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| | Issue 28 15 Feb 2008 | | | | | | | | | | | |
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Commission presents policy priorities for 2009 Examining the creation of a European Border Surveillance System The FRONTEX Agency: evaluation and future developmentInternational Day against the Use of Child Soldiers EU and Arab League meet to discuss prospects of cooperation European Parliament delegation calls on Israel to stop settlement activities Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Committee meeting Ferrero-Waldner visits Moldova on 14-15 February EU Troika–Russian Federation meeting Boosting regional cooperation in the Black Sea RegionStrengthening the Black Sea regional dimension Energy Commissioner on Gazprom's commercial dispute with the Ukraine
Agreement for a new European Commission delegation in Belarus Belarus: the EPP- ED Group condemns executions | | | | | | | | EU provides €7.44 million to revitalise Palestinian agriculture 4th meeting of Maritime Safety Sub Group National women's "Machineries" in Mediterranean Partner Countries Information on the 5th phase of Euro-Med Market Programme available Euromed Cinemas selections Book series entitled “Great Mediterranean Composers” Experts meet in Ashgabat to discuss Caspian water quality monitoring problems Ukraine: A subsequent seminar for mass media representatives Ukraine: Start-up of a new project in the field of energy security Russia: New EU-funded project to support development of financial markets BUMAD supports best practices for drug prevention in schools | | | | Commission presents policy priorities for 2009 The Commission has presented this week its Annual Policy Strategy setting out its political priorities for 2009. The European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) will focus on full implementation of the twelve ENP action plans. It should be possible to conclude negotiations on a new Enhanced Agreement with Ukraine in 2009. It is expected that new contractual arrangements will be negotiated with Libya. Based on a sustained progress in action plan implementation, the EU will be ready to start reflection on a new contractual arrangement with the Republic of Moldova. The need for further engagement with Russia and an enhanced agreement remains a key priority. Finally, the momentum created by the Annapolis Conference will hopefully bring about positive developments in the Middle East. The Commission will play its part in the Quartet and continue to dedicate significant resources to the region. http://ec.europa.eu/atwork/synthesis/doc/aps_2009_en.pdf Examining the creation of a European Border Surveillance System The Commission presented a Communication on the creation of a European Border Surveillance System (EUROSUR), with the main purpose of preventing unauthorised border crossings, reducing the number of illegal immigrants losing their life at sea and increasing the internal security of the EU by contributing to the prevention of cross-border crime. With this proposal, the Communication intends to examine the parameters within which EUROSUR, focusing initially on the southern and eastern external borders of the EU, could be developed and to suggest to Member States a roadmap for gradually developing such a "system of systems" over the coming years. The FRONTEX Agency: evaluation and future developmentA Communication presented on 13 February assesses the results of the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union (FRONTEX). An in-depth discussion should be launched on the longer term strategy to be pursued by the Union with regard to the role FRONTEX is expected to play in the development of the integrated border management model, including the reinforced cooperation mechanism with third countries, and in ensuring a sound management of migration flows. International Day against the Use of Child Soldiers 12 February has been proclaimed the International Day against the Use of Child Soldiers. Commissioners Benita Ferrero-Waldner and Louis Michel called for a more robust international response to the curse of child recruitment into armies and irregular fighting forces. The recently adopted Commission Communication "A Special Place for Children in EU External Action" recognises that children are particularly at risk from the effects of state fragility and from armed conflict. This issue is a priority area in which the EU should undertake specific actions at regional and global levels. http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/211&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en | | | | | EU and Arab League meet to discuss prospects of cooperation “Arab countries are the neighbourhood of the EU and we face common challenges ranging from peace and stability in the Middle East and the fight against terrorism, to climate change, trade integration, security of energy supplies, and to encourage inter-cultural dialogue" Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Commissioner for External Relations and the ENP said as the EU-Arab League Ministerial meeting was taking place in Malta on 11-12 February. The goal of the meeting was to bring together the Arab League countries and the EU to discuss common challenges and to envisage concrete and pragmatic cooperation activities. The Slovenian Council President said the EU appreciated the important role of the Arab League and welcomed its initiatives, which are part of efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East. http://www.eu2008.si/en/News_and_Documents/Press_Releases/February/0211MZZ_Rupel_Malta.html? European Parliament delegation calls on Israel to stop settlement activities "Israel must stick to its part of the deal and halt all future settlement activities" said Kyriacos Triantaphyllides, Chairman of the European Parliament delegation for relations with the Palestinian Legislative Council, following the decision by the Israeli Housing Minister Zeev Boim to build 1,110 new apartments for Israelis in East Jerusalem. http://www.guengl.eu/showPage.jsp?ID=5669&AREA=27&HIGH=1 Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Committee meeting On 15 February, the Committee on Improving Quality of Life, Exchanges between Civil Societies and Culture of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly met in Italy. The following topics were discussed: root causes of migration phenomena in the Mediterranean region, 2008: the Euro-Mediterranean year of dialogue between Cultures, follow up on the “Horizon 2020” programme for the Mediterranean Sea. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/intcoop/empa/committee_cult/draft_agendas/15_02_2008_en.pdf | | | | | Ferrero-Waldner visits Moldova on 14-15 February Ahead of her visit to Moldova on 14/15 February 2008, European Commissioner for External Relations and ENP, Benita Ferrero-Waldner said: "This is a very dynamic moment: Moldova has made significant progress over the last year in moving ahead with its ambitious reform agenda based on the EU-Moldova ENP Action Plan. We have concluded visa facilitation and readmission agreements which entered into force on 1 January 2008, the first world-wide Common Visa Application Centre has been opened in Chisinau, and the EU adopted a decision on granting additional Autonomous Trade Preferences to Moldova which will enter into force on 1 March. The EU will be ready to start discussions on further strengthening EU-Moldova relations on the basis of a breakthrough in the implementation of the Action Plan, in particular in key areas such as media freedom, the fight against corruption and improvements to the investment climate." http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/243&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en EU Troika–Russian Federation meeting On 13 February 2008, the meeting between the EU Troika and the Russian Federation was held in Slovenia. The talks focused on the current development of cooperation between the EU and the Russian Federation, the main priorities of cooperation for 2008 and the implementation of four common spaces. The interlocutors also discussed regional and international issues – Kosovo, the Middle East Peace Process, Moldova, i.e. the Transdniestrian issue, Sudan and Chad. EU cooperation with Russia is based on the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) that took effect on 1 December 1997 for a period of ten years and that may be prolonged. http://www.eu2008.si/en/Meetings_Calendar/Dates/February/0213_EUTrojka_Rusija.html? Boosting regional cooperation in the Black Sea Region“Black Sea Synergy is designed to attract political attention to the Black Sea region and provide new opportunities through increased cooperation with the EU. We believe Black Sea Synergy can achieve results particularly in five key areas: energy, good governance, transport, environment, migration and the fight against cross-border crime" said Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, in anticipation of the Black Sea Synergy Ministerial Meeting. This meeting brought together the Foreign Ministers of the EU 27 and their counterparts from the Black Sea region in Kiev on 14 February 2008. Black Sea Synergy, an initiative launched by the Commission in 2007 aims at boosting cooperation within the region as well as between the EU and the region as a whole. Strengthening the Black Sea regional dimension Adopted on 7 February at the plenary session of the Committee of the Regions (CoR), the opinion on "the Synergy of the Black Sea - A new regional cooperation initiative", stressed that it is essential to strengthen the regional dimension if one hopes that the initiative is to be successful. Vis-a-vis the environmental, maritime, migratory and interdenominational challenges of the region, the CoR supported the Commission proposal to organise the setting-up of the initiative at regional level. Involvement of the regional and local levels is crucial for the political and economic stabilisation of this part of Europe, an area of geostrategic tension. http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=COR/08/27&format=HTML&aged=0&language=FR&guiLanguage=fr Energy Commissioner on Gazprom's commercial dispute with the Ukraine
