EC/Israel Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreement: accession of Bulgaria and Romania. Protocol

PURPOSE: to include Romania and Bulgaria in the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement between the EU and Israel.

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Council Decision 2008/207/EC on the conclusion of the Protocol to the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement establishing an association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the State of Israel, of the other part, to take account of the accession of the Republic of Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union.

CONTENT: the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the State of Israel, of the other part, and entered into force on 1st June 2000 (see AVC/1995/0276) that is before the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the EU. It is therefore necessary to attach a new protocol to the Agreement in order to take account of the accession of these two new Member States to the initial Agreement.

The aim of this decision is to approve, on behalf of the Community and its Member States, the protocol on the Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, on the one hand, and Israel, on the other, to take account of Bulgaria’s and Romania’s accession to the European Union.

The text of the protocol is attached to the decision.