Article 2

The President of the Council is hereby authorised to designate the person or persons empowered to deposit, on behalf of the Community, the instrument of approval and the declarations set out in Annex B and C to this Decision with the Director-General of the FAO, in accordance with Articles 26 and 34 of the International Treaty.

Member States shall endeavour to take the necessary steps with a view to depositing their instruments of ratification or approval simultaneously with those of the European Community and the other Member States and as far as possible not later than 31 March 2004.

If, at that date, one or more Member States are not in a position to deposit their instruments of approval, the Community and the other Member States may proceed with the deposit.