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EC/China Agreement on Maritime Transport: accession of Croatia to the EU. Protocol

2014/0327(NLE)

The Committee on Transport and Tourism adopted the report by Francisco ASSIS (S&D, PT) on the draft Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the Union and of the Member States, of the Protocol amending the Agreement on maritime transport between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the government of the People's Republic of China, of the other part, to take account of the accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union.

The committee recommended that Parliament give its approval to the conclusion of the Agreement.

The Agreement on Maritime Transport between the European Community and its Member States and the Government of the People's Republic of China was signed in Brussels on 6 December 2002, concluded by the Council Decision of 28 January 2008 and entered into force on 1 March 2008.

The main aims of the Agreement are to:

- strengthen and consolidate the relations, on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, in the field of international maritime transport;

- recognise the importance of maritime transport services and aim to promote even further multimodal transport involving a sea leg in order to increase efficiencies in the transport chain;

- recognise the importance of further developing a flexible and market-oriented approach and the benefits to economic operators of both Parties of controlling and operating their own international cargo transport services in the context of an efficient international maritime transport system.

On 1 July 2013, the Republic of Croatia acceded to the EU. The Act of Accession of the Republic of Croatia provides that the latter will accede to the agreements concluded or signed, before its accession, by the EU Member States and the Union with one or more third countries by means of a protocol to those agreements. By the Protocol, signed in Brussels on 21 December 2018, Croatia becomes party to the agreement. The Protocol defines the linguistic adaptations to the Agreement required as a result of Croatia's accession.