2012/193/EU: Council Decision of 13 March 2012 on the conclusion, on behalf of the Union, of the Arrangement between the European Union and the Republic of Iceland, the Principality of Liechtenstein, the Kingdom of Norway and the Swiss Confederation on the participation by those States in the work of the committees which assist the European Commission in the exercise of its executive powers as regards the implementation, application and development of the Schengen acquis

The Arrangement between the European Union and the Republic of Iceland, the Principality of Liechtenstein, the Kingdom of Norway and the Swiss Confederation on the participation by those States in the work of the committees which assist the European Commission in the exercise of its executive powers as regards the implementation, application and development of the Schengen acquis (‘the Arrangement’) and the Joint Declaration attached thereto are hereby approved on behalf of the Union. The text of the Arrangement is attached to this Decision.

The President of the Council is hereby authorised to designate the person(s) empowered to deposit on behalf of the Union the instrument of approval provided for in Article 7(4) of the Arrangement in order to express the consent of the Union to be bound.

This Decision shall enter into force on the day of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

This Arrangement applies to the acts or measures amending or building upon the Schengen acquis adopted by the Commission in the exercise of its executive powers as regards the implementation, application and development of the Schengen acquis.

1 The Associated States shall be associated as observers with the work of the committees which assist the Commission in the exercise of its executive powers as regards the implementation, application and development of the Schengen acquis, hereinafter referred to as the ‘Schengen Comitology committees’, referred to in the Annex to this Arrangement.

2 When a new act amending or building upon the Schengen acquis establishes a new committee which assists the Commission in the exercise of its executive powers, the Associated States shall be associated with the work of this committee as from the entry into force of the act establishing the committee.

3 The list of the Schengen Comitology committees shall be regularly updated by the Commission and shall be published in the Official Journal of the European Union.

1 The representatives of the Associated States shall be associated with the work of the Schengen Comitology committees as outlined in this Article.

2 In the Schengen Comitology committees, the Associated States shall have the opportunity: to explain the problems they encounter in respect of a particular act or measure regarding the implementation, application or development of the Schengen acquis or respond to the problems encountered by other delegations; to express themselves on any questions concerning the drawing up and the development of provisions of concern to them or implementation thereof.

3 The Associated States shall have the right to make suggestions in the Schengen Comitology committees. After discussion, the Commission may consider such suggestions with a view to making a proposal or taking an initiative.

4 The Associated States shall not participate in the voting of the Schengen Comitology committees and shall withdraw when the Committee moves to a vote.

5 When the meetings of the Schengen Comitology committees are convened, the Associated States shall receive the agenda, the draft measures on which they are asked to give an opinion and any other relevant working documents at the same time as the Member States of the EU.

6 The principles and conditions concerning public access to the documents of the Schengen Comitology committees shall be the same as those applying to Commission documents .

7 For the purpose of the application of this Arrangement and when setting up the procedural aspects of the Schengen Comitology committees, the reference shall be made to this Article.

When drafting proposals amending or building upon the provisions of the Schengen acquis the Commission shall informally seek advice from experts of the Associated States in the same way as it seeks advice from experts of the Member States of the European Union, hereinafter referred to as the ‘Member States’, for drawing up its proposals.

1 The adoption of new acts or measures constituting a development of the Schengen acquis shall be reserved to the competent institutions of the European Union . Subject to paragraph 3, such acts or measures shall enter into force simultaneously for the European Union and its Member States concerned and for the Associated States, unless those acts or measures explicitly state otherwise, the acceptance by each Associated State of such acts or measures creates rights and obligations between that Associated State, of the one part, the European Union and those of its Member States bound by those acts and measures, of the other part.

2 The adoption of the acts or measures referred to in paragraph 1 to which the procedures set out in this Arrangement have been applied shall be communicated to the Associated States. The adoption of acts or measures referred to in paragraph 1 shall be communicated to the Associated States by the Secretariat-General of the Commission, with reference to this Article, if the adoption of these acts or measures is notified to the Member States. If the adoption of acts or measures referred to in paragraph 1 is not notified to the Member States by the Secretariat-General of the Commission, the adoption of these acts or measures shall be communicated to the Associated States by the Directorate-General of the Commission responsible for the adoption of acts or measures concerned, referring to this Article.

3 Each Associated State shall decide independently whether to accept the content of the acts or measures referred to in paragraph 1 and whether to implement them into its internal legal order. These decisions shall be notified to the Commission within 30 days of the communication by the Commission of the acts or measures concerned. For the acceptance by the Associated States of the acts and measures referred to in paragraph 1 and the consequences for not accepting them, the following provisions shall apply: Iceland and Norway — Article 8 of the Association Agreement with Iceland and Norway; Switzerland — Article 7 of the Association Agreement with Switzerland; Liechtenstein — Article 5 of the Association Protocol with Liechtenstein.

1 As regards administrative costs associated with the implementation of this Arrangement, the Associated States shall make an annual contribution to the general budget of the European Union in accordance with the percentage of the gross domestic product of their countries in relation to the gross domestic product of all participating States of an amount of EUR 500000, subject to an annual adjustment to reflect the rate of inflation in the European Union. The amount of EUR 500000 shall be adjusted by Exchange of Letters if the evolution of the number of the Schengen Comitology committees to which the Associated States participate or the frequency of meetings so require.

2 The travelling costs of the representatives who participate in the meetings of the Schengen Comitology committees shall not be reimbursed.

1 The Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union shall act as depositary of this Arrangement.

2 The European Union and the Associated States shall approve this Arrangement in accordance with their own procedures.

3 The entry into force of this Arrangement shall require approval by the European Union and by at least one Associated State.

4 This Arrangement shall enter into force between the European Union and the Associated State concerned on the first day of the second month following the deposit of the respective instrument of approval or ratification with the depositary.

5 As regards Liechtenstein, this Arrangement enters info force only once the Association Protocol with Liechtenstein has entered into force.

1 As regards Norway and Iceland, this Arrangement shall be terminated when the respective Association Agreement with Iceland or Norway is terminated.

2 As regards Switzerland, this Arrangement shall be terminated when the Association Agreement with Switzerland is terminated.

3 As regards Liechtenstein, this Arrangement shall be terminated when the Association Protocol with Liechtenstein is terminated.

4 The depositary shall be notified of termination.

This Arrangement and the Joint Declaration shall be drawn up in one single original in the Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Icelandic and Norwegian languages, each text being equally authentic.