The Energy Commissioner, Andris Piebalgs, issued a statement after Gazprom announced of a commercial dispute with Ukraine. He mentioned that Gazprom has given assurances that gas supplies to the EU will not be interrupted. Furthermore he called on the two parties to find a solution to this commercial issue as soon as possible. He stated that the Commission expects the gas supplies to the EU not to be affected. The Commission is considering the possibility of calling for an urgent meeting of the gas coordination group if the situation calls for action. http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/223&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en Agreement for a new European Commission delegation in Belarus President Lukashenko has authorized Deputy foreign Minister Voronetsky to sign an agreement of establishment for a new European Commission delegation in Belarus. "The aim of this new delegation will be to reinforce our presence in Belarus, allowing us more direct contacts with Belarus society at large and to better adapt our cooperation to the needs of the Belarus population" said commissioner Ferrero-Waldner. Belarus: the EPP- ED Group condemns executions The EEP- ED Group, one of the political parties in the European Parliament, issued a statement on 11 February condemning the execution of three convicted prisoners in Belarus, Syarhey Marzaw, Ihar Danchanka and Valerii Gorbatii. It urged Belarus to respect the fundamental principles of human rights and condemned the application of the death penalty regardless under which circumstances. http://www.epp- ed.eu/Press/showpr.asp?PRControlDocTypeID=1&PRControlID=7031&PRContentID=12309&PRContentLG=en | | | | EU provides €7.44 million to revitalise Palestinian agriculture The EU provided €7.44 million to five new projects to help revitalise the agricultural sector in the occupied Palestinian territory. The aim is to help promote sustainable development in its economic, social and environmental dimension. The programme is fully in line with the priorities of the Palestinian Authority under the Palestinian Reform and Development Plan, which Prime Minister Fayyad presented to the International Donor community in Paris in December 2007. Three of the projects are part of a programme dedicated to the development of the olive oil sector. http://www.delwbg.ec.europa.eu/ 4th meeting of Maritime Safety Sub-Group The fourth meeting of the Maritime Safety Sub-Group, also acting as the SAFEMED Project Advisory Committee was organised on 7 February 2008 in Brussels. The meeting provided an opportunity to review the overall Euro-Mediterranean cooperation in the field of transport, taking into account the adoption in 2007 by all the Euro-Mediterranean partner countries of the Regional Transport Action Plan (RTAP). The RTAP includes 34 actions for all transport sectors to be implemented by 2013, among them a number of actions dedicated to maritime safety and security. The SAFEMED Project is a response to the interest of the EU to develop Euro-Mediterranean cooperation in the field of maritime safety and security and prevention of pollution from ships, by providing technical advice and support to the Mediterranean Partners. http://www.safemed-project.org/prdetails?id=53 National Women's "Machineries" in Mediterranean Partner Countries The EUROMED Role of Women in Economic Life Programme, in cooperation with the Centre of Arab Women for Training and Research (CAWTAR) concluded on 29 January a two-day regional seminar, titled "National Women's Machineries in Mediterranean Partner Countries: Lessons Learned and Strategies for the future". The term "national machinery" is used to refer to "structures with mandated responsibility for operationalising a State's commitment to gender equality. The event brought together more than 80 participants representing MEDA authorities, policy experts, civil society activists, research institutions, regional and international organisations concerned with gender in the Arab Mediterranean Countries. Over the two days, participants engaged in heated debates on the challenges as well as opportunities for strengthening national women's "machineries" in MEDA and enabling them to effectively represent women's rights and priorities at policy making levels. http://www.roleofwomenineconomiclife.net/tunisiaseminar1.html Information on the 5th phase of Euro-Med Market Programme available Information relating to the launching of the 5th phase of the EuroMed Market Programme, has been made public on the Programme website. This phase will be carried out from January to December 2008. Euro-Med Market promotes an understanding of the regulatory framework necessary to implement the Association Agreements and achieve deeper economic cooperation http://www.euromedmarket.org/ingles/default.asp?pagina=home.asp Euromed Cinemas selections Euromed Cinemas has decided to support 18 film releases, for a total of €336,600, in order to back their distribution and outreach in the Mediterranean Partner Countries and EU Member States. These films include: 7 releases of MEDA films to be exhibited in the European Union, 6 releases of MEDA films to be screened in the MEDA region, 5 releases of European films to be showcased in the MEDA region. The deadline for receipt of applications for the next selection is 28 February 2008, for releases planned between 25 March and 25 May 2008. http://www.euromedaudiovisuel.net/newsdetail.aspx?lang=en&treeID=74&documentID=9129 Book series entitled “Great Mediterranean Composers” The publications of the Medimuses project include the collection of musical works in score form of 6 great composers of the Mediterranean. The books are now available for download, free of charge, in PDF format. MediMuses aims to research and recompose the elements of a common Mediterranean musical heritage, specifically the learned or classical music, as it has been preserved in oral tradition, as well as in written sources. www.medimuses.gr | | | | | Experts meet in Ashgabat to discuss Caspian water quality monitoring problems The first Workshop of a new project dealing with the Monitoring the Quality of Water in the Caspian Sea was held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on 