The European Communities (Definition of Treaties) (Agreement on Enlargement of the European Economic Area) Order 2008

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order declares the Agreement on the Participation of the Republic of Bulgaria and Romania in the European Economic Area, signed on 25th July 2007, to be a Community Treaty as defined in section 1(2) of the European Communities Act 1972.

By Article 6(6) of the Act of Accession annexed to the Treaty of Accession to the European Union signed at Luxembourg on 25th April 2005, the Republic of Bulgaria and Romania undertook to accede to the Agreement on the European Economic Area signed at Oporto on 2nd May 1992. The Agreement extended the internal market to Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway and provided in Article 128 that any European States becoming members of the European Union must also apply to become Parties to the EEA Agreement. The present Agreement achieves this in respect of the Republic of Bulgaria and Romania.

The principal effect of declaring this Agreement to be a Community Treaty as so defined is that the provisions of section 2 of the European Communities Act 1972 (which provide for the general implementation of Community Treaties) apply to it.

A full Regulatory Impact Assessment has not been produced for this instrument as it has no impact on the costs of business, charities or voluntary bodies.