PURPOSE: to sign and conclude a Readmission Agreement between the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and the Community.

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Council Decision 2007/817/EC on the conclusion of the Agreement between the European Community and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia on the readmission of persons residing without authorisation.

CONTENT: the main elements of the Agreement can be summarised as follows:

the Agreement has been divided into eight sections with 23 Articles. It contains seven Annexes and six Declarations, all of which form an integral part of the overall Agreement; the readmission obligations are fully reciprocal and comprise of own nationals, third country nationals and stateless persons – including those of the FYROM and the former nationals of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia who have acquired no other nationality. A joint declaration concerning the deprivation of nationality is attached to the proposed Agreement; this obligation to readmit own nationals extends to former own national who have renounced, or who have been deprived of, their nationality without acquiring the nationality of another State; the obligation to readmit own nationals covers family members (i.e. spouses and minor unmarried children) who hold a nationality other than the person to be readmitted and who do not have an independent right of residence in the Requesting State; the obligation to readmit third country nationals and stateless persons is linked to a number of prerequisites, such as: the person concerned holds, or at the time of entry held, a valid visa or resident permit issued by the Requested State; or the person concerned illegally and directly entered the territory of the Requesting State after having stayed on or transited through he territory of the Requested State. Those in airside transit and all persons to whom the Requesting State has issued a visa or residence authorisation before or after entry to its territory are exempted from these obligations; former nationals of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia who have acquired no other nationality will be treated as a separate category. It is proposed that their readmission will be accepted by the FYROM on condition that firstly, their place of birth was on FYROM’s territory and secondly their place of permanent residence on the date of independence (8 September 1991) was on the territory of that State. It is worth noting that the specific conditions for the readmission of this category of person was applied horizontally in all of the Readmission Agreement with the other Western Balkan countries; the FYROM agrees to accept the use of the EU’s standard travel documents for expulsion purposes – both for own nationals as well as for third country nationals or stateless persons; Section III sets out the necessary technical provisions regarding the readmission procedure. One important procedural element regarding this proposal is the so-called “ accelerated ” procedure, which has been agreed upon for persons apprehended in the border region i.e. within an area which extends up to 30 km from the common land border between a Member State and the FYROM or within the territories of International airports of Member States of the FYROM. Under the accelerated procedure, readmission applications have to be submitted, and replies have to given, within 2 working days, whereas under the normal procedure the time limit for replies is 14 calendar days; a section on transit operations is foreseen as are sections on costs, data protection and relationship to other international obligations; the FYROM, as well as individual Member States, will be allowed to conclude bilateral implementing Protocols.

The United Kingdom and Ireland have notified their wish to take part in the adoption and application of this Agreement. Denmark, however, will not.

ENTRY INTO FORCE : the agreement will enter into force when the necessary formalities have been concluded and on the same date as the parallel agreement on the issuance of short-stay visas (see CNS/2007/0159 ).

The European Parliament adopted a resolution drafted by Adina-Ioana VÃLEAN (ALDE, RO) and approved the proposal for a Council decision on the conclusion of the Agreement between the European Community and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia on readmission.

The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs adopted a report drawn up by Adina-Ioana VÃLEAN (ALDE, RO) approving, without amendment, the proposal for a Council decision on the conclusion of the Agreement between the European Community and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia on readmission.

PURPOSE: to sign and conclude a Readmission Agreement between the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and the Community.

PROPOSED ACT: Council Decision.

BACKGROUND: the 2003 Thessaloniki Summit on the Western Balkans recognised the importance of giving due recognition to matters concerning illegal immigration and the issuing of visas. The “Thessaloniki Agenda”, accordingly recognised the need for the EU to conclude Readmission Agreements with the countries of the Western Balkans, including the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. In November 2006 the Council formally authorised the Commission to negotiate a Readmission Agreement with the FYROM to be negotiated alongside an Agreement on the issuance of short-stay visas. See CNS/2007/0159 . The Member States have been regularly informed and consulted throughout the negotiating process.

CONTENT: the purpose of this proposal, therefore, is to request the Council to sign and conclude an Agreement between the Community and the FYROM on Readmission. The Commission is of the view that the objectives set by the Council in its negotiating Directives have been attained and that the draft Readmission Agreement is acceptable to the Community. The draft Agreement with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has been, as far as possible, harmonised with the draft Readmission Agreements of the other Western Balkans countries.

The main elements of the proposal can be summarised as follows:

