‘As a consequence of the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon on 1 December 2009, the European Union has replaced and succeeded the European Community and from that date exercises all rights and assumes all obligations of the European Community. Therefore, references to “the European Community” in the Protocol as well as in the Agreement are, where appropriate, to be understood as to “the European Union”.’

PROTOCOL

between the European Union, the European Community, the Swiss Confederation and the Principality of Liechtenstein on the accession of the Principality of Liechtenstein to the Agreement between the European Union, the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on the Swiss Confederation’s association with the implementation, application and development of the Schengen acquis

THE EUROPEAN UNION

and

THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY

and

THE SWISS CONFEDERATION

and

THE PRINCIPALITY OF LIECHTENSTEIN,

hereinafter referred to as ‘the Contracting Parties’,

HAVING REGARD TO the Agreement signed on 26 October 2004 between the European Union, the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on the Swiss Confederation’s association with the implementation, application and development of the Schengen acquis  (1) (‘the Association Agreement’),

RECALLING that Article 16 thereof provides for the possibility of the Principality of Liechtenstein acceding to the Association Agreement by way of a Protocol,

CONSIDERING the geographical situation of the Principality of Liechtenstein,

CONSIDERING the close ties between the Principality of Liechtenstein and the Swiss Confederation, expressed by an area without internal border controls between the Principality of Liechtenstein and the Swiss Confederation,

CONSIDERING the wish of the Principality of Liechtenstein to maintain and establish an area without border control with all Schengen countries and therefore to be associated with the Schengen acquis,

WHEREAS the Agreement concluded on 18 May 1999 by the Council of the European Union and the Republic of Iceland and the Kingdom of Norway (2) associated the latter two States with the implementation, application and development of the Schengen acquis,

WHEREAS it is desirable that the Principality of Liechtenstein be associated on an equal footing with Iceland, Norway and Switzerland in the implementation, application and development of the Schengen acquis,

WHEREAS a protocol should be concluded between the European Union, the European Community, the Swiss Confederation and the Principality of Liechtenstein providing for Liechtenstein to enjoy rights and obligations similar to those agreed between the Council of the European Union, of the one part, and Iceland and Norway, as well as Switzerland of the other part,

WHEREAS the provisions of Title IV of the Treaty establishing the European Community and the acts adopted on the basis of that Title do not apply to the Kingdom of Denmark pursuant to the Protocol on the position of Denmark annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and whereas the decisions designed to develop the Schengen acquis in application of that Title which Denmark has transposed into its domestic law are only liable to create international-law obligations between Denmark and the other Member States,

WHEREAS Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland participate in certain provisions of the Schengen acquis, in accordance with the decisions taken pursuant to the Protocol integrating the Schengen acquis into the framework of the European Union annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty establishing the European Community (3),

WHEREAS it is necessary to ensure that the States with which the European Union has established an association for the purpose of implementing, applying and developing the Schengen acquis also apply that acquis in their relations with each other,

WHEREAS the smooth operation of the Schengen acquis requires that this Protocol be applied simultaneously with the agreements between the various parties associated with or participating in the implementation and development of the Schengen acquis governing their mutual relations,

HAVING REGARD TO the Protocol on the accession of the Principality of Liechtenstein to the agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation concerning the criteria and mechanisms for establishing the State responsible for examining a request for asylum lodged in one of the Member States or in Switzerland (4),

BEARING IN MIND the link between the Schengen acquis and the Community acquis concerning the establishment of criteria and mechanisms for determining the State responsible for examining a request for asylum lodged in one of the Member States and concerning the setting-up of the ‘Eurodac’ system,

WHEREAS that link requires that the Schengen acquis be applied simultaneously with the Community acquis concerning the establishment of criteria and mechanisms for determining the State responsible for examining a request for asylum lodged in one of the Member States and concerning the setting-up of the ‘Eurodac’ system,

HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

In accordance with Article 16 of the Agreement between the European Union, the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on the Swiss Confederation’s association with the implementation, application and development of the Schengen acquis (‘the Association Agreement’), the Principality of Liechtenstein (hereinafter referred to as ‘Liechtenstein’) accedes to the Association Agreement under the terms and conditions set out in this Protocol.

