EC/Uzbekistan Partnership and Cooperation Agreement: accession of Croatia to the EU. Protocol

PURPOSE: to conclude the Protocol to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement establishing a partnership between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and Uzbekistan, 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: according to its Act of Accession, Croatia undertakes to accede to the international agreements signed or concluded by the European Union and its Member States by means of a protocol to those agreements.

The Partnership and Cooperation Agreement establishing a partnership between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and Uzbekistan, of the other part, was signed on 21 June 1996 and entered into force on 1 July 1999.

It is now necessary to conclude the Protocol on behalf of the Union and its Member States.

CONTENT: with this proposal, the Council is called upon to approve, on behalf of the Union and its Members, the Protocol to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement establishing a partnership between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and Uzbekistan, of the other part, to take account of the accession of Croatia to the European Union.

The text of this Protocol is attached to this Decision.

The proposed Protocol incorporates Croatia as a contracting party to the Agreement and commits the Union to providing the authentic version of the Agreement in the Croatian language.

The European Parliament is called upon to give its consent to the Protocol.