26.10.2006 Official Journal of the European Union L 297/1 Il (Acts whose publication is not obligatory) COUNCIL COUNCIL DECISION of 5 October 2006 on the accession of the Community to the Hague Conference on Private International Law (2006/719/EC) THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, (5) Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Commu- nity, and in particular Article 61(c), in conjunction with the first subparagraph of Article 300(2) and the second subparagraph of Article 300(3) thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Having regard to the assent of the European Parliament (1), Whereas: (1) The objective of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) is to work for the progressive 7) unification of the rules of private international law. The HCCH has to date adopted a substantial number of conventions in different fields of private international law. (2)  Since the entry into force of the Treaty of Amsterdam, the Community has competence to adopt measures in the field of judicial cooperation in civil matters having cross-border implications insofar as necessary for the proper functioning of the internal market. The Community has exerted this ®) competence by adopting a number of instruments, many of which coincide, partially or fully, with the areas of work of the HCCH. (3) It is essential that the Community be granted a status that corresponds to its new role as a major international player in the field of civil judicial cooperation and that it be able to exercise its external competence by participating as a full member in the negotiations of conventions by the HCCH in 9) areas of its competence. (4) By decision of 28 November 2002, the Council authorised the Commission to negotiate the conditions and modalities of Community accession to the HCCH. (10) (") Not yet published on the Official Journal. By a joint letter from the Commission and the Presidency to the HCCH of 19 December 2002, the Community applied to become a member of the HCCH, and requested the opening of negotiations. In April 2004, a Special Commission on General Affairs and Policy of the HCCH expressed the unanimous view that, as a matter of principle, the Community should become a Member of the HCCH and determined certain criteria and procedures for the modalities of its member- ship. In June 2005, the Diplomatic Conference of the HCCH adopted by consensus the amendments to the Statute of the HCCH (Statute) necessary to allow the accession of a Regional Economic Integration Organisation and the Members of the HCCH were subsequently invited to cast their votes on the amendments, if possible within a period of nine months. The amendments to the Statute will enter into force three months after the Secretary General of the HCCH has informed the Members that the required two-thirds majority for amending the Statute has been reached. Shortly after the entry into force, an extraordinary meeting of the Council on General Affairs and Policy will formally decide upon the Community’s accession to the HCCH. The outcome of the negotiations on the revision of the Statute is satisfactory, taking into account the interests of the Community. Article 2A of the revised Statute entitles the Community, as a Regional Economic Integration Organisation, to become a Member of the HCCH.