Section 3: Glossary

By Alphabetical Order

Those countries that have applied for membership of the EU and have been accepted as candidates. They are: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Cyprus, Malta and Turkey. These are also known as the applicant or candidate countries. (http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/agenda2000/index_en.htm)

An Accession Partnership exists for each accession country. It is a document that sets out: the priority areas for further work identified in the Commission's Regular Report on the country (specifying short and medium term priorities); the financial assistance available to help the relevant accession country implement these priorities; and the conditions that will apply to that assistance. Each AP is drafted by the European Commission in consultation with the government of the relevant country and on the basis of the principles, priorities, intermediate objectives, and conditions, that have been decided by the Council. The first Accession Partnerships were drafted on the basis of the Commission's Opinion on the accession country, and were approved in March 1998. The second Accession Partnerships were prepared on the basis of the Commission's Regular Reports of October 1999, and were issued in late 1999. New Accession Partnerships will be issued late 2001. (http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/enlargement/docs/index.htm).

Approximately 20,000 laws and regulations that have been developed over the years by the EU member states. The adoption of these laws and the ability to implement them is an important aspect of the accession process.

The document which contains the European Commission's recommendations for the Union's financial framework for the years 2000-2006; the future development of the Union's policies; and the strategy for enlargement of the Union. Submitted to the Council and European Parliament on 15 July 1997.

http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/enlargement/
intro/ag2000_opinions.htm

See accession countries.

The European Union's CARDS programme provides assistance to the countries of
the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, FYROM and
FRY). The main objective is to support the participation of the recipient
countries in the stabilization and association process and to achieve close
regional co-operation. Assistance will be given to reconstruction and
stabilization in the region; support for democracy, the rule of law, human
rights and minorities; economic development and market-economy-orientated reforms; and developing closer relations between the recipient countries and the EU.

For the period 2000-2006, the CARDS budget is euro 4.65 billion. Programming takes place in close consultation between the European Commission and the government of the recipient country.

In June 1993, the European Union's Heads of State and Government met in Copenhagen for the European Council, and agreed on a set of criteria that must be met by countries posing their candidature for EU membership. These criteria are:

The Council of Europe is an international organization (separate from European Union) based in Strasbourg, France. Comprising forty member states, its main role is to strengthen democracy, human rights and the rule of law throughout its member countries. Its most important instrument is the adoption of conventions, in particular the European Convention on Human Rights. On 1 November 1998, a permanent European Court of Human Rights was established to enforce the European Convention on Human Rights.

The Council of the European Union (Council) is the organ that represents the fifteen EU member states. It performs the role of legislative chamber and also has executive powers.

The Council is comprised of one representative at ministerial level from each member state. Council members are politically accountable to their national parliaments. Each of the members countries of the EU acts as President for a period of six months, according to a pre-determined rotation system.

The Council exerts legislative and decision-making powers. It is also the forum in which the representatives of the governments of the EU member states can declare their interests and try to reach compromises.

The Council ensures general co-ordination of the activities of the European Union, in particular the establishment of an internal market. The Council is also responsible for intergovernmental cooperation, in common foreign and security policy and in the areas of justice and home affairs, including matters such as immigration and asylum, combating terrorism and drugs and judicial cooperation.

Each member state has a Permanent Representation (equivalent to an embassy) to the European Union in Brussels. The heads of the Permanent Representations are called Permanent Representatives. The fifteen Permanent Representations meet each week in the Permanent Representative Committee (COREPER). This Committee is divided into two parts, one composed of ambassadors and the other of their deputies. This Committee is tasked with preparing the Council's work.

NB: The European Council, otherwise referred to as the European Summit, is a gathering of the Heads of State or Government of the fifteen Member States of the European Union and the President of the European Commission. It should not be confused with the Council of Europe (which is an international organisation) or with the Council of the European Union (which consists of the Ministers of the fifteen Member States).

EC delegations are representative offices of the EC, staffed by EU officials with diplomatic status. Equivalent to embassies.

The European Commission's administration is composed of 36 departments, most of which are referred to as directorate-generals (DGs) that cover all areas of Community policy. They are structured hierarchically on a departmental basis similar to a national ministry. In principle, the DGs covering areas of interest to NGOs are:

• DG Development (contributes to the design of the Community's development cooperation policy for all developing countries and Overseas Territories (OCTs). It also manages and co-ordinates the Community's relations with the 71 African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries and 20 OCTs);
• DG Education and Culture (DG EAC);
• DG Enlargement (DG ENLG);
• DG Employment and Social Affairs (DG EMPL);
• DG Environment (DG ENV);
• DG External Relations (this DG co-ordinates all the external relations activities of the Commission and administers more than 120 Commission delegations in third countries. The abbreviation used is DG RELEX);
• DG Health and Consumer Protection (DG SANCO);
• Humanitarian Aid Office - European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO);
• DG Justice and Home Affairs (JHA);
• European Aid Co-operation Office (manages all aspects - technical and operational, financial and accounting, contractual and legal - of the Community' s aid to non-member countries. It is also responsible for audits and evaluations. Known as EuropeAid).

Bilateral agreements between the EU and non-member countries providing for cooperation in political, economic, trade, cultural, and other areas such as competition, state aids, and approximation of laws. These agreements form the legal basis for the EU's relationships with the relevant countries. Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia have all signed Europe Agreements.

EuropeAid manages all technical aspects of all the Commission's external relations DGs (i.e. External Relations, Development, ECHO, except Enlargement), including the preparation and signing of contracts, financial transfers, interim and final reporting, audits, and evaluations. In practical terms, this means that NGOs will be in contact with the relevant DG concerning policy priorities. Programme guidelines, application process and, once a project has been selected for funding, the signing of the contract, payments, extensions and reports will be handled by EuropeAid.

