Introductory text

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 91, in conjunction with Article 100(2), the first subparagraph of Article 207(4), and Article 218(9) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

Whereas:

Council Decision (EU) 2017/37^f1 provides for the signing on behalf of the European Union of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada, of the one part, and the European Union and its Member States, of the other part (‘the Agreement’). The Agreement was signed on 30 October 2016.

Council Decision (EU) 2017/38^f2 provides for the provisional application of parts of the Agreement, including the establishment of the CETA Joint Committee and specialised committees. The Agreement has been provisionally applied since 21 September 2017.

Pursuant to Article 26.1.4(d) of the Agreement, the CETA Joint Committee is to adopt its own Rules of Procedure.

Pursuant to Article 26.2.4 of the Agreement, the specialised committees are to set and modify their own rules of procedures if they deem it appropriate.

The CETA Joint Committee, during its first meeting, is to adopt its own Rules of Procedure, as provided for by the Agreement.

Unless otherwise decided by each specialised committee pursuant to Article 26.2.4, the Rules of Procedure are to apply mutatis mutandis to the specialised committees.

It is therefore appropriate to establish the position to be adopted on the Union's behalf in the CETA Joint Committee on the basis of the attached draft Decision of the CETA Joint Committee on its Rules of Procedure in order to ensure the effective implementation of the Agreement,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: