THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 217, in conjunction with Article 218(6), second subparagraph, point (a), thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,
Having regard to the consent of the European Parliament,
Whereas:
(1)
On 23 February 2009, the Council authorised the Commission to open negotiations, on behalf of the Union and its Member States, with view to amending, for the second time, the Partnership Agreement between the members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, of the one part, and the European Community and its Member States, of the other part, signed in Cotonou on 23 June 2000, as first amended in Luxembourg on 25 June 2005 (‘the Cotonou Agreement’).
(2)
In accordance with Council Decision 2010/648/EU, the Agreement amending for the second time the Cotonou Agreement (‘the Agreement’) was signed by the Parties on 22 June 2010 at the ACP-EU Council of Ministers held in Ouagadougou, subject to its conclusion at a later date.
(3)
In accordance with Decision No 2/2010 of the ACP-EU Council of Ministers, the Agreement has been provisionally applied as from 31 October 2010.
(4)
The Agreement should be approved,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: