OF IRELAND AND THE UNITED KINGDOM SUBMITTED OBSERVATIONS DURING THE WRITTEN PROCEDURE AND THE COURT THEREFORE REQUESTED THE PARTIES IN THE MAIN ACTION , THE MEMBER STATES AND THE COMMISSION TO GIVE THEIR VIEWS ON THE QUESTION WHETHER THE NEW MEMBER STATES WHICH ARE NOT YET PARTIES TO THE CONVENTION ARE ENTITLED TO PARTICIPATE IN PROCEEDINGS RELATING TO ITS INTERPRETATION .
6 ARTICLE 3 ( 2 ) OF THE ACT OF ACCESSION PROVIDES THAT ' THE NEW MEMBER STATES UNDERTAKE TO ACCEDE TO THE CONVENTIONS PROVIDED FOR IN ARTICLE 220 OF THE EEC TREATY , AND TO THE PROTOCOLS ON THE INTERPRETATION OF THOSE CONVENTIONS BY THE COURT OF JUSTICE , SIGNED BY THE ORIGINAL MEMBER STATES , AND TO THIS END THEY UNDERTAKE TO ENTER INTO NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE ORIGINAL MEMBER STATES IN ORDER TO MAKE THE NECESSARY ADJUSTMENTS THERETO ' . THE FIRST PARAGRAPH OF ARTICLE 63 OF THE CONVENTION PROVIDES THAT ' THE CONTRACTING STATES RECOGNIZE THAT ANY STATE WHICH BECOMES A MEMBER OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY SHALL BE REQUIRED TO ACCEPT THIS CONVENTION AS A BASIS FOR THE NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN THE CONTRACTING STATES AND THAT STATE NECESSARY TO ENSURE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE LAST PARAGRAPH OF ARTICLE 220 OF THE TREATY ESTABLISHING THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY ' . THE NEW MEMBER STATES THUS HAVE AN INTEREST IN EXPRESSING THEIR VIEWS WHEN THE COURT IS CALLED UPON TO INTERPRET A CONVENTION TO WHICH THEY ARE REQUIRED TO BECOME PARTIES .
7 IT SHOULD FURTHER BE OBSERVED THAT ARTICLE 5 ( 1 ) OF THE PROTOCOL OF 3 JUNE 1971 STIPULATES THAT , EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE PROVIDED , ' THE PROVISIONS OF THE TREATY ESTABLISHING THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY AND THOSE OF THE PROTOCOL ON THE STATUTE OF THE COURT OF JUSTICE ANNEXED THERETO , WHICH ARE APPLICABLE WHEN THE COURT IS REQUESTED TO GIVE A PRELIMINARY RULING , SHALL ALSO APPLY TO ANY PROCEEDINGS FOR THE INTERPRETATION OF THE CONVENTION ' .
8 AS A RESULT THE NEW MEMBER STATES TO WHICH ARTICLE 177 OF THE EEC TREATY AND ARTICLE 20 OF THE PROTOCOL ON THE STATUTE OF THE COURT OF JUSTICE APPLY ARE ENTITLED TO SUBMIT OBSERVATIONS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SAID ARTICLES IN PROCEEDINGS FOR THE INTERPRETATION OF THE CONVENTION . NO VALID OBJECTION TO THIS CONCLUSION IS CONSTITUTED BY ARTICLE 4 ( 4 ) OF THE PROTOCOL OF 3 JUNE 1971 ON A SPECIAL PROCEDURE WHICH IS NOT RELEVANT FOR THE PRESENT PURPOSES . FURTHER IN THE CONTEXT OF THAT PROTOCOL , WHICH ORIGINATED BEFORE THE ENLARGEMENT OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES , THE WORDS ' CONTRACTING STATES ' REFER TO ALL THE MEMBER STATES .
THE INTERPRETATION OF THE CONVENTION IN GENERAL
9 ARTICLE 220 OF THE EEC TREATY PROVIDES THAT MEMBER STATES SHALL , SO FAR AS NECESSARY , ENTER INTO NEGOTIATIONS WITH EACH OTHER WITH A VIEW TO SECURING FOR THE BENEFIT OF THEIR NATIONALS THE ESTABLISHMENT OF RULES INTENDED TO FACILITATE THE ACHIEVEMENT OF THE COMMON MARKET IN THE VARIOUS