Arrangement between the European Union and the Kingdom of Norway on the modalities of its participation in the European Asylum Support Office
Date: 2014-03-19
Institutions: European Union, Norway
Subjects: European Union Agency for Asylum, Norway, agreement (EU), observer, right of asylum




L_2014109EN.01000301.xml










12.4.2014   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


L 109/3








            ARRANGEMENT
         
between the European Union and the Kingdom of Norway on the modalities of its participation in the European Asylum Support Office


THE EUROPEAN UNION, hereinafter referred to as the ‘EU’,
of the one part, and
THE KINGDOM OF NORWAY, hereinafter referred to as ‘Norway’,
of the other part,

Having regard to Article 49(1) of Regulation (EU) No 439/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 May 2010 establishing a European Asylum Support Office (1), hereinafter referred to as the ‘Regulation’,

WHEREAS







(1)


The Regulation states that, to fulfil its purpose, the European Asylum Support Office, hereinafter referred to as the ‘Support Office’, should be open to participation by countries which have concluded agreements with the EU by virtue of which they have adopted and apply EU law in the field covered by the Regulation, in particular, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, hereinafter referred to as the ‘associate countries’,












(2)


Norway has concluded agreements with the EU, by virtue of which it has adopted and applies EU law in the field covered by the Regulation, in particular the Agreement between the European Community and the Republic of Iceland and the Kingdom of Norway concerning the criteria and mechanisms for establishing the State responsible for examining a request for asylum lodged in a Member State or in Iceland or Norway (2),





HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS:



Article 1

Extent of participation

Norway shall participate fully in the work of the Support Office and be entitled to receive support actions from the Support Office as described in the Regulation and in accordance with the terms set out by this Arrangement.


Article 2

Management Board

Norway shall be represented in the Management Board of the Support Office as an observer without the right to vote.


Article 3

Financial contribution


1.   Norway shall contribute to the revenue of the Support Office an annual sum calculated in accordance with its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as a percentage of the GDP of all participating States in accordance with the formula laid down in the Annex.


2.   The financial contribution referred to in paragraph 1 shall be incurred as from the day following the entry into force or from the date of provisional application of this Arrangement as referred to in Article 13(3). The first financial contribution shall be reduced proportionally to the remaining time in the year after the entry into force or from the date of the provisional application of this Arrangement.



Article 4

Data Protection


1.   In applying this Arrangement, Norway shall process data in line with Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 1995 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data (3).


2.   For the purpose of this Arrangement, Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2000 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data (4) shall apply to the processing of personal data carried out by the Support Office.


3.   Norway shall respect the rules on confidentiality of documents held by the Support Office, as set out in the Rules of Procedure of the Management Board.



Article 5

Legal status

The Support Office shall have legal personality under the law of Norway and shall enjoy in Norway the most extensive legal capacity accorded to legal persons under the law of Norway. It may, in particular, acquire or dispose of movable and immovable property and may be party to legal proceedings.


Article 6

Liability

The liability of the Support Office shall be governed by Article 45(1), (3) and (5) of the Regulation.


Article 7

Court of Justice of the European Union

Norway shall recognise the jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the European Union over the Support Office, as provided for in Article 45(2) and (4) of the Regulation.


Article 8

Staff of the Support Office


1.   In accordance with Articles 38(1) and 49(1) of the Regulation, the Staff Regulations of Officials and the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union, the rules adopted jointly by the EU institutions for the purpose of applying those Staff Regulations and Conditions of Employment and the implementing measures adopted by the Support Office according to Article 38 (2) of the Regulation apply to nationals of Norway recruited as staff members by the Support Office.


2.   By way of derogation from Article 12(2)(a) and Article 82(3)(a) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union, nationals of Norway enjoying their full rights as citizens may be engaged under contract by the Executive Director of the Support Office according to the existing rules for selection and engagement of staff adopted by the Support Office.


3.   Article 38(4) of the Regulation shall apply mutatis mutandis to the nationals of Norway.


4.   Nationals of Norway may not, however, be appointed to the post of Executive Director of the Support Office.



Article 9

Privileges and immunities

Norway shall apply to the Support Office and to its staff the Protocol on the Privileges and Immunities of the European Union (5) as well as any rules adopted pursuant to that Protocol relating to staff matters of the Support Office.


