EC/Turkmenistan Partnership and Cooperation Agreement

PURPOSE: to conclude, by the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement establishing a Partnership between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and Turkmenistan, of the other part.

PROPOSED ACT: Council and Commission Decision.

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

BACKGROUND: the conclusion of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement establishing a Partnership between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and Turkmenistan, of the other part, signed in Brussels on 25 May 1998, will contribute to achieving the objectives of the Union which aim to strengthen the links established in particular by the Agreement between the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on trade and commercial and economic cooperation, signed on 18 December 1989 and approved by the Council Decision of 26 February 1990.

As a consequence of the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon on 1 December 2009, the European Union has replaced and succeeded the European Community and from that date exercises all rights and assumes all obligations of the European Community. Therefore, references to the "European Community" in the text of the Agreement are, where appropriate, to be read as references to the "European Union".

It is now necessary to conclude the protocols to the Agreement to take into account the accession of several Member States to the Union since the signature of the Agreement.

Upon its entry into force, the Agreement will replace the Interim Agreement on trade and trade-related matters between the European Community, the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Atomic Energy Community, of the one part, and Turkmenistan, of the other part, as amended by the Exchange of Letters between the parties.

The Agreement should be approved on behalf of the European Union and Euratom.

CONTENT: under this proposal, the Council and the Commission are called upon to approve, on behalf of the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement establishing a Partnership between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and Turkmenistan, of the other part.

The texts are attached this draft Decision.

For further details as regards the main provisions of this Agreement and its trade implications, please refer to the summary of the Commission’s initial legislative proposal dated 6 February 1998.

It should be noted that the proposal includes specific measures as regards the position to be taken by the Union within the Cooperation Council and the Cooperation Committee.