Tag Archives: Partnerships for the Accession

Partnership for the accession of Bulgaria

Outline of the Community (European Union) legislation about Partnership for the accession of Bulgaria

Topics

These categories group together and put in context the legislative and non-legislative initiatives which deal with the same topic.

Enlargement > Enlargement 2004 and 2007

Partnership for the accession of Bulgaria

The aim of the Accession Partnership is to assist the Bulgarian authorities in their efforts to comply with the accession criteria. It covers in detail the priorities for accession preparations, in particular implementing the acquis, and forms the basis for programming pre-accession assistance from Community funds such as the Phare programme.
On 25 April 2005 Bulgaria signed its Treaty of Accession to the European Union. The objective is to welcome Bulgaria as a new member of the European Union in January 2007.

In its ” Agenda 2000 ” communication, the European Commission has drawn up a . series of proposals for strengthening the pre-accession strategy for all the candidate countries of central and eastern Europe (CEEC). The general aim of the strategy is to provide a coherent programme to prepare these countries for Union membership and more particularly:

to bring together the various forms of aid offered by the European Union within a single framework, the accession partnerships;
to familiarise applicants with European Union procedures and policies by offering them the opportunity to participate in Community programmes.

Objective

The objective of the accession partnership (adopted in March 1998 and revised in December 1999, in January 2002 and in May 2003) is to set out within a legal framework the working priorities defined in the Commission’s 2002 Regular Report on Bulgaria’s progress toward accession and with the road map, the financial resources available to help Bulgaria implement these priorities and the conditions which apply to that assistance. The partnership underpins a range of instruments aimed at supporting the efforts of candidate countries in the accession process.

These instruments include a national programme for adopting the Community acquis, joint assessment of medium-term economic policy priorities, a pact against organised crime, the national development plans as well as other sectoral plans necessary for participation in structural funds following membership, and for pre-accession implementation of ISPA and SAPARD. The accession partnership has served as a starting point for the development of a plan of action to strengthen Bulgaria’s administrative and judicial capacities.

Although these instruments will not form an integral part of this partnership, their priorities will be compatible with it.

The implementation of the accession partnership will be monitored under the European Agreement between the European Union and Bulgaria.

Priorities

The accession partnership priorities were reviewed in December 1999 (see p. 3 of the Annex to Decision 1999/857/EC). A final review was published in May 2003 (Decision 2003/396/EC) and forms the basis of the 2003 Commission report.

The revised accession partnership defines the priorities which Bulgaria should wholly or largely achieve by 2003-2004. They were decided jointly by the European Union and Bulgaria. The level of aid granted to Bulgaria will depend on the completion of these priorities.

In 2004, Bulgaria began work to meet the priorities set in its revised partnership. Progress has been made in the areas of public administration reform and reform of the judicial system, the privatisation process and alignment with EU legislation. Nevertheless, further efforts are still required, especially as regards priorities in the field of respect for human rights and the protection of minorities. In this respect, efforts need to be fostered with regard to improving the situation of the Roma community. Much also remains to be done to reduce subsidies to the energy and transport sectors. Improvements in the quality of public investment in infrastructure, education and health are still needed. Reform plans in the area of customs and tax administrations must be applied.

To find out more, see: Adoption of the Community Acquis

Financial Framework

The support provided by the Phare programme and the other pre-accession instruments focuses on the priorities established in the accession partnership. For the years 2000-2004, total annual financial assistance to Bulgaria is around EUR 178 million annually from Phare, EUR 57.6 million from SAPARD, and between EUR 93 and EUR 127 million from ISPA.

Phare

The Phare Programme allocated EUR 1.54 billion to Bulgaria during the 1992-2003 period, including EUR 188.92 million in 2003. The Commission has granted Bulgaria Phare aid under the agreement signed in November 1999 concerning the closure of units 1 to 4 of the Kozloduy nuclear power plant. This agreement provides for a further EUR 200 million in aid for the period 2000-2006. A further EUR 140 million will be made available over the period 2004-2006, in line with the principle of EU solidarity with efforts to decommission certain nuclear installations and with the consequences. The 2004 Phare Programme for Bulgaria consists of an allocation of EUR 208.3 million for the National Programme, plus an allocation for nuclear decommissioning.

The 2004 Phare programme focuses on the following priorities:

Political criteria: projects for strengthening public administration at all levels and the judiciary (EUR 36 million); projects to improve transparency, financial control and the fight against corruption and fraud (EUR 8 million); projects for ethnic minorities, vulnerable groups and civil society (EUR 13 million).
Economic criteria: projects to promote economic growth and competitiveness and social cohesion (EUR 35 million).
Meeting the obligations of membership: projects to enhance the administrative and judicial capacity to implement and enforce legislative measures and assume the obligations of EU membership (EUR 42 million); projects to improve the strategic planning and effective utilisation of EU funds and prepare for structural funds (including implementation of EDIS) (EUR 12 million).

In addition, EUR 36 million from the Phare programme will be devoted to crossborder cooperation programmes on Bulgaria’s borders with Greece (EUR 20 million), Romania (EUR 8 million), Turkey (EUR 3 million), Serbia & Montenegro (EUR 3 million) and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (EUR 2 million).

Pre-accession aid

From the year 2000, financial aid will include aid for agriculture and rural development (SAPARD) and a structural instrument (ISPA) which will give priority to transport and environmental measures. The Regulation adopted in June 1999 for the coordination of Phare, SAPARD and ISPA aid allows the Commission to carry out ex-post checks on contracts when it deems the partner country’s financial supervision insufficient.

The indicative allocation from the Community for the implementation of the SAPARD programme in Bulgaria for 2004 is EUR 68.0 million. The allocation for 2003 was EUR 56.5 million. The main focus of the 2004 SAPARD programme is to prepare Bulgaria’s agriculture for membership of the EU. Consequently, the remaining financial resources only will be spent on acquis-related measures.

The ISPA budget allocation for Bulgaria of just over EUR 100 million per year has been fully committed in each year since 2000 (with only a small shortfall in 2002). The budgetary commitment in 2003 was EUR 112.6 million and the indicative allocation for 2004 will be around EUR 135.4 million. The ISPA strategies were reviewed in 2003. In the case of transport infrastructure, the emphasis is on completing or upgrading the main trans-European road and rail networks, including crossborder connections. In the environment sector, the Bulgarian Government has focused on improving water quality via investments in waste water treatment, sewerage systems and water supply. Urban waste management and air pollution are also priority areas.

