Brussels, 22/10/2001 (Agence Europe) - On Monday, the European Commission adopted a strategy document for promoting regional co-operation in the Western Balkans. This text, and the strategy plans that the Commission is preparing for each of the beneficiary countries (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Yugoslavia and Macedonia), provide details on the implementation of the 2000-2006 aid programme for the Western Balkans, the Cards programme, with a budget of 4.65 billion euro for the period as a whole. They will be presented by Commissioner Patten at the second regional conference for South East Europe, to be held in Bucharest on 25 and 26 October.
With these documents, the Commission sets out what the objectives of the projects to receive EU aid between 2000 and 2006 will have to be: strengthen the Institutions and Administrations; enhance democracy (protection of minorities and refugees, participation in civil society, the media…); improve the management of justice and home affairs, and especially border protection; support economic and social development and education, develop the infrastructure and the private sector.. Mr. Patten will already provide some indications on Thursday on the details of the priorities for each country. The strengthening of democracy will therefore take the form of support for NGO work in Albania, aid for returnees, support for the media in Bosnia, aid for civil society and for returnees in Croatia, initiatives to protect minorities and strengthen confidence in the establishment in Macedonia, etc. Justice and Home Affairs initiatives in Croatia are to be targeted on the training of judges, reforming legal procedures and the legal system, reforming the police and the war against organised crime in Macedonia, with the focus being put on reforming the legal system and also on money laundering and the asylum and immigration policy. The Commission is expected to draw up a full table giving an indicative breakdown of the funding and draw up a strategy document for each country by the end of the year.
The Cards Regional Strategy Document adopted on Monday outlines how the Commission is planning to allocate the 10% or so of the Cards programme set aside for promoting regional co-operation. From 2002 to 2004 the priorities will be integrated border control (EUR 119 million), strengthening the institutions (EUR 44 million, 13 million of which for regional police and judicial cooperation and 3 million for cooperation in compiling statistics), protecting minority rights and promoting civil society (EUR 12 million) and determining regional solutions to transport, energy and environmental protection problems (including EUR 5 million for air traffic control).