This accession creates reciprocal rights and obligations between the Contracting Parties in accordance with the rules and procedures set out herein.

Article 2

1.   The provisions of the Schengen acquis listed in Annex A and Annex B to the Association Agreement as they apply to the Member States of the European Union shall be implemented and applied by Liechtenstein under the conditions envisaged in those Annexes.

2.   In addition, the provisions of the acts of the European Union and of the European Community listed in the Annex to this Protocol which have replaced or developed provisions of the Schengen acquis shall be implemented and applied by Liechtenstein.

3.   The acts and measures taken by the European Union and the European Community amending or developing the provisions of the Schengen acquis, to which the procedures set out in the Association Agreement, in conjunction with this Protocol, have been applied, shall also, without prejudice to Article 5, be accepted, implemented and applied by Liechtenstein.

Article 3

The rights and obligations set out in Article 3(1) to (4), Articles 4 to 6, Articles 8 to 10, Article 11(2), (3) and (4), and Article 13 of the Association Agreement shall apply to Liechtenstein.

Article 4

The office of the President of the Mixed Committee as established by Article 3 of the Association Agreement shall, at the level of experts, be held by the representative of the European Union. At the level of senior officials and Ministers it shall alternately, for a period of 6 months, be held by the representative of the European Union and by the representative of the Government of Liechtenstein or Switzerland, respectively.

Article 5

1.   The adoption of new acts or measures related to the matters referred to in Article 2 shall be reserved to the competent institutions of the European Union. Subject to paragraph 2 of this article, such acts or measures shall enter into force simultaneously for the European Union, the European Community and their respective Member States concerned and for Liechtenstein, unless those acts or measures explicitly state otherwise. In this context, due account shall be taken of the period of time indicated by Liechtenstein in the Mixed Committee as being necessary to enable it to fulfil its constitutional requirements.

2.

(a) The Council of the European Union (‘the Council’) shall notify Liechtenstein immediately of the adoption of the acts or measures referred to in paragraph 1 to which the procedures set out in this Protocol have been applied. Liechtenstein shall decide whether to accept their contents and to implement them in its internal legal order. That decision shall be notified to the Council and to the Commission of the European Communities (‘the Commission’) within thirty days of the adoption of the acts or measures concerned. (b) If the contents of such an act or measure can become binding on Liechtenstein only after the fulfilment of constitutional requirements, Liechtenstein shall inform the Council and the Commission of this at the time of its notification. Liechtenstein shall promptly inform the Council and the Commission in writing upon fulfilment of all constitutional requirements. Where a referendum is not required, notification shall, at the latest, take place thirty days after the referendum deadline expires. If a referendum is required, Liechtenstein shall have eighteen months from the date of the Council’s notification within which to make its notification. From the date laid down for the entry into force of the act or measure for Liechtenstein and until it has given notification that the constitutional requirements have been met, Liechtenstein shall, where possible, implement the act or measure in question on a provisional basis.

If Liechtenstein cannot implement the act or measure at issue on a provisional basis, and if this causes difficulties that disrupt the operation of Schengen cooperation, the situation shall be examined by the Mixed Committee. The European Union and the European Community may take proportionate, appropriate measures against Liechtenstein to ensure that Schengen cooperation operates smoothly.

3.   Acceptance by Liechtenstein of the acts and measures referred to in paragraph 2 creates rights and obligations between Liechtenstein, on the one hand, and the European Union, the European Community and the Member States, in so far as they are bound by those acts and measures, and Switzerland on the other hand.

4.   Where:

(a)	Liechtenstein notifies its decision not to accept the contents of an act or measure referred to in paragraph 2 and to which the procedures set out in this Protocol have been applied; or

(b)	Liechtenstein does not carry out notification within the thirty-day time limit referred to in paragraphs 2(a) or 5(a); or

(c)

Liechtenstein does not carry out the notification at the latest thirty days after the referendum deadline has expired or, in the case of a referendum, within the eighteen months time limit set out in paragraph 2(b), or does not provide for provisional implementation as envisaged in the same paragraph from the date laid down for the entry into force of the act or measure concerned.

