Enlargement one year on

On 1 May 2004, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia joined the European Union. One year on, everything indicates that the new Member States are making excellent progress in terms of effectively managing Community aid, selecting appropriate projects and absorbing the Structural and Cohesion Funds allocated by the EU to support their economic convergence and regional development (€24.45 billion in the 2004-2006 period).

In spite of the fears that the new Member States would be unable to absorb the substantial structural assistance offered by the EU, the funds are helping to “realise the enormous growth potential that exists in these economies, and are contributing to visible improvements in governance and administrative capacity,” said Danuta Hübner, European Commissioner for Regional Policy, on the occasion of the first anniversary of enlargement. EU assistance has boosted public and private investment in the priority areas for growth and employment (including basic infrastructure, human resources, innovation and entrepreneurship), while at the same time encouraging partnerships between all the actors concerned and enabling countries to reach EU standards, for example in the field of environmental legislation.

Project selection for the Structural Funds is well under way and, in several cases, the value of applications received already exceeds the available financial resources. As regards the Cohesion Fund, the number of applications for environmental projects is increasing, and most countries are now expected to reach the required 50:50 balance between transport and environment by the end of 2006. In the course of 2004, i.e. the “launch year”, €922 million was paid to the 10 new Member States for Structural Fund projects and more than €438 million for Cohesion Fund projects, out of total allocations of €15,956.14 million and €8,495.06 million respectively for the 2004-2006 period.

Furthermore, the INTERREG III programme for cooperation between regions has expanded with the upgrading – in the context of the EU-25 – of twelve existing cross-border programmes. Nine new cross-border cooperation programmes have also been launched, including several programmes that cover regions in the EU’s new external neighbours; and a number of regions in the new Member States have been included in transnational cooperation zones and in networks of regions.

The main challenge now is to create the conditions for successful project development and to make the most of the available funds while continuing to strengthen administrative capacity and the ability of contracting authorities to implement the new national legislation transposing EU public procurement rules. Action will also focus on preparing the new Member States to put into practice – with substantially more EU assistance – the new generation of programmes for the period 2007-2013.

To find out more about the economic benefits of enlargement, read MEMO/05/145, available on RAPID.

 

News from the institutions

European Constitution: the state of play

To date, the proposed European Constitution has been approved by Lithuania, Hungary, Slovenia, Spain (via a referendum), Italy and Greece. On 28 April 2005, it was also approved by the Belgian Senate, with 54 votes in favour, 9 against (from the extreme Right, i.e. the “Front National” and the “Vlaams Belang”) and one abstention (from a Socialist senator). A few weeks from now, the Constitution will be put to the vote in the Chamber, prior to being submitted for ratification by the five Assemblies of Belgium’s federal regions. As far as Germany is co ncerned, approval by the Bundestag is expected on 12 May and adoption by the Bundesrat (probably) on 27 May 2005. The Constitution appears to be backed by the required two-third majority in both Houses of the German parliament. For his part, British Premier Tony Blair has stated that, should the French electorate vote against the European Constitution in the 29 May referendum, the UK will probably cancel its own referendum, due to take place in 2006. At any rate, developments on this issue in the UK are likely to be coloured by the results of the general election on May 5 last. For more information on the progress of the Constitution, visit: http://europa.eu.int/constitu tion/ratification_en.htm.

European Parliament denounces human rights violations in 70 countries

On 28 April 2005, following a debate on Simon Conveney’s “Annual Report on Human Rights in the World 2004”, the European Parliament adopted a lengthy resolution covering violations of basic rights in 70 countries. Mr Conveney’s report addresses a wide range of issues, among them: children's rights; the impact of conflict on women and children; the abolition of the death penalty; trafficking in humans and human organs; the sex industry and child labour; the role of international businesses in human rights; impunity and the role of the International Criminal Court; and the role of European policies, including development policies. The resolution adopted by the EP also refers to human rights within the European Union and recognises that the inclusion of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights in the Constitution demonstrates that the EU is taking seriously the issue of human rights within its borders. Furthermore, the resolution expresses the hope that the creation of the future European Human Rights Agency (decided at the Brussels European Council of December 2003 as a development of the currently operational European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia) will make it possible to reduce the divergence between the Union’s internal and external policies on human rights. In spite of the adoption of the resolution, some of Mr Conveney’s fellow MEPs criticised the rapporteur for being “too soft” on some of the EU’s major partners – including the United States, Russia, China and India – as well as for ignoring the Iraqi Kurds in his report. Other MEPs focused on anti-Semitism in Russia. The resolution is available on line at: http://www.eur oparl.eu.int/press/index_publi_fr.htm

