Decision of the EEA Joint Committee

No 177/2003

of 5 December 2003

amending Annex XIII (Transport) to the EEA Agreement

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 Article 98 thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Annex XIII to the Agreement was amended by Decision of the EEA Joint Committee No 159/2003 of 7 November 2003(1).

(2) Commission Directive 2002/25/EC of 5 March 2002 amending Council Directive 98/18/EC on safety rules and standards for passenger ships(2) is to be incorporated into the Agreement,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

The following indent is added in point 56f (Council Directive 98/18/EC) of Annex XIII to the Agreement:

"- 32002 L 0025: Commission Directive 2002/25/EC of 5 March 2002 (OJ L 98, 15.4.2002, p. 1).

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

Without prejudice to the obligations contained in Annex I, Chapter II-2, Part A, Point 6.9, Norway may maintain its regulation requiring fixed local application fire-fighting systems to be fitted on passenger vessels having machinery spaces above 500 m3 in gross volume, irrespective of the number of passengers the vessels are classified to carry."

Article 2

The texts of Directive 2002/25/EC in the Icelandic and Norwegian languages, to be published in the EEA Supplement to the Official Journal of the European Union, shall be authentic.

Article 3

This Decision shall enter into force on 6 December 2003, provided that all the notifications pursuant to 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 Union.

Done at Brussels, 5 December 2003.

For the EEA Joint Committee

The President

HSH Prinz Nikolaus von Liechtenstein

(1) OJ L 41, 12.2.2004, p. 57.

(2) OJ L 98, 15.4.2002, p. 1.

(3) No constitutional requirements indicated.