Western European Union (Immunities and Privileges) Order, 1960
1960 No. 444
The Western European Union (Immunities and Privileges) Order, 196016thMarch 1960
on a date to be notified in the London Gazette
ARRANGEMENT OF ORDER
PART I THE ORGANISATION PART II REPRESENTATIVES PART III OFFICERS PART IV EXPERTS ON MISSIONS PART V THE TRIBUNAL PART VI GENERAL.
At the Court at Buckingham Palace, the 16th day of March, 1960
Present,
The Queen's Most Excellent Majesty in Council.
Whereas a draft of this Order has been laid before Parliament in accordance with section six of the International Organisations (Immunities and Privileges) Act, 1950(a) (hereinafter referred to as the Act), and an address has been presented to Her Majesty by each House of Parliament praying that an Order may be made in the terms of the said draft:
Now, therefore, Her Majesty, by virtue and in exercise of the powers in this behalf conferred on Her by the Act or otherwise in Her Majesty vested, is pleased, by and with the advice of Her Privy Council, to order, and it is hereby ordered, as follows:
PART I
THE ORGANISATION
1. Western European Union (hereinafter referred to as the Organisation) is an organisation of which the United Kingdom and foreign sovereign Powers are members.
(a) 14 Geo. 6. c. 14.
2. The Organisation shall have the legal capacities of a body corporate and, except in so far as in any particular case the Secretary-General, acting on behalf of the Organisation, has expressly authorised the waiver of this immunity, immunity from suit and legal process. No waiver of immunity shall be deemed to extend to any measure of execution or detention of property.
3. The Organisation shall have the like inviolability of official archives and premises occupied as offices as is accorded in respect of the official archives and premises of an envoy of a foreign sovereign Power accredited to Her Majesty.
4. The Organisation shall have the like exemption or relief from taxes and rates, other than taxes on the importation of goods, as is accorded to a foreign sovereign Power.
5. The Organisation shall have exemption from taxes on the importation of goods directly imported by the Organisation for its official use in the United Kingdom or for exportation, or on the importation of any publications of the Organisation directly imported by it, such exemption to be subject to compliance with such conditions as the Commissioners of Customs and Excise may prescribe for the protection of the Revenue.
6. The Organisation shall have exemption from quantitative restrictions on importation or exportation in the case of goods directly imported or exported by the Organisation for its official use and in the case of any publications of the Organisation directly imported or exported by it.
PART II
REPRESENTATIVES
7.—(1) Except in so far as in any particular case any privilege or immunity is waived by the Government of the member whom he represents, every person designated by a member as its principal permanent representative to the Organisation in the United Kingdom shall enjoy the like immunity from suit and legal process, the like inviolability of residence, and the like exemption or relief from taxes as is accorded to an envoy of a foreign sovereign Power accredited to Her Majesty.
(2) Part IV of the Schedule to the Act shall not operate so as to confer any immunity or privilege on members of the official staff of a principal permanent representative other...
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