Wider Europe: European Commission proposes new measures for cross-border co-operation with new neighbours, July 2003

The European Commission proposed significant steps on 1 July 2003 to boost the EU's co-operation with countries in Southern and Eastern Europe, which will become the EU's new neighbours after enlargement in May 2004.

The document 'Paving the way for a New Neighbourhood Instrument' follows on from the Communication, adopted by the European Commission in March 2003, entitled 'Wider Europe Neighbourhood: A New Framework for Relations with our Eastern and Southern Neighbours', which proposed that 'the European Union should aim to develop a zone of prosperity and a friendly neighbourhood' with countries who do not currently have a perspective of membership but who will soon find themselves sharing a border with the Union. As a result of enlargement in 2004 the EU will have over 10,000 km of new borders with Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, the Western Balkans and the Southern Mediterranean. One specific measure proposed by the European Commission was the creation of a New Neighbourhood Instrument which would build on the experience of the PHARE, Tacis and INTERREG programmes to ensure the smooth functioning and secure management of the future Eastern and Mediterranean borders and to promote sustainable economic and social development of the border regions.

At a meeting of the General Affairs and External Relations Council in June 2003, EU ministers welcomed the Communication and called upon the European Commission to present a further document outlining the concept of a New Neighbourhood Instrument as well as examining measures to improve interoperability between the different instruments. The Communication published on 1 July 2003 examines the possibility of creating such an Instrument, using as a starting point the co-ordination work that has been taken forward in recent years between INTERREG, PHARE and Tacis. The European Commission argues that even though the Western Balkans was not included in the initial Wider Europe Communication the instrument should also cover those neighbouring countries which benefit from CARDS and Euro-Med partnership since their borders will become the external borders of the EU after Bulgaria and Romania join the European Union in 2007. The paper identifies four key objectives for future cross-border co-operation:

• Promoting economic and social development in the border areas
• Working together to address common challenges, in fields such as environment, public health, and the fight against organised crime
• Ensuring efficient and secure borders
• Promoting local, 'people-to-people' type actions

These objectives would be achieved through a two-step approach: a series of new Neighbourhood Programmes that would run from 2004-2006 and a new Neighbourhood Instrument that would be introduced after 2006. The Neighbourhood programmes would be supported by €995 million over the period 2004-2006, which would be taken from existing programmes such as INTERREG, Tacis and MEDA. The main features of the new programmes would be:

• Allocation of funding on both sides of the external border
• The programme's priorities would be based on the aims and objectives of both sides of the border and those identified in the Wider Europe Communication
• Both sides of the border would have a role in establishing and governing the rules of the programme with a single application procedure and a joint decision-making procedure for project selection
• The procedures governing the operation of the existing instruments will be streamlined to meet the needs of the Neighbourhood Programmes

The new Neighbourhood Instrument would be used from 2006 in all the areas covered by the Union's existing co-operation programmes in the border areas. It would combine both external policy objectives and economic and social cohesion to allow for a mix of cross-border and regional co-operation activity to be developed around the external border of the enlarged EU. There are still several legal and budgetary issues surrounding the introduction of a Neighbourhood Instrument that need to be resolved but the European Commission but it intends to present orientations for the next Financial Perspectives by the end of 2003 to be followed by more detailed proposals in the future.

Commenting on the proposals, European Commissioner for External Relations, Chris Patten, said:

'In the context of the Wider Europe Initiative, the Communication offers European citizens and their neighbours the tools for better cooperation, neighbourliness and security along the external borders of the Union. The new approach gives responsibility for co-operation on the external borders to those who are most concerned the people living in the border areas'.

Links:
European Commission:
	01.07.03:	Press Release: Wider Europe : Commission to strengthen cross-border cooperation with new neighbours [IP/03/922]
	12.03.03:	Press Release: Wider Europe Neighbourhood: proposed new framework for relations with the EU's Eastern and Southern Neighbours [IP/03/358]
	Paving the way for a new Neighbourhood Instrument [COM(2003)393]
	Wider Europe Neighbourhood: A New Framework for Relations with our Eastern and Southern Neighbours [COM(2003)104]
	DG External Relations: Wider Europe
Council of the European Union:
	16.06.03:	Council Conclusions on Wider Europe - New Neighbourhood
The Centre for European Policy Studies:
	Homepage
	The Wider Europe as the European Union's Friendly Monroe Doctrine [October 2002]
	Wider Europe programme
European Sources Online: In Focus
	The Union's post-enlargement relations with its Eastern and Southern Neighbours, March 2003

Helen Bower

Compiled: Wednesday, 2 July 2003

Background and reporting on the week's main stories in the European Union and the wider Europe.