COUNCIL ACT of 29 November 1996 drawing up, on the basis of Article K.3 of the Treaty on European Union, the Protocol on the interpretation, by way of preliminary rulings, by the Court of Justice of the European Communities of the Convention on the protection of the European Communities' financial interests (97/C 151/01)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on European Union, and in particular Article K.3 (2) (c) thereof,

Whereas Article K.3 (2) (c) provides that conventions drawn up on the basis of Article K.3 of the Treaty on European Union may stipulate that the Court of Justice shall have jurisdiction to interpret their provisions and to rule on any disputes regarding their application in accordance with such arrangements as they may lay down,

HAS DECIDED on the drawing up of the Protocol the text of which is annexed, which has been signed today by the representatives of the Governments of the Member States of the European Union,

RECOMMENDS that it be adopted by the Member States in accordance with their respective constitutional requirements.

Done at Brussels, 29 November 1996.

For the Council

The President

N. OWEN

ANNEX

PROTOCOL drawn up on the basis of Article K.3 of the Treaty on European Union, on the interpretation, by way of preliminary rulings, by the Court of Justice of the European Communities of the Convention on the protection of the European Communities' financial interests

THE HIGH CONTRACTING PARTIES,

HAVE AGREED on the following provisions, which shall be annexed to the Convention:

Article 1

The Court of Justice of the European Communities shall have jurisdiction, pursuant to the conditions laid down in this Protocol, to give preliminary rulings on the interpretation of the Convention on the protection of the European Communities' financial interests and the Protocol to that Convention drawn up on 27 September 1996 (1), hereinafter referred to as 'the first Protocol`.

Article 2

1. By a declaration made at the time of the signing of this Protocol or at any time thereafter, any Member State shall be able to accept the jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the European Communities to give preliminary rulings on the interpretation of the Convention on the protection of the European Communities' financial interests and the first Protocol to that Convention pursuant to the conditions specified in either paragraph 2 (a) or paragraph 2 (b).

2. A Member State making a declaration pursuant to paragraph 1 may specify that either:

(a) any court or tribunal of that State against whose decisions there is no judicial remedy under national law may request the Court of Justice of the European Communities to give a preliminary ruling on a question raised in a case pending before it and concerning the interpretation of the Convention on the protection of the European Communities' financial interests and the first Protocol thereto if that court or tribunal considers that a decision on the question is necessary to enable it to give judgment, or

(b) any court or tribunal of that State may request the Court of Justice of the European Communities to give a preliminary ruling on a question raised in a case pending before it and concerning the interpretation of the Convention on the protection of the European Communities' financial interests and the first Protocol thereto if that court or tribunal considers that a decision on the question is necessary to enable it to give judgment.

Article 3

1. The Protocol on the Statute of the Court of Justice of the European Communities and the Rules of Procedure of that Court of Justice shall apply.

2. In accordance with the Statute of the Court of Justice of the European Communities, any Member State, whether or not it has made a declaration pursuant to Article 2, shall be entitled to submit statements of case or written observations to the Court of Justice of the European Communities in cases which arise pursuant to Article 1.

Article 4

1. This Protocol shall be subject to adoption by the Member States in accordance with their respective constitutional requirements.

2. Member States shall notify the depositary of the completion of their respective constitutional requirements for adopting this Protocol and communicate to him any declaration made pursuant to Article 2.

3. This Protocol shall enter into force 90 days after the notification, referred to in paragraph 2, by the Member State which, being a member of the European Union on the date of adoption by the Council of the Act drawing up this Protocol, is the last to fulfil that formality. However, it shall at the earliest enter into force at the same time as the Convention on the protection of the European Communities' financial interests.

Article 5

1. This Protocol shall be open to accession by any State that becomes a member of the European Union.

2. Instruments of accession shall be deposited with the depositary.

3. The text of this Protocol in the language of the acceding State, drawn up by the Council of the European Union, shall be authentic.

4. This Protocol shall enter into force with respect to any State that accedes to it 90 days after the date of deposit of its instrument of accession, or on the date of the entry into force of this Protocol if the latter has not yet come into force when the said period of 90 days expires.

Article 6

Any State that becomes a member of the European Union and accedes to the Convention on the protection of the European Communities' financial interests in accordance with Article 12 thereof shall accept the provisions of this Protocol.

Article 7

1. Amendments to this Protocol may be proposed by any Member State, being a High Contracting Party. Any proposal for an amendment shall be sent to the depositary, who shall forward it to the Council.

2. Amendments shall be established by the Council, which shall recommend that they be adopted by the Member States in accordance with their respective constitutional requirements.

3. Amendments thus established shall enter into force in accordance with the provisions of Article 4.

Article 8

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

2. The depositary shall publish in the Official Journal of the European Communities the notifications, instruments or communications concerning this Protocol.

