Introductory text

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular the first subparagraph of Article 207(4), in conjunction with 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 provisional application of parts of the Agreement, including the establishment of the CETA Joint Committee and specialised committees. Those parts of the Agreement have been provisionally applied since 21 September 2017.

Pursuant to Article 26.2.1(g) of the Agreement, the CETA Committee on Trade and Sustainable Development has been established.

In accordance with Articles 23.10 and 24.15 of the Agreement, the CETA Committee on Trade and Sustainable Development, during its first meeting, is to adopt a decision establishing lists of individuals willing and able to serve as panellists under Chapter Twenty-Three (Trade and Labour) and Chapter Twenty-Four (Trade and Environment) of the Agreement.

It is therefore appropriate to establish the position to be adopted on the Union's behalf in the CETA Committee on Trade and Sustainable Development on the basis of the attached draft Decision establishing lists of individuals willing to serve as panellists under Chapter Twenty-Three and Chapter Twenty-Four of the Agreement,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: