Council Decision (EU) 2025/2066 of 29 September 2025 on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union within the OACPS-EU Council of Ministers, the Africa-EU Council of Ministers, the Caribbean-EU Council of Ministers, the Pacific-EU Council of Ministers, the OACPS-EU Ambassadorial Level Senior Officials Committee, the Africa-EU Joint Committee, the Caribbean-EU Joint Committee and the Pacific-EU Joint Committee as regards the adoption of their Rules of Procedure

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 217, in conjunction with Article 218(9) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

Whereas:

1. The Partnership Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and Members of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States, of the other part⁽¹⁾ (the ‘Agreement’) was signed on 15 November 2023 by the Union, its Member States and the Members of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (‘OACPS Members’) and has been provisionally applied since 1 January 2024⁽²⁾.

2. The Agreement, in accordance with Article 98(2) thereof, is to enter into force on the first day of the second month following the date on which the Union and its Member States and at least two thirds of the OACPS Members have completed their respective internal procedures for that purpose and deposited their instruments expressing their consent to be bound.

3. The functions of the OACPS-EU Council of Ministers, of each Regional Council of Ministers, of the OACPS-EU Ambassadorial Level Senior Officials Committee, and of each Regional Joint Committee (the ‘Joint Institutions’) are set out in Article 88(4), Article 92(2), Article 89(2) and Article 93(3) of the Agreement, respectively.

4. For the Union, the OACPS-EU Council of Ministers and each Regional Council of Ministers should be chaired by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

5. Article 3(7) of the Africa Regional Protocol provides that the Parties are to encourage regional cooperation with the regions listed in Article 349 and Article 355(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (‘outermost regions’).

6. Article 6(1) of the Caribbean Regional Protocol provides that the Parties are to strengthen the close and historic economic, cultural and people-based ties between Caribbean OACPS Members and the outermost regions. Article 51(2) of that Protocol provides that the Parties are to pursue an open dialogue to promote mobility and short-term stays in order to enhance exchange. That exchange is also to take into account the specific situation of the outermost regions, in recognition of their physical proximity and economic and cultural ties and other areas of cooperation.

7. It is for the Member States to involve, to the extent they deem appropriate and in accordance with their national law, their respective outermost regions in the work of the Joint Institutions. That involvement includes notifying their outermost regions when meetings of the Joint Institutions are convened, distributing non-confidential information and documentation disseminated to their outermost regions by the Secretariat of the respective Joint Institution, and inviting representatives of their outermost regions, as part of their respective delegations, to the meetings of the Joint Institutions. It is also for the Member States to involve, to the extent they deem appropriate and in accordance with their national law, their respective regions other than their outermost regions in the work of the Joint Institutions.

8. In accordance with the Agreement, each of the Joint Institutions is to adopt, during its first meeting, its Rules of Procedure.

9. It is appropriate to establish the position to be taken on the Union’s behalf within each of the Joint Institutions as regards the adoption of their Rules of Procedure, as their decisions will be binding on the Union.

10. The position of the Union within each of the Joint Institutions as regards the adoption of their Rules of Procedure should therefore be based on the attached draft Decisions,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: