Protocol

to the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, of the other part, to take account of the accession of the Republic of Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union

THE KINGDOM OF BELGIUM,

THE REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA,

THE CZECH REPUBLIC,

THE KINGDOM OF DENMARK,

THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY,

THE REPUBLIC OF ESTONIA,

IRELAND,

THE HELLENIC REPUBLIC,

THE KINGDOM OF SPAIN,

THE FRENCH REPUBLIC,

THE ITALIAN REPUBLIC,

THE REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS,

THE REPUBLIC OF LATVIA,

THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA,

THE GRAND DUCHY OF LUXEMBOURG,

THE REPUBLIC OF HUNGARY,

MALTA,

THE KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS,

THE REPUBLIC OF AUSTRIA,

THE REPUBLIC OF POLAND,

THE PORTUGUESE REPUBLIC,

ROMANIA,

THE REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA,

THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC,

THE REPUBLIC OF FINLAND,

THE KINGDOM OF SWEDEN,

THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND,

hereinafter referred to as the "Member States" represented by the Council of the European Union, and

THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY AND THE EUROPEAN ATOMIC ENERGY COMMUNITY,

hereinafter referred to as "the Communities" represented by the Council of the European Union and the European Commission,

of the one part, and

THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA,

of the other part,

Having regard to the accession of the Republic of Bulgaria and Romania (hereinafter referred to as the new Member States) to the European Union and thereby to the Community on 1 January 2007,

Whereas:

(1) The Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, of the other part, (hereinafter referred to as the SAA) was signed by exchange of letters in Luxembourg on 9 April 2001 and entered into force on 1 April 2004.

(2) The Treaty concerning the accession of the Republic of Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union (hereinafter referred to as the Treaty of Accession) was signed in Luxembourg on 25 April 2005.

(3) The Republic of Bulgaria and Romania acceded to the European Union on 1 January 2007.

(4) Pursuant to Article 6(2) of the Act of Accession annexed to the Treaty of Accession the accession of the new Member States to the SAA shall be agreed by the conclusion of a protocol to the SAA.

(5) Consultations pursuant to Article 35(3) of the SAA have taken place so as to ensure that account is taken of the mutual interests of the Community and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia stated in this Agreement,

HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS:

SECTION I

CONTRACTING PARTIES

Article 1

The Republic of Bulgaria and Romania shall be Parties to the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, of the other part, signed by exchange of letters in Luxemburg on 9 April 2001 and shall respectively adopt and take note, in the same manner as the other Member States of the Community, of the texts of the Agreement, as well as of the Joint Declarations, and the Unilateral Declarations annexed to the Final Act signed on the same date.

ADJUSTMENTS TO THE TEXT OF THE SAA INCLUDING ITS ANNEXES AND PROTOCOLS

SECTION II

AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS

Article 2

Agricultural products sensu stricto

1. Annex IV(a) to the SAA shall be replaced by the text of Annex I to this Protocol.

2. Annex IV(b) to the SAA shall be replaced by the text of Annex II to this Protocol.

3. Annex IV(c) to the SAA shall be replaced by the text of Annex III to this Protocol.

4. Annex IV(d) to the SAA shall be replaced by the text of Annex IV to this Protocol.

Article 3

Fisheries products

1. Article 28(2) of the SAA shall be replaced by the following:

"2. The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia shall abolish all charges having an equivalent effect to a customs duty and abolish the customs duties applicable on imports of fish and fisheries products originating in the Community with the exception of products listed in Annex V(b) and Annex V(c) of the SAA, which shall lay down the tariff reductions for the products listed therein.".

