Council Decision (EU) 2024/1859 of 25 June 2024 on the position to be adopted, on behalf of the European Union, within the EEA Joint Committee concerning an amendment to Protocol 31 to the EEA Agreement, on cooperation in specific fields outside the four freedoms (Eurofound)Text with EEA relevance.
Date: 2024-06-25
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: EEA Joint Committee, Eurofound, European Economic Area, operation of the Institutions, protocol to an agreement, revision of an agreement




L_202401859EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
L series













2024/1859


4.7.2024







            COUNCIL DECISION (EU) 2024/1859
         
of 25 June 2024
         
on the position to be adopted, on behalf of the European Union, within the EEA Joint Committee concerning an amendment to Protocol 31 to the EEA Agreement, on cooperation in specific fields outside the four freedoms (Eurofound)
(Text with EEA relevance)


THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 153(2) in conjunction with Article 218(9) thereof,


Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 2894/94 of 28 November 1994 concerning arrangements for implementing the Agreement on the European Economic Area (1), and in particular Article 1(3) thereof,


Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

Whereas:







(1)


The Agreement on the European Economic Area (2) (‘the EEA Agreement’) entered into force on 1 January 1994.












(2)


Pursuant to Article 98 of the EEA Agreement, the EEA Joint Committee may decide to amend, inter alia, Protocol 31 on cooperation in specific fields outside the four freedoms (‘Protocol 31’) to the EEA Agreement.












(3)


It is appropriate to extend the cooperation of the Contracting Parties to the EEA Agreement to include Regulation (EU) 2019/127 of the European Parliament and of the Council (3).












(4)


Protocol 31 to the EEA Agreement should therefore be amended accordingly and such extended cooperation should take place retroactively from 1 January 2024.












(5)


The position of the Union within the EEA Joint Committee should therefore be based on the attached draft Decision,





HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:



Article 1
The position to be adopted, on behalf of the Union, within the EEA Joint Committee on the proposed amendment to Protocol 31 to the EEA Agreement, on cooperation in specific fields outside the four freedoms, shall be based on the draft Decision of the EEA Joint Committee attached to this Decision.


Article 2
This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption.




Done at Brussels, 25 June 2024.


For the Council


The President

H. LAHBIB
            





(1)  
            OJ L 305, 30.11.1994, p. 6.

(2)  
            OJ L 1, 3.1.1994, p. 3.

(3)  Regulation (EU) 2019/127 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 January 2019 establishing the European Foundation for the improvement of living and working conditions (Eurofound), and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 1365/75 (OJ L 30, 31.1.2019, p. 74).





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 (‘the EEA Agreement’), and in particular Articles 86 and 98 thereof,

Whereas:







(1)


It is appropriate to extend the cooperation of the Contracting Parties to the EEA Agreement to include Regulation (EU) 2019/127 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 January 2019 establishing the European Foundation for the improvement of living and working conditions (Eurofound), and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 1365/75 (1).












(2)


The modalities of the EFTA States’ participation in Eurofound are set out in the ‘Framework Agreement on modalities for the European Foundation for the improvement of living and working conditions/EFTA co-operation’, dated 12 September 1994.












(3)


Regulation (EU) 2019/127 repeals Council Regulation (EEC) No 1365/75, which is included in the EEA Agreement and is consequently to be repealed under the EEA Agreement.












(4)


Protocol 31 to the EEA Agreement should therefore be amended in order to allow for this extended cooperation to take place from 1 January 2024,





HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:



Article 1
The text of point 10 of Article 5 of Protocol 31 is replaced by the following:

                  ‘The Contracting States shall seek to strengthen cooperation in the framework of the following act:






—



32019 R 0127: Regulation (EU) 2019/127 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 January 2019 establishing the European Foundation for the improvement of living and working conditions (Eurofound), and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 1365/75 (OJ L 30, 31.1.2019, p. 74).’
                     






Article 2
This Decision shall enter into force on the day following the last notification under Article 103(1) of the EEA Agreement (*1).
It shall apply from 1 January 2024.


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






(1)  
            OJ L 30, 31.1.2019, p. 74.

(*1)  [No constitutional requirements indicated.] [Constitutional requirements indicated.]



ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2024/1859/oj
ISSN 1977-0677 (electronic edition)