Development cooperation, NIS and Mongolia: assistance to economic reform and recovery, Tacis programme, 2000-2006

The committee adopted the report by Mr Jaime VALDIVIELSO DE CUÉ (EPP/ED, E) approving (with amendments) the Commission proposal for a regulation on assistance for economic reform and recovery in the NIS and Mongolia. The report noted that the Commission's explanatory memorandum contained an accurate and detailed analysis of the difficulties encountered by the TACIS programmes and some interesting proposals for its future development. However, it pointed out that other questions had not been analysed in sufficient detail, such as differentiation by country or region, the scope for concentrating aid, or the specific requirements of nuclear safety and the introduction of the incentive scheme. The amendments tabled by the committee reflected Parliament's traditional priorities as regards the objectives and procedures for aid. The committee also adopted an amendment calling for all aid programmes for the Russian Federation deriving from the proposed regulation to be suspended until a satisfactory solution had been found to the armed conflict in Chechnya, on the grounds that this was consistent with the stance taken by Parliament on 4 November 1999 in relation to the EU-Russia agreement on science and technology.