Technical assistance and information exchange Programme TAIEX: extension to the countries eligible for the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument ENPI

PURPOSE : to enable countries covered by the European Neighbourhood Policy, as well as Russia, particularly those with action plans or roadmaps under implementation, to benefit from assistance through TAIEX.

LEGISLATIVE ACT : Council Decision 2006/62/EC enabling countries covered by the European Neighbourhood Policy, as well as Russia, to benefit from the Technical Assistance and Information Exchange (TAIEX) Programme

CONTENT : The purpose of this Decision is to enable countries covered by the European Neighbourhood Policy, as well as Russia, particularly those with action plans or roadmaps under implementation, to benefit from assistance through TAIEX, which will provide targeted technical assistance to aid the partner countries in understanding and drafting legislation related to

the action plans and to help them with implementation and enforcement.

Council Regulation 1605/2002/EC (the Financial Regulation) allows for the implementation of the Community budget through centralised indirect management and sets specific requirements for implementation, provided this is authorised by the basic act of the programme. Since a harmonised implementation of the assistance through TAIEX is necessary, this Decision follows the same approach as Council Regulation 3906/89/EEC (Phare), Council Regulation 2666/2000/EC (CARDS) and Council Regulation 2500/2001/EC concerning pre-accession financial assistance for Turkey.

Activities authorised by this Decision will be financed from budget heading 19 06 01 ‘Assistance to partner countries in eastern Europe and central Asia’, and the associated budget heading for administrative costs 19 01 04 07, and budget heading 19 08 02 01 MEDA (measures to accompany the reforms to the economic and social structures in the Mediterranean non-member countries) and the associated budget heading for administrative costs 19 01 04 06.