Council Joint Action 2008/487/CFSP of 23 June 2008 in support of the universalisation and implementation of the 1997 Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction, in the framework of the European Security Strategy

1 With a view to supporting the implementation of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction (the Convention) in line with United Nations General Assembly Resolution 62/41, the European Union (EU) shall pursue the following objectives: (a) promotion of the universalisation of the Convention and support for the preparation of the Second Review Conference of the Convention in 2009; (b) support for full implementation of the Convention by States Parties.

2 In order to achieve the objectives referred to in paragraph 1, the EU shall undertake the following projects: (a) organisation of up to six regional or sub-regional seminars aimed at increasing accession to and ratification of the Convention and preparing for the second Review Conference in 2009; (b) provision of continuous technical advice and up to 25 targeted technical assistance visits to States Parties with a view to making recommendations on the full implementation of the Convention. A detailed description of these projects is set out in the Annex.

1 The Presidency, assisted by the Secretary-General of the Council/High Representative for the CFSP (SG/HR), shall be responsible for the implementation of this Joint Action. The Commission shall be fully associated.

2 The technical implementation of the projects referred to in Article 1(2) shall be carried out by the Implementation Support Unit of the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (ISU/GICHD). It shall perform this task under the control of the SG/HR, assisting the Presidency. For this purpose, the SG/HR shall enter into the necessary arrangements with the ISU/GICHD.

3 The Presidency, the SG/HR and the Commission shall keep each other regularly informed about the projects, in accordance with their respective competences.

1 The financial reference amount for the implementation of the projects referred to in Article 1(2) shall be EUR 1070000, to be funded from the general budget of the European Union.

2 The expenditure financed by the amount stipulated in paragraph 1 shall be managed in accordance with the procedures and rules applicable to the general budget of the European Union.

3 The Commission shall supervise the proper management of the expenditure referred to in paragraph 2, which shall take the form of a grant. For this purpose, it shall conclude a financing agreement with the GICHD. The financing agreement shall stipulate that the ISU/GICHD is to ensure visibility of the EU contribution, appropriate to its size.

4 The Commission shall endeavour to conclude the financing agreement referred to in paragraph 3 as soon as possible after the entry into force of this Joint Action. It shall inform the Council of any difficulties in that process and of the date of conclusion of the financing agreement.

The Presidency, assisted by the SG/HR, shall report to the Council on the implementation of this Joint Action on the basis of regular reports prepared by the ISU/GICHD. These reports shall form the basis for the evaluation by the Council. The Commission shall be fully associated. It shall provide information on the financial aspects of the implementation of this Joint Action.

This Joint Action shall enter into force on the date of its adoption. It shall expire 21 months after the date of conclusion of the financing agreement referred to in Article 3(3) or six months after the date of its adoption if no financing agreement has been concluded within that period.

This Joint Action shall be published in the Official Journal of the European Union.