Article 10

Combating fraud

The provisions set out in Article 44 of the Regulation shall be applied and the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and the Court of Auditors may exercise the powers conferred on them.
OLAF and the Court of Auditors shall inform Riksrevisjonen in good time of any intention to carry out on-the-spot-checks or audits which, if the Norwegian authorities so wish, may be carried out jointly with Riksrevisjonen.


Article 11

Committee


1.   A Committee, composed of representatives of the European Commission and Norway, shall monitor the proper implementation of this Arrangement and ensure a continuous process of information provision and exchange of views in this respect. For practical reasons, the Committee shall meet jointly with the corresponding Committees set up with other associated countries participating on the basis of Article 49(1) of the Regulation. It shall meet upon request by either Norway or the European Commission. The Management Board of the Support Office shall be informed about the work of the Committee.


2.   Information about foreseen EU legislation, which either directly affects or amends the Regulation or is expected to have implications relating to the financial contribution laid down in Article 3 of this Arrangement, shall be shared and an exchange of views thereon shall take place in the Committee.



Article 12

Annex

The Annex to this Arrangement shall constitute an integral part of this Arrangement.


Article 13

Entry into force


1.   The Contracting Parties shall approve this Arrangement in accordance with their own internal procedures. They shall notify each other of the completion of those procedures.


2.   This Arrangement shall enter into force on the first day of the first month following the day of the last notification referred to in paragraph 1.


3.   Upon signature of this Arrangement, the Contracting Parties may by mutual agreement declare that it shall apply provisionally as from the day following that of its signature.



Article 14

Termination and validity


1.   This Arrangement shall be concluded for an unlimited period.


2.   Each Contracting Party may, after consultations within the Committee, denounce this Arrangement by notifying the other Contracting Party. This Arrangement shall cease to apply six months after the date of such notification.


3.   This Arrangement shall be terminated in case of termination of the Agreement between the European Community and the Republic of Iceland and the Kingdom of Norway concerning the criteria and mechanisms for establishing the State responsible for examining a request for asylum lodged in a Member State or in Iceland or Norway.


4.   This Arrangement shall be drawn up in duplicate in the Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish and Norwegian languages, each of those texts being equally authentic.





Съставено в Брюксел на деветнадесети март две хиляди и четиринадесета година.
Hecho en Bruselas, el diecinueve de marzo de dos mil catorce.
V Bruselu dne devatenáctého března dva tisíce čtrnáct.
Udfærdiget i Bruxelles den nittende marts to tusind og fjorten.
Geschehen zu Brüssel am neunzehnten März zweitausendvierzehn.

               Kahe tuhande neljateistkümnenda aasta märtsikuu üheksateistkümnendal päeval Brüsselis.
Έγινε στις Βρυξέλλες, στις δέκα εννέα Μαρτίου δύο χιλιάδες δεκατέσσερα.
Done at Brussels on the nineteenth day of March in the year two thousand and fourteen.
Fait à Bruxelles, le dix neuf mars deux mille quatorze.
Sastavljeno u Bruxellesu devetnaestog ožujka dvije tisuće četrnaeste.
Fatto a Bruxelles, addì diciannove marzo duemilaquattordici.
Briselē, divi tūkstoši četrpadsmitā gada deviņpadsmitajā martā.
Priimta du tūkstančiai keturioliktų metų kovo devynioliktą dieną Briuselyje.
Kelt Brüsszelben, a kétezer-tizennegyedik év március havának tizenkilencedik napján.
Magħmul fi Brussell, fid-dsatax-il jum ta' Marzu tas-sena elfejn u erbatax.
Gedaan te Brussel, de negentiende maart tweeduizend veertien.
Sporządzono w Brukseli dnia dziewiętnastego marca roku dwa tysiące czternastego.
Feito em Bruxelas, em dezanove de março de dois mil e catorze.
Întocmit la Bruxelles la nouăsprezece martie două mii paisprezece.
V Bruseli devätnásteho marca dvetisícštrnásť.
V Bruslju, dne devetnajstega marca leta dva tisoč štirinajst.
Tehty Brysselissä yhdeksäntenätoista päivänä maaliskuuta vuonna kaksituhattaneljätoista.
Som skedde i Bryssel den nittonde mars tjugohundrafjorton.
Utferdiget i Brussel den nittende mars to tusen og fjorten.

