Article 5

The Commission shall be authorised to approve, on behalf of the Union, amendments to the Annexes to the Agreement adopted by the Joint Committee in accordance with point (c) of Article 11(2) of the Agreement in so far as such amendments are consistent with, and do not entail any modification of, relevant Union legal acts, subject to the following conditions:

1. (a)

   the Commission shall ensure that the approval on behalf of the Union:

   • is in the interests of the Union;

   • serves the objectives pursued by the Union within the framework of its aviation safety and trade policy;

   • takes into account the interests of the manufacturers, traders and consumers of the Union;

   • is not contrary to Union law or international law;

   • where applicable, supports the improvement of the quality of civil aeronautical products by improving the detection of fraudulent and misleading practices;

   • where applicable, aims at the approximation of standards relating to civil aeronautical products;

   • where applicable, avoids creating obstacles to innovation; and

   • where applicable, facilitates trade in civil aeronautical products; and

2. (b)

   the Commission submits the proposed amendments to the Council in a timely manner before their approval.

The Committee of Permanent Representatives of the Governments of the Member States shall assess whether the proposed amendments satisfy the conditions laid down in point (a) of the first paragraph.

The Commission shall approve the proposed amendments on behalf of the Union unless a number of Member States representing a blocking minority of the Council in accordance with Article 16(4) of the Treaty on European Union object to them. If there is such a blocking minority, the Commission shall reject the proposed amendments on behalf of the Union.