Hungary: membership application and partnership, 1st April 1994

PURPOSE: presentation of the second accession partnership for Hungary. CONTENT : Like its previous version, this partnership for the accession of Hungary resembles a work programme proposing priorities and objectives to be attained by the country in the short and the medium-term in order to become a member of the Union. These objectives take into account the regular report on Hungary (1999). The short-term priorities (end of 2000) concern political criteria (introduction of a framework programme for the Roma people with appropriate financial resources); economic criteria (restructuring of public finances and reform of the healthcare system, restructuring of the steel sector); the internal market (basically continuing the harmonisation process and the modification of the banking rules to prevent the opening of anonymous accounts) ; agriculture, transport, environment (integrated pollution prevention and control), social affairs and employment, justice and home affairs (implementation of the Schengen acquis and improved frontier management, combat of corruption) and the strengthening of administrative and judiciary capacity (in particular the management and control of EU funds). In the medium term, the measures will concern the follow-up of efforts seeking to resolve the Roma question. In the area of the internal market, the complete liberalisation of public procurement by 2001 and the abolition by the end of 2002 of the national preference clause for public contracts; progress in alignment in the area of free movement of goods, taxation and customs. With regard to the programming of financial resources, the partnership confirms aid granted in line with AGENDA 2000 and the various instruments provided therein (Phare, SAPARD and ISPA) in accordance with the rules already foreseen. It should be noted that assistance is only granted if the country respects the provisions of the EC-Hungary Association Agreement, makes progress towards satisfying the Copenhagen criteria and assures in the year 2000 the achievement of the specific priorities of this accession partnership.