References

Commission Opinion COM(97)2008 final
Not published in the Official Journal

ACCESSION PARTNERSHIPS

Council Decision 98/266/EC of 30.03.1998
Official Journal L 121 of 23.04.1998

Decision 1999/857/EC

Official Journal L 335 of 28.12.1999

Decision 2002/83/EC
Official Journal L 44 of 14.02.2002

Decision 2003/396/EC

Official Journal L 145 of 12.06.2003

REGULAR REPORTS

Commission Opinion COM(97)2008 final
Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(98)707 final
Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(1999)501 final
Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(2000)701 final
Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(2001)700 final – SEC(2001)1744
Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(2002)700 final – SEC(2002)1400
Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(2003) 676 final – SEC (2002) 1210
Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(2004) 657 final – SEC(2004) 1199
Not published in the Official Journal

MONITORING REPORTS FOLLOWING THE SIGNATURE OF THE TREATY OF ACCESSION

Treaty of Accession of Bulgaria of 25 April 2005 – Official Journal L 157 of 21.06.2005
On 11 May 2005 the Bulgarian parliament ratified the treaty of accession to the European Union, which Bulgaria had signed in Luxembourg on 25 April 2005 after the European Parliament had given its assent on 13 April 2005. Bulgaria is scheduled to join the European Union on 1 January 2007.

Comprehensive monitoring report from the Commission COM(2005) 534 final – SEC(2005)1352

Monitoring report of May 2006 from the Commission COM(2006) 214 final – SEC(2006) 596

Communication from the Commission of 16 May 2006 “Monitoring report on the state of preparedness for EU membership of Bulgaria and Romania” COM (2006) 214 final
Not published in the Official Journal

This summary is for information only and is not designed to interpret or replace the reference document.

A stronger partnership for the outermost regions

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A stronger partnership for the outermost regions

Outline of the Community (European Union) legislation about A stronger partnership for the outermost regions

Topics

These categories group together and put in context the legislative and non-legislative initiatives which deal with the same topic.

Regional policy > Provisions and instruments of regional policy

A stronger partnership for the outermost regions

Document or Iniciative

Commission communication of 26 May 2004. “A stronger partnership for the outermost regions” [COM(2004) 343 final – Not published in the Official Journal].

Summary

Seven of the regions in the European Union are classified as ‘outermost’: the four French overseas departments (Guadeloupe, French Guyana, Martinique and Réunion), the Spanish Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands, and the Portuguese autonomous regions of the Azores and Madeira.

The outermost regions have to cope with specific constraints – remoteness, insularity, small size, difficult topography and climate, as well as economic dependence on a few products – all factors the permanence and combination of which severely restrain their socio-economic development. (Article 299(2) of the EC Treaty).

Priorities for action

The action plan for developing the outermost regions proposed by the Commission will be grouped in three fields of action to take into account their specific needs. The three priorities for action are:

promoting accessibility. The proposed measures are designed to reduce the main constraints arising from the isolation of these regions.
improving competitiveness. This priority aims to create an economic environment that favours the setting up of businesses. Otherwise, firms remain restricted to a limited local market that is fragmented and remote.
prioritising regional intergration. Regional intergration aims to develop trade in goods and services between these regions and neighbouring non-member countries. It is important to encourage their intergration into their surrounding geographical area.

COHESION POLICY REFORM

The strategy comes under the general context of the European Cohesion Policy reform for the period 2007-13. The third report on social and economic cohesion of February 2004 sets out the Commission’s priorities for the cohesion policy after 2006. In the context of the outermost regions, the report states that these regions are eligible for any of the regional policy objectives after 2006: Convergence, Regional Competitiveness and Employment and European Territorial Cooperation.The report also proposes

setting up a specific programme to compensate for additional costs;
implementing the ‘wider neighbourhood’ action plan.

These elements are the subject of the legislative proposals (proposals for Regulations of 14 July 2004 – general regulation and ERDF Regulation) and non legislative proposals (strategic Community guidelines) by the Commission, in particular within the general context of the reformed European Cohesion Policy.

Additional allocation to compensate for extra costs

For the period 2007-13, the Commission proposes an additional allocation to compensate for the handicaps and constraints of the outermost regions, which cause additional production costs. The program will be financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

This allocation aims to reduce the problems set out in the EC Treaty that, along with the factors of competitivity and accessibility, hinder the economy of the outermost regions.

The objectives of the programme are aimed at compensating:

difficulties of access due to their great isolation, fragmentation and topography;
small regional markets, breaking bulk and no or inadequate economic diversification;
environmental and climatic difficulties and the preservation of biodiversity.

The ‘wider neighbourhood’ action plan

A “wider neighbourhood” measure aimed at facilitating cooperation with the neighbouring countries, thereby increasing economic, social and cultural links, trade in goods and services and the movement of people. These regions are very close to the geographical markets of the Caribbean, America and Africa, particularly those of the ACP countries (African, Caribbean and Pacific countries parties to the Cotonou Agreement). This is not a financial instrument, but a Commission initiative in order to coordinate the efforts being made by the Community more efficiently, in all policies concerned.

The reformed European Cohesion Policy’s contribution to this action plan would be included under the new “European territorial cooperation” programme, which is based on two main principles:

transnational and cross-border cooperation;
trade and customs measures.

The priorities in the context of the European transnational and cross-border cooperation will require the following guidelines to be taken into account:

facilitating exchanges as regards transport, services and the information and communications technologies;
facilitating exchanges of persons (including the fight against illegal immigration);
exchanges of experience as regards regional integration.

The commercial policy’s contribution to this action plan is based on the actions in the field of commercial trade, and customs measures that focus on the need for the outermost regions to be integrated into their regional economy more efficiently. On one hand, the outermost regions must be included in the economic partnership agreements (EPA) between the EU and the ACP countries (ACP-EU) within the general context of the Cotonou Agreement. On the other hand, the outermost regions must be included in the Union’s preferential agreements with other non-member countries. In this context, the customs aspects must be taken into account.

OTHER COMMUNITY POLICIES

As well as the cohesion policy, the instruments used under the other Community policies can also help implement the development strategy for the outermost regions. These instruments come under the context of actions linked to competitiveness, growth and the specific constraints of the outermost regions.

Actions linked to competitiveness and growth

The additional costs impact on most of the sectors of the local economy producing goods and services in the outermost regions. This has resulted in a very poor diversification, an economy that is weak in job-creation and a higher degree of dependency than in the rest of the Union.

To overcome these constraints, this communication proposes the following actions linked to competitivity and growth in the following areas:

developing human resources;
public services, due to the lack of any real competition between economic operators, whether public or private;
innovation, the information society and research and technological development (in conjunction with the objectives of the Lisbon strategy);
the environment.

The specific characteristics which affect the situation of the outermost regions must also be taken into account as part of the revision of the guidelines on State aids for regional purposes.

