DECISION (EU) 2020/14 OF THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE GOVERNMENTS OF THE MEMBER STATES, MEETING WITHIN THE COUNCIL

of 19 December 2019

authorising the European Commission to negotiate, on behalf of the Member States, Economic Partnership Agreements between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries and regions, of the other part, to the extent that they fall within the competences of the Member States

THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE GOVERNMENTS OF THE MEMBER STATES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, MEETING WITHIN THE COUNCIL,

Whereas:

(1) On 17 June 2002, the Council authorised the Commission to negotiate Economic Partnership Agreements with the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries and regions, and adopted directives for those negotiations.

(2) The Commission should be authorised to negotiate, on behalf of the Member States, Economic Partnership Agreements between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries and regions, of the other part, to the extent that they fall within the competences of the Member States, on the basis of amended negotiating directives,

HAVE ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

1.   The Representatives of the Governments of the Member States hereby authorise the Commission to negotiate, on behalf of the Member States, Economic Partnership Agreements between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries and regions, of the other part, to the extent that they fall within the competences of the Member States.

2.   The negotiations shall be conducted on the basis, where applicable, of the negotiating directives set out in the addendum to Council Decision (EU) 2020/13 (1).

Article 2

Article 1 shall be without prejudice to future decisions of the Member States in relation to the designation of their representatives on matters that fall within their competences.

Article 3

The negotiations shall be conducted in consultation with the ACP Working Party. The Trade Policy Committee shall be associated on specific trade-related matters.

Article 4

This Decision is addressed to the Commission.

Done at Brussels, 19 December 2019,

For the representatives of the governments of the Member States

The President

K. MIKKONEN

(1)  Council Decision (EU) 2020/13 of 19 December 2019 amending the negotiating directives for the negotiation of Economic Partnership Agreements with the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries and regions, to the extent that they fall within the competence of the Union (See page 101 of this Official Journal).