2003/914/EC: Council Decision of 22 December 2003 on the conclusion of an Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Community and the Kingdom of Morocco concerning reciprocal liberalisation measures and the replacement of Protocols 1 and 3 to the EC-Morocco Association Agreement

Council Decision
of 22 December 2003
on the conclusion of an Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Community and the Kingdom of Morocco concerning reciprocal liberalisation measures and the replacement of Protocols 1 and 3 to the EC-Morocco Association Agreement
(2003/914/EC)
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 133, in conjunction with the first sentence of Article 300(2) thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,
Whereas:
(1) Article 16 of the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement establishing an association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Kingdom of Morocco, of the other part(1), which has been in force since 1 March 2000, provides that the Community and Morocco will gradually implement greater liberalisation of their reciprocal trade in agricultural products.
(2) Article 18 of the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement provides that from 1 January 2000 the Community and the Kingdom of Morocco will assess the situation with a view to determining the liberalisation measures to be applied by the Parties with effect from 1 January 2001.
(3) The Community and the Kingdom of Morocco have agreed to replace Protocols 1 and 3 to the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement by means of an agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters. That agreement should therefore be approved.
(4) The measures necessary for the implementation of this Decision should be adopted in accordance with Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission(2),