Council Regulation (EC) No 229/2008 of 10 March 2008 amending Regulation (EC) No 533/2004 on the establishment of partnerships in the framework of the stabilisation and association process
Date: 2008-03-10
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: Western Balkans, aid policy, association agreement (EU), cooperation policy, economic stabilisation

15.3.2008

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 73/1

(Acts adopted under the EC Treaty/Euratom Treaty whose publication is obligatory)

I

REGULATIONS

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 229/2008

of 10 March 2008

amending Regulation (EC) No 533/2004 on the establishment of partnerships in the framework of
the stabilisation and association process

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Having regard to the Treaty
Community, and in particular Article 181a(2) thereof,

establishing the European

Regulation (EC) No 533/2004 is hereby amended as follows:

Article 1

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

‘Article 1

1. Article 1 shall be replaced by the following:

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (1),

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

Regulation (EC) No 533/2004 (2) provides that part-
nerships will be established for all the Western Balkan
countries.

The European Council decided at its meeting in Brussels
in December 2005 that the former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia is to be a candidate country for membership
of the European Union.

It is therefore appropriate to provide that instead of a
the European Union should
European Partnership,
implement
in its relations with the former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia an Accession Partnership, and
to amend Regulation (EC) No 533/2004 accordingly.

The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro has ceased to
exist. Therefore,
it is appropriate to amend the Regu-
lation to take into account the fact that Serbia as well
as Montenegro are now two independent States.

The Regulation covers Accession Partnerships as well as
European Partnerships. Therefore, the full text needs to
take this into account,

(1) Opinion delivered on 15 January 2008 (not yet published in the

Official Journal).

(2) OJ L 86, 24.3.2004, p. 1. Regulation as amended by Regulation (EC)

No 269/2006 (OJ L 47, 17.2.2006, p. 7).

European Partnerships shall be established to cover Albania,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia including
Kosovo as defined by the United Nations Security Council
Resolution 1244 of 10 June 1999 (hereinafter referred to as
the partners). The European Partnerships shall provide a
resulting from the
framework covering the priorities
the partners’ different
analysis of
situations, on which
preparations
integration into the European
for
Union must concentrate in the light of the criteria defined
by the European Council, and the progress made in imple-
menting the stabilisation and association process including
Stabilisation and Association Agreements, where appropriate,
and in particular regional cooperation.’;

further

2. Article 1a shall be replaced by the following:

‘Article 1a

the

the

and

Partnerships

for Croatia

As part of
stabilisation and association process,
former
Accession
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia shall be established. The
Accession Partnerships shall provide a framework covering
the priorities resulting from the analysis of the situation in
each country, on which preparations for accession must
concentrate in the light of the Copenhagen criteria defined
by the European Council and the progress made in imple-
menting the stabilisation and association process, including
the Stabilisation and Association Agreements concluded with
those countries (*), and in particular regional cooperation.
___________
(*) Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the
European Communities and their Member States, of the
former Yugoslav Republic of
one part,
Macedonia, of
(OJ L 84, 20.3.2004,
p.
and Association Agreement
13).
between the European Communities and their Member
States, of the one part, and the Republic of Croatia, of
the other part (OJ L 26, 28.1.2005, p. 3).’

the other part

Stabilisation

and the

L 73/2

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

15.3.2008

This Regulation shall enter into force on the third day following its publication in the Official Journal of the
European Union.

Article 2

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 10 March 2008.

For the Council
The President

D. RUPEL