Proposal for a Council Decision on a Community position in the Association Council on the implementation of Article 75 of the Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreement establishing an Association between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Lebanon, of the other part
Date: 2007-02-22
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Association Council (EU), Lebanon, association agreement (EU), rules of procedure

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 22.2.2007 
COM(2007) 64 final 

Proposal for a 

COUNCIL DECISION 

on a Community position in the Association Council on the implementation of Article 75 
of the Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreement establishing an Association between 
the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of 
Lebanon, of the other part 

(presented by the Commission) 

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EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

(5) 

The Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreement between the European Community 
and  its  Member  States,  of  the  one  part,  and  the  Republic  of  Lebanon,  of  the  other 
part, was signed on 17 June 2002 and entered into force on 1 April 2006. 

An  Association  Council  is  established  under  Article  74  of  the  Agreement.  The 
Association Council shall examine any major issue arising within the framework of 
the  Agreement  and  any  other  bilateral  or  international  issues  of  mutual  interest. 
Under  Article  75  of  the  Agreement  the  Association  Council  shall  establish  its  own 
rules of procedure. 

Following  Article  77  of  the  Agreement  an  Association  Committee  is  established, 
subject to the powers of the Association Council. The Association Committee shall 
be  responsible  for  the  implementation  of  the  Agreement.  Under  Article  78  of  the 
Agreement the Association Committee shall establish its own rules of procedure. 

The proposal drawn up by the Commission is closely based on the rules of procedure 
adopted for the other Euro-Med Association Agreements. 

The Council is requested to adopt, in the form of a common Community position, the 
attached draft Decision of the EU/Lebanon Association Council adopting its rules of 
procedure,  to  which  draft  rules  of  procedure  for  the  Association  Committee  are 
annexed. 

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Proposal for a 

COUNCIL DECISION 

on a Community position in the Association Council on the implementation of Article 75 
of the Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreement between the European Community 
and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Lebanon, of the other part 

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 

Having  regard  to  the  Treaty  establishing  the  European  Community,  and  in  particular  the 
second subparagraph of Article 300(2) thereof,  

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission1, 

Whereas: 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

(5) 

The  Euro-Mediterranean  Association  Agreement  between  the  European  Community 
and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Lebanon, of the other part, 
was signed on 17 June 2002. 

Article  74  of  the  said  Agreement  establishes  an  Association  Council,  which  is  to 
examine  any  major  issues  arising  within  the  framework  of  the  Agreement  and  any 
other bilateral or international issues of mutual interest. 

Article 77 of the said Agreement establishes an Association Committee, subject to the 
powers of the Association Council, which is to be responsible for the implementation 
of the Agreement. 

Articles  75  and  78  of  the  said  Agreements  provide  respectively  that  the  Association 
Council and the Association Committee are to adopt their rules of procedure.  

The  Community  should  determine  the  position  to  be  taken  within  the  Association 
Council  with  regard  to  the  adoption  of  the  rules  of  procedure  for  the  Association 
Council and the Association Committee. 

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS: 

Sole Article 

The position to be adopted by the Community within the Association Council established by 
the  Euro-Mediterranean  Association  Agreement  between  the  European  Community  and  its 
Member  States,  of  the  one  part,  and  the  Republic  of  Lebanon,  of  the  other  part,  on  the 
implementation  of  Article  75  of  the  Agreement,  shall  be  based  on  the  draft  decision  of  the 
Association Council annexed to this Decision. 

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Done at Brussels,  

For the Council 
The President 

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ANNEX I  

Draft 

DECISION OF THE EU/LEBANON ASSOCIATION COUNCIL 

Establishing the Association Council’s rules of procedure 

The EU-Lebanon Association Council, 

Having  regard  to  the  Euro-Mediterranean  Association  Agreement  between  the  European 
Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Lebanon, of the other 
part, and in particular Articles 74 to 81 thereof, 

Whereas that Agreement entered into force on 1st of April 2006, 

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS: 

Article1 

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  European  Union,  on  behalf  of  the 
Community and its Member States, and a representative of the Government of the Republic of 
Lebanon. The first period shall begin on the date of the first Association Council meeting and 
end on 31 December of the same year. 

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 meetings of the Council of the European Union at a date agreed by both 
Parties. 

The  meetings  of  the  Association Council shall be jointly convened by the secretaries of the 
Association Council in agreement with the President. 

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. 

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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 may attend the meetings of the Association 
Council as an observer when matters which concern the Bank appear on the agenda. 

The  Association  Council  may,  by  agreement  between  the  Parties,  invite  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  Embassy  of  the  Republic  of  Lebanon  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. 

The  two  secretaries  shall  ensure  that  correspondence  is  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 
Commission,  the  Permanent  Representations  of  the  Member  States  and  the  Embassy  of  the 
Republic of Lebanon in Brussels. 

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, the meetings of the Association Council shall not be public. 

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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 Association 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. 

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. 

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 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 

1. 

The  Association  Council  shall  adopt  its  decisions  and  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. 

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2. 

The decisions and recommendations of the Association Council within the meaning 
of  Article  76  of  the  Euro-Mediterranean  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. 

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  Journal  of  the  European  Union  and  the  Official 
Journal of the Republic of Lebanon. 

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  Republic  of  Lebanon  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,  translation  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 Republic of 
Lebanon. 

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 
Commission of the European Communities and of representatives of the members of 

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the  Council  of  the  European  Union,  on  the  one  hand,  and  of  representatives  of  the 
Government of the Republic of Lebanon, on the other hand. 

The  Association  Committee  shall  prepare  the  meetings  and  the  deliberations  of  the 
Association  Council,  implement  the  decisions  of  the  Association  Council  where 
appropriate and, in general, ensure continuity of the Association relationship 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. 

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  Procedure  of  the  Association  Committee  are  annexed  to  this 
Decision. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

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

Done at  

For the Association Council 
The President 

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ANNEX 

RULES OF PROCEDURE OF THE ASSOCIATION COMMITTEE 

Association between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, 
and the Republic of Lebanon, 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 Commission of the European Communities on behalf of the Community 
and its Member States and a representative of the Government of the Republic of Lebanon.  

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

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 Commission of the European Community and an 
official of the Government of the Republic of Lebanon 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. 

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Article 5 

Publicity 

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

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. 

2. 

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

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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 
xx/200x 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. 

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 Republic 
of Lebanon. 

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

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