Action on the constraints on the outermost regions

Use of the existing instruments in the fields of air transport and sea transport can reduce the impact of poor access to the outermost regions. The links concerned are those between the outermost regions and mainland Europe (in both directions), between the outermost regions themselves and within those regions.

In addition the Commission proposes several measures in the agriculture sector (regarding the Rural Development Fund, reforming the specific regulations for guidance on the remoteness and insularity (POSEI) or the scheme for the sugar and banana sectors, for example) and in the fisheries sector (under the new European Fisheries Fund, for example), taking into account the fragile production in these sectors.

Context

In order to press ahead with the implementation of Article 299(2) on the EC Treaty of the special status of the outermost regions, the Seville European Council June 2002 invited the Commission to submit a strategy for the outermost regions. The communication of May 2004 following this decision and implements the measures in this communication.

Related Acts

Commission Report, 14 March 2000, on the measures to implement Article 299(2) – the outermost regions of the European Union [COM(2000) 147 final – Not published in the Official Journal].

Commission Report, 19 December 2002, on implementation of Article 299(2) of the EC Treaty: measures to assist the outermost regions [COM(2002) 723 final – Not published in the Official Journal].

Communication from the Commission, 18 February 2004. « A new partnership for Cohesion – Convergence, Competitiveness, Co-operation» Third Report on Economic and Social Coheison [COM(2004) 107 – Not published in the Official Journal].

Proposal for a Council Regulation, 14 July 2004, laying down general provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund and the Cohesion Fund [COM(2004) 492 final – Not published in the Official Journal].

Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council, 14 July 2004, on the European Regional Development Fund [COM(2004) 495 final – Not published in the Official Journal].

Communication from the Commission, 6 August 2004, A stronger partnership for the outermost regions: situation and prospects (COM(2004) 343),

Communication from the Commission, 26 May 2004) [COM(2004) 543 final – Not published in the Official Journal].

Proposal for a Council Regulation establishing a temporary scheme for the restructuring of the sugar industry in the European Community and amending Regulation (EC) No 1258/1999 on the financing of the common agricultural policy [COM(2005) 263 final – Not published in the Official Journal].

Partnership for the accession of Slovenia

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Partnership for the accession of Slovenia

Outline of the Community (European Union) legislation about Partnership for the accession of Slovenia

Topics

These categories group together and put in context the legislative and non-legislative initiatives which deal with the same topic.

Enlargement > Enlargement 2004 and 2007

Partnership for the accession of Slovenia

The aim of the Accession Partnership is to assist the authorities in the candidate country in their efforts to comply with the accession criteria. It covers in detail the priorities for accession preparations, in particular implementing the acquis, and forms the basis for programming pre-accession assistance from Community funds such as the Phare programme. Following the signing of the Accession Treaty on 16 April 2003 and the official integration of the country into the European Union on 1 May 2004, the accession partnership has come to an end.

In its communication ” Agenda 2000 “, the European Commission has set out a range of proposals for strengthening the pre-accession strategy for all the candidate countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The general objective of this strategy is to offer a coherent programme for preparing these countries for membership of the European Union, and more particularly:

to bring together the various forms of aid offered by the European Union within a single framework, the accession partnerships,
to familiarise applicants with the European Union’s procedures and policies by offering them the opportunity to participate in Community programmes.

1) Objective

The objective of the accession partnership (approved in March 1998 and amended in December 1999 and January 2002) is to set down in law the working priorities defined in the Commission opinion on Slovenia’s application for membership, the financial resources available to help Slovenia implement these priorities and the conditions attached to this aid. The partnership provides a framework for a range of instruments designed to support candidate countries’ efforts to prepare for membership.

These instruments include a national programme for the adoption of the Community acquis (NPAA) (revised in May 2002), joint evaluation of medium-term economic policy priorities, the pact against organised crime, the national development plan and other sectoral programmes necessary for participation in the Structural Funds after accession and implementation of ISPA and SAPARD beforehand. In 2002, the partnership for accession served as the starting point for preparing an action plan to reinforce the administrative and judicial capacity of Slovenia.

Though these instruments will not be an integral part of the partnership, their priorities will be compatible with it.

Implementation of the partnership for accession will be monitored under the Europe Agreement between the European Union and Slovenia.

2) Priorities

There are short- and medium-term priorities. Short-term priorities are issues that Slovenia was likely to resolve or make headway with during 2000. The medium-term priorities should be dealt with fully by the end of 2003.

Slovenia has partly achieved the economic and political criteria priorities. It has totally or largely achieved the priorities linked to the free movement of persons, the free movement of capital, agriculture, social affairs and employment, energy, customs union, foreign affairs and financial control. Most of the other priorities of the partnership have been partly achieved.

The priorities for the accession partnership were revised in December 1999 (see p.3 of the Annex to Decision 1999/859/EC). A final revision was published in February 2002 (Decision 2002/94/EC). This forms the basis of the Commission’s evaluation in its 2002 report.

The priority areas are now:
(for up-to-date information on this subject, please refer to the Adoption of the Community acquis section)

economic reform
institutional and administrative capacity building
internal market
property law
environment
political criteria
economic policy
justice and home affairs
nuclear safety
agriculture – fisheries
transport
employment and social affairs
regional policy and cohesion

3) Financial Framework

Phare

The 2000 Phare programme allocated EUR 33.4 million. A further EUR 7 million were allocated for cross-border cooperation programmes. Phare 2001 allocated EUR 21.3 million for Slovenia. A further EUR 7 million were provided for cross-border cooperation. Phare 2002 allocated EUR 18 million to Slovenia, plus an envelope of EUR 16.9 million under the additional facility to reinforce the institutions. This was supplemented by a further envelope of EUR 7 million for cross-border cooperation with its neighbours.

The partner country’s authorities are responsible for aid-related contracts and payments. However, the Financial Regulation of the European Communities requires the Commission to supervise contracting procedures and approve Phare contracts signed by the partner country before they enter into force.

Pre-accession aid

From 2000, financial assistance has included aid for agriculture and rural development (SAPARD) and a structural instrument (ISPA) according priority to transport and environmental measures. The Regulation of June 1999 coordinating aid under Phare, SAPARD and ISPA allows the Commission to exercise ex-post supervision over contracts if dissatisfied with the partner country’s own financial control.

Financial assistance for the period 2000-02 was broken down as follows: EUR 25 million a year under Phare, EUR 6.5 million a year under SAPARD and EUR 10.8-21.7 million a year under ISPA. SAPARD 2002 allocated EUR 6.6 million to Slovenia. The ISPA envelope for 2002 was between EUR 10.9 and 21.8 million.

