2008/756/EC: Decision No 1/2004 of the EU/Egypt Association Council of 14 June 2004 setting up the Association Council’s rules of procedure
Date: 2004-06-14
Institutions: Association Council, Egypt, European Union
Subjects: Association Council (EU), Egypt, association agreement (EU), joint body (EU), rules of procedure

27.9.2008

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 259/5

(Acts adopted under the EC Treaty/Euratom Treaty whose publication is not obligatory)

II

DECISIONS

COUNCIL

DECISION No 1/2004 OF THE EU/EGYPT ASSOCIATION COUNCIL

of 14 June 2004
setting up the Association Council’s rules of procedure

(2008/756/EC)

THE EU/EGYPT 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 Arab
Republic of Egypt, of the other part, and in particular Articles
74 to 80 thereof,

Whereas:

Unless otherwise agreed by the Parties, each session of the
Association Council shall be held at
the usual venue for
meetings of
the European Union at a date
agreed by both Parties.

the Council of

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

the Association Council

the Association Council

shall be jointly
in

(1)

The Agreement entered into force on 1 June 2004.

(2)

The rules of procedure of
Council should be adopted,

the EU/Egypt Association

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

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.

Article 1

Presidency

The representative of a member of the Association Council shall
exercise all the rights of that member.

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 Arab Republic of Egypt. The first
period shall begin on the date of the first Association Council
meeting and end on 31 December 2004.

the European Union, on behalf of

Article 2

Meetings

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.

The Association Council shall meet regularly at ministerial level
at least once a year. Special sessions of the Association Council
may be held if the Parties so agree, at the request of either 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.

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The Association Council may, by agreement between the
Parties, invite non-members to attend its meetings in order to
provide information on particular subjects.

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

Article 5

Secretariat

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.

An official of the General Secretariat of the Council of the
European Union and an official of the Embassy of the Arab
Republic of Egypt in Brussels shall act jointly as secretaries of
the Association Council.

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

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.

that

shall

ensure

correspondence

two secretaries

is
The
forwarded to the President of
the Association Council and,
where appropriate, circulated to the other members of the Asso­
ciation Council. Correspondence circulated shall be sent to the
Secretariat-General of the Commission, the Permanent Repre­
sentations of the Member States and the Embassy of the Arab
Republic of Egypt in Brussels.

Communications from the President of the Association Council
to the addressees by the two secretaries and
shall be sent
the
circulated, where appropriate,
Association Council at the addresses indicated in the second
paragraph.

to the other members of

Article 7

Publicity

Unless otherwise decided,
Council shall not be public.

the meetings of

the Association

Article 8

Agendas for meetings

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

1.
recommendations by mutual agreement of the Parties.

its decisions and

1.
The President shall draw up a provisional agenda for each
meeting. It shall be forwarded by the secretaries of the Associ­
ation Council to the addressees referred to in Article 6 not later
than 15 days before the beginning of the meeting.

In the period between meetings, the Association Council may
adopt decisions or recommendations by written procedure if
both Parties so agree.

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

The decisions and recommendations of the Association
2.
Council within the meaning of Article 76 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.

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The decisions and recommendations of the Association Council
shall be signed by the President and authenticated by the two
secretaries.

Article 13

Association Committee

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
the
European Union and the Official Journal of the Arab Republic
of Egypt.

Journal of

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 12

Expenses

The Community and the Arab Republic of Egypt 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 tele­
communications 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 Arab Republic of Egypt.

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

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
European Communities and of representatives of the members
of the Council of the European Union, on the one hand, and of
representatives of
the Government of the Arab Republic of
Egypt, on the other hand.

the Commission of

in general, ensure continuity of

The Association Committee shall prepare the meetings
2.
implement
and the deliberations of the Association Council,
the Association Council where appropriate
the decisions of
and,
the Association rela­
tionship 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
It shall submit proposals or
Euro-Mediterranean Agreement.
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.

The draft Rules of

4.
Committee are annexed to this Decision.

Procedure of

the Association

This Decision shall enter into force on the day of its adoption.

Done at Brussels, 14 June 2004.

For the Association Council
The President

B. COWEN

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ANNEX

RULES OF PROCEDURE OF THE ASSOCIATION COMMITTEE

Article 1

Chairmanship

The Association Committee shall be presided over alternately for periods of 12 months by a representative of the
Commission of the European Communities on behalf of the Community and its Member States and a representative
of the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt.

The first period shall begin on the date of the first Association Council meeting and end on 31 December 2004.

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.

Before each meeting, the Chairman shall be informed of the intended composition of the delegation of each Party.

Article 3

Delegations

Article 4

Secretariat

An official of the General Secretariat of the Commission of the European Community and an official of the Government
of the Arab Republic of Egypt 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

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 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.

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 order to take

2.
account of the requirements of a particular case.

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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 respectively ‘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 1/2004 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 80 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 Arab Republic of Egypt.

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