Council Decision

of 6 May 2014

on the position to be adopted, on behalf of the European Union, within the EEA Joint Committee concerning an amendment to Protocol 31 to the EEA Agreement, on cooperation in specific fields outside the four freedoms

(2014/268/EU)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Articles 165(4) and 166(4) and 218 (9) thereof,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 2894/94 of 28 November 1994 concerning arrangements for implementing the Agreement on the European Economic Area1, and in particular Article 1(3) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

Whereas:

(1)
The Agreement on the European Economic Area2 (‘the EEA Agreement’) entered into force on 1 January 1994.
(2)

Pursuant to Article 98 of the EEA Agreement, the EEA Joint Committee may decide to amend, inter alia, Protocol 31 to the EEA Agreement.

(3)

Protocol 31 to the EEA Agreement contains provisions and arrangements concerning cooperation in specific fields outside the four freedoms.

(4)
It is appropriate to extend the cooperation of the Contracting Parties to the EEA Agreement to include Regulation (EU) No 1288/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council3.
(5)

Protocol 31 to the EEA Agreement should therefore be amended in order to allow for this extended cooperation to take place from 1 January 2014.

(6)

The position of the Union within the EEA Joint Committee should therefore be based on the attached draft Decision,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

The position to be adopted by the Union in the EEA Joint Committee on the proposed amendment to Protocol 31 to the EEA Agreement, on cooperation in specific fields outside the four freedoms, shall be based on the draft Decision of the EEA Joint Committee attached to this Decision.

Article 2

This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption.

Done at Brussels, 6 May 2014.

For the Council

The President

G. Stournaras

DRAFT

DECISION OF THE EEA JOINT COMMITTEE No …/2014

of …

amending Protocol 31 to the EEA Agreement, on cooperation in specific fields outside the four freedoms

THE EEA JOINT COMMITTEE,

Having regard to the Agreement on the European Economic Area (‘the EEA Agreement’), and in particular Articles 86 and 98 thereof,

Whereas:

(1)
It is appropriate to extend the cooperation of the Contracting Parties to the EEA Agreement to include Regulation (EU) No 1288/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 establishing ‘Erasmus+’: the Union programme for education, training, youth and sport and repealing Decisions No 1719/2006/EC, No 1720/2006/EC and No 1298/2008/EC5.
(2)

Protocol 31 to the EEA Agreement should therefore be amended in order to allow for this extended cooperation to take place from 1 January 2014,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

Article 4 of Protocol 31 to the EEA Agreement shall be amended as follows:

  1. 1.

    The following paragraph is inserted after paragraph 2m:

    ‘2n.The EFTA States shall, with effect from 1 January 2014, participate in the following programme:

    • 32013 R 1288: Regulation (EU) No 1288/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 establishing “Erasmus+”: the Union programme for education, training, youth and sport and repealing Decisions No 1719/2006/EC, No 1720/2006/EC and No 1298/2008/EC (OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 50).’

  2. 2.

    The text of paragraph 3 is replaced by the following:

    ‘The EFTA States shall contribute financially in accordance with Article 82(1)(a) of the Agreement to the programmes and actions referred to in paragraphs 1, 2, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e, 2f, 2g, 2h, 2i, 2j, 2k, 2l, 2m and 2n.’

Article 2

This Decision shall enter into force on the day following the last notification under Article 103(1) of the EEA Agreement6.

It shall apply from 1 January 2014.

Article 3

This Decision shall be published in the EEA Section of, and in the EEA Supplement to, the Official Journal of the European Union.

Done at Brussels, …

For the EEA Joint Committee

The President

The Secretaries to the EEA Joint Committee