En fe de lo cual, los plenipotenciarios abajo firmantes suscriben el presente Protocolo.

Til bekraeftelse heraf har undertegnede befuldmaegtigede underskrevet denne protokol.

Zu Urkund dessen haben die unterzeichneten Bevollmaechtigten ihre Unterschriften unter dieses Protokoll gesetzt.

脫aa 冒ss贸么霉贸ç 么霉铆 谩铆霉么脻帽霉, 茂é 玫冒茂茫帽UEoe茂铆么aa貌 冒毛ç帽aa卯茂媒贸é茂é 脻èaa贸谩铆 么ç铆 玫冒茂茫帽谩oe脼 么茂玫貌 锚UE么霉 谩冒ue 么茂 冒谩帽ue铆 冒帽霉么ue锚茂毛毛茂.

In witness whereof the undersigned Plenipotentiaries have signed this Protocol.

En foi de quoi, les plénipotentiaires soussignés ont apposé leurs signatures au bas du présent protocole.

D谩 fhian煤 sin, chuir na L谩nchumhachtaigh th铆os-s铆nithe a l谩mh leis an bPr贸tacal seo.

In fede di che i plenipotenziari sottoscritti hanno apposto le loro firme in calce al presente protocollo.

Ten blijke waarvan de ondergetekende gevolmachtigden hun handtekening onder dit protocol hebben gesteld.

Em fé do que, os plenipotenci谩rios abaixo assinados apuseram as suas assinaturas no final do presente protocolo.

Taemaen vakuudeksi alla mainitut taeysivaltaiset edustajat ovat allekirjoittaneet taemaen poeytaekirjan.

Till bevis paa detta har undertecknade befullmaektigade ombud undertecknat detta foerdrag.

Hecho en Bruselas, el veintinueve de noviembre de mil novecientos noventa y seis, en un 煤nico ejemplar, en lenguas alemana, danesa, espa帽ola, finesa, francesa, griega, inglesa, irlandesa, italiana, neerlandesa, portuguesa y sueca, siendo cada uno de estos textos igualmente auténtico.

Udfaerdiget i Bruxelles, den niogtyvende november nitten hundrede og seksoghalvfems, i ét eksemplar paa dansk, engelsk, finsk, fransk, graesk, irsk, italiensk, nederlandsk, portugisisk, spansk, svensk og tysk, idet hver af disse tekster har samme gyldighed.

Geschehen zu Bruessel am neunundzwanzigsten November neunzehnhundertsechsundneunzig in einer Urschrift in daenischer, deutscher, englischer, finnischer, franzoesischer, griechischer, irischer, italienischer, niederlaendischer, portugiesischer, schwedischer und spanischer Sprache, wobei jeder Wortlaut gleichermassen verbindlich ist.

赂茫é铆aa 贸么é貌 脗帽玫卯脻毛毛aa貌, 贸么é貌 aass锚茂贸é aa铆铆脻谩 脥茂aa矛芒帽ss茂玫 梅ss毛é谩 aa铆铆é谩锚ue贸é谩 aa铆aa铆脼铆么谩 脻卯é, 贸aa 脻铆谩 矛ue铆茂 谩铆么ss么玫冒茂, 贸么ç铆 谩茫茫毛é锚脼, 茫aa帽矛谩铆é锚脼, 茫谩毛毛é锚脼, ae谩铆é锚脼, aa毛毛ç铆é锚脼, é贸冒谩铆é锚脼, é么谩毛é锚脼, 茂毛毛谩铆aeé锚脼, 冒茂帽么茂茫谩毛é锚脼, 贸茂玫çaeé锚脼 锚谩é oeé铆毛谩铆aeé锚脼 茫毛镁贸贸谩. 录毛谩 么谩 锚aass矛aa铆谩 aass铆谩é aa卯ss贸茂玫 谩玫èaa铆么é锚UE.

Done at Brussels, this twenty-ninth day of November in the year one thousand nine hundred and ninety-six, in a single original in the Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Irish, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish languages, each text being equally authentic.

Fait 脿 Bruxelles, le vingt-neuf novembre mil neuf cent quatre-vingt-seize, en un exemplaire unique, en langues allemande, anglaise, danoise, espagnole, finnoise, française, grecque, irlandaise, italienne, néerlandaise, portugaise et suédoise, chaque texte faisant également foi.

Arna dhéanamh sa Bhruiséil, an nao煤 l谩 is fiche de Shamhain, m铆le naoi gcéad n贸cha a sé, i scr铆bhinn bhunaidh amh谩in sa Bhéarla, sa Danmhairgis, san Fhionlainnis, sa Fhraincis, sa Ghaeilge, sa Ghearm谩inis, sa Ghréigis, san Iod谩ilis, san Ollainnis, sa Phortaingéilis, sa Sp谩innis agus sa tSualainnis, agus comh煤dar谩s ag gach ceann de na téacsanna sin.

