EC/developing countries: rehabilitation and reconstruction operations in developing countries

OBJECTIVE: to establish procedures for the administration of rehabilitation and reconstruction operations in developing countries in the intermediate stage immediately after the emergency stage and before the resumption of medium- or long-term development cooperation. CONTENT: rehabilitation and reconstruction operations are of limited duration and seek to help reestablish a working economy and the institutional capacities needed to restore social and political stability in the countries concerned and meet the needs of the people affected as a whole. They take over from humanitarian operations and pave the way for the resumption of long-term development aid. - Recipients: developing countries or regions which have suffered serious destruction through war, civil disorder or natural disaster. - Cooperation partners: national, regional and local government departments and agencies, local authorities and other decentralized bodies and NGOs. - Operations to be implemented: re-starting production, physical and operational rehabilitation of basic infrastructure, social reintegration, restoration of the institutional capacities needed in the rehabilitation period (especially at local level). They mainly include financing studies, technical assistance, training, the provision of services and other works etc. Community funding covers the cost of investments (except real estate) and operations in foreign or local currency. Joint funding will be actively sought from local partners, within their means, and from Member States. Coordination measures are planned along these lines. - Form of aid: grants. - Decision-making procedure: the Commission will administer operations covered by the regulation. It will be assisted by an advisory committee, consisting of representatives of the EDF, ALA or MED committee, depending on the region. Participation in invitations to tender and the award of contracts is open to the recipient country and the Member States and to other third developing countries in exceptional cases. - Exchanges of view: the Commission and the representatives of the MED, EDF and ALA committees will hold an exchange of views once a year with the three committees concerned on future operations to be conducted within the framework of this cooperation. - Information: an annual report will be submitted to the European Parliament and the Council summarizing and evaluating the operations financed in the course of the financial year (any contracts concluded, external evaluations etc.). - Budget: the financial statement makes provision for the sum of ECU 65 million in 1996 (this cooperation does not include any provision as to its duration and it is therefore renewable annually).