EC to boost digitisation of Europe’s written and audiovisual heritage

The European Commission has announced that it is to boost its policy of preserving and making the most of Europe’s written and audiovisual heritage. The Commission plans to issue a communication by July outlining the stakes involved and identifying the obstacles to using written and audiovisual archives in the European Union. The communication will be accompanied by a proposal for a Recommendation aimed at enlisting all the public players concerned and facilitating public-private partnerships in the task of digitising our heritage. A number of actions are envisaged, ranging from developing search engines to formulating common standards and helping to digitise content. More specifically, €36 million will be earmarked this year – under the Community’s Information Society Technologies programme (IST) – for conducting research projects and exploiting written and audiovisual archives in the digital environment. Since 2001, the IST programme has promoted the exchange of good practice, the definition of benchmarks, and dialogue between the players concerned. As part of this, the programme has launched a process to identify standards and tests for reciprocal access among public libraries. As regards audiovisual archives, the PRESTO and PRESTOSPACE actions (to which €9 million have been allocated under the IST programme) support the development of fast, high-quality techniques to digitise television archives, while the European Union’s MEDIA programme supports the establishment of film catalogues in digital format. As far as future initiatives are concerned, over the period 2005-2008 €60 million will go to the digitisation of, and access to, content under the eContent Plus programme, which will support action to network archives in Europe. For more information, read Press Release IP/05/528, available on RAPID.

 

News from the networks

CRPM’s reactions to 2007-2013 financial perspectives

Following the debate on the 2007-2013 financial perspectives at the meeting of the General Affairs Council of 25 April 2005, the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions of Europe (CRPM) has welcomed the Luxembourg Presidency’s intention to reach a compromise “in a transparent way” by June this year, and has also commended the Presidency for confirming the importance of the objectives identified under the heading “Cohesion for Growth and Employment”. However, the CRPM considers that the debate was “truncated by the absence of total figures” and highlights the risk that the effectiveness of the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) may be undermined. In a note from its General Secretariat, the CRPM underlines that the absence of indicative amounts for the various headings “prevents a clear and transparent understanding of the objectives”. According to the CRPM, it would be more appropriate to start by identifying the real needs under each sub-heading and the minimum allocations required for Community action to be credible in the various areas, including convergence, regional competitiveness and employment. The CRPM calls on Member States to carry out an upward review, if necessary, of the real needs of the EU’s poorest member countries and regions. The Conference also criticises the proposal to henceforth dispense with a clear-cut distribution of resources between the ERDF and the ESF (European Social Fund) at European level and to leave it to Member States to establish their top priorities. For further information, visit: http://www.crpm.org.

 

Funding opportunities

Study on the social impact of globalisation in the EU

The European Commission has just launched a contract notice concerning a “Study on the social impact of globalisation in the EU” . The study is to a) examine the extent and specific nature of the social impact of globalisation; b) analyse the strengths and weaknesses of current policies and c) analyse how outcomes relate to capacities and shortcomings of policy and governance structures and discuss which adaptations would be needed to assist policymakers in Member States and across the EU in their efforts to support the economy and protect the welfare and social cohesion of citizens. The maximum budget available for this contract is €230,000 for one year. The deadline for applications is 27 June. For additional information, e-mail: empl-e1-courrier@cec.eu.int. OJ 2005/S 83 of 28/04/2005.

Study on the social dimension in the candidate countries 

The Commission has recently published a contract notice entitled “Study on the social dimension in the candidate countries ”. The study, which is to cover Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia and Turkey, will be commissioned with the aim of describing and analysing the social situation in the four above-mentioned countries on the basis of a common methodology, identifying the major challenges in the current demographic, social and economic context, assessing recent reform efforts and highlighting major current issues for further reform. The total maximum annual amount available is €230,000 (not renewable). Closing date: 27 June 2005. For additional information, contact : empl-e1-courrier@cec.eu.int. OJ 2005/S 83 of 28 April 2005.

 

Forthcoming events

18 May 2005, Brussels (BE)

RESSOURCES (a network of non-profit making companies involved in recovery and recycling in Wallonia and Brussels) and Extra-Muros (a cooperative network providing consultancy in project management) are organising a joint panel discussion entitled “Valeurs Ajoutées” (Value Added) on 18 May in Brussels. The discussion aims to provide tools to promote the sustainable development of companies and manage their long-term development. The two networks have joined forces to conduct an INTERREG project (co-financed by the FEDER/ERDF) aimed at identifying successful business strategies based on “four pillars of sustainable development”: a pluralist economy, the environment, social cohesion and governance. To find out more about this event, contact: RESSOURCES, Avenue Cardinal Mercier 53, B-5000 Namur, Belgium, T: +32 81 71 15 81, F: +32 81 71 72 43, e-mail: info@res-sources.be, website: http://www.res-s ources.be.