the Agreement has been divided into eight sections with 23 Articles. It contains seven Annexes and six Declarations, all of which form an integral part of the overall Agreement; the readmission obligations are fully reciprocal and comprise of own nationals, third country nationals and stateless persons – including those of the FYROM and the former nationals of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia who have acquired no other nationality. A joint declaration concerning the deprivation of nationality is attached to the proposed Agreement; this obligation to readmit own nationals extends to former own national who have renounced, or who have been deprived of, their nationality without acquiring the nationality of another State; the obligation to readmit own nationals covers family members (i.e. spouses and minor unmarried children) who hold a nationality other than the person to be readmitted and who do not have an independent right of residence in the Requesting State; the obligation to readmit third country nationals and stateless persons is linked to a number of prerequisites, such as: the person concerned holds, or at the time of entry held, a valid visa or resident permit issued by the Requested State; or the person concerned illegally and directly entered the territory of the Requesting State after having stayed on or transited through he territory of the Requested State. Those in airside transit and all persons to whom the Requesting State has issued a visa or residence authorisation before or after entry to its territory are exempted from these obligations; former nationals of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia who have acquired no other nationality will be treated as a separate category. It is proposed that their readmission will be accepted by the FYROM on condition that firstly, their place of birth was on FYROM’s territory and secondly their place of permanent residence on the date of independence (8 September 1991) was on the territory of that State. It is worth noting that the specific conditions for the readmission of this category of person was applied horizontally in all of the Readmission Agreement with the other Western Balkan countries; the FYROM agrees to accept the use of the EU’s standard travel documents for expulsion purposes – both for own nationals as well as for third country nationals or stateless persons; Section III sets out the necessary technical provisions regarding the readmission procedure. One important procedural element regarding this proposal is the so-called “ accelerated ” procedure, which has been agreed upon for persons apprehended in the border region i.e. within an area which extends up to 30 km from the common land border between a Member State and the FYROM or within the territories of International airports of Member States of the FYROM. Under the accelerated procedure, readmission applications have to be submitted, and replies have to given, within 2 working days, whereas under the normal procedure the time limit for replies is 14 calendar days; a section on transit operations is foreseen as are sections on costs, data protection and relationship to other international obligations; the FYROM, as well as individual Member States, will be allowed to conclude bilateral implementing Protocols.

The United Kingdom and Ireland have notified their wish to take part in the adoption and application of this Agreement. Denmark, however, will not.

PURPOSE: to sign and conclude a Readmission Agreement between the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and the Community.

PROPOSED ACT: Council Decision.

BACKGROUND: the 2003 Thessaloniki Summit on the Western Balkans recognised the importance of giving due recognition to matters concerning illegal immigration and the issuing of visas. The “Thessaloniki Agenda”, accordingly recognised the need for the EU to conclude Readmission Agreements with the countries of the Western Balkans, including the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. In November 2006 the Council formally authorised the Commission to negotiate a Readmission Agreement with the FYROM to be negotiated alongside an Agreement on the issuance of short-stay visas. See CNS/2007/0159 . The Member States have been regularly informed and consulted throughout the negotiating process.

CONTENT: the purpose of this proposal, therefore, is to request the Council to sign and conclude an Agreement between the Community and the FYROM on Readmission. The Commission is of the view that the objectives set by the Council in its negotiating Directives have been attained and that the draft Readmission Agreement is acceptable to the Community. The draft Agreement with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has been, as far as possible, harmonised with the draft Readmission Agreements of the other Western Balkans countries.

The main elements of the proposal can be summarised as follows:

the Agreement has been divided into eight sections with 23 Articles. It contains seven Annexes and six Declarations, all of which form an integral part of the overall Agreement; the readmission obligations are fully reciprocal and comprise of own nationals, third country nationals and stateless persons – including those of the FYROM and the former nationals of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia who have acquired no other nationality. A joint declaration concerning the deprivation of nationality is attached to the proposed Agreement; this obligation to readmit own nationals extends to former own national who have renounced, or who have been deprived of, their nationality without acquiring the nationality of another State; the obligation to readmit own nationals covers family members (i.e. spouses and minor unmarried children) who hold a nationality other than the person to be readmitted and who do not have an independent right of residence in the Requesting State; the obligation to readmit third country nationals and stateless persons is linked to a number of prerequisites, such as: the person concerned holds, or at the time of entry held, a valid visa or resident permit issued by the Requested State; or the person concerned illegally and directly entered the territory of the Requesting State after having stayed on or transited through he territory of the Requested State. Those in airside transit and all persons to whom the Requesting State has issued a visa or residence authorisation before or after entry to its territory are exempted from these obligations; former nationals of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia who have acquired no other nationality will be treated as a separate category. It is proposed that their readmission will be accepted by the FYROM on condition that firstly, their place of birth was on FYROM’s territory and secondly their place of permanent residence on the date of independence (8 September 1991) was on the territory of that State. It is worth noting that the specific conditions for the readmission of this category of person was applied horizontally in all of the Readmission Agreement with the other Western Balkan countries; the FYROM agrees to accept the use of the EU’s standard travel documents for expulsion purposes – both for own nationals as well as for third country nationals or stateless persons; Section III sets out the necessary technical provisions regarding the readmission procedure. One important procedural element regarding this proposal is the so-called “ accelerated ” procedure, which has been agreed upon for persons apprehended in the border region i.e. within an area which extends up to 30 km from the common land border between a Member State and the FYROM or within the territories of International airports of Member States of the FYROM. Under the accelerated procedure, readmission applications have to be submitted, and replies have to given, within 2 working days, whereas under the normal procedure the time limit for replies is 14 calendar days; a section on transit operations is foreseen as are sections on costs, data protection and relationship to other international obligations; the FYROM, as well as individual Member States, will be allowed to conclude bilateral implementing Protocols.

The United Kingdom and Ireland have notified their wish to take part in the adoption and application of this Agreement. Denmark, however, will not.