Sharing INTERREG experiences
Sharing INTERREG experiences
The lines below have been written by INTERACT Point Tool Box and aim at increasing the understanding of Euro-Mediterranean cooperation.
The MEDA programme is the main financial instrument created by the European Union for implementing the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. It provides technical and financial support measures to ensure economic and social progress for the Mediterranean Partners. The MEDA programme is implemented by the European Commission through the EuropeAid Co-operation Office. MEDA main areas of intervention and objectives are directly derived from those of the 1995 Barcelona Declaration.
The legal basis of the MEDA programme is the 1996 MEDA Regulation (Council Regulation no EC/1488/96). This Regulation was amended in November 2000 and is usually called MEDA II. MEDA resources are subject to programming through the MED Committee.
For the 2007-2013 financial period, the Commission has proposed to the Council and Parliament a simplification of the financial instruments supporting the EU’s external relations. As such, the Commission has proposed replacing the current financial assistance instruments for the countries concerned, mainly MEDA and TACIS, with a single, dedicated European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI).
What is the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership?
What is the EuropeAid Co-operation Office?
What is the Barcelona Conference?
What is the 1995 Barcelona Declaration?
What are MEDA programming documents?
What is the MED Committee?
What is the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI)?
What is the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership?
The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership provides the institutional structure for the development of relations between the European Union and the Mediterranean States. The Partnership was initiated at the Conference of EU Member States and Mediterranean Foreign Ministers in Barcelona, on 27th and 28th November 1995, the so-called Barcelona Conference, which marked the start of a new "partnership" phase in the bilateral, multilateral and regional cooperation of the European Union.
The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership was originally made up of the EU Member States and Cyprus, Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey are members. As of 1 May 2004, Cyprus and Malta participate as EU Member States in the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership consisting of 35 participating States.
What is the EuropeAid Co-operation Office?
The EuropeAid Co-operation Office was set up on 1 January 2001 by the European Commission to optimise the management of European external aid.
The EuropeAid Co-operation Office's mission is to implement the external aid instruments of the European Commission, which are funded by the European Community budget and the European Development Fund. It does not deal with pre-accession aid programmes (Phare, Ispa and Sapard), humanitarian activities, macro-financial assistance, the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) or the Rapid Reaction Facility.
The Office is responsible for all phases of the project cycle (identification and appraisal of projects and programmes, preparation of financing decisions, implementation and monitoring, evaluation of projects and programmes) which ensures the achievement of the objectives of the programmes established by the Directorates-General for External Relations and Development and approved by the Commission.
The European Commission's EuropeAid Co-operation Office establishes the annual financing plans and manages the projects and programmes.
What is the Barcelona Conference?
The Barcelona Conference took place on the 27th and 28th November 1995 in Barcelona with the participation of EU Member States and Mediterranean Foreign Ministers. The Barcelona Conference marked the start of a new "partnership" phase in the bilateral, multilateral and regional cooperation of the European Union.
What is the 1995 Barcelona Declaration?
The 1995 Barcelona Declaration was adopted at the Barcelona Conference and is the document that sets the guiding principles and objectives of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, which are split into three chapters:
1. Political and Security Partnership: The objective of this chapter is to establish a common Euro-Mediterranean area of peace and security based on fundamental principles including respect for human rights and democracy. The participants of the Barcelona Declaration undertake to act in accordance with the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as other obligations under international law.
2. Economic and Financial Partnership: The objective of this chapter is the creation of an area of prosperity through the progressive establishment of a free-trade area covering the member-states of the European Union and those of the Mediterranean Partners by 2010. This is accompanied by substantial EU financial support for economic transition in the Mediterranean Partner countries and for the social and economic consequences of this reform process.
3. Social, Cultural and Human Partnership: The objective in this field is the development of human resources, the promotion of understanding between cultures and the rapprochement of peoples in the Euro-Mediterranean region, as well as the development of free and flourishing civil societies.
What are MEDA programming documents?
MEDA programming documents are Strategy papers covering the 2000-2006 period established at national and regional level. Based on these papers, three-year national indicative programmes (NIPs) (Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, West Bank and Gaza Strip) are drawn up jointly for the bilateral channel, and a regional indicative programme (RIP) covers the multilateral activities.
The indicative programmes follow the 1996 Council guidelines / MEDA Regulation. Annually adopted financing plans are derived from the NIPs and the RIP. The strategy papers, NIPs and the RIP are established in liaison with the European Investment Bank.
What is the MED Committee?
The MED Committee was established in the Barcelona Conference to allow EU Member States to advise the European Commission in implementing the MEDA Programme. The Committee gives its opinion on MEDA programming documents.
What is the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI)?
The ENPI is a policy-driven instrument that will operate in the framework of the existing bilateral agreements between the Community and the neighbouring countries from 2007 to 2013. It focuses on supporting the implementation of the European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plans. It will have a specific and innovative component catering for the specific needs of cross-border cooperation at the EU’s external borders. The ENPI will replace existing geographical and thematic programmes covering the countries concerned. External aspects of internal policies, currently covered by a specific instrument, will be either mainstreamed in country or multi-country programmes, or, where appropriate, dealt with through a specific thematic programme.
Links
Downloads