ACT

concerning the conditions of accession of the Republic of Croatia and the adjustments to the Treaty on European Union, the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community

PART ONE

PRINCIPLES

Article 6

1.   The agreements concluded or provisionally applied by the Union with one or more third countries, with an international organisation or with a national of a third country shall, under the conditions laid down in the original Treaties and in this Act, be binding on Croatia.

2.   Croatia undertakes to accede, under the conditions laid down in this Act, to the agreements concluded or signed by the present Member States and the Union with one or more third countries or with an international organisation.

Unless otherwise provided for in specific agreements referred to in the first subparagraph, the accession of Croatia to such agreements shall be agreed by the conclusion of a protocol to such agreements between the Council, acting unanimously on behalf of the Member States, and the third country or countries or international organisation concerned. The Commission, or the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (the High Representative) where the agreement relates exclusively or principally to the common foreign and security policy, shall negotiate these protocols on behalf of the Member States on the basis of negotiating directives approved by the Council, acting unanimously, and in consultation with a committee comprised of the representatives of the Member States. The Commission, or the High Representative, as appropriate, shall submit a draft of the protocols for conclusion to the Council.

This procedure is without prejudice to the exercise of the Union's own competences and does not affect the allocation of powers between the Union and the Member States as regards the conclusion of such agreements in the future or any other amendments not related to accession.

3.   As of the date of accession, and pending the entry into force of the necessary protocols referred to in the second subparagraph of paragraph 2, Croatia shall apply the provisions of the agreements referred to in the first subparagraph of paragraph 2 concluded or provisionally applied before the date of accession, with the exception of the Agreement between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the Swiss Confederation, of the other, on the free movement of persons (1).

Pending the entry into force of the protocols referred to in the second subparagraph of paragraph 2, the Union and the Member States, acting jointly as appropriate in the framework of their respective competences, shall take any appropriate measure.

4.   Croatia accedes to the Partnership Agreement between the members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, of the one part, and the European Community and its Member States, of the other part, signed in Cotonou on 23 June 2000 (2), as well as to the two agreements amending that Agreement, signed in Luxembourg on 25 June 2005 (3) and opened for signature in Ouagadougou on 22 June 2010 (4), respectively.

5.   Croatia undertakes to accede, under the conditions laid down in this Act, to the Agreement on the European Economic Area (5), in accordance with Article 128 of that Agreement.

6.   As of the date of accession, Croatia shall apply the bilateral textile agreements and arrangements concluded between the Union and third countries.

The quantitative restrictions applied by the Union on imports of textile and clothing products shall be adjusted to take account of the accession of Croatia to the Union. To that effect, amendments to the bilateral textile agreements and arrangements referred to in the first subparagraph may be negotiated by the Union with the third countries concerned prior to the date of accession.

Should the amendments to the bilateral textile agreements and arrangements not have entered into force by the date of accession, the Union shall make the necessary adjustments to its rules for the import of textile and clothing products from third countries to take into account the accession of Croatia.

7.   The quantitative restrictions applied by the Union on imports of steel and steel products shall be adjusted on the basis of imports of Croatia over recent years of steel and steel products originating in the supplier countries concerned.

To that effect, the necessary amendments to the bilateral steel agreements and arrangements concluded between the Union and third countries shall be negotiated prior to the date of accession.

Should the amendments to the bilateral steel agreements and arrangements not have entered into force by the date of accession, the provisions of the first subparagraph shall apply.

8.   As of the date of accession, fisheries agreements concluded between Croatia and third countries prior to that date shall be managed by the Union.

The rights and obligations for Croatia which result from those agreements shall not be affected during the period in which the provisions of those agreements are provisionally maintained.

As soon as possible, and in any event before the expiry of the agreements referred to in the first subparagraph, appropriate decisions for the continuation of fishing activities resulting from those agreements shall be adopted in each case by the Council, acting by qualified majority on a proposal from the Commission, including the possibility of extending certain agreements for periods not exceeding one year.

9.   Croatia shall withdraw from any free trade agreements with third countries, including the Central European Free Trade Agreement as amended.

To the extent that agreements between Croatia on the one hand, and one or more third countries on the other, are not compatible with the obligations arising from this Act, Croatia shall take all appropriate steps to eliminate the incompatibilities established. If Croatia encounters difficulties in adjusting an agreement concluded with one or more third countries, it shall withdraw from that agreement.

Croatia shall take all the necessary measures to ensure compliance with the obligations of this paragraph as of the date of accession.

10.   Croatia accedes, under the conditions laid down in this Act, to the internal agreements concluded by the present Member States for the purpose of implementing the agreements referred to in paragraphs 2 and 4.

11.   Croatia shall take appropriate measures, where necessary, to adjust its position in relation to international organisations, and to those international agreements to which the Union or to which other Member States are also parties, to the rights and obligations arising from Croatia's accession to the Union.

Croatia shall in particular withdraw from international fisheries agreements and organisations to which the Union is also a party, unless its membership relates to matters other than fisheries.

Croatia shall take all necessary measures to ensure compliance with the obligations of this paragraph as of the date of accession.

(1)  OJ L 114, 30.4.2002, p. 6.

(2)  OJ L 317, 15.12.2000, p. 3.

(3)  OJ L 209, 11.8.2005, p. 27, OJ L 287, 28.10.2005, p. 4 and OJ L 168M, 21.6.2006, p. 33.

(4)  OJ L 287, 4.11.2010, p. 3.

(5)  OJ L 1, 3.1.1994, p. 3.