COUNCIL DECISION (EU) 2023/270

of 30 January 2023

on the position to be adopted, on behalf of the European Union, within the EEA Joint Committee concerning an amendment to Protocol 31 to the EEA Agreement, on cooperation in specific fields outside the four freedoms (CEDEFOP)

(Text with EEA relevance)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 166(4) and Article 165(4) in conjunction with Article 218(9) thereof,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 2894/94 of 28 November 1994 concerning arrangements for implementing the Agreement on the European Economic Area (1), and in particular Article 1(3) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

Whereas:

(1) The Agreement on the European Economic Area (2) (‘the EEA Agreement’) entered into force on 1 January 1994.

(2) Pursuant to Article 98 of the EEA Agreement, the EEA Joint Committee may decide to amend, inter alia, Protocol 31 on cooperation in specific fields outside the four freedoms (‘Protocol 31’) to the EEA Agreement.

(3) It is appropriate to extend the cooperation of the Contracting Parties to the EEA Agreement to include Regulation (EU) 2019/128 of the European Parliament and of the Council (3).

(4) Protocol 31 to the EEA Agreement should therefore be amended in order to allow for this extended cooperation to take place from 1 January 2023.

(5) The position of the Union within the EEA Joint Committee should therefore be based on the attached draft Decision,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

The position to be adopted, on the Union’s behalf, within the EEA Joint Committee on the proposed amendment to Protocol 31 to the EEA Agreement, on cooperation in specific fields outside the four freedoms, shall be based on the draft Decision of the EEA Joint Committee attached to this Decision.

Article 2

This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption.

Done at Brussels, 30 January 2023.

For the Council

The President

P. KULLGREN

(1)

OJ L 305, 30.11.1994, p. 6

(2)

OJ L 1, 3.1.1994, p. 3

(3) Regulation (EU) 2019/128 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 January 2019 establishing a European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 337/75 (

OJ L 30, 31.1.2019, p. 90

DRAFT

DECISION OF THE EEA JOINT COMMITTEE No …

of …

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 (‘the EEA Agreement’), and in particular Articles 86 and 98 thereof,

Whereas:

(1) According to paragraph 6 of Article 4 of Protocol 31, the Contracting Parties shall encourage appropriate cooperation between the competent organisations, institutions and other bodies in their respective territories where this would contribute to the strengthening and broadening of cooperation. This shall apply in particular to matters covered by the activities of the European Centre for Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop).

(2) It is appropriate to extend the cooperation of the Contracting Parties to the EEA Agreement to include Regulation (EU) 2019/128 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 January 2019 establishing a European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 337/75 (1).

(3) Protocol 31 to the EEA Agreement should therefore be amended in order to allow for this extended cooperation to take place from 1 January 2023,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

The text of paragraph 6 of Article 4 of Protocol 31 to the EEA Agreement shall be replaced by the following:

‘(a)

The EFTA States shall, with effect from 1 January 2023, participate in the activities which may result from the following Union act:

— 32019 R 0128

: Regulation (EU) 2019/128 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 January 2019 establishing a European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 337/75 (

OJ L 30, 31.1.2019, p. 90

(b) The EFTA States shall contribute financially to the activities referred to under (a) in accordance with Article 82(1)(a) of and Protocol 32 to the Agreement.

(d) By way of derogation from Articles 12(2)(a) and 82(3)(a) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union, nationals of the EFTA States enjoying their full rights as citizens may be engaged under contract by the Executive Director of Cedefop.

(e) By way of derogation from Articles 12(2)(e), 82(3)(e) and 85(3) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union, the languages referred to in Article 129(1) of the Agreement shall be considered by Cedefop, in respect of its staff, as languages of the Union referred to in Article 55(1) of the Treaty on European Union.

(f) Cedefop shall have legal personality. It shall enjoy in all the States of the Contracting Parties the most extensive legal capacity accorded to legal persons under their laws.

(g) The EFTA States shall grant privileges and immunities to Cedefop and its staff equivalent to those contained in the Protocol on Privileges and Immunities of the European Union.

(h) Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2001 regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents shall, for the application of Regulation (EU) 2021/696, apply to any documents of Cedefop regarding the EFTA States as well.’.

Article 2

This Decision shall enter into force on the day following the last notification under Article 103(1) of the EEA Agreement

(

)

It shall apply from 1 January 2023.

Article 3

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,

For the EEA Joint Committee

The President

The Secretaries

To the EEA Joint Committee

(1)

OJ L 30, 31.1.2019, p. 90

(

)

[No constitutional requirements indicated.] [Constitutional requirements indicated.]

Joint Declaration by the Contracting Parties to Decision No …/… incorporating Regulation (EU) 2019/128 of the European Parliament and of the Council into the Agreement

The parties acknowledge that the incorporation of this act is without prejudice to the direct application of Protocol 7 on the privileges and immunities of the European Union to the nationals of EFTA states in the territory of each Member State of the European Union, pursuant to Article 11 of that Protocol.