27.1.2010 Official Journal of the European Union L 23/35 IV (Acts adopted before 1 December 2009 under the EC Treaty, the EU Treaty and the Euratom Treaty) COUNCIL DECISION of 26 November 2009 concerning the conclusion, by the European Community, of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2010/48/EC) THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Articles 13 and 95 in conjunction with the second sentence of the first paragraph of Article 300(2) and the first subparagraph of Article 300(3) thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament ('), Whereas: In May 2004, the Council authorised the Commission to conduct negotiations on behalf of the European Community concerning the United Nations Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities (hereinafter referred to as the UN Convention). 1 The UN Convention was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 13 December 2006 and entered into force on 3 May 2008. The UN Convention was signed on behalf of the Community on 30 March 2007 subject to its possible conclusion at a later date. The UN Convention constitutes a relevant and effective pillar for promoting and protecting the rights of persons with disabilities within the European Union, to which both the Community and its Member States attach the greatest importance. (5)  The UN Convention should be thus approved, on behalf of the Community, as soon as possible. (") Opinion delivered on 27 April 2009, not yet published in the Official Journal. Such approval should, however, be accompanied by a reservation, to be entered by the European Community, with regard to Article 27(1) of the UN Convention, in order to state that the Community concludes the UN Convention without prejudice to the Community law- based right, as provided under Article 3(4) of Council Directive 2000(78/EC (3), of its Member States not to apply to armed forces the principle of equal treatment on the grounds of disability. (6) Both the Community and its Member States have competence in the fields covered by the UN Convention. The Community and the Member States should therefore become Contracting Parties to it, so that together they can fulfil the obligations laid down by the UN Convention and exercise the rights invested in them, in situations of mixed competence in a coherent manner. The Community should, when depositing the instrument of formal confirmation, also deposit a declaration under Article 44.1 of the Convention specifying the matters governed by the Convention in respect of which competence has been transferred to it by its Member States, HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS: Article 1 1. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is hereby approved on behalf of the Community, subject to a reservation in respect of Article 27.1 thereof. 2. The text of the UN Convention is set out in Annex I to this Decision. The text of the reservation is contained in Annex III to this Decision. () O] L 303, 2.12.2000, p. 16.