COUNCIL DECISION (EU) 2025/1119

of 26 May 2025

on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union within the International Grains Council as regards establishing new rules on written procedure and member access to International Grains Council’s archives

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 207(4), first subparagraph, in conjunction with Article 218(9) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

Whereas:

(1) The Grains Trade Convention, 1995 (‘the Convention’) was concluded by the Union by means of Council Decision 96/88/EC (1) and entered into force on 1 July 1995. The Convention was concluded for a period of three years and has been regularly extended.

(2) The International Grains Council, which was established by Article 9 of the Convention, approved the Rules of Procedure under the Convention (‘Rules of Procedure’) on 6 July 1995.

(3) Article 14 of the Convention and Rule 19 of the Rules of Procedure lay down rules on decision-making by the International Grains Council. However, decision-making by written procedure is not clearly defined.

(4) On 16 December 2024, the Secretariat of the International Grains Council proposed to amend Rules 19 and 20 of the Rules of Procedure with a view to establishing new rules on decision-making by written procedure for the International Grains Council and the Administrative Committee established by point (a) of Rule 20 of the Rules of Procedure. The objective of those amendments is to clearly define the conditions for adopting decisions by written procedure.

(5) According to Article 20 of the Convention, the status, privileges and immunities of the International Grains Council in the territory of the United Kingdom are governed by the Headquarters Agreement between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the International Wheat Council, which legally preceded the International Grains Council. That Agreement lays down that the archives of the International Grains Council shall be inviolable.

(6) On 16 December 2024, the Secretariat of the International Grains Council proposed to add a new Rule 26, on member access to International Grains Council’s archives, to the Rules of Procedure. The objective of the proposed new Rule is to establish clear conditions for members to access to the International Grains Council’s archives and the procedure for doing so. In particular, the new Rule 26 would require all requests for access to International Grains Council’s archives to be made in writing and for the applicant to be clearly identified.

(7) It is appropriate to establish the position to be taken on the Union’s behalf in the 62nd session of the International Grains Council with regard to the amendment of the Rules of Procedure concerning the addition of new rules on decision-making by written procedure and the conditions for members to access to the International Grains Council’s archives. The proposed amendments aim to clarify how the International Grains Council functions and to further improve the transparency of the International Grains Council. Therefore, the amendments are in the interest of the Union,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

The position to be taken on the Union’s behalf in the 62nd session of the International Grains Council shall be to vote in favour of inserting a new point (c) in Rule 19 and a new point (d) in Rule 20 of the Rules of Procedure under the Grains Trade Convention, 1995 (‘Rules of Procedure’), in accordance with the proposal submitted by the Secretariat of the International Grains Council on 16 December 2024, with the objective of establishing a procedure for the adoption of International Grains Council decisions by written procedure.

Article 2

The position to be taken on the Union’s behalf in the 62nd session of the International Grains Council shall be to vote in favour of adding a new Rule 26 to the Rules of Procedure, in accordance with the proposal submitted by the Secretariat of the International Grains Council on 16 December 2024, with the objective of clarifying the conditions for members to access the International Grains Council’s archives.

Article 3

This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption.

Done at Brussels, 26 May 2025.

For the Council

The President

C. SIEKIERSKI

(1) Council Decision 96/88/EC of 19 December 1995 concerning the approval by the European Community of the Grains Trade Convention and the Food Aid Convention, constituting the International Grains Agreement 1995 (

OJ L 21, 27.1.1996, p. 47

, ELI:

http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/1996/88/oj)

ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2025/1119/oj

ISSN 1977-0677 (electronic edition)