This Protocol shall be considered terminated unless the Mixed Committee, after carrying out a careful examination of ways of continuing the Protocol, decides otherwise within ninety days. Termination of this Protocol shall take effect 3 months after the expiry of the ninety-day period.

5.

(a) If provisions of a new act or measure have the effect of no longer allowing Member States to subject compliance with requests for mutual assistance in criminal matters or the recognition of orders from other Member States to search premises and/or to seize items of evidence to the conditions set out in Article 51 of the Convention Implementing the Schengen Agreement (5), Liechtenstein may notify the Council and the Commission within the period of thirty days referred to in paragraph 2, point (a) that it will not accept or implement those provisions in its internal legal order where they apply to search and seizure requests or orders made for the purposes of investigating or prosecuting offences in the field of direct taxation which, if committed in Liechtenstein, would not be punishable under Liechtenstein law with a custodial penalty. In that case this Protocol shall not be considered terminated, contrary to the provisions of paragraph 4. (b) The Mixed Committee shall convene within 2 months following a request by one of its members and, taking into account international developments, shall discuss the situation resulting from a notification pursuant to point (a).

Once the Mixed Committee has unanimously reached an agreement on the full acceptance and implementation by Liechtenstein of the relevant provisions of the new act or measure, paragraphs 2, point (b), 3 and 4 shall apply. The information referred to in the first sentence of paragraph 2, point (b) shall be provided within thirty days of the agreement reached in the Mixed Committee.

Article 6

In fulfilling its obligation with regard to the Schengen Information System and the Visa Information System, Liechtenstein may use the technical infrastructure of Switzerland for its access to these systems.

Article 7

As regards the administrative costs associated with implementing this Protocol, Liechtenstein shall make an annual contribution to the general budget of the European Union of 0,071 % of an amount of EUR 8 100 000, subject to annual adjustment to reflect inflation in the European Union.

Article 8

1.   This Protocol shall not affect the Agreement on the European Economic Area or any other agreement concluded between the European Community and Liechtenstein.

2.   This Protocol shall not affect the agreements binding Liechtenstein, of the one part, and one or more Member States, of the other part, in so far as they are compatible with this Protocol. If such agreements are incompatible with this Protocol, the latter shall prevail.

3.   This Protocol shall not affect in any respect any future agreements concluded with Liechtenstein by the European Community, or between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and Liechtenstein, of the other part, or agreements concluded on the basis of Articles 24 and 38 of the Treaty on European Union.

4.   This Protocol shall not affect agreements between Liechtenstein and Switzerland insofar as they are compatible with this Protocol. If such agreements are incompatible with this Protocol, the latter shall prevail.

Article 9

1.   This Protocol shall enter into force 1 month after the day on which the Secretary-General of the Council, in his capacity as its depositary, has established that all the formal requirements have been met as regards the expression of consent by, or on behalf of, the Parties to be bound by this Protocol.

2.   Articles 1, 4, and Article 5(2)(a) first sentence, of this Protocol and the rights and obligations set out in Articles 3(1) to (4), and Articles 4 to 6 of the Association Agreement shall apply provisionally to Liechtenstein as of the date on which this Protocol is signed.

3.   With respect to acts or measures adopted after this Protocol has been signed but before it enters into force, the thirty-day period referred to in Article 5(2)(a), last sentence shall start to run from the day of entry into force of this Protocol.

Article 10

1.   The provisions referred to in Article 2 shall be put into effect by Liechtenstein on a date to be fixed by the Council, acting by unanimity of its Members representing the governments of those Member States which apply all the provisions referred to in Article 2 after consulting the Mixed Committee and after having satisfied itself that the preconditions for implementation of the relevant provisions have been fulfilled by Liechtenstein.

The Members of the Council representing the governments of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland respectively shall be involved in taking this decision insofar as it relates to the provisions of the Schengen acquis and the acts based on it or related to it in which those Member States participate.

