Decision of the EEA Joint Committee

No 66/2000

of 2 August 2000

amending Annex XI (telecommunication services) to the EEA Agreement

THE EEA JOINT COMMITTEE,

Having regard to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, as adjusted by the protocol adjusting the Agreement on the European Economic Area, hereinafter referred to as "the Agreement", and in particular Article 98 thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Annex XI to the Agreement was amended by Decision No 175/1999 of the EEA Joint Committee of 17 December 1999(1).

(2) Directive 1999/93/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 1999 on a Community framework for electronic signatures(2) is to be incorporated into the Agreement.

(3) The provisions on third country aspects of Directive 1999/93/EC are to be adapted for the purposes of the Agreement,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

The following shall be inserted in Annex XI to the Agreement after point 5f (Directive 97/66/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council):

"5g. 399 L 0093: Directive 1999/93/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 1999 on a Community framework for electronic signatures (OJ L 13, 19.1.2000, p. 12).

The provisions of the Directive shall, for the purposes of the present Agreement, be read with the following adaptions:

(a) in Article 7(1)(c) the words 'or between an EFTA State and third countries or international organisations' shall be inserted after the word 'organisations';

(b) in situations referred to in Article 7(2), the Contracting Parties shall keep each other informed and, on request, consultations shall take place within the EEA Joint Committee;

(c) whenever the Community negotiates with a third country with respect to market access for Community undertakings on the basis of Article 7(3), it shall endeavour to obtain equal treatment for undertakings of the EFTA States."

Article 2

The texts of Directive 1999/93/EC in the Icelandic and Norwegian languages, to be published in the EEA Supplement to the Official Journal of the European Communities, shall be authentic.

Article 3

This Decision shall enter into force on 3 August 2000, provided that all the notifications under Article 103(1) of the Agreement have been made to the EEA Joint Committee(3).

Article 4

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

Done at Brussels, 2 August 2000.

For the EEA Joint Committee

The President

G. S. Gunnarsson

(1) Not yet published in the Official Journal.

(2) OJ L 13, 19.1.2000, p. 12.

(3) Constitutional requirements indicated.