3.3.2009 Official Journal of the European Union L 59/1 (Acts adopted under the EC Treaty/Euratom Treaty whose publication is not obligatory) DECISIONS COUNCIL COUNCIL DECISION of 21 November 2008 on the signature and provisional application of the stepping stone Economic Partnership Agreement between Cote d’Ivoire, of the one part, and the European Community and its Member States, of the other part (2009/156/EC) THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Commu- nity, and in particular Articles 133 and 181 in conjunction with the first sentence of the first subparagraph of Article 300(2) thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Whereas: (1)  On 12 June 2002, the Council authorised the Commission to open negotiations of Economic Partnership Agreements with ACP countries. (2) Negotiations of a stepping stone Economic Partnership Agreement have been concluded and the stepping stone Economic Partnership Agreement between Cote d'Ivoire, of the one part, and the European Community and its Member States, of the other part (hereinafter the stepping stone EPA) was initialled on 7 December 2007. (3) Article 75(4) of the stepping stone EPA provides for its provisional application of the Agreement pending its entry into force. (4)  The stepping stone EPA should be signed on behalf of the Community and applied, as concerns elements falling within the competence of the Community, on a provisional basis subject to its conclusion at a later date, HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS: Article 1 The signing of the stepping stone Economic Partnership Agreement between Cote d’Ivoire, of the one part, and the European Community and its Member States, of the other part, is hereby approved on behalf of the Community, subject to the Council Decision concerning the conclusion of the said Agreement. The text of the stepping stone EPA is attached to this Decision. Article 2 For the purposes of Article 73(2) of the stepping stone EPA, the EPA Committee shall be composed, on the one hand, of the members of the Council and of representatives of the Commission and, on the other hand, of representatives of the Government of the Cote d'Ivoire. The Commission shall propose to the Council, for its decision, the position of the European Community with a view to the negotiation of the EPA Committee’s rules of procedure. Article 3 The President of the Council is hereby authorised to designate the person(s) empowered to sign the stepping stone EPA on behalf of the European Community subject to its conclusion.