The Members of the Council representing the governments of the Member States to which, in accordance with their Treaty of Accession, only some of the provisions referred to in Article 2 apply shall be involved in taking this decision insofar as it relates to the provisions of the Schengen acquis that are already applicable to their respective Member States.

2.   Implementation of the provisions referred to in paragraph 1 shall create rights and obligations between Switzerland and Liechtenstein, of the one part and between Liechtenstein, and, the European Union, the European Community and the Member States, as appropriate, insofar as they are bound by these provisions, of the other part.

3.   This Protocol shall be applied only if the Agreements to be concluded by Liechtenstein and referred to in Article 13 of the Association Agreement are implemented.

4.   Moreover, this Protocol shall be applied only if the Protocol between the European Community, the Swiss Confederation and the Principality of Liechtenstein on the accession of the Principality of Liechtenstein to the Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation concerning the criteria and mechanisms for establishing the State responsible for examining a request for asylum lodged in a Member State or in Switzerland is also implemented.

Article 11

1.   This Protocol may be denounced by Liechtenstein or by Switzerland or by decision of the Council acting by unanimity of its Members. The depositary shall be notified of denunciation, which shall take effect 6 months after notification.

2.   In case of denunciation by Switzerland of this Protocol or of the Association Agreement, or in case of the termination of the Association Agreement with respect to Switzerland, the Association Agreement and this Protocol shall remain in force with respect to the relations between the European Union and the European Community on the one part and Liechtenstein on the other part. In such a case, the Council shall decide, after consulting Liechtenstein, on the necessary measures. However, those measures shall be binding upon Liechtenstein only if Liechtenstein accepts them.

3.   This Protocol shall be considered to have been terminated if Liechtenstein terminates one of the agreements referred to in Article 13 of the Association Agreement that have been concluded by Liechtenstein or terminates the Protocol referred to in Article 10(4).

Article 12

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

In witness whereof, the undersigned plenipotentiaries have hereunto set their hands.

---

(1)  OJ L 53, 27.2.2008, p. 52.

(2)  OJ L 176, 10.7.1999, p. 36.

(3)  OJ L 64, 7.3.2002, p. 20 and OJ L 131, 1.6.2000, p. 43, respectively.

(4)  See page 39 of this Official Journal.

(5)  Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement of 14 June 1985 between the Governments of the States of the Benelux Economic Union, the Federal Republic of Germany and the French Republic on the gradual abolition of checks at their common borders (OJ L 239, 22.9.2000, p. 19).

FINAL ACT

The plenipotentiaries

of the EUROPEAN UNION

and

of the EUROPEAN COMMUNITY

and

of the SWISS CONFEDERATION

and

of the PRINCIPALITY OF LIECHTENSTEIN,

hereinafter referred to as ‘the Contracting Parties’,

meeting in Brussels on the twenty-eighth day of February in the year 2008 for the signature of the Protocol between the European Union, the European Community, the Swiss Confederation and the Principality of Liechtenstein on the accession of the Principality of Liechtenstein to the Agreement between the European Union, the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on the Swiss Confederation’s association with the implementation, application and development of the Schengen acquis, have adopted the Protocol.

The plenipotentiaries of the Contracting Parties have taken note of the following Declarations listed below and annexed to this Final Act:

—	Joint Declaration of the Contracting Parties on the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union,

—	Joint Declaration of the Contracting Parties on Article 23(7) of the Convention of 29 May 2000 on mutual assistance in criminal matters between Member States of the European Union (1),

—	Declaration by the European Community and Liechtenstein on external relations,

—	Declaration by Liechtenstein on mutual assistance in criminal matters,

—	Declaration by Liechtenstein on Article 5(2)(b),

—	Declaration by Liechtenstein on the application of the European Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters and the European Convention on Extradition,

—	Declaration by the European Community on the External Borders Fund for the period 2007-2013,

—	Declaration by the European Commission on the transmission of proposals,

—	Common Declarations on Joint Meetings.

---

(1)  OJ C 197, 12.7.2000, p. 1.