2013/202/EU: Council Decision of 23 July 2012 on the signing, on behalf of the Union, and provisional application of a Protocol to the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement establishing an Association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, of the other part, on a Framework Agreement between the European Union and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on the general principles for the participation of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in Union programmes

The signing of the Protocol to the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement establishing an Association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, of the other part, on a Framework Agreement between the European Union and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on the general principles for the participation of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in Union programmes (‘the Protocol’) is hereby authorised on behalf of the Union, subject to its conclusion. The text of the Protocol is attached to this Decision.

The President of the Council is hereby authorised to designate the person(s) empowered to sign the Protocol on behalf of the Union.

The Protocol shall be applied on a provisional basis as from the date of its signature , pending the completion of the procedures for its conclusion.

This Decision shall enter into force on the day of its adoption.

Jordan shall be allowed to participate in all current and future programmes of the Union open to the participation of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in accordance with the relevant provisions adopting these programmes.

Jordan shall contribute financially to the general budget of the European Union corresponding to the specific programmes in which Jordan participates.

The representatives of Jordan shall be allowed to take part, as observers and for the points which concern Jordan, in the management committees responsible for monitoring the programmes to which Jordan contributes financially.

Projects and initiatives submitted by participants from Jordan shall, as far as possible, be subject to the same conditions, rules and procedures pertaining to the programmes concerned as applied to Member States.

The specific terms and conditions regarding the participation of Jordan in each particular programme, in particular the financial contribution payable and reporting and evaluation procedures, shall be determined in a Memorandum of Understanding between the Commission and the competent authorities of Jordan on the basis of the criteria established by the programmes concerned. If Jordan applies for external assistance of the Union to participate in a given Union programme on the basis of Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 1638/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 2006 laying down general provisions establishing a European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument or pursuant to any similar Regulation providing for external assistance of the Union to Jordan that may be adopted in the future, the conditions governing the use by Jordan of external assistance of the Union shall be determined in a financing agreement, respecting in particular Article 20 of Regulation (EC) No 1638/2006.

Each Memorandum of Understanding concluded pursuant to Article 5 shall stipulate, in accordance with Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 of 25 June 2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities , that financial control or audits or other verifications, including administrative investigations will be carried out by, or under the authority of, the European Commission, the European Anti-Fraud Office and the Court of Auditors. Detailed provisions shall be made on financial control and auditing, administrative measures, penalties and recovery enabling the European Commission, the European Anti-Fraud Office, and the Court of Auditors to be granted powers equivalent to their powers with regard to beneficiaries or contractors established in the Union.

This Protocol shall apply for the period for which the Agreement is in force. This Protocol shall be signed and approved by the Parties in accordance with their respective procedures. Either Party may denounce this Protocol by written notification to the other Contracting Party. This Protocol shall terminate six months after the date of such notification. Termination of this Protocol following denunciation by any of the Parties shall have no influence on the checks and controls to be carried out under the provisions laid down in Articles 5 and 6 where appropriate.

No later than three years after the date of entry into force of this Protocol, and every three years thereafter, both Parties may review the implementation of this Protocol on the basis of the actual participation of Jordan in Union programmes.

This Protocol shall apply, on the one hand, to the territories in which the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union applies and under the conditions laid down in this Treaty, and, on the other hand, to the territory of Jordan.

This Protocol shall enter into force on the first day of the month following the date on which the Parties notify each other through diplomatic channels of the completion of their procedures necessary for its entry into force. Pending its entry into force, the Parties agree to provisionally apply this Protocol from the date of its signature.

This Protocol shall form an integral part of the Agreement.

This Protocol shall be drawn up in duplicate in the Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish and Arabic languages, each of these texts being equally authentic.