L 296/20 Official Journal of the European Union 14.11.2003 (Acts whose publication is not obligatory) COUNCIL COUNCIL DECISION of 27 October 2003 approving the accession of the European Community to the Protocol relating to the Madrid Agree- ment concerning the international registration of marks, adopted at Madrid on 27 June 1989 (2003/793/EC) THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Com- munity, and in particular Article 308, in conjunction with Article 300(2), second sentence, and Article 300(3), first subparagraph, thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission (!), Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (), Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee (), Whereas: (1) Council Regulation (EC) No 40/94 of 20 December 1993 on the Community trade mark (%), which is based on Article 308 of the Treaty, is designed to create a market which functions properly and offers conditions which are similar to those obtaining in a national market. In order to create a market of this kind and make it increasingly a single market, the said Regulation created the Community trade mark system whereby undertakings can by means of one procedural system obtain Community trade marks to which uniform protection is given and which produce their effects throughout the entire area of the European Community. (2)  Following preparations initiated and carried out by the World Intellectual Property Organisation with the parti- cipation of the Member States which are members of the Madrid Union, the Member States which are not members of the Madrid Union and the European Community, the Diplomatic Conference for the conclu- () 0J C 293, 5.10.1996, p. 11. () O] C167,2.6.1997, p. 252. () 0] C 89,19.3.1997, p. 14. (*) OJ L 11, 14.1.1994, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1653/2003, (O] L 245, 29.9.2003, p. 36). sion of a Protocol relating to the Madrid Agreement concerning the international registration of marks adopted the Protocol relating to the Madrid Agreement concerning the international registration of marks (here- after referred to as ‘the Madrid Protocol’) on 27 June 1989, at Madrid. (3)  The Madrid Protocol was adopted in order to introduce certain new features into the system of the international registration of marks existing under the Madrid Agree- ment concerning the international registration of marks of 14 April 1891 as amended (hereafter referred to as ‘the Madrid Agreement) (°). (4)  The objectives of the Madrid Protocol are to ease the way for certain States, and in particular the Member States which are not currently parties thereto, to accede to the system of international registration of marks. (5)  As compared to the Madrid Agreement, the Madrid Protocol introduced, in its Article 14, as one of the main innovations, the possibility that an intergovernmental organisation which has a regional office for the purpose of registering marks with effect in the territory of the organisation may become party to the Madrid Protocol. (6)  The possibility that an intergovernmental organisation which has a regional office for the purpose of registering marks may become a party to the Madrid Protocol was introduced in the Madrid Protocol in order to allow, in particular, for the European Community to accede to the said Protocol. () The Madrid Agreement concerning the international registration of marks as revised last at Stockholm on 14 July 1967 and as amended on 2 October 1979.