4-6 February as part of the Caspian Environment Program. It was attended by leading environmental experts, representatives of international organizations and the oil companies, as well as delegations from Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan and Russia. The new environmental project involving the preparation of an action plan for highly polluted areas of the Caspian Sea is meant to step up regional cooperation and and at the same time to increase the capacities of the national water laboratories. Laboratory equipment is therefore also provided, and training will be given, to the countries under the project. http://www.caspianenvironment.org/newsite/PCU-Background.htm Ukraine: A subsequent seminar for mass media representatives On 11 February, more than 30 Ukrainian regional and national mass media representatives together with experts of Consumer Society and Citizen Networks Project were instructed on the criteria of choice of high quality chocolate produce and healthy nutrition in the framework of a workshop specially designed for journalists. The Consumer Society and Citizen Networks project (CSCN), a joint initiative of the European Union and UNDP, started in 2006. Its goal is to increase civil society role in sound economic governance in Ukraine according to the European standards. http://www.undp.org.ua/cscn/eng/events-11-02-2008.php Ukraine: Start-up of a new project in the field of energy security The project "Support to the Strengthening of Ukraine's Decision-making Process in the Field of Energy Security" aims to introduce EU methodologies and practices, develop and make use of state-of-the-art statistical and forecasting tools, with a view to harmonising Ukraine’s decision-making processes in the field of energy security with international practice. The project was confirmed at the September 2007 EU-Ukraine Summit during which the Second Joint Report on implementation of the EU-Ukraine Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of energy was signed. http://www.delukr.ec.europa.eu/home.html Russia: New EU-funded project to support development of financial markets On 14 February, 2008, the initial conference of a EU-funded €3 million project on the development of financial markets in Russia took place at the Delegation of the European Commission to Russia. The goal of the project is to contribute to the Russian Government’s strategy for ensuring stable development in and for increasing competitiveness of the financial sector. The project will promote the use of public-private partnership and encourage the activity of the Russian financial development institutions with state participation. It will also examine the possibility of enhancing the potential of the Russian financial system as a regional financial hub. The project is expected to facilitate exchange of experience between the EU experts and the Russian partners and ensure effective application of local knowledge and skills combined with best EU practices. These objectives will be achieved through a series of trainings, qualifications, and a study tour. http://www.delrus.ec.europa.eu/en/news_985.htm BUMAD supports best practices for drug prevention in schools On 23 January BUMAD awarded the winners of the contest for the best modules of drug prevention lessons at school. The contest was announced in the framework of the series of the drug prevention seminars organized by BUMAD for the Minsk schools’ social pedagogues in November 2007. The Programme is funded by the European Commission and Implemented by the United Nations Development Programme in Ukraine. It aims to support capacity building in preventing drug abuse and fighting drug trafficking in Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine as well as to improve regional cooperation in this field. http://bumad.un.kiev.ua/index.php?lang=en&sID=18 | | | | Solana at the Munich Conference on Security Policy Forthcoming events 26-27 February- Morocco: Euromed ministerial conference on information society 3- 4 April - Fez: Euromed Ministerial conference on Tourism 29- 30 May - Greece: Euromed ministerial conference on Culture and cultural dialogue
NEW Euromed calendar 2008 is available online | | Funding opportunities Detailed information on open tenders in the ENPI partner countries can be found in the EuropeAid tender database here.
Detailed information on procedures is here. | | | | | The European Neighbourhood Partnership Instrument - ENPI The European Union provides financial support to its eastern neighbours and those along the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean through the European Neighbourhood Partnership Instrument launched in January 2007. This instrument, within the European Neighbourhood Policy, promotes enhanced cooperation and progressive economic integration between the EU and its partner countries and builds on common values. The countries covered by the ENPI are: Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Moldova, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Russia, Syria, Tunisia and Ukraine. | |
PRODUCED BY THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION
(EuropeAid Cooperation Office DG) This publication does not represent the official view of the European Commission or the EU Institutions.
The text of this publication is by no means binding for the Commission. Note on quotation: check against delivery | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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