4) References

Decision 98/268/EC of 30 March 1998
Official Journal L 121 of 23.04.1998

Decision 1999/859/EC of 6 December 1999
Official Journal L 335 of 28.12.1999

Commission Opinion COM(97) 2010 final
Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(98) 709 final
Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(1999) 512 final
Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(2000) 712 final
Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(2001) 700 final – SEC(2001)1755
Not published in the Official Journal

Decision 2002/94/EC of 28 January 2002
Official Journal L 44 of 14.02.2002

Commission Report COM(2002) 700 final – SEC(2002)1411
Not published in the Official Journal

Treaty of Accession to the European Union [Official Journal L 236, 23.09.2003]

This summary is for information only and is not designed to interpret or replace the reference document.

Partnership for the Accession of Slovakia

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Partnership for the accession of Slovakia

Outline of the Community (European Union) legislation about Partnership for the accession of Slovakia

Topics

These categories group together and put in context the legislative and non-legislative initiatives which deal with the same topic.

Enlargement > Enlargement 2004 and 2007

Partnership for the accession of Slovakia

In its communication ” Agenda 2000 “, the European Commission set out a range of proposals for strengthening the pre-accession strategy for all the candidate countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The general objective of this strategy is to offer a coherent programme for preparing these countries for membership of the European Union, and more particularly:

to bring together the various forms of aid offered by the European Union within a single framework, the accession partnerships;
to familiarise applicants with the European Union’s procedures and policies by offering them the opportunity to participate in Community programmes.

1) Objective

The objective of the partnership for accession (adopted in March 1998 and amended in December 1999 and in January 2002), is to lay down in law the working priorities set out in the Commission’s Opinion on Slovakia’s application for membership, the financial resources available to help Slovakia implement these priorities and the conditions which apply to this aid. The partnership provides the framework for a range of instruments designed to support candidate countries as they prepare for membership.

These instruments include a national programme for the adoption of the acquis (NPAA), joint assessment of medium-term economic policy priorities, a pact against organised crime, a national development plan and other sectoral plans necessary for participation in the Structural Funds after accession and to implement ISPA and Sapard prior to accession. In 2002, the partnership for accession served as the starting point for preparing an action plan to reinforce the administrative and judicial capacity of Slovakia.

Those instruments are not an integral part of the partnership, but the priorities they contain will be compatible with it.

The implementation of the partnership for accession will be monitored under the Europe Agreement between the European Union and Slovakia.

2) Priorities

These are divided into two groups: short and medium term. The priority issues of the first group are those which Slovakia was likely to resolve or make progress with over the course of the year 2000. Those in the second group should be settled by the end of 2003.

Slovakia has largely achieved the political criteria priorities. The economic criteria priorities have been partly achieved. As for the priorities in the areas of competition policy, statistics, culture and audiovisual policy, the environment, consumer protection and health, cooperation in the field of justice and home affairs, customs union and financial control, these have been largely achieved. In the other areas, the priorities have been partly achieved.

In December 1999, the partnership for accession priorities were revised (see p. 3 of the Annex to Decision 1999/853/EC). A final revision was published in February 2002 (Decision 2002/934/EC). It provides the reference on which the Commission report of 2002 is based.

The priority areas are as follows:
(for up-to-date information on this subject, please refer to the Adoption of the Community acquis section)

Political criteria
Economic reform
Institutional and administrative capacity building
Internal market
Environment
Economic policy
Justice and home affairs
Agriculture
Energy
Transport
Employment and social affairs
Regional policy and cohesion

3) Financial Framework

Phare

The 2000 Phare Programme for Slovakia provided for a national allocation of EUR 28 million. Another EUR 6 million were set aside for a programme of cross-border cooperation with Austria, EUR 4 million were earmarked for cooperation with Poland and EUR 2 million for cooperation with Hungary. EUR 43.5 million were granted through Phare 2001. The programme also allocated EUR 25 million to decommission the Bohunice nuclear power station. A further EUR 12 million were allocated to cross-border cooperation with Austria (EUR 6 million), Poland (EUR 4 million) and Hungary (EUR 2 million). Phare 2002 provided for a national allocation of EUR 37 million for Slovakia. A further EUR 20.1 million were earmarked under the facility specified by the programme to strengthen the country’s institutions. The national allocation included an envelope of EUR 12 million intended for cross-border cooperation.

The authorities of the partner country assume responsibility for aid-related contracts and payments. However, under the EC Financial Regulation, the Commission must monitor the contract award procedure and approve all contracts financed by Phare and signed by the partner country prior to their entry into force.

Pre-accession aid

From 2000, financial assistance comprises aid for agriculture and rural development (Sapard) and a structural instrument (ISPA) which will give priority to measures in the field of transport and the environment. The Regulation coordinating Phare aid, Sapard and ISPA, adopted in June 1999, enables the Commission to carry out ex-post checks on the contracts if it considers the checks carried out by the partner country to be insufficient.

Over the period 2000-2002, the financial assistance available totalled EUR 80.5 million annually for Phare, EUR 18.6 million annually for SAPARD and between EUR 3.5 and 5.5 million for ISPA. The SAPARD 2002 envelope for Slovakia was EUR 19.2 million and that for the ISPA programme was between EUR 38.1 and 59.9 million.

4) References

Decision 98/262/EC of 30 March 1998
Official Journal L 121 of 23.04.1998

Decision 1999/853/EC of 6 December 1999
Official Journal L 335 of 28.12.1999

Commission Opinion COM(97) 2004 final
Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(98) 703 final
Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(1999) 511 final
Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(2000) 711 final
Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(2001) 700 final – SEC(2001) 1754
Not published in the Official Journal

Decision 2002/93/EC of 28.01.2002
Official Journal L44 of 14.02.2002

Commission Report COM(2002) 700 final – SEC(2002) 1410
Not published in the Official Journal

Treaty of Accession to the European Union [Official Journal L 236, 23.09.2003]

This summary is for information only and is not designed to interpret or replace the reference document.

Partnership for the accession of Poland

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Partnership for the accession of Poland

Outline of the Community (European Union) legislation about Partnership for the accession of Poland

Topics

These categories group together and put in context the legislative and non-legislative initiatives which deal with the same topic.

Enlargement > Enlargement 2004 and 2007

Partnership for the accession of Poland

to bring together the various forms of aid offered by the European Union within a single framework, the accession partnerships;
to familiarise applicants with the European Union’s procedures and policies by offering them the opportunity to participate in Community programmes.

1) Objective

The objective of the partnership for accession adopted in March 1998 and amended in December 1999 and in January 2002 is to place within a legislative framework the working priorities set out in the Commission’s opinion on Poland’s application for membership, the financial resources available to help Poland implement these priorities and the conditions which apply to this aid. The partnership underpins a range of instruments to support candidate countries in the accession process.