26-27 May 2005, Paris (FR)

Welcomeurope, which provides assistance services in relation to EU funding, is organising a new training session in Paris on 26-27 May on the theme “European development projects: understanding Community policies, designing a project and building a logical framework”. This training session is intended for people who, within their organisation or agency, actively participate in foreign aid projects. The registration fee is €890 and the session will be held in French. 0n 3 June 2005, Welcomeurope will be holding another training session on the theme “Successful management of a project funded by the European Commission: Complying with the contract and using appropriate follow-up tools”. For further information, contact: Marie Defrance, T: +33 1 42 54 60 64, e-mail: mdefrance@welcomeurope.com, website: http://www. welcomeurope.com.

1 and 2 December, London ( UK)

The European Commission's Descartes Prize for Research, launched in 2000, is awarded annually to teams of researchers who have achieved outstanding scientific or technological results through collaborative research in all scientific fields. In 2004, the Descartes Prize for Science Communication was launched as well. The Research Laureates share a total of € 1 million, whereas the Communication Laureates share € 250 000. As well as these amounts, finalists in 2005 will also be honoured with an additional € 30,000 for the Descartes Research Prize and of € 5,000 for the Descartes Communication Prize. The closing date for receiving submissions for the Descartes Prizes is the 10 May 2005. The prizes will be awarded on 1-2 December 2005 in London. For more information, send an e-mail to rtd-descartes@cec.eu.int or visit the following website: http://www.cordis.lu/descartes

 

Publications

Industrial relations in the EU, Japan and USA

The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions has recently published a report showing that industrial relations still differ in the EU, Japan and USA. The report entitled “Industrial relations in the EU, Japan and USA 2003-4” finds that collective bargaining remains almost entirely decentralised in Japan and the US, while bargaining in the EU is conducted at all levels, depending on national systems. There are, however, signs that in a number of countries – most notably France and Germany – collective bargaining is becoming even more decentralised, moving from the sectoral to the company level. The report is available in English at: http://www.eiro.eurofound.eu.int/annualreports.html

“Info” on EIB

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has just published issue No. 119 of its magazine, “Info”. The main topics covered in this issue are: Innovative financing of infrastructure: the role of public-private partnerships; EIB financing for Trans-European Networks (TENs); EIB financing for the water sector in the UK; the EIB Group’s activity in 2004; EIB Cooperation with the Inter-American Development Bank in the Caribbean and Latin America; Economic transition in Central and Eastern Europe; the new control structure at the EIB; and the Turkish Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Assistance (TERRA). The 24-page publication is available on line in English, French and German at: http://www.eib.eu.int/ publications

Euforic website

Europe ’s Forum on International Cooperation (Euforic) has a bilingual website (English and French) providing comprehensive information on the Forum and its activities, including Euforic’s organisation, membership, leading players, projects and instruments used. A newsletter, “Webzine”, is also available on line. Published eight times a year, “Webzine” includes an editorial, news from members and information on documents and forthcoming events. To find out more, visit: http:// www.euforic.org

 

Announcement

APARE training and volunteer actions

The “Association pour la Participation et l’Action Régionale” (Association for Participation and Regional Action – APARE), offers volunteers the opportunity to work on a range of projects in South-East France and the Mediterranean region, at the heart of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region. This summer it will also be organising volunteer actions in Morocco. The actions are open to anyone wishing to take part in a collective project in the area of cultural heritage and environmental conservation (on more than 25 sites, including many protected historical monuments). The Association also offers two training programmes: one for prospective on-site group leaders, and another for people interested in learning dry stone masonry techniques. Furthermore, APARE’s partner organisation, the Groupement Européen des Campus (European Campuses Group – GEC), is offering young volunteers the opportunity to contribute to the implementation of eco-tourism projects in Morocco and Tunisia this summer. For more information, contact: Jean-Michel ANDRE, 25 Bd Paul Pons, 84800 L’Isle sur la Sorgue, T: +33 4 90 85 51 15, F: +33 04 90 86 82 19, e-mail: apare@apare-gec.org , website: http://www.apare-gec.org

 

 

 

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Responsible at Law: William Van Dingenen - Editor in Chief: Isabelle Mirambet - Editors: Monique Braem, Eirini Nikolaïdou, Verónica Catediano, Maylis Campbell.