Draft Decision of the EEA Joint Committee No […] of […] amending Protocol 31 to the EEA Agreement, on cooperation in specific fields outside the four freedoms
Date: 2009-04-21
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EFTA countries, budget, financial year, general budget (EU), single market

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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 21.4.2009 
SEC(2009) 504 final 

Draft 

DECISION OF THE EEA JOINT COMMITTEE  
No  

of  

amending Protocol 31 to the EEA Agreement, 
on cooperation in specific fields outside the four freedoms 

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1. 

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EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 

Protocol  31  to  the  EEA  Agreement  contains  specific  provisions  on  the  cooperation 
between the Community and the EEA EFTA States outside the four freedoms. 

The attached draft Decision of the EEA Joint Committee aims to modify Protocol 31 
to  extend  cooperation  in  the  field  of  Education,  training  and  youth.  It  provides  a 
framework  for  cooperation  and  sets  out  the  modalities  for  full  participation  of  the 
EEA  EFTA  States  in  the  Community  programmes  and  actions  in  this  field,  with 
effect from 1st January 2009 by incorporating: 

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32008 D 1298: Decision 1298/2008/EC of the European Parliament and of the
Council  of  16  December  2008  establishing  the  Erasmus  Mundus  2009-2013
action programme for the enhancement of quality in higher education and the
promotion  of  intercultural  understanding  through  cooperation  with  third
countries (OJ L 340, 19.12.2008, p. 83). 

Article 1.3 of Council Regulation (EC) No 2894/94 concerning the arrangements for 
implementing  the  EEA  Agreement  envisages  that  the  Council  establish  the 
Community position for such Decisions on a proposal from the Commission. 

The draft decision of the EEA Joint Committee is submitted for the approval of the 
Council, after which the Commission will put forward the position of the Community 
in the EEA Joint Committee at the earliest possible occasion. 

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Draft 

DECISION OF THE EEA JOINT COMMITTEE  
No  

of  

amending Protocol 31 to the EEA Agreement, 
on cooperation in specific fields outside the four freedoms 

THE EEA JOINT COMMITTEE, 

Having regard to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, as amended by the Protocol 
adjusting  the  Agreement  on  the  European  Economic  Area,  hereinafter  referred  to  as  ‘the 
Agreement’, and in particular Articles 86 and 98 thereof, 

Whereas: 

(1) 

(2) 

Protocol 31 to the Agreement was amended by Decision of the EEA Joint Committee 
No …/… of …1. 

It is appropriate to extend the cooperation of the Contracting Parties to the Agreement 
to include Decision 1298/2008/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 
16  December  2008  establishing  the  Erasmus  Mundus  2009-2013  action  programme 
for the enhancement of quality in higher education and the promotion of intercultural 
understanding through cooperation with third countries2. 

(3) 

Protocol 31 to the Agreement should therefore be amended in order to allow for this 
extended cooperation to take place from 1 January 2009, 

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS: 

Article 1 

Article 4 of Protocol 31 to the Agreement shall be amended as follows: 

1. 

The following paragraph shall be inserted after paragraph 2l: 

‘2m.  The EFTA States shall, with effect from 1 January 2009, participate in actions 

1 and 3 of the following programme: 

- 

32008 D 1298: Decision 1298/2008/EC of the European Parliament and 
of  the  Council  of  16  December  2008  establishing  the  Erasmus  Mundus 

1 
2 

OJ L … 
OJ L 340, 19.12.2008, p. 83. 

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2009-2013  action  programme  for  the  enhancement  of  quality  in  higher 
education  and  the  promotion  of  intercultural  understanding  through 
cooperation with third countries (OJ L 340, 19.12.2008, p. 83).’ 

2. 

The text of paragraph 3 shall be replaced by the following: 

‘The EFTA States shall contribute financially in accordance with Article 82(1)(a) of 
the Agreement to the programmes and actions referred to in paragraphs 1, 2, 2a, 2b, 
2c, 2d, 2e, 2f, 2g, 2h, 2i, 2j, 2k, 2l and 2m.’ 

Article 2 

This Decision shall enter into force on the day following the last notification to the EEA Joint 
Committee under Article 103(1) of the Agreement∗. 

It shall apply from 1 January 2009. 

Article 3 

This Decision shall be published in the EEA Section of, and in the EEA Supplement to, the 
Official Journal of the European Union. 

Done at Brussels, . 

For the EEA Joint Committee 
The President 

The Secretaries 
to the EEA Joint Committee 

∗ 

[No constitutional requirements indicated.] [Constitutional requirements indicated.] 

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