They also include a national programme for adopting the Community acquis, joint evaluation of medium-term economic priorities, the pact against organised crime, national development plan and other sectoral programmes required for participation in post-accession structural funds and pre-accession implementation of ISPA and SAPARD. In 2002, the partnership for accession served as the starting point for preparing an action plan to reinforce the administrative and judicial capacity of Poland.

Although these instruments will not form an integral part of the partnership their priorities will be compatible.

The implementation of the partnership for accession will be monitored under the Europe Agreement between the European Union and Poland.

2) Priorities

These are divided into two groups: short term and medium term. Poland was expected to resolve or make progress on the priority issues in the first group before the end of 2000. Those in the second group should be settled by the end of 2003.

Poland has not achieved the political criteria priorities. However, the economic criteria priorities have largely been achieved. Most of the other priorities (except in the areas of financial control, social policy, economic and monetary union, fisheries and agriculture) have been partly achieved.

The accession partnership priorities were reviewed in December 1999 (see page 3 of the Annex to Decision 98/851/EC). The most recent revision was published in 2002 (Decision 2002/91/EC). This forms the basis of the Commission’s assessment in its 2002 report.

The priority areas are:
(for up-to-date information on this subject, please refer to the Adoption of the Community acquis section)

Economic reform
Institutional and administrative capacity-building
Internal market
Justice and home affairs
Agriculture/fisheries
Environment
Political criteria
Economic policy
Transport
Employment and social affairs
Regional policy and cohesion

3) Financial Framework

Phare

A total of EUR 2 534 million was provided by the Phare programme to Poland between 1999 and 2000. EUR 428 million were allocated for the 2000 Phare programme for Poland. An additional sum of EUR 55 million was released for the programme of cooperation with Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia and for special action in the Baltic Sea Region. The 2001 Phare programme for Poland made provision for EUR 396 million. An additional EUR 56 million was released for the same actions as in 2000. Phare 2002 allocated EUR 342.2 million plus an additional sum of EUR 51.8 million to strengthen the institutions. Another additional envelope of EUR 56 million was agreed for cross-border cooperation with Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia and for special action in the Baltic Sea Region.

The Polish authorities are assuming responsibility for aid contracts and payments. However, the European Communities’ Financial Regulation requires the Commission to oversee contract award procedures and to approve any contract financed by Phare and signed with the partner country before it comes into effect.

Pre-accession aid

Aid for agriculture and rural development (SAPARD) and a structural instrument (ISPA) giving priority to aid in the transport and environmental sectors were introduced in 2000. The Regulation coordinating aid under Phare, SAPARD and ISPA was adopted in June 1999, enabling the Commission to carry out ex-post monitoring of contracts where it considers the financial control in the partner country to be deficient.

The total financial aid to be made available each year from 2000 to 2002 was EUR 398 million for Phare, EUR 168.6 million for SAPARD and between EUR 312 and 385 million for ISPA. SAPARD 2002 allocated EUR 177 million to Poland. The ISPA envelope for the same year was EUR 357 million.

4) References

Council Decision 98/260/EC of 30 March 1998
Official Journal L 121 of 23.4.1998

Decision 99/851/EC of 6 December 1999
Official Journal L 335 of 28.12.1999

Commission opinion COM(97) 2002 final
Not published in the Official Journal

Commission report COM(98) 701 final
Not published in the Official Journal

Commission report COM(1999) 509 final
Not published in the Official Journal

Commission report COM(2000) 709 final
Not published in the Official Journal

Commission report COM(2001) 700 final – SEC(2001) 1752
Not published in the Official Journal

Decision 2002/91/EC of 28 January 2002
Official Journal L 44 of 14.02.2002

Commission report COM(2002) 700 final – SEC(2002) 1408
Not published in the Official Journal

Treaty of Accession to the European Union [Official Journal L 236, 23.09.2003]

This summary is for information only and is not designed to interpret or replace the reference document.

Partnership for the accession of Malta

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Partnership for the accession of Malta

Outline of the Community (European Union) legislation about Partnership for the accession of Malta

Topics

These categories group together and put in context the legislative and non-legislative initiatives which deal with the same topic.

Enlargement > Enlargement 2004 and 2007

Partnership for the accession of Malta

The Berlin European Council of March 1999 called on the Commission to submit proposals concerning a specific pre-accession strategy for Malta. The Council approved a Regulation in March 2000 on the implementation of operations in the framework of a pre-accession strategy for the Republic of Cyprus and the Republic of Malta [Regulation (EC) No 555/2000 – Official Journal L 78, 16.03.2000]. This strategy is based on:

The establishment of the accession partnership;
Support for priority operations to prepare for accession, as defined within the partnerships;
Participation in certain Community programmes and agencies.

1) Objective

The objective of the partnership for accession is to provide a single legal framework for the working priorities identified in the Commission’s regular report of 1999 on Malta’s progress towards accession, the financial resources available to help Malta implement these priorities and the conditions which apply to this aid. A revised version of the partnership for the accession of Malta was published in February 2002 (Decision 2002/90/EC). This forms the basis for the Commission’s 2002 report. The partnership underpins a range of instruments to support applicant countries in their accession processes.

These include a national programme for adopting the Community acquis (NPAA) (revised in December 2001), joint evaluation of medium-term economic priorities, the pact against organised crime, national development plans and other sectoral programmes required for participation in the Structural Funds after accession. In 2002, the partnership for accession served as the starting point for preparing an action plan to reinforce the administrative and judicial capacity of Malta.

Although these instruments will not form an integral part of the partnership, their priorities will be compatible.

The implementation of the partnership will be monitored under the Association Agreement.

2) Priorities

These are divided into two groups: short term and medium term. Malta is capable of resolving or making progress on the priority issues of the first group before the end of 2000. Dealing with the priority issues of the second group should be completed by the end of 2003.

Malta has achieved, to a limited extent, the economic criteria priorities. Those relating to the free movement of goods, the free provision of services, the free movement of capital, competition, statistics, regional policy, consumer protection and health, cooperation in the field of justice and home affairs, customs union, foreign affairs and financial control have largely been achieved. Most of the priorities in the other sectors have only been partly achieved.

The priorities are:
(for up-to-date information on this subject, please refer to the Adoption of the Community acquis section)

economic reform
reinforcement of institutional and administrative capacity
internal market
justice and home affairs
environment
energy
agriculture – fisheries
transport
employment and social affairs
regional policy and cohesion

3) Financial Framework

Pre-accession aid

The fourth financial protocol (1995-1998) was extended by one year, until 31 December 1999. In 1999, the resources available increased to EUR 5 million. Council Regulation (EC) No 555/2000 lays down a financial reference amount of EUR 95 million for the implementation of operations in the framework of the pre-accession strategy for Cyprus and Malta (EUR 38 million of which is for Malta). This amount will be available for the period up to 31 December 2004. In 2001, Malta received pre-accession aid totalling EUR 7.5 million. The amount allocated for 2002 was EUR 9.5 million.

