Joint Proposal for a Council Decision on the position to be adopted in the Joint Committee established by the Partnership Agreement on Relations and Cooperation between the European Union and New Zealand

Background and further information:

The Partnership Agreement on Relations and Cooperation between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and New Zealand, of the other part, aims to establish a strengthened partnership between the EU and its Member States and New Zealand and to deepen and enhance cooperation on issues of mutual interest, reflecting shared values and common principles, including through intensifying high-level dialogue. The Agreement is provisionally applied in part as of 12 January 2017.

The Joint Committee is set up by Article 53 of the Agreement. Its main tasks are to facilitate implementation and to further the general aims of the Agreement, as well to maintain overall coherence in the EU-New Zealand relations. The Joint Committee is to make recommendations and adopt decisions, where appropriate, to give effect to the specific aspects of the Agreement. The Joint Committee operates by consensus and it meets at the high official level. The Joint Committees is to adopt its rules of procedure, and may set up subcommittees and working groups to deal with specific issues.