On 22 January 2009 the European Community and its Member States signed the Stepping Stone Economic Partnership Agreement between Côte d’Ivoire, of the one part, and the European Community and its Member States, of the other part (the “Agreement”). Côte d’Ivoire signed the agreement on 26 November, 2008.

This Order declares the Agreement to be a Community Treaty as defined by section 1(2) of the European Communities Act 1972. The principal effect of declaring the Agreement to be a Community Treaty, as so defined, is that the provisions of section 2 of the European Communities Act 1972 (which provide for the implementation of Community Treaties) apply to it.

A full Impact Assessment has not been carried out for this Order as an initial assessment determined that the costs and benefits for business, the voluntary sector and public finances in the United Kingdom are expected to be negligible.