Malta is eligible for loans from the European Investment Bank (EIB) with EUR 30 million available for this purpose under the fourth financial protocol concluded between Malta and the European Union. It is also participating in the MEDA regional programmes.

4) References

Regulation (EC) No 555/2000

Official Journal L 68 of 16.03.2000

Decision 2000/249/EC

Official Journal L 78 of 29.03.2000

Commission report COM(2001)700 final – SEC(2001)1751
Not published in the Official Journal

Decision 2002/90/EC
Official Journal L 44 of 14.02.2002

Commission report COM(2002) 700 final – SEC(2002) 1407
Not published in the Official Journal

Treaty of Accession to the European Union [Official Journal L 236, 23.09.2003]

This summary is for information only and is not designed to interpret or replace the reference document.

Partnership for the accession of Latvia

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Partnership for the accession of Latvia

Outline of the Community (European Union) legislation about Partnership for the accession of Latvia

Topics

These categories group together and put in context the legislative and non-legislative initiatives which deal with the same topic.

Enlargement > Enlargement 2004 and 2007

Partnership for the accession of Latvia

to bring together the various forms of aid offered by the European Union within a single framework, the accession partnerships;
to familiarise applicants with the European Union’s procedures and policies by offering them the opportunity to participate in Community programmes.

1) Objective

The objective of the partnership for accession adopted in March 1998 and amended in December 1999 and in January 2002 is to provide a legal framework for the working priorities set out in the Commission’s opinion on Latvia’s application for membership, the financial resources available to help Latvia implement these priorities and the conditions which apply to this aid. The partnership underpins a range of instruments to support candidate countries in the accession process.

These instruments include a national programme for adopting the Community acquis (revised in April 2002), joint evaluation of medium-term economic priorities, a pact against organised crime, the national development plan and other sectoral programmes required for participation in the Structural Funds after accession and pre-accession implementation of ISPA and SAPARD. In 2002, the partnership for accession served as the starting point for preparing an action plan to reinforce the administrative and judicial capacity of Latvia.

Although these instruments will not form an integral part of the partnership their priorities will be compatible.

The implementation of the partnership for accession will be monitored under the Europe Agreement between the European Union and Latvia.

2) Priorities

These are divided into two groups: short- and medium-term priorities. The priority issues in the first group were those likely to be tackled or completed by Latvia during 2000. Those in the second group should be settled by the end of 2003.

Latvia has achieved the priorities relating to economic criteria, free movement of persons, free movement of goods, free movement of capital and statistics. In most areas the priorities have been partly achieved.

The accession partnership priorities were reviewed in December 1999 (see point 3 of the Annex to Decision 1999/854/EC). The most recent review was published in February 2002 (Decision 2002/88/EC). This forms the basis of the Commission’s 2002 report.

The priority areas are:
(for up-to-date information on this subject, please refer to the Adoption of the Community acquis section)

Political criteria
Economic reform
Strengthening institutional and administrative capacities
Internal market
Justice and home affairs
Environment
Economic policy
Agriculture – Fisheries
Transport
Employment and social affairs
Regional policy and cohesion

3) Financial Framework

Phare

The 2001 Phare programme for Latvia allocated EUR 31.4 million for the national programme. A further EUR 3 million were set aside for the Baltic cross-border cooperation programme. Phare 2002 allocated EUR 27 million to Latvia, plus EUR 5 million under the additional financing mechanism to strengthen the institutions. A further EUR 3 million were earmarked for the Baltic cross-border cooperation programme.

The Latvian authorities are assuming responsibility for aid contracts and payments. However, the European Communities’ Financial Regulation requires the Commission to oversee contract award procedures and to approve any Phare-funded contract signed by the partner country before it comes into effect.

Pre-accession aid

Aid for agriculture and rural development (SAPARD) and a structural instrument (ISPA) giving priority to aid in the transport and environmental sectors will be introduced in 2000. The Regulation coordinating aid under Phare, SAPARD and ISPA was adopted in June 1999. It enables the Commission to carry out ex post monitoring of contracts where it considers financial control in the partner country to be deficient.

The total financial aid made available between 2000 and 2002 was EUR 90 million for Phare, EUR 66 million for SAPARD and between EUR 105 and EUR 165 million for ISPA. Annually, this amounted to EUR 35 million from Phare, EUR 22.2 million from SAPARD and between EUR 36.4 and 57.2 million from ISPA. For Latvia, the indicative envelope for SAPARD 2002 was EUR 22.9 million. For ISPA this was between EUR 38.1 and 59.9 million.

In 2002, in order to support the efforts of the countries negotiating accession to the Union, the Commission provided special financial aid amounting to EUR 250 million.

4) References

Council Decision 98/263/EC of 30 March 1998
Official Journal L 121 of 23.04.1998

Council Decision 1999/854/EC of 6 December 1999
Official Journal L 335 of 28.12.1999

Commission Opinion COM(97) 2005 final
Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(98) 704 final
Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(1999) 506 final
Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(2000) 706 final
Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(2001) 700 final – SEC(2001)1749
Not published in the Official Journal

Decision 2002/88/EC of 28.01.2002
Official Journal L 44, 14.02.2002

Commission Report COM(2002) 700 final – SEC(2002) 1405
Not published in the Official Journal

Treaty of Accession to the European Union [Official Journal L 236, 23.09.2003]

This summary is for information only and is not designed to interpret or replace the reference document.

Partnership for the accession of Hungary

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Partnership for the accession of Hungary

Outline of the Community (European Union) legislation about Partnership for the accession of Hungary

Topics

These categories group together and put in context the legislative and non-legislative initiatives which deal with the same topic.

Enlargement > Enlargement 2004 and 2007

Partnership for the accession of Hungary

to bring together the various forms of aid offered by the European Union within a single framework, the accession partnerships;
to familiarise applicants with the European Union’s procedures and policies by offering them the opportunity to participate in Community programmes.

1) Objective

The objective of the partnership for accession (adopted in March 1998 and revised in December 1999 and in January 2002) is to set out in a single legal framework the working priorities defined in the Commission’s Opinion on Hungary’s application for membership, the financial resources available to help Hungary implement these priorities and the conditions which apply to this aid. The partnership underpins a range of instruments to support candidate countries in the accession process.

These include a national programme for adopting the Community acquis (revised in March 2002), joint evaluation of medium-term economic priorities, the pact against organised crime, national development plans and other sectoral programmes required for participation in structural funds after accession and pre-accession implementation of ISPA and SAPARD. In 2002, the partnership for accession served as the starting point for preparing an action plan to reinforce the administrative and judicial capacity of Hungary.

