Activities

The Commission provides technical assistance in order to improve public management in the water sector in the countries of SEE and to stimulate an approximation with EU standards.

The financial and technical assistance to underwrite the Stabilisation and Association process is provided through the CARDS programme (Community Assistance for Reconstruction Democratisation and Stabilisation). One of the four areas of support identified by the CARDS Regional Strategy Paper is ‘planning the integration of the region’s transport, energy and environmental infrastructure into the wider European networks’.

For Romania and Bulgaria, financial assistance for environment infrastructure projects are provided through ISPA (Instrument for Structural Policies for Pre-Accession). ISPA comes under the remit of Directorate General Regional Policy. Following the European Council’s decision in June 2004 to grant EU candidate status to Croatia, this country will now have access to ISPA funds.

Concerning regional environmental initiatives, the European Commission has been the driving force in the development of the Regional Environmental Reconstruction Program (known as REReP). By bringing together the various bilateral donors and the countries of the region it provides a focus for the co-ordination of otherwise disparate and overlapping bilateral actions. Through its co-chairmanship of a Task Force for overseeing the program the Commission assumes a driving role in this vehicle for reform. The REReP is the major regional environmental initiative supported by the Commission for the countries of South Eastern Europe and is in addition to its bilateral relations with each individual country.

The European Commission, Directorate General Environment also hosts the Secretariat of the Dablas Task Force. The Danube Investment Support Facility (DISF) and the Black Sea Investment Support Facility (BSIF) are funded through Commission financial instruments CARDS and TACIS respectively.

Many countries in South East Europe also get support from LIFE (pdf) (Financial Instrument for the Environment). It is aimed at developing environmental policy and action programs in non-EU countries bordering on the Mediterranean and the Baltic Sea. Projects should be of interest to the Community, promote sustainable development and provide solutions to major environmental problems. Again, the regional dimension is promoted by giving priority to projects that promote transnational or regional cooperation.

Criteria for funding and the funding process

In the European Integration Partnerships with Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, FYR Macedonia and Serbia and Montenegro, the Commission sets out specific short and medium term priorities for these countries. Regarding water resources management, often recurring elements are the need for regional cooperation, legislative approximation with the EU acquis, and issues of implementation and administrative capacity building. Country specific priorities include the accelerated implementation of the National Strategy of Water Supply and Sanitation and of the Rural Strategy of Water Supply and Sewerage in Albania; the need to adopt laws on water management in FYR Macedonia; and the need for a waste water strategy in Serbia and Montenegro.