15. pants

The Co-operation Agreement

shall enter into force on the date of the receipt by the Center

of the written notice through diplomatic channels that the

Republic of Latvia has completed its internal procedures

necessary for the entry into force of the Agreement. Signed in

two original copies, in the English language.

for the Government of the

Republic of Latvia

Raimonds Vējonis

Minister of the

Environment

for the European Centre For

Medium-Range Weather Forecasts

Dominique Marbouty

Director

Annex

Privileges and Immunities, which staff or experts

of the Centre enjoy in the territory of the Republic of

Latvia

Paragraph 1

1.1 Within the scope of its

official activities, the Centre shall have immunity from

jurisdiction and execution except:

(a) to the extent that, by

decision of the Council, the Centre waives it in a particular

case. However, the Centre shall be deemed to have waived this

immunity if, upon receiving a request to waive immunity

submitted by the national authority before which the case is

brought or by the opposing party, it has not given notice,

within fifteen days after receipt of the request, that it does

not waive such immunity;

(b) in respect of an enforcement

of an arbitration award made under Article 12 of this

Co-operation Agreement.

1.2 In any dispute involving

staff or an expert of the Centre for whom immunity from

jurisdiction is claimed under Paragraphs 2 or 3 under this

Annex, the responsibility of the Centre shall be substituted

for that of the staff or expert concerned.

1.3 Subject to Paragraph 1.1,

the Centre's property and assets wherever situated shall be

immune from any form of administrative or provisional judicial

constraint such as requisition, confiscation, expropriation or

attachment.

Paragraph

2

The staff of the Centre shall

enjoy, within the limits provided for in this Co-operation

Agreement, the following privileges, immunities and

facilities:

2.1 immunity from jurisdiction,

even after they have left the service of the Centre, in ,

respect of acts, including words spoken or written, performed

by them in their official capacity and within the limits of

their authority;

2.2 exemption from all

obligations in respect of military service;

2.3 inviolability for all their

official papers and documents;

2.4 together with members of

their families forming part of their households, the same

exceptions regarding measures restricting immigration and

governing aliens' registration as are normally accorded to

staff of international organizations;

2.5 the same privileges in

respect of monetary and exchange regulations as are normally

accorded to staff of international organizations;

2.6 together with members of

their families forming part of their households, the same

facilities as regards repatriation in time of international

crisis as are normally accorded to staff of international

organizations;

2.7 the right to import free of

duty furniture and personal effects at the time of taking up a

post for a period of at least one year in the State concerned

and the right on the termination of their functions in the said

State to export free of duty furniture and personal effects,

subject in both cases to the conditions considered necessary by

the Government of the State in whose territory the right is

exercised and with the exception of property acquired in that

State and subject to an export prohibition therein.

Paragraph

3

Experts who are not staff

members and who perform duties at the Centre or who carry out

missions on its behalf, shall enjoy, while performing their

duties or while on missions and during journeys made in the

course of such duties or missions, the following privileges,

immunities and facilities to the extent that they are necessary

for the performance of their duties or for the accomplishment

of their missions:

3.1 immunity from jurisdiction,

even after they have left the service of the Centre, in respect

of acts, including words spoken and written, performed by them

in their capacity as experts and within the limits of their

authority;

3.2 inviolability for all their

official papers and documents;

3.3 the same customs facilities

as regards their personal luggage and the same privileges in

respect of currency and exchange regulations as are accorded to

persons sent by foreign Governments on temporary official

missions.

Paragraph

4

4.1 Subject to the conditions

and following the procedure laid down in the Convention and by

the Council, the staff of the Centre shall be subject to a tax

for the benefit of the Centre on salaries, wages and emoluments

paid by the Centre. From the date on which this tax is applied

such salaries, wages and emoluments shall be exempt from

national income tax, the Member States retaining the right to

take such salaries, wages and emoluments into account when

assessing the amount of taxation to be applied to income from

other sources.

4.2 Paragraph 4.1 shall not

apply to pensions and similar payments paid by the Centre.

Paragraph

5

5.1 The privileges, immunities

and facilities provided for in this Co-operation Agreement are

granted solely in the interests of the Centre and of the

Republic of Latvia, and not for the personal advantage of those

enjoying them.

5.2 The competent authorities

have not only the right but also the duty to waive immunity

where such immunity is impeding the course of justice and where

it can be waived without prejudicing the purposes for which it

was accorded.

5.3 The competent authorities

referred to in Paragraph 5.2 are:

• the Government of the Republic

of Latvia, in the case of its representatives

• the Council, in the case of

the Director

• the Director, in the case of

other staff and experts within the meaning of Paragraph 3.