Agenda 2000: pre-accession, coordinating aid to the applicant countries

OBJECTIVE: in the framework of the pre-accession strategy and Agenda 2000, to provide coordination of all the pre-accession financial instruments within a single regulatory framework. SUBSTANCE: Council Regulation 622/98/EC on assistance for the applicant countries under the pre-accession strategy instituted for each of the applicant countries, accession partnerships providing a single framework for programming the priorities and financial resources of pre-accession aid (see CNS97351 and COS0684) In accordance with the Luxembourg European Council there is now a need to ensure coordination of all the aid and financial instruments for the future applicant countries. This is the aim of the proposal which seeks to ensure coherence and complementarity of the three financial instruments provided: - the Phare programme will concentrate on the essential priorities linked to adoption of the acquis communautaire by the applicant countries, i.e. building up the administrative and institutional capacities of the applicant countries and financing investments designed to help them comply with Community laws, - the aid for agriculture (fund intended to provide for modernizing the structure of agricultural holdings of the CEEC, improving processing and distribution structures, developing inspection activities and rural development), - a structural instrument intended to finance activities similar to those of the cohesion fund and known as the ISPA or pre-accession structural assistance fund (aid in the fields of transport and the environment). This coordination will seek to ensure optimum economic impact for Community interventions. Systematic contribution by the applicant countries to the financing of investments will be required in each case. The Commission will be responsible for ensuring this coordination. In its task it will be assisted by an advisory committee made up of representatives of the Member States. It will also be responsible for the coordination and coherence of the interventions of these three instruments with financing from the EIB, other Community financial instruments and international financial institutions. The regulation should be applicable from 1 January 2000. �