Article 1 
The President of the Council is hereby authorised to designate the person(s) empowered to sign, on behalf of the European Communities and their Member States, the Protocol to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Azerbaijan, of the other part, to take account of the accession of the Republic of Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union, subject to possible conclusion at a later stage. The text of the Protocol is attached to this Decision ( 1 ) .
Article 2 
Pending its entry into force, the Protocol shall be applied on a provisional basis from 1 January 2007.