За Европейския съюз
Por la Unión Europea
Za Evropskou unii
For Den Europæiske Union
Für die Europäische Union
Euroopa Liidu nimel
Για την Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση
For the European Union
Pour l'Union européenne
Za Europsku uniju
Per l'Unione europea
Eiropas Savienības vārdā –
Europos Sąjungos vardu
Az Európai Unió részéről
Għall-Unjoni Ewropea
Voor de Europese Unie
W imieniu Unii Europejskiej
Pela União Europeia
Pentru Uniunea Europeană
Za Európsku úniu
Za Evropsko unijo
Euroopan unionin puolesta
För Europeiska unionen
For Den europeiske union







За Кралство Норвегия
Por el Reino de Noruega
Za Norské královstvi
For Kongeriget Norge
Für das Königreich Norwegen
Norra Kuningriigi nimel
Για το Βασίλειο της Νορβηγίας
For the Kingdom of Norway
Pour le Royaume de Norvège
Za Kraljevinu Norvešku
Per il Regno di Norvegia
Norvēģijas Karalistes vārdā –
Norvegijos Karalystės vardu
A Norvég Királyság részéről
Ghar-Renju tan-Norveġja
Voor het Koninkrijk Noorwegen
W imieniu Królestwa Norwegii
Pelo Reino da Noruega
Pentru Regatul Norvegiei
Za Nórske kráľovstvo
Za Kraljevino Norveško
Norjan kuningaskunnan puolesta
För Konungariket Norge
For Kongeriket Norge










(1)  
            OJ L 132, 29.5.2010, p. 11.

(2)  
            OJ L 93, 3.4.2001, p. 40.

(3)  
            OJ L 281, 23.11.1995, p. 31.

(4)  
            OJ L 8, 12.1.2001, p. 1.

(5)  
            OJ C 83, 30.3.2010, p. 266.




ANNEX
FORMULA TO CALCULATE THE CONTRIBUTION

1.   
The financial contribution of Norway to the revenue of the Support Office defined in Article 33(3)(d) of the Regulation shall be calculated in the following way:
The most updated final figures of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Norway available on 31 March of each year shall be divided by the sum of the GDP figures of all the States participating in the Support Office available for the same year. The obtained percentage will be applied to the part of the authorised Support Office's revenue as defined in Article 33 (3) (a) of the Regulation in the year under consideration to obtain the amount of the financial contribution of Norway.


2.   

The financial contribution shall be paid in euro.



3.   

Norway shall pay its financial contribution no later than 45 days after receiving the debit note. Any delay in payment shall give rise to the payment of default interest by Norway on the outstanding amount from the due date. The interest rate shall be the rate applied by the European Central Bank to its principal refinancing operations, as published in the C series of the Official Journal of the European Union, in force on the first day of the month in which the deadline falls, increased by 3,5 percentage points.



4.   

Norway's financial contribution shall be adapted in accordance with this Annex when the financial contribution from the EU entered in the general budget of the EU as defined in Article 33 (3) (a) of the Regulation is increased pursuant to Articles 26, 27 or 41 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union and repealing Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 (1). In such a case, the difference shall be due 45 days after receiving the debit note.



5.   

In the event that payment credits of the Support Office received from the EU according to Article 33 (3) (a) of the Regulation related to a year N are not spent by 31 December of year N or that the Support Office budget of the year N has been lowered according to Articles 26, 27 or 41 of the Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012, the part of these unspent or lowered payment credits corresponding to the percentage of the contribution made by Norway shall be transferred to the budget of year N+1 of the Support Office. Norway's contribution to the Support Office's budget of year N+1 will be reduced accordingly.




(1)  
            OJ L 298, 26.10.2012, p. 1.