The President negotiates and signs treaties, covenants, or agreements and other instruments subject to approval by the Assembly (Article 150, paragraph 8 of the Constitution). The Assembly approves or rejects international treaties, covenants, pacts, agreements, and contracts of an economic nature, international commerce, regional integration, defence and security; those which increase external debtor risk to the nation's credit; and those which involve the juridical organisation of the state (Article 138, paragraph 12 of the Constitution). These instruments must be presented to the Assembly within 15 days from their introduction. They may only be discussed and debated at that time in a general sense and must be approved or rejected within 60 days from their presentation in the Assembly. Once that deadline is passed, for all legal purposes the instruments are considered as having been approved.