EC/Morocco Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreement: 2004 enlargement of the EU. Protocol

PURPOSE : to include the 10 new Member States in the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement between the European Union and Morocco.

PROPOSED ACT : Council Decision.

CONTENT : according to the terms of Article 6(2) of the Act of Accession of the new EU Member States to the EU, accession of the new EU Member States to the Euro-Mediterranean Association

Agreement is to be agreed by means of a protocol to this Agreement. The same article provides for a simplified procedure, whereby the protocol is to be concluded by the Council, acting unanimously on behalf of the Member States, and by the third country concerned. This

procedure is without prejudice to the Community's own competences.

The most important aspects of the protocol are the provisions for the accession of the new Member States to the EU/Morocco Agreement, the inclusion of the new official languages of the EU and, above all, the adaptation of the concession made by Morocco on trade in agricultural products to take account of the EU's enlargement.

The text of the protocol negotiated with Morocco is attached (please refer to Council document 7002/2005).