Considerations on COM(2017)582 - EU position concerning an amendment to Protocol 31 to the EEA Agreement (Union's Preparatory Action on Defence Research)

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dossier COM(2017)582 - EU position concerning an amendment to Protocol 31 to the EEA Agreement (Union's Preparatory Action on Defence Research).
document COM(2017)582 EN
date October 23, 2017
 
table>(1)The Agreement on the European Economic Area (3) (‘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 to the EEA Agreement.

(3)Protocol 31 to the EEA Agreement contains provisions on cooperation in specific fields outside the four freedoms.

(4)It is appropriate to extend the cooperation of the Contracting Parties to the EEA Agreement to include the participation of the EFTA States in the Union's preparatory action on defence research which is funded from the general budget of the European Union.

(5)It is appropriate that the participation of the EFTA States in the activities financed from budget line 02 04 77 03 commence from 11 April 2017 even if the attached decision of the EEA Joint Committee is adopted, or if the fulfilment of constitutional requirements for that decision, if any, is notified, after 10 July 2017.

(6)Institutions, undertakings, organizations and nationals of the EFTA States should be entitled to participate in activities which start before the entry into force of this Decision. The costs incurred for their participation in such activities, the implementation of which starts after 11 April 2017, should be considered eligible under the same conditions as those applicable to costs incurred by institutions, undertakings, organizations and nationals of the EU Member States, provided that the attached decision of the EEA Joint Committee has entered into force before the end of the preparatory action concerned.

(7)Protocol 31 to the EEA Agreement should therefore be amended in order to allow for that extended cooperation to take place from 11 April 2017.

(8)The position of the Union within the EEA Joint Committee should be based on the attached draft decision,