# Council Decision (EU) 2016/1623 of 1 June 2016 on the signing, on behalf of the European Union and provisional application of the Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and the SADC EPA States, of the other part, Introduction: Introductory text

Extent: E+W+S+N.I.

Council Decision (EU) 2016/1623
of 1 June 2016
on the signing, on behalf of the European Union and provisional application of the Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and the SADC EPA States, of the other part
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 207(3) and (4) and Article 209(2), in conjunction with Article 218(5) thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,
Whereas:
(1)
On 12 June 2002, the Council authorised the Commission to open negotiations for Economic Partnership Agreements with the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States.
(2)
The negotiations have been concluded and the Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and the SADC EPA States (comprising Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland and South Africa), of the other part (‘the Agreement’), was initialled on 15 July 2014.
(3)
The Partnership Agreement between the members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, of the one part, and the European Community and its Member States, of the other part, signed in Cotonou on 23 June 2000, calls for the conclusion of WTO-compatible Economic Partnership Agreements.
(4)
Article 113(3) of the Agreement provides for its provisional application by the Union and the SADC EPA States pending its entry into force.
(5)
The Agreement should be signed on behalf of the Union and it should be applied, as regards those elements falling within the competence of the Union, on a provisional basis, pending the completion of the procedures for its conclusion,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eudn/2016/1623/introduction (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/eu-decision-2016-1623/introduction
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.