Europe Aid Co-operation Office, Directorate A 1 CARDS and TACIS - Implementation of EC Assistance to the Balkans, Caucasus and Central Asia Per Brix Knudsen Director European Commission EuropeAid Co-operation Office Thursday, 21 March 2002,Brussels

Europe Aid Co-operation Office, Directorate A 2 I. Introduction n CARDS = Community Assistance for Reconstruction, Development and Stabilisation to Albania, BiH, Croatia, Fyrom and FRY n TACIS = Technical Assistance to the Community of Independent States(13) since 1991

Europe Aid Co-operation Office, Directorate A 3 II.CARDS - EC Assistance to the Balkans n With the Council Regulation (EC) n° 2666/2000 of 5 December 2002, the existing Community assistance (Phare, Obnova) was expanded and redirected to adjust it to the European Union’s political objectives for the Balkans > The new programme CARDS ( ) replaces Phare and Obnova Wider objective: to support the participation of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Federal Republic of Yougoslavia and the Former Yougoslavian Republic of Macedonia in the Stabilisation and Association Process, SAP

Europe Aid Co-operation Office, Directorate A 4 SAP Stabilisation and Association Process is the cornerstone of the EU’s policy to the region. It seeks to promote stability within the region whilst also facilitating closer association with the EU. Through the SAP, the EU has created a framework of new contractual relationship, the Stabilisation and Association Agreements (SAA)

Europe Aid Co-operation Office, Directorate A 5 CARDS Annual Programmes - Who is doing what? n CSP: for each of the Balkan countries, as well as the region as a whole, a Country/Regional Strategy Paper provides a strategic framework for the assistance. n CSP is prepared by DG RELEX n CSP sets out EU-co-operation objectives, policy response and priority fields n MIP: the Multiannual Indicative Programme included in the CSP highlights programme objectives, expected results and conditionality in the priority fields n Based on the CSP and the MIP, EuropeAid Office HQ and Delegation prepare the Annual Programmes

Europe Aid Co-operation Office, Directorate A 6 CARDS Areas of Co-operation Priorities of the Stabilisation and Association process (i.a.Justice and Home Affairs issues, strengthening of public administration, internal market-related areas, environment, …)

Europe Aid Co-operation Office, Directorate A 7 CARDS Budget n Total: EURO million has been allocated to the implementation of the CARDS Programme for the period

Europe Aid Co-operation Office, Directorate A 8 Past EC Assistance to the Western Balkans: since 1991, 6,1 billion euro n Overview EU Assistance in € Mio n n Albania1,098 37,544,9 n n BiH 2,271,2 105,2371,9 n Croatia427,05860,059,0 n n FRY 1,888, ,6 n n FYROM452,3354,5 41,5 n Regional 43,5

Europe Aid Co-operation Office, Directorate A 9 Management of the assistance n The CARDS National Programmes are managed by the European Commission Delegations and by the European Agency for Reconstruction. n The Cards Regional Programme is managed by the European Commission Headquarters in Brussels n Tempus (Higher Education) and Customs Programmes are managed by the Headquarters

Europe Aid Co-operation Office, Directorate A 10 III. TACIS n Technical Assistance to 13 countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia: n Armenia, Azebaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Moldova, Mongolia, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan

Europe Aid Co-operation Office, Directorate A 11 TACIS - A new regulation n Replaces the former legal basis: (Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1279/96, which expired on n The new regulation covers the years (Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 99/2000 of

Europe Aid Co-operation Office, Directorate A 12 TACIS Areas of Co-operation n Institutional, legal and administrative reform n Private sector and economic reform n Social consequences of transition n Development of infrastructure networks n Environmental protection and natural resources n Rural economy n (Nuclear Safety)

Europe Aid Co-operation Office, Directorate A 13 PCA n Partnership and Co-operation Agreements (in force with 9 countries) n = Legal framework setting out the political, economic and trade relationships between the EU and the country concerned

Europe Aid Co-operation Office, Directorate A 14 TACIS Programming Cycle n TACIS funding is allocated through: n National Country Programmes, which include n Indicative Programmes(valid 3-4 years) n Annual Action Programmes n Regional Programmes n Small projects programmes: to address very specific tasks (trade regulation, co-operation in higher education, encouraging EU investment)

Europe Aid Co-operation Office, Directorate A 15 Tender opportunities and Calls for Proposals n tender/index_en.htm

Europe Aid Co-operation Office, Directorate A 16 Budget 2002 n TACIS: Euro n CARDS: Euro

Europe Aid Co-operation Office, Directorate A 17 Eligibility for CARDS n · the EU Member States n · the recipient States of the Cards programme: Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and FYROM (5 States) n · the recipient States of the Phare programme (same as above) · the following States of South East Europe: Turkey, Cyprus and Malta (3 States)

Europe Aid Co-operation Office, Directorate A 18 Eligibility for TACIS n Contracts financed by budgetary commitments of 2000 onwards (Council Regulation No 99/2000 of 29 December 1999) n · the EU Member States n · the recipient States of the Tacis programme (same as above) n · the recipient States of the Phare programme (same as above) · On a case by case basis, participation of natural and legal persons of the Mediterranean Partners

Europe Aid Co-operation Office, Directorate A 19 Contact European Commission n EuropeAid Co-operation Office n Directorate A n Rue de la Loi 41, 1049 Brussels n