Although these instruments will not form an integral part of the partnership their priorities will be compatible.

The implementation of the partnership for accession will be monitored under the Europe Agreement between the European Union and Hungary.

2) Priorities

These are divided into two groups: short and medium-term. The priority questions in the first group are those which Hungary should have settled or made progress on during the year 2000. Those in the second group should be settled by the end of 2003.

In general, Hungary has partly achieved the priorities linked to the political and economic criteria. It has largely achieved the priorities on free movement of goods, free movement of persons, free movement of capital, company law, social policy, energy, culture, audiovisual policy and cooperation in the field of justice and home affairs. The priorities in the other areas have been partly achieved.

The priorities of the partnership for accession were revised in December 1999 (see page 3 of the Annex to Decision 99/850/EC). A final revision was carried out in January 2002 (Decision 2002/87/EC). This forms the reference upon which the 2002 Commission report is based.

The priority areas are:
(for up-to-date information on this subject, please refer to the Adoption of the Community acquis section)

Economic reform
Strengthening of institutional and administrative capacities
Internal market
Justice and home affairs
Environment
Political criteria
Economic policy
Agriculture
Transport
Employment and social affairs
Regional policy and cohesion

3) Financial Framework

Phare

A total of EUR 1.030 billion was provided to Hungary under the Phare programme between 1990 and 1999 and EUR 96 million in the 2000 to 2002 period. The 2001 Phare programme allocated EUR 89.9 million to Hungary. An additional EUR 19 million was earmarked for transfrontier cooperation programmes, including EUR 10 million, 5, 2 and 2 for cooperation with Austria, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia respectively. The 2002 Phare programme allocated EUR 87 million for Hungary, plus EUR 24.7 million for the facility for strengthening the institutions. An additional 19 million was allocated to Hungary for its cross-border cooperation with Austria (EUR 10 million), Romania (EUR 5 million), Slovakia (EUR 2 million) and Slovenia (EUR 2 million).

In 2002, the Commission provided special financial aid amounting to a maximum of EUR 250 million for the countries negotiating their accession to the European Union.

The Hungarian authorities bear responsibility for aid contracts and payments. However the European Communities’ Financial Regulation requires the Commission to oversee contract award procedures and to approve any contract financed by Phare and signed with the partner country before it comes into effect.

Pre-accession aid

Aid for agriculture and rural development (SAPARD) and a structural instrument (ISPA) giving priority to aid in the transport and environmental sectors will be introduced in 2000. The Regulation coordinating aid under Phare, SAPARD and ISPA was adopted in June 1999. It enables the Commission to carry out ex-post monitoring of contracts where it considers the financial control in the partner country to be deficient.

The SAPARD plan for Hungary was approved by the European Commission in October 2000. Implementation of the ISPA programme, launched in January 2000, is making good progress. This implementation has the same institutional framework as the Phare programme: the national fund of the Ministry of Finance is responsible for financial management and several agencies are responsible for technical implementation. A different system was decided upon for the management of SAPARD.

For Hungary, the indicative envelope for SAPARD was EUR 39.8 million in 2002. For ISPA this was around EUR 93.9 million.

4) References

Decision 99/850/EC of 6.12.1999
Official Journal L 335 of 28.12.1999

Commission Opinion COM(97) 2001 final
Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(98) 700 final
Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(1999) 505 final
Not yet published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(2000) 705 final
Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(2001) 700 final – SEC(2001) 1748
Not published in the Official Journal

Decision 2002/87/EC of 28.01.2002
Official Journal L44 of 14.02.2002

Commission Report COM(2002) 700 final – SEC(2002) 1404
Not published in the Official Journal

Treaty of Accession to the European Union [Official Journal L 236, 23.09.2003]

This summary is for information only and is not designed to interpret or replace the reference document.

Partnership for the accession of Estonia

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Partnership for the accession of Estonia

Outline of the Community (European Union) legislation about Partnership for the accession of Estonia

Topics

These categories group together and put in context the legislative and non-legislative initiatives which deal with the same topic.

Enlargement > Enlargement 2004 and 2007

Partnership for the accession of Estonia

to bring together the various forms of aid offered by the European Union within a single framework, the accession partnerships;
to familiarise applicants with the European Union’s procedures and policies by offering them the opportunity to participate in Community programmes.

1) Objective

The objective of the partnership for accession (adopted in March 1998 and amended in December 1999 and in January 2002) is to enshrine in law the priorities for work set out in the Commission’s Opinion on Estonia’s application for membership, the financial resources available to help Estonia implement these priorities and the conditions attached to this aid. The partnership underpins a range of policy instruments to support candidate countries as they prepare for membership.

These include a national programme for the adoption of the acquis (NPAA) (revised in May 2002), the joint assessment of medium-term economic policy priorities, the pact against organised crime as well as the National Development Plan and other sectoral programmes necessary for the participation in the Structural Funds after membership and for the implementation of ISPA and SAPARD before accession. In 2002, the partnership for accession served as the starting point for preparing an action plan to reinforce the administrative and judicial capacity of Estonia.

These instruments will not be an integral part of the partnership, but their priorities must be compatible with it.

The implementation of the partnership for accession will be monitored under the Europe Agreement between the European Union and Estonia.

2) Priorities

These have been divided into two groups: short- and-medium term. The priorities in the first group are those that Estonia was likely to achieve or make progress on or get under way during 2000. Those in the second group must be settled by the end of 2003.

Estonia has partly achieved the economic and political criteria priorities. Most of the priorities relating to the ability to assume the obligations arising from accession have been partly achieved. The financial control priorities have been fully achieved.

The priorities of the accession partnership were reviewed in December 1999 (see page 3 of the Annex to Decision 1999/855/EC). A final revision was published in February 2002 (Decision 2002/86/EC). This provides the basis for the 2002 Commission report.

The priority areas are:
(for up-to-date information on this subject, please refer to the Adoption of the Community acquis section)

Political criteria
Economic reform
Strengthening of institutional and administrative capacity-building
Single market
Justice and home affairs
Environment
Economic policy
Agriculture – Fisheries
Transport
Employment and social affairs
Regional and cohesion policy

3) Financial Framework

Phare

Estonia’s total Phare allocation for 2000 was EUR 24 million. A further EUR 3 million was allocated for investment in infrastructure, water quality improvement and a support mechanism for microprojects in the Baltic Sea region. Phare 2001 granted EUR 26.3 million to Estonia. An additional EUR 3 million was designated to cross-border cooperation programmes. The 2002 Phare programme for Estonia made provision for EUR 21 million, plus EUR 9.4 million under the additional facility specified by the programme to strengthen the country’s institutions. For the cross-border cooperation programme with the Baltic countries, a sum of EUR 3 million was also allocated to Estonia.

