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AGREEMENT

EXTENDING THE PROVISIONS GOVERNING THE FIRST STAGE OF THE AGREEMENT ESTABLISHING AN ASSOCIATION BETWEEN THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY AND MALTA

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,

OF THE ONE PART , AND

THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF MALTA ,

OF THE OTHER PART ,

CONSIDERING THAT THE PROVISIONS GOVERNING THE FIRST STAGE OF THE AGREEMENT ESTABLISHING AN ASSOCIATION BETWEEN THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY AND MALTA , SIGNED AT VALLETTA ON 5 DECEMBER 1970 , HEREINAFTER REFERRED TO AS " THE AGREEMENT " , EXPIRE ON 31 MARCH 1976 ;

CONSIDERING THAT THE CONTRACTING PARTIES HAVE MADE IT THEIR AIM TO NEGOTIATE A SECOND STAGE PROVIDING FOR A FURTHER ELIMINATION OF OBSTACLES TO TRADE BETWEEN THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY AND MALTA AND THE ADOPTION BY MALTA OF THE COMMON CUSTOMS TARIFF ;

RECOGNIZING THAT IT HAS PROVED IMPOSSIBLE TO OPEN THE NEGOTIATIONS RELATING TO THE DEFINITION OF THE CONTENT OF THE SECOND STAGE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME ;

HAVE DECIDED TO EXTEND THE PROVISIONS GOVERNING THE FIRST STAGE OF THE AGREEMENT UNTIL THE ENTRY INTO FORCE OF THE SECOND STAGE BUT NOT LATER THAN 30 JUNE 1977 , AND TO THIS END HAVE DESIGNATED AS THEIR PLENIPOTENTIARIES :

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES :

JEAN DONDELINGER ,

AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND PLENIPOTENTIARY , PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF LUXEMBOURG ,

CHAIRMAN OF THE PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVES COMMITTEE ;

THEODORUS HIJZEN ,

DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF EXTERNAL RELATIONS OF THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ;

THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF MALTA :

JOSEPH ATTARD KINGSWELL ,

AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND PLENIPOTENTIARY ,

PERMANENT DELEGATE OF THE REPUBLIC OF MALTA TO THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY ;

WHO , HAVING EXCHANGED THEIR FULL POWERS , FOUND IN GOOD AND DUE FORM ,

HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS :

ARTICLE 1

ARTICLE 2 ( 2 ) OF THE AGREEMENT SHALL BE REPLACED BY THE FOLLOWING :

" 2 . THE AGREEMENT PROVIDES FOR TWO SUCCESSIVE STAGES . THE PROVISIONS GOVERNING THE FIRST STAGE SHALL APPLY UNTIL THE ENTRY INTO FORCE OF THE PROVISIONS GOVERNING THE SECOND STAGE BUT NOT LATER THAN 30 JUNE 1977 . THE SECOND STAGE SHALL BE , IN PRINCIPLE , OF FIVE YEARS' DURATION . "

ARTICLE 2

1 . THIS AGREEMENT SHALL REQUIRE RATIFICATION , ACCEPTANCE OR APPROVAL IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROCEDURES OF THE CONTRACTING PARTIES WHO SHALL NOTIFY EACH OTHER OF THE COMPLETION OF THE PROCEDURES NECESSARY TO THAT END .

2 . THIS AGREEMENT SHALL ENTER INTO FORCE ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE MONTH FOLLOWING THE DATE ON WHICH THE NOTIFICATIONS REFERRED TO IN PARAGRAPH 1 HAVE BEEN EFFECTED .

ARTICLE 3

THIS AGREEMENT IS DRAWN UP IN TWO COPIES IN THE DANISH , DUTCH , ENGLISH , FRENCH , GERMAN AND ITALIAN LANGUAGES , EACH OF THESE TEXTS BEING EQUALLY AUTHENTIC .