38 | II Série A - Número: 077S2 | 28 de Fevereiro de 2009

1 Subject to the conditions and following the procedure laid down by the Council acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 6(2) of the Convention within a period of one year after the Convention’s entry into force, the staff members of the Centre shall, within the limits provided for in this Protocol, be subject to a tax for the benefit of the Centre on salaries, wages and emoluments paid by the Centre. From the date on which this tax is applied such salaries, wages and emoluments shall be exempt from national income tax, the Member States retaining the right to take such salaries, wages and emoluments into account when assessing the amount of taxation to be applied to income from other sources. 2 Paragraph 1 shall not apply to pensions and similar payments paid by the Centre. ARTICLE 16 No Member State shall be obliged to accord the privileges, immunities and facilities referred to in Article 12, Article 13(b), (e), (f), and (g) and Article 14(c) to its representatives, its nationals or persons who, at the time of taking up their duties at the Centre, are permanent residents of that State. ARTICLE 17 The Council, acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 6(3)(o) of the Convention, shall determine the categories of staff members to which Articles 13 and 15 shall apply in whole or in part and the categories of experts to which Article 14 shall apply. The names, titles and addresses of persons included in such categories shall be communicated periodically to the Member States. ARTICLE 18 If the Centre establishes its own social security scheme or joins that of another international organisation under the conditions laid down in the Staff Regulations, the Centre and its staff members shall be exempt from all compulsory contributions to national social security schemes, subject to agreements to be concluded to that end with the Member States concerned under the conditions laid down in Article 22. ARTICLE 19 1. The privileges, immunities and facilities provided for in this Protocol are granted solely in the interests of the Centre and of the Member States, and not for the personal advantage of those enjoying them. 2. The competent authorities have not only the right but also the duty to waive an immunity where such immunity is impeding the course of justice and where it can be waived without prejudicing the purposes for which it was accorded. 3. The competent authorities referred to in paragraph 2 are
• the Member States, in the case of their representatives,

• the Council, in case of the Director-General, • the Director-General, in the case of the other staff members and experts within the meaning of Article 14. ARTICLE 15