8. PROTOCOL ON THE TREATIES AND ACTS OF ACCESSION OF DENMARK, IRELAND AND THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND, OF THE HELLENIC REPUBLIC, OF THE KINGDOM OF SPAIN AND THE PORTUGUESE REPUBLIC, AND OF THE REPUBLIC OF AUSTRIA, THE REPUBLIC OF FINLAND AND THE KINGDOM OF SWEDEN

TITLE 1: COMMON PROVISIONS

Article 1

The rights and obligations resulting from the Accession Treaties referred to in Article IV‑437(2)(a) to (d) of the Constitution took effect, under the conditions laid down in those Treaties, on the following dates: (a) 1 January 1973, for the Treaty concerning the accession of the Kingdom of Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; (b) 1 January 1981, for the Treaty concerning the accession of the Hellenic Republic; (c) 1 January 1986, for the Treaty concerning the accession of the Kingdom of Spain and the Portuguese Republic (d) 1 January 1995, for the Treaty concerning the accession of the Republic of Austria, the Republic of Finland and the Kingdom of Sweden.

Article 2

1. The acceding States referred to in Article 1 shall be required to accede to the following agreements or conventions concluded before their respective accessions, insofar as such agreements or conventions are still in force: (a) agreements or conventions concluded between the other Member States which are based on the Treaty establishing the European Community, the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community or the Treaty on European Union, or which are inseparable from the attainment of the objectives of those Treaties, or which relate to the functioning of the Communities or of the Union or which are connected with the activities thereof; (b) agreements or conventions concluded by the other Member States, acting jointly with the European Communities, with one or more third States or with an international organisation, and the agreements which are related to those agreements or conventions. The Union and the other Member States shall assist the acceding States referred to in Article 1 in this respect.
2. The acceding States referred to in Article 1 shall take appropriate measures, where necessary, to adjust their position in relation to international organisations, and in relation to those international agreements to which the Union or the European Atomic Energy Community or other Member States are also parties, to the rights and obligations arising from their accession.

Article 3

Provisions of the Acts of Accession, as interpreted by the Court of Justice of the European Communities and the Court of First Instance, the purpose or effect of which is to repeal or amend, otherwise than as a transitional measure, acts adopted by the institutions, bodies, offices or agencies of the European Communities or of the European Union established by the Treaty on European Union shall remain in force subject to the second paragraph. The provisions referred to in the first paragraph shall have the same status in law as the acts which they repeal or amend and shall be subject to the same rules as those acts.

Article 4

The texts of the acts of the institutions, bodies, offices and agencies of the European Communities or of the European Union established by the Treaty on European Union which were adopted before the accessions referred to in Article 1 and which were subsequently drawn up successively in the English and Danish languages, in the Greek language, in the Spanish and Portuguese languages, and in the Finnish and Swedish languages, shall be authentic from the date of the respective accessions referred to in Article 1, under the same conditions as the texts drawn up and authentic in the other languages.

Article 5

A European law of the Council may repeal the transitional provisions set out in this Protocol, when they are no longer applicable. The Council shall act unanimously after consulting the European Parliament.