Fatto a Bruxelles, il ventinove novembre millenovecentonovantasei, in unico esemplare in lingua danese, finlandese, francese, greca, inglese, irlandese, italiana, olandese, portoghese, spagnola, svedese e tedesca, ciascun testo facente ugualmente fede.

Gedaan te Brussel, de negenentwintigste november negentienhonderd zesennegentig, opgesteld in één exemplaar in de Deense, de Duitse, de Engelse, de Finse, de Griekse, de Ierse, de italiaanse, de Nederlandse, de Portugese, de Spaanse en de Zweedse taal, zijnde elk der teksten gelijkelijk authentiek.

Feito em Bruxelas, em vinte e nove de Novembro de mil novecentos e noventa e seis, exemplar 煤nico, nas l铆nguas alem茫, dinamarquesa, espanhola, finlandesa, francesa, grega, inglesa, irlandesa, italiana, neerlandesa, portuguesa e sueca, fazendo igualmente fé todos os textos.

Tehty Brysselissae kahdentenakymmenentenaeyhdeksaentenae paeivaenae marraskuuta vuonna tuhatyhdeksaensataayhdeksaenkymmentaekuusi yhtenae kappaleena englannin, espanjan, hollannin, iirin, italian, kreikan, portugalin, ranskan, ruotsin, saksan, suomen ja tanskan kielellae, ja jokainen teksti on yhtae todistusvoimainen.

Utfaerdat i Bryssel den tjugonionde november nittonhundranittiosex i ett enda original paa danska, engelska, finska, franska, grekiska, iriska, italienska, nederlaendska, portugisiska, spanska, svenska och tyska spraaken, vilka texter aer lika giltiga.

Pour le gouvernement du royaume de Belgique

Voor de regering van het Koninkrijk Belgi毛

Fuer die Regierung des Koenigreichs Belgien

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For regeringen for Kongeriget Danmark

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Fuer die Regierung der Bundesrepublik Deutschland

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脙é谩 么ç铆 锚玫芒脻帽铆ç贸ç 么ç貌 AA毛毛ç铆é锚脼貌 AEç矛茂锚帽谩么ss谩貌

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Por el Gobierno del Reino de Espa帽a

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Pour le gouvernement de la République française

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Thar ceann Rialtas na h脡ireann

For the Government of Ireland

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Per il governo della Repubblica italiana

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Pour le gouvernement du grand-duché de Luxembourg

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Voor de regering van het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden

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Fuer die Regierung der Republik OEsterreich

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Pelo Governo da Rep煤blica Portuguesa

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Suomen hallituksen puolesta

Paa finska regeringens vaegnar

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Paa svenska regeringens vaegnar

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For the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

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(1) OJ No C 313, 23. 10. 1996, p. 1.

DECLARATION concerning the simultaneous adoption of the Convention on the protection of the European Communities' financial interests and the Protocol on the interpretation by way of preliminary rulings, by the Court of Justice of the European Communities, of that Convention

The representatives of the Governments of the Member States of the European Union meeting within the Council,

At the time of the signing of the Council Act drawing up the Protocol on the interpretation, by way of preliminary rulings, by the Court of Justice of the European Communities of the Convention on the protection of the European Communities' financial interests,

Wishing to ensure that the said Convention is interpreted as effectively and uniformly as possible as from its entry into force,

Declare themselves willing to take appropriate steps to ensure that the national procedures for adopting the Convention on the protection of the European Communities' financial interests and the Protocol concerning its interpretation are completed simultaneously at the earliest opportunity.

En fe de lo cual los plenipotenciarios abajo firmantes firman la presente declaraci贸n.

Til bekraeftelse heraf har undertegnede befuldmaegtigede underskrevet denne erklaering.

Zu Urkund dessen haben die unterzeichneten Bevollmaechtigten ihre Unterschriften unter diese Erklaerung gesetzt.

脫aa 冒ss贸么霉贸ç 么霉铆 谩铆霉么脻帽霉, 茂é 玫冒茂茫帽UEoe茂铆么aa貌 冒毛ç帽aa卯茂媒贸é茂é 脻èaa贸谩铆 么ç铆 玫冒茂茫帽谩oe脼 么茂玫貌 锚UE么霉 谩冒ue 么ç铆 冒谩帽茂媒贸谩 ae脼毛霉贸ç.

In witness whereof the undersigned Plenipotentiaries have signed this Declaration.

En foi de quoi, les plénipotentiaires soussignés ont apposé leurs signatures au bas de la présente déclaration.

D谩 fhian煤 sin, chuir na L谩nchumhachtaigh th铆os-s铆nithe a l谩mh leis an Dearbh煤 seo.

In fede di che i plenipotenziari sottoscritti hanno apposto le loro firme in calce alla presente dichiarazione.

Ten blijke waarvan de ondergetekende gevolmachtigden hun handtekening onder deze verklaring hebben gesteld.

Em fé do que, os plenipotenci谩rios abaixo assinados apuseram as respectivas assinaturas no final da presente declaraç茫o.

Taemaen vakuudeksi alla mainitut taeysivaltaiset edustajat ovat allekirjoittaneet taemaen julistuksen.

Till bevis paa detta har undertecknade befullmaektigade ombud undertecknat denna foerklaring.

Hecho en Bruselas, el veintinueve de noviembre de mil novecientos noventa y seis.

Udfaerdiget i Bruxelles, den niogtyvende november nitten hundrede og seksoghalvfems.

Geschehen zu Bruessel am neunundzwanzigsten November neunzehnhundertsechsundneunzig.

赂茫é铆aa 贸么é貌 脗帽玫卯脻毛毛aa貌, 贸么é貌 aass锚茂贸é aa铆铆脻谩 脥茂aa矛芒帽ss茂玫 梅ss毛é谩 aa铆铆é谩锚ue贸é谩 aa铆aa铆脼铆么谩 脻卯é.

Done at Brussels on the twenty-ninth day of November in the year one thousand nine hundred and ninety-six.

Fait 脿 Bruxelles, le vingt-neuf novembre mil neuf cent quatre-vingt-seize.

Arna dhéanamh sa Bhruiséil, an nao煤 l谩 is fiche de Shamhain, m铆le naoi gcéad n贸cha a sé.

Fatto a Bruxelles, add铆 ventinove novembre millenovecentonovantasei.

Gedaan te Brussel, de negenentwintigste november negentienhonderd zesennegentig.

Feito em Bruxelas, em vinte e nove de Novembro de mil novecentos e noventa e seis.

Tehty Brysselissae kahdentenakymmenentenaeyhdeksaentenae paeivaenae marraskuuta vuonna tuhatyhdeksaensataayhdeksaenkymmentaekuusi.

Som skedde i Bryssel den tjugonionde november nittonhundranittiosex.

Pour le gouvernement du royaume de Belgique

Voor de regering van het Koninkrijk Belgi毛

Fuer die Regierung des Koenigreichs Belgien

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For regeringen for Kongeriget Danmark

>REFERENCE TO A GRAPHIC>

Fuer die Regierung der Bundesrepublik Deutschland

>REFERENCE TO A GRAPHIC>

脙é谩 么ç铆 锚玫芒脻帽铆ç贸ç 么ç貌 AA毛毛ç铆é锚脼貌 AEç矛茂锚帽谩么ss谩貌

>REFERENCE TO A GRAPHIC>

Por el Gobierno del Reino de Espa帽a

>REFERENCE TO A GRAPHIC>

Pour le gouvernement de la République française

>REFERENCE TO A GRAPHIC>

Thar ceann Rialtas na h脡ireann

For the Government of Ireland

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Per il governo della Repubblica italiana

>REFERENCE TO A GRAPHIC>

Pour le gouvernement du grand-duché de Luxembourg

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Voor de regering van het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden

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Fuer die Regierung der Republik OEsterreich

>REFERENCE TO A GRAPHIC>

Pelo Governo da Rep煤blica Portuguesa

>REFERENCE TO A GRAPHIC>

Suomen hallituksen puolesta

Paa finska regeringens vaegnar

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Paa svenska regeringens vaegnar

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For the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

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Declaration made pursuant to Article 2

At the time of the signing of this Protocol, the following declared that they accepted the jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the European Communities in accordance with the procedures laid down in Article 2:

The French Republic, Ireland and the Portuguese Republic in accordance with the procedures laid down in Article 2 (2) (a);

The Federal Republic of Germany, the Hellenic Republic, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Republic of Austria, the Republic of Finland and the Kingdom of Sweden, in accordance with the procedures laid down in Article 2 (2) (b).

DECLARATION

The Federal Republic of Germany, the Hellenic Republic, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Republic of Austria, reserve the right to make provision in their national law to the effect that, where a question relating to the interpretation of the Convention on the protection of the European Communities' financial interests and the first Protocol thereto is raised in a case pending before a national court or tribunal against whose decision there is no judicial remedy under national law, that court or tribunal will be required to refer the matter to the Court of Justice.

For the Kingdom of Denmark and the Kingdom of Spain, the declaration(s) will be made at the time of adoption.