Brussels, 15/01/2007 (Agence Europe) - On 12 January, the European Commission adopted a report assessing the effectiveness of Community funds paid in 2005 to Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia and Turkey under the PHARE programme and other pre-accession instruments (ISPA pre-accession structural implement and the special accession programme for agriculture and rural development, Sapard). It reports that the bottom line is somewhat mixed for these programmes, which received a total of €1.17 billion in commitment appropriations in 2005, €921 million of which went on the national programmes (€396.9 million for Romania, €174.9 million for Bulgaria, €227.7 for Turkey and €71.5 million for Croatia).
The 34 national assessment reports drawn up by the Directorate General "Enlargement" of the Commission "pointed to a somewhat mixed bottom line in terms of pre-accession aid to Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey", the Commission wrote, adding that a large number of programmes were considered to have been "scarcely satisfactory". In several sectors, the results of the programmes were "a mixed bag", with the exception of the initiatives financed within these countries in the field of Justice and home affairs, "where the majority of the aid had immediate and significant results". The internal market and agriculture are among other sectors which experienced favourable results. However, the Commission particularly criticised the poor state of preparedness on the part of the beneficiaries who will manage the structural funds. The Commission furthermore notes initially positive results from measures under the PHARE programme aiming to integrate the Roma minorities into society in these countries. (lc)