Nieuwe EU-programma's in Oekraïne (en)

New opportunities in the context of the Eastern Partnership will be offered by the opening of a range of EU Programmes to Ukraine. This initiative, as set out under a new EU-Ukraine Protocol, will promote Ukraine’s involvement in areas such as business and entrepreneurship, energy and infrastructure, as well as communication and technology. The gradual opening of certain EU programmes and agencies for participation by neighbouring countries forms one of the means to promote reform and modernisation in the European neighbourhood.

Following the European Parliament’s positive vote on the participation of Ukraine in EU programmes, Commissioner Füle stressed the important potential of this new measure under the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP): “Active participation in EU programmes is an important catalyst in supporting the process of social and economic reform in Ukraine, and will promote co-operation and the transfer of best practices. I welcome this important initiative as yet another step in strengthening our ties with Ukraine.”

The opening-up of Union programmes and agencies to the participation of neighbouring partner countries was proposed by the European Commission in 2006 as a new avenue towards institution-building and administrative reform, and a way to promote convergence of neighbouring partner countries with EU standards. Ukraine is one of the first beneficiaries of this approach. A new EU-Ukraine Protocol, setting forth the principles and modalities for Ukraine’s involvement, was signed on the occasion of the 14th EU-Ukraine Summit on 22 November 2010.

The Protocol paves the way for closer EU-Ukraine co-operation under a number of specific EU policies and programmes, including Customs 2013, the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme, SESAR (Single European Sky Air Traffic Management Research) or the Health Programme. Additional possibilities for involvement will also be offered in the areas of fight against crime and terrorism, civil protection, as well as in the fields of media, culture and youth exchanges.

Practical co-operation agreements are already in place between Ukraine and the European Food Safety Authority, the European Monitoring Centre on Drugs and Drug Addiction, and the EU’s border security agency FRONTEX. The Commission has also allocated € 3.7 million under the Inter-Regional Programme for 2011-13 to facilitate technical cooperation between relevant EU agencies and interested neighbouring partners.

Background

As part of the European Neighbourhood Policy, the gradual opening-up of certain Union programmes and agencies to the participation of ENP partner countries was proposed as one of other measures to promote reform and transition in the ENP and outlined in the Commission Communication “On the general approach to enable ENP partner countries to participate in Community agencies and Community programmes” (COM 2006 (724) of 4 December 2006), and endorsed by the Council on 5 March 2007.

The approach distinguishes between

• 1) 

  co-operation with specific EU agencies (on the basis of international agreements between the EU body and the third country) and

• 2) 

  inclusion of ENP partners in the implementation of EU policies and programmes (on the basis of a general protocol with each ENP partner and specific Memoranda of Understanding for each programme outlining the details of participation).

Concerning participation in EU programmes, the Council issued directives to the Commission on 18 June 2007 to negotiate Protocols to the EU’s Partnership and Cooperation Agreements with Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Moldova and its Association Agreements with Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco as well as its interim agreement with the PLO, acting for the benefit of the Palestinian Authority. The directives did not cover Belarus, Syria or Libya as these countries do not have signed Partnership and Cooperation or Association Agreements with the EU.

Ukraine, Israel and Morocco were identified as the first partner countries to benefit from this initiative. Ukraine had expressed particular interest in participating in several Union programmes, notably the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme. Negotiations commenced with all three countries in September 2007 leading to the signature of a Protocol with Israel in April 2008 and with Morocco in December 2010. In March 2008, it was decided to commence negotiations with Moldova, leading to the signature of a Protocol in October 2010. The Protocol with Ukraine was signed on the occasion of the 14th EU-Ukraine Summit on 22 November 2010, allowing for its provisional application.

Further information on possibilities of participation in EU programmes and agencies for countries under the European Neighbourhood Policy can be found under http://ec.europa.eu/world/enp