EU/Korea Free Trade Agreement: accession of Croatia to the EU. Protocol

PURPOSE: to conclude the Additional Protocol to the Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and South Korea, of the other part, to take account of the accession of Croatia to the European Union.

PROPOSED ACT: Council Decision.

ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: Council may adopt the act only if Parliament has given its consent to the act.

BACKGROUND: in accordance with a Council decision, the Additional Protocol to the Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and South Korea, of the other part, to take account of the accession of Croatia to the European Union was signed and applied on a provisional basis from 1 July 2013, pending the completion of the procedures for its conclusion.

The Additional Protocol should be approved by the European Union.

LEGAL BASIS: Articles 91, 100(2), 167(3), 207 and 218(6), second subparagraph, point (a)(v) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) as well as the Act of Accession of Croatia.

CONTENT: under this proposal, the Council is invited to approve, on behalf of the European Union, the Additional Protocol to the Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and South Korea, of the other part, to take account of the accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union.

The President of the Council shall designate the person(s) empowered to proceed, on behalf of the Union and its Member States, to give the notification referred to in Article 9 of the Additional Protocol regarding completion of the internal procedures for the entry into force. The content of the agreement is identical to that of the Commission’s proposal (please refer to the summary dated 31/01/2014 of the initial legislative proposal).