RECOMMENDATION on the draft Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the European Union, of an Agreement on the participation of the Republic of Croatia in the European Economic Area, and of three related agreements

12.11.2014 - (06698/2014 – C8‑0002/2014 – 2014/0047(NLE)) - ***

Committee on International Trade
Rapporteur: Alexander Graf Lambsdorff

DRAFT EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION

on the draft Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the European Union, of an Agreement on the participation of the Republic of Croatia in the European Economic Area, and of three related agreements

(06698/2014 – C8‑0002/2014 – 2014/0047(NLE))

(Consent)

The European Parliament,

–       having regard to the draft Council decision (06698/2014),

–       having regard to the Agreement on the participation of the Republic of Croatia in the European Economic Area and three related agreements (06696/2014),

–       having regard to the request for consent submitted by the Council in accordance with Article 217 and Article 218(6), second subparagraph, point (a)(v) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (C8-0002/2014),

–       having regard to Rule 99(1), first and third subparagraphs, Rule 99(2), and Rule 108(7) of its Rules of Procedure,

–       having regard to the recommendation of the Committee on International Trade (A8-0026/2014),

1.      Gives its consent to the conclusion of the agreement and of three related agreements;

2.      Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States and of the Republic of Iceland, Principality of Liechtenstein and Kingdom of Norway.

SHORT JUSTIFICATION

The Agreement on the European Economic Area (the EEA Agreement), was signed on 2 May 1992 and entered into force on 1 January 1994. According to the Act of Accession of the Republic of Croatia, Croatia undertakes to accede, under the conditions laid down in the Act, to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, in accordance with Article 128 of that Agreement.

In order to enable the participation of Croatia in the European Economic Area, the Council decisions under scrutiny aims at concluding:

1.   the Agreement on the participation of the Republic of Croatia in the European Economic Area;

2.   the related Additional Protocol to the Agreement between the Kingdom of Norway and the European Union on a Norwegian Financial Mechanism for the period 2009-2014 consequent to the participation of the Republic of Croatia in the European Economic Area;

3.   the Additional Protocol to the Agreement between the European Economic Community and the Republic of Iceland consequent to the accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union; and

4.   the Additional Protocol to the Agreement between the European Economic Community and the Kingdom of Norway consequent to the accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union.

The EEA Agreement brings together the EU Member States and the three members of the European Free Trade Association - Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway - in a single market.

The EEA Agreement provides for the inclusion of EU legislation covering the four freedoms — the free movement of goods, services, persons and capital — throughout all the EEA States. In addition, the Agreement covers cooperation in other important areas such as research and development, education, social policy, the environment, consumer protection, tourism and culture, collectively known as “flanking and horizontal” policies. The Agreement guarantees equal rights and obligations within the internal market for citizens and economic operators in the EEA.

Your rapporteur is of the view that the participation of Croatia in the European Economic Area is a natural consequence of its EU accession. It is only due that, more than a year after the accession, the necessary legal steps have been undertaken by the Commission and the Council to enable this participation.

In the light of the above your rapporteur recommends that the Parliament gives its consent to the conclusion of the agreement on the participation of Croatia in the European Economic Area as well as the three related additional protocols.

RESULT OF FINAL VOTE IN COMMITTEE

Date adopted	6.11.2014
Result of final vote	+: –: 0:	33 1 4
Members present for the final vote	William (The Earl of) Dartmouth, Tiziana Beghin, David Campbell Bannerman, Daniel Caspary, Salvatore Cicu, Santiago Fisas Ayxelà, Ska Keller, Jude Kirton-Darling, Gabrielius Landsbergis, Bernd Lange, Jörg Leichtfried, Marine Le Pen, David Martin, Anne-Marie Mineur, Alessia Maria Mosca, Franz Obermayr, Franck Proust, Viviane Reding, Olli Rehn, Inmaculada Rodríguez-Piñero Fernández, Matteo Salvini, Marietje Schaake, Helmut Scholz, Adam Szejnfeld, Iuliu Winkler
Substitutes present for the final vote	Bendt Bendtsen, Klaus Buchner, Nicola Danti, Agnes Jongerius, Sajjad Karim, Seán Kelly, Sander Loones, Fernando Ruas, Lola Sánchez Caldentey, Jarosław Wałęsa
Substitutes under Rule 200(2) present for the final vote	Laura Agea, Andi Cristea, Helga Stevens