Preamble
The member States of the Council of Europe, signatory to this Protocol No. 3 to the
European Outline Convention on Transfrontier Co-operation between Territorial Communities
or Authorities (ETS No. 106),
Wishing to facilitate co-operation between territorial communities or authorities
belonging to different states in keeping with States’ political and administrative
structures and international commitments;
Being resolved to supplement for this purpose the legal framework provided by the
European Outline Convention on Transfrontier Co-operation between Territorial Communities
or Authorities and its Protocols of 9 November 1995 (ETS No. 159) and 5 May 1998 (ETS No. 169);
Considering the Declaration of the Third Summit of the Heads of State and Government
of the Council of Europe (Warsaw, 16 and 17 May 2005) and the Action Plan adopted
at the Summit, which foresees the development of “transfrontier co-operation, as necessary”;
Aware of the difference between States in terms of the political and administrative
organisation of territorial communities and authorities;
Wishing to forestall the difficulties that could arise from the diversity of national
law in the field of transfrontier or interterritorial co-operation;
Wishing to meet the needs of those member States that are resolved to harmonise further
their national law;
Aware that for a number of member States framework legislation may be sufficient,
in particular having regard to the current state of their national law, which includes
the relevant provisions of European Community law as adopted by the competent institutions
of the European Union,