2. The text of Annex V to this Protocol shall be added to the SAA as Annex V(c).

Article 4

Processed agricultural products

1. Annex II to Protocol 3 to the SAA shall be replaced by the text of Annex VI to this Protocol.

2. Annex III to Protocol 3 to the SAA shall be replaced by the text of Annex VII to this Protocol.

Article 5

Wine Agreement

Paragraph 1 and paragraph 3 of Annex I (Agreement between the European Community and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia on reciprocal preferential trade concessions for certain wines, referred to in Article 27(4) of the SAA) to the Additional Protocol adjusting the trade aspects of the SAA, to take account of the outcome of the negotiations between the Parties on reciprocal preferential concessions for certain wines, the reciprocal recognition, protection and control of wine names and the reciprocal recognition, protection and control of designations for spirits and aromatised drinks, shall be replaced by the text of Annex VIII to this Protocol.

SECTION III

RULES OF ORIGIN

Article 6

Protocol 4 to the SAA shall be replaced by the text of Annex IX to this Protocol.

TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS

SECTION IV

Article 7

WTO

The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia undertakes that it shall not make any claim, request or referral nor modify or withdraw any concession pursuant to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994 Articles XXIV.6 and XXVIII in relation to this enlargement of the Community.

Article 8

Proof of origin and administrative cooperation

1. Proofs of origin properly issued by either the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia or a new Member State in the framework of preferential agreements or autonomous arrangements applied between them shall be accepted in the respective countries, provided that:

(a) the acquisition of such origin confers preferential tariff treatment on the basis of the preferential tariff measures contained in the SAA;

(b) the proof of origin and the transport documents were issued no later than the day before the date of accession;

(c) the proof of origin is submitted to the customs authorities within the period of four months from the date of accession.

Where goods were declared for importation in either the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia or a new Member State, prior to the date of accession, under preferential agreements or autonomous arrangements applied between the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and that new Member State at that time, proof of origin issued retrospectively under those agreements or arrangements may also be accepted provided that it is submitted to the customs authorities within the period of four months from the date of accession.

2. The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and the new Member States are authorised to retain the authorizations with which the status of "approved exporters" has been granted in the framework of preferential agreements or autonomous arrangements applied between them, provided that:

(a) such a provision is also provided for in the agreement concluded prior to the date of accession between the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and the Community; and

(b) the approved exporters apply the rules of origin in force under that agreement.

These authorizations shall be replaced, no later than one year after the date of accession, by new authorizations issued under the conditions of the SAA.

3. Requests for subsequent verification of proof of origin issued under the preferential agreements or autonomous arrangements referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 shall be accepted by the competent customs authorities of either the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia or the Member States for a period of three years after the issue of the proof of origin concerned and may be made by those authorities for a period of three years after acceptance of the proof of origin submitted to those authorities in support of an import declaration.

Article 9

Goods in transit

1. The provisions of the SAA may be applied to goods exported from either the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to one of the new Member States or from one of the new Member States to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, which comply with the provisions of Protocol 4 to the SAA and that on the date of accession are either en route or in temporary storage, in a customs warehouse or in a free zone in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia or in that new Member State.

2. Preferential treatment may be granted in such cases, subject to the submission to the customs authorities of the importing country, within four months from the date of accession, of a proof of origin issued retrospectively by the customs authorities of the exporting country.

GENERAL AND FINAL PROVISIONS

SECTION V

Article 10

This Protocol and the annexes thereto shall form an integral part of the SAA.

Article 11

1. This Protocol shall be approved by the Community, through the Council of the European Union on behalf of the Member States, and by the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in accordance with their own procedures.

2. The Parties shall notify each other of the completion of the corresponding procedures referred to in paragraph 1. The instruments of approval shall be deposited with the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union.

Article 12

1. This Protocol shall enter into force on the first day of the first month following the date of the deposit of the last instrument of approval.

2. This Protocol shall apply with effect from 1 January 2007.

Article 13

This Protocol shall be drawn up in duplicate in each of the official languages of the Parties, each of these texts being equally authentic.

Article 14

The text of the SAA, including the Annexes and Protocols which form an integral part thereof, and the Final Act together with the declarations annexed thereto shall be drawn up in Bulgarian and Romanian languages, and these texts shall be authentic in the same way as the original texts. The Stabilisation and Association Council shall approve these texts.

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