The authorities of the partner country assume responsibility for aid contracts and payments. However, the Financial Regulation of the European Communities requires the Commission to oversee contract-award procedures and to approve any Phare-financed contract concluded by the partner country before it takes effect.

Pre-accession aid

Financial aid for agriculture and rural development (SAPARD) and a structural instrument (ISPA) which puts priority on transport and environment measures were introduced in 2000. The Regulation coordinating Phare, SAPARD and ISPA aid, which was adopted in June 1999, enables the Commission to carry out ex-post monitoring of contracts when it considers that the partner country’s financial controls are inadequate.

The annual financial aid for Estonia available for 2000-02 totalled EUR 30 million for the Phare programme, EUR 12.1 million for SAPARD and approximately EUR 35 million for the ISPA programme.

In 2002, the indicative envelope for implementing SAPARD was EUR 12.7 million and that for ISPA for the same period was between EUR 21.2 and 37.1 million.

4) References

Decision 98/264/EC of 30 March 1998
Official Journal L 121 of 23.04.1998

Decision 1999/855/EC of 6 December 1999
Official Journal L 335 of 28.12.1999

Commission Opinion COM(97) 2006 final
Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(98) 705 final
Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(1999) 504 final
Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(2000) 704 final
Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(2001) 700 final – SEC(2001) 1747
Not published in the Official Journal

Decision 2002/86/EC of 28 January 2002
Official Journal L 44 of 14.02.2002

Commission Report COM(2002) 700 final – SEC(2002) 1403
Not published in the Official Journal

Treaty of Accession to the European Union [Official Journal L 236, 23.09.2003]

This summary is for information only and is not designed to interpret or replace the reference document.

Partnership for the accession of the Czech Republic

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Partnership for the accession of the Czech Republic

Outline of the Community (European Union) legislation about Partnership for the accession of the Czech Republic

Topics

These categories group together and put in context the legislative and non-legislative initiatives which deal with the same topic.

Enlargement > Enlargement 2004 and 2007

Partnership for the accession of the Czech Republic

to bring together the various forms of aid offered by the European Union within a single framework, the accession partnerships,
to familiarise applicants with the European Union’s procedures and policies by offering them the opportunity to participate in Community programmes.

1) Objective

The objective of the accession partnership (adopted in March 1998 and amended in December 1999 and in January 2002) is to register by law the working priorities defined in the Commission’s Opinion on the Czech Republic’s application for membership, the financial resources available to help the Czech Republic implement these priorities and the conditions which apply to this aid. The accession partnership defines a framework for a range of policy instruments to support candidate countries as they prepare for membership.

These include a national programme for the adoption of the Community acquis (NPAA), joint evaluation of medium term economic policy priorities, the pact against organised crime, the national development plan and other sectoral programmes for participation in structural funds after accession and implementation of the ISPA and SAPARD before accession. In 2002, the partnership for accession served as the starting point for preparing an action plan to reinforce the administrative and judicial capacity of the Czech Republic.

These instruments do not form an integral part of the partnership but their priorities are compatible.

The implementation of the partnership for accession will be monitored under the Europe Agreement between the European Union and the Czech Republic.

2) Priorities

These are divided into two groups: short and medium term. Priorities in the first group are those that the Czech Republic was likely to settle or make progress on during the year 2000. The priorities in the second group should be settled by the end of 2003.

The Czech Republic has partly achieved the economic and political criteria priorities. It has totally or largely achieved the priorities linked to the free movement of persons, the free movement of capital, economic and monetary union, statistics, social affairs and employment, energy, culture and audiovisual policy, the environment, consumer protection and health, cooperation in the field of justice and home affairs and financial control. Most of the other priorities have been partly achieved.

In December 1999 the accession partnership priorities were revised (see page 3 of Annex to Decision 1999/858/EC). In November 2000, these priorities were revised for the second time. A final revision was published in 2002 (Decision 2002/85/EC). This forms the basis of the Commission’s evaluation in its 2002 report.

Priority areas are now:
(for up-to-date information on this subject, please refer to the Adoption of the Community acquis section)

Economic reform
Institutional and administrative capacity building
Internal market
Justice and home affairs
Environment
Political criteria
Economic policy
Agriculture
Transport
Employment and social affairs
Regional policy and cohesion

3) Financial Framework

Phare

A national allocation of EUR 59 million was provided under the Phare 2000 programme for the Czech Republic. An additional EUR 10 million were allocated to a cross-border cooperation programme with Germany. A further EUR 5 million were earmarked for cooperation with Austria and EUR 5 million for cooperation with Poland. The Phare programme provided EUR 722.5 million to the Czech Republic during the course of the period 1999-2000. Phare 2001 provided EUR 65.4 million. A further EUR 19 million were to be used for cross-border cooperation with Germany (EUR 10 million), Poland (EUR 5 million) and Austria (EUR 4 million). Phare 2002 allocated EUR 60 million plus an envelope of EUR 24.8 million under the additional facility to reinforce the country’s institutions. Further aid was agreed for cross-border cooperation with Germany (EUR 10 million), Austria (EUR 4 million) and Poland (EUR 5 million).

The Czech authorities are responsible for contracts and payments linked to the aid. Nonetheless, the financial regulation of the European Communities requires the Commission to oversee the award of contracts and approve any contract financed by Phare and signed by the partner country before it comes into effect.

Pre-accession aid

From this year financial aid will include aid for agriculture and rural development (SAPARD) and a structural instrument (ISPA) giving priority to measures in the transport and environment sectors. The regulation coordinating Phare aid, SAPARD and ISPA adopted in June 1999 enables the Commission to carry out a posteriori monitoring of contracts if it considers financial control by the partner country to be inadequate.

During the period 2000-2002 the total amount of financial aid made available each year was EUR 79 million for Phare, EUR 22.1 million for SAPARD and between EUR 55 and 80 million for ISPA. SAPARD 2002 allocated EUR 23.1 million to the Czech Republic. The ISPA envelope for 2002 was between EUR 59.9 and 87.1 million.

4) References

Decision 98/267/EC of 30.3.1998
Official Journal L 121 of 23.4.1998

Decision 1999/858/EC of 06.12.1999
Official Journal L 335 of 28.12.1999

Commission Opinion COM(97) 2009 final
Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(98)708 final
Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(1999)503 final
Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(2000)703 final
Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(2001)700 final – SEC(2001)1746
Not published in the Official Journal

Decision 2002/85/EC of 28.01.2002
Official Journal L 44 of 14.02.2002

Commission Report COM(2002) 700 final – SEC(2002) 1402
Not published in the Official Journal

Treaty of Accession to the European Union [Official Journal L 236, 23.09.2003]

This summary is for information only and is not designed to interpret or replace the reference document.