EU/Algeria Framework Agreement: participation of Algeria in Union programmes. Protocol to the EC/Algeria Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreement

PURPOSE: to conclude the Protocol to the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement establishing an association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and Algeria, of the other part, on a Framework Agreement between the European Union and Algeria on the general principles for the participation of Algeria in Union programmes.

PROPOSED ACT: Council Decision.

ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: Council may adopt the act only if Parliament has given its consent to the act.

BACKGROUND: as part of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), the gradual opening-up of certain Union programmes and agencies to the participation of ENP partner countries represents one of many measures to promote reform, modernisation and transition in the European Union’s neighbourhood. The Commission outlined this policy aspect more extensively in its Communication of December 2006 ‘on the general approach to enable European Neighbourhood Policy partner countries to participate in Community agencies and Community programmes’.

The Council endorsed this approach in its conclusions of 5 March 2007.

On 18 June 2007, the Council issued directives to the Commission to negotiate Framework Agreements with Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Georgia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Moldova, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Tunisia and Ukraine, on the general principles for their participation in Community programmes.

In February 2013, Algeria expressed its interest in participating in the broad range of programmes open to partner countries of the European Neighbourhood Policy.

The text of the protocol negotiated with Algeria is attached to this proposal.

It is now necessary to conclude this Protocol on behalf of the European Union.

CONTENT: under this proposal, the Council is called upon to approve, on behalf of the European Union, the Protocol to the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement establishing an association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and Algeria, of the other part, on a Framework Agreement between the European Union and Algeria on the general principles for the participation of Algeria in Union programmes.

It contains standard clauses that are intended to be applied to all European Neighbourhood Policy partner countries with which such protocols are concluded.

Objective: the objective of the Protocol is to lay down the financial and technical rules enabling Algeria to participate in certain Union programmes.

The horizontal framework established by the Protocol constitutes an economic, financial and technical cooperation measure which gives access to assistance, in particular financial assistance, to be provided by the Union pursuant to the Union programmes.

This framework applies only to those Union programmes for which the relevant constitutive legal acts provide for the possibility of Algeria’s participation. The signing and provisional application of the Protocol therefore does not entail the exercise of the powers under the various sectoral policies pursued by the programmes which are exercised when establishing the programmes.