The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The European Commission fulfils three main functions:

Leading the Commission are 20 Commissioners, persons who have often either sat in national parliaments or the European Parliament, or who have held high office in their home countries. The EU heads of state or government, meeting in the European Council, choose the President of the Commission. The remaining Commissioners are nominated by the governments of the 15 EU member states in consultation with the new Commission President. The President and other Commissioners must be approved by the parliament. The current president is Romano Prodi, the Commissioner responsible for enlargement in Günter Verheugen, and the Commissioner responsible of external relations is Chris Patten.

The European Economic Area was created in January 1994. It is currently comprised of all EU member states and Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The EEA agreement grants the three countries the freedoms of the single market (free movement of goods, services and people) and requires them to adopt most EU policies on mergers, state aids, consumer protection, labour markets and the environment.

The power of the European Parliament is divided into three categories:

The current Parliament (re-elected in June 1999) consists of 626 members from approximately 100 political parties, organised in eight political groups. Most of the work of the EP is conducted in its 20 committees covering all areas of the Union's activities from agriculture to common foreign and security policy.

The Instrument for Structural Policies for Pre-Accession (ISPA) is a programme of assistance for the accession countries. ISPA has been effective from the year 2000 until each country's date of accession. The assistance from this fund is targets two areas: the environment (help to the candidate countries to meet with the investment requirements needed to conform to the Community legislation) and transport (to improve connections between CEE countries and trans-European networks). The annual budget for ISPA will be euro 1 billion per year (2000-2006).

There are fifteen member states of the European Union. The EU member states are Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

An annual programme agreed bilaterally between the European Commission and each applicant country, which defines how the Phare funds for a specific country will be allocated. (http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/enlargement/pas/
phare/publications/publist.htm)

The NPAA is the document adopted by each applicant country that sets out a timetable for achieving the priorities and intermediate objectives as defined in the Accession Partnership and, where possible and relevant, indicates the staff and financial resources necessary for achieving this. Thus, the NPAA is the applicant country's response to the Accession Partnership and outlines how it aims to adopt and apply the acquis.

Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. Although technically not part of NIS, Mongolia is often grouped with these countries for the purposes of EU programmes.

The European Commission's analysis of the situation in each applicant country and the candidate's capacity to assume obligations of EU membership, designed to assist the Council in its decision on opening negotiations. Published as part of Agenda 2000 in July 1997. (http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/enlargement/
intro/ag2000_opinions.htm)

The overall objective of the Phare programme is to help the candidate countries prepare to join the European Union. Initially covering only Poland and Hungary, it has since been extended to Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, the Slovak Republic, and Slovenia.

Following the publication of the European Commission's Opinions (July 1997) on accession of the applicant states to the EU, the Phare Programme switched from being 'demand driven' to 'accession driven'. From 1998 onwards, the Phare programme is based on the Accession Partnerships, which indicate the areas of the Copenhagen criteria (see above) where candidate EU member states need to make further progress in order to become full members of the EU. Phare provides both technical assistance and investment support to help candidate EU member states implement their own National Programme for the Adoption of the Acquis. The five-year financial allocation for Phare for 1995-99 was euro 6.7 billion. For the period 2000-2006, the annual budget of the Phare programme for the CEE accession countries will be approximately euro 1.5 billion per year.

The Regular Reports, prepared by the European Commission for submission to the Council, describe the progress of each candidate country towards accession in the light of the Copenhagen criteria, in particular the rate of adoption of the acquis. The report is based on numerous sources of information, including the governments of the candidate countries, reports and resolutions of the European Parliament, international organizations, and NGOs. The reports are published in October or November of each year, and the Commission welcomes information to help in drafting the reports in June of that year.

(http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/enlargement/docs/index.htm)

The Special Accession Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development (SAPARD) will help candidate countries deal with the implementation of the acquis communautaire in the area of common agricultural policy and structural development for the agricultural sector and rural areas. The annual budget for SAPARD will be approximately euro 500 million per year. Funds will be available from 2000 until each country has joined the EU. At the time of writing only Bulgaria and Estonia have so far received funds from SAPARD. The other candidate countries are still working on the detailed plan for its implementation without which no funds will be released. Among the priorities for funding under this programme are diversifying economic activities in rural areas, and improving vocational training.

The structural funds are used to finance Community structural aid, mainly to the poorer regions of the EU, in order to strengthen the EU's economic and social cohesion and make a single market across the EU possible. The structural funds were reviewed in 1998 and now cover three objectives:

Objective 1: development of regions that are progressing at a slower pace and the development of regions with extremely low population density (regions in Finland and Sweden) (approximately 70 percent of funds);

Objective 2: economic and social conversion of regions in structural crisis (approximately 12 percent);

Objective 3: development of human resources (approximately 12 percent).

At present, these funds are only available to EU member states. However, the candidate countries are being encouraged to build up structures for the use of funds they currently receive which can then be used on accession for implementing and managing the structural funds.

(http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/regional_policy/index_en.htm)

The Tacis Programme is an initiative for the Newly Independent States and Mongolia, which promotes the development of economic and political links between the European Union and partner countries. Since it's inception in 1991, it has launched more than 3,000 projects worth over 3.3 billion Euro.

A new regulation was adopted on 29 December 1999 for the years 2000-2006. The new programme focuses on the following areas: support for institutional, legal and administrative reform; support to the private sector and assistance for economic development; support in addressing the social consequences of transition; development of infrastructure networks; promotion of environmental protection and management of natural resources; and development of the rural economy.

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