee shall inter alia:

(a)

see to the proper functioning of the Agreement;

(b)

examine all issues arising from its application;

(c)

(d)

take  measures  necessary  for  customs  co-operation  in  accordance  with  the
objectives of this Agreement;

exchange  views  on  any  points  of  common  interest  regarding  customs  co-
operation, including future measures and the resources for them;

(e)

recommend solutions aimed at attaining the objectives of this Agreement.

3.

The  Joint  Customs  Co-operation  Committee  shall  adopt  its  internal  rules  of
procedure.

15

 
4.

1.

2.

The  Joint  Customs  Co-operation  Committee  will  report  annually  to  the  Joint
Commission  set  up  under  article  22  of  the  Co-operation  agreement  between  the
European Community and the Republic of India on Partnership and Development.

Article 22

Entry into force and duration

This Agreement shall enter into force on the first day of the month following the date
on which  the  Contracting  Parties  have  notified  each  other  of  the  completion  of  the
procedures necessary for this purpose.

Each Contracting party may terminate this Agreement by giving notice to the other in
writing. The termination shall take effect three months from the day of notification to
the other Contracting Party. Requests for assistance which have been received prior
to  the  termination  of  the  Agreement  shall  be  completed  in  accordance  with  the
provisions of this Agreement.

Article 23

Authentic texts

This  Agreement  shall  be  drawn  up  in  duplicate  in  the  Danish,  Dutch,  English,  Finnish,
French, German, Greek, Hindi, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swedish languages, each text
being equally authentic.

In  witness  whereof,  the  undersigned,  being  duly  authorised  to  do  so,  have  signed  this
Agreement.

Done at Brussels, […]

For the European Community

For the Republic of India

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