Decision of the EEA Joint Committee

No 135/2002

of 27 September 2002

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, as amended by the Protocol adjusting the Agreement on the European Economic Area, hereinafter referred to as "the Agreement", and in particular Articles 86 and 98 thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Protocol 31 to the Agreement was amended by Decision of the EEA Joint Committee No 111/2002 of 12 July 2002(1).

(2) It is appropriate to extend the cooperation of the Contracting Parties to the Agreement to include Council Decision 2001/792/EC, Euratom of 23 October 2001 establishing a Community mechanism to facilitate reinforced cooperation in civil protection assistance interventions(2).

(3) Protocol 31 to the Agreement should therefore be amended in order to allow for this extended cooperation to take place from 1 January 2003,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

Article 10 (Civil Protection) of Protocol 31 to the Agreement shall be amended as follows:

1. The text of paragraph 5 shall be replaced with the following:"The EFTA States shall participate in the Community action programmes and mechanisms referred to in paragraph 8."

2. In paragraphs 6 and 7 the words "Community action programmes" shall be replaced with the words "Community action programmes and mechanisms".

3. The text, but not the indents, of paragraph 8 shall be replaced with the following:

"The following Community acts, as well as acts deriving therefrom, are the object of this Article:

(a) Community acts which shall take effect on or before 1 January 2000:".

4. The following subparagraph shall be added after subparagraph a of paragraph 8:

"(b) Community acts which shall take effect from 1 January 2003:

- 32001 D 0792: Council Decision 2001/792/EC, Euratom of 23 October 2001 establishing a Community mechanism to facilitate reinforced cooperation in civil protection assistance interventions (OJ L 297, 15.11.2001, p. 7).

- The provisions of the Decision shall, for the purposes of the present Agreement, be read with the following adaptations:

The EFTA States shall address notifications pursuant to Article 2(1)(b) to the Commission."

Article 2

This Decision shall enter into force on 28 September 2002, provided that all the notifications under Article 103(1) of the Agreement have been made to the EEA Joint Committee(3).

It shall apply from 1 January 2003.

Article 3

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, 27 September 2002.

For the EEA Joint Committee

The President

Gunnar Snorri Gunnarsson

(1) OJ L 298, 31.10.2002, p. 37.

(2) OJ L 297, 15.11.2001, p. 7.

(3) Constitutional requirements indicated.