Decision

15 December 2021: Decision number 1/2021 of the UK-Lebanon Association Committee on Establishing the Rules of Procedure

Published 23 June 2023

The UK-Lebanon Association Committee,

Having regard to the Agreement establishing an Association between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (“the United Kingdom”) and the Republic of Lebanon (“Lebanon”) (together, “the Parties”), done at London on 19 September 2019 (“the Agreement”), and in particular incorporated Articles 74 to 81 thereof,

Whereas:

1. The Agreement entered into force on 1 January 2021.
2. Incorporated Article 78(2) of the Agreement provides that the Association Committee shall establish its rules of procedure.
3. Noting that incorporated Article 77(2) of the Agreement provides that the Association Council may delegate to the Association Committee, in full or in part, any of its powers, the Parties consider it appropriate that the Association Council delegate to the Association Committee its power to set up any working group or body necessary for the implementation of the Agreement and to define the terms of reference of any such working group or body that shall be subordinated to it, as provided under incorporated Article 80 of the Agreement.

Has adopted this decision:

Article 1

The Rules of Procedure of the Association Committee, as set out in the Annex to this Decision, are hereby adopted.

Article 2

This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption.

Done in Beirut, Lebanon, on 15 December 2021.

For the Association Committee:

On behalf of the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Ian Collard, Ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Lebanon

Ambassador Ghady El Khoury, Director of Political and Consular Affairs

Article 1: Chairing

The Association Committee shall be chaired, in turn, by a representative of the Government of the United Kingdom and a representative of the Government of Lebanon. Where a meeting is held in accordance with this paragraph, the Party chairing the meeting shall be considered the host of the meeting, and the meeting shall be held in the country of the chairing Party.

Article 2: Meetings

1. The Association Committee shall meet when circumstances require, with the agreement of both Parties.
2. Each meeting of the Association Committee shall be held at a time and place agreed by both Parties.
3. Notwithstanding paragraph 2, the Parties may agree that a meeting of the Association Committee be held by technological means, such as videoconference. Where a meeting of the Association Council held in accordance with this paragraph, the Party chairing the meeting shall be considered the host of the meeting, for the purposes of these Rules of Procedure.
4. The meetings of the Association Committee shall be convened by the Secretariat at a date, location and in the format agreed by the Parties.
5. When out of session, the Association Committee may address any issue by correspondence.

Article 3: Delegations

Before each meeting, the Parties shall notify each other, through the Secretariat, of the intended composition of their respective delegations before each meeting of the Association Committee.

Article 4: Secretariat

1. Officials of the Government of the United Kingdom and officials of the Government of Lebanon shall act jointly as the Secretariat of the Association Committee.
2. All communications to or from the Chair of the Association Committee in the framework of these Rules of Procedure shall be addressed to the Secretariat of the Association Committee and the Secretariat of the Association Council.

Article 5: Publicity

1. Unless otherwise decided, the meetings of the Association Committee shall not be public.
2. When a Party submits information designated as confidential to the Association Council, the other Party shall treat that information as confidential and shall not otherwise use or disclose that information without the specific permission of the Party providing the information, except where this is necessary to comply with legal requirements.

Article 6: Agendas for meetings

1. The Secretariat shall jointly draw up a draft agenda for each meeting. It shall be forwarded by the Secretariat to the members of the Association Committee not later than 10 calendar days before the beginning of the meeting.
2. The draft agenda shall include the items in respect of which the Secretariat has received a request for inclusion in the agenda not later than 14 calendar days before the beginning of the meeting, save that such items shall not be written into the provisional agenda unless the supporting documentation has been forwarded to the secretaries not later than 10 calendar days before the meeting.
3. The Association Committee may ask experts to attend its meetings in order to provide information on particular subjects.
4. The agenda shall be adopted by the Association Committee at the beginning of each meeting. An item other than those appearing on the provisional agenda may be placed on the agenda on an exceptional basis, if the 2 Parties so agree.
5. The Secretariat may, in agreement with the 2 Parties, shorten the periods specified in paragraphs 1 and 2 in order to take account of the requirements of a particular case or urgent case.

Article 7: Minutes

1. Draft minutes of each meeting shall be drawn up by the officials acting as members of the Secretariat of the Party hosting the meeting within 14 calendar days of the end of the meeting, unless the Parties otherwise agree.
2. The minutes shall include as an annex a list of participants setting out for each of the delegations the names and functions of all individuals who attended the meeting, in addition to any non-members who also attended.
3. The draft minutes shall be submitted to the officials acting as members of the Secretariat of the other Party for comments. The other Party shall return comments within 14 calendar days of receiving the draft minutes, unless the Parties agree otherwise.
4. The Secretariat shall revise the draft minutes on the basis of comments. The minutes shall be approved by a representative of each Party within 4 weeks following a meeting of the Association Council, unless the Parties agree otherwise.
5. When approved by the Association Committee, the minutes shall be signed by the Chair and by the Secretariat and filed by each of the Parties. A copy of the minutes shall be forwarded to each member of the Association Committee.

Article 8: Decisions and Recommendations

1. Where the Association Committee adopts a decision or recommendation, Articles 10 and 11 of the Rules of Procedure of the UK-Lebanon Association Council shall apply mutatis mutandis.
2. Decisions and Recommendations of the Association Committee shall be forwarded to all members of the Association Committee.

Article 9: Expenses

1. Each Party shall meet any expenses it incurs by reason of its participation in the meetings of the Association Committee, with regard to staff, travel and subsistence expenditure unless otherwise agreed by the Parties.
2. Where meetings are held in person, other expenditure relating to the material organisation of meetings shall be borne by the Party which hosts the meeting.
3. Where meetings are held by video or teleconference, each Party bears its respective cost associated with holding the meeting by such means, unless otherwise agreed.
4. Expenditure in connection with interpretation in meetings, or translation of documents, shall be borne directly by the Party requesting such interpretation or translation, unless the Parties agree otherwise.