(i) Several joint projects between the 
United States and Latvia and Lithuania fo-
cused on democracy promotion and institution 
building in Belarus. 
(ii) A mentoring partnership program for 
women entrepreneurs in the northwest region of 
the Russian Federation, Finland, the Baltic 
states, Belarus, and Ukraine, as part of broader 
efforts to promote women’s participation in po-
litical and economic life. 
(iii) An outreach program to bring parlia-
mentarians in the Baltic states to the United 
States. 
(6) The United States commends European 
Union efforts in Northern Europe associated with 
the EU’s ‘‘Northern Dimension’’ which is designed 
to address challenges in Northern Europe with re-
gard to economic development, protection of the en-
vironment, the safety and containment of nuclear 
materials, and other issues. 
(7) While the European Union, its member 
states, and other European countries should clearly 
take the lead in addressing the challenges posed in 
Northern Europe and the wider region, in particular 
through appropriate yet substantial assistance pro-
vided by the European Union, the United States En-
hanced Partnership in Northern Europe, and this 
Act are intended to supplement such efforts and 
build on the considerable assistance that the United 
States has already provided to the Baltic states and 
the Russian Federation. Partnership with other 
countries in the region means modest United States 
investment can have significant impact. 
(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to dem-
onstrate concrete support for continued cross-border co-
operation in Northern Europe. 
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) the United States Enhanced Partnership in 
Northern Europe (e-PINE) is a sound framework 
for future United States involvement in Northern 
Europe; 
(2) the European Union should continue to au-
thorize and fund the ‘Northern Dimension’ Initiative 
at appropriate yet substantial levels of assistance 
and that the United States and the European Union 
should continue to work collaboratively on issues of 
mutual interest; and 
(3) the United States should continue to sup-
port a wide-ranging strengthening of democratic and
civic institutions on a regional basis to provide a 
foundation for political stability and investment op-
portunities, including cross-border exchanges, in 
Northern Europe and neighboring countries. 
SEC. 4. SUPPORT FOR UNITED STATES ENHANCED PART-
NERSHIP IN NORTHERN EUROPE (E-PINE) 
PROJECTS. 
(a) AVAILABILITY OF AMOUNTS FROM EAST EURO-
PEAN AND THE BALTIC STATES ASSISTANCE.—Of the 
amounts available for fiscal year 2006 to carry out the 
provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 
U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) and the Support for Eastern Euro-
pean Democracy (SEED) Act of 1989 (22 U.S.C. 5401 
et seq.) for assistance and for related programs for East-
ern Europe and the Baltic States, not more than 
$2,000,000 is authorized to be available for the projects 
described in subsection (c). 
(b) AVAILABILITY
OF
AMOUNTS
FROM
INDE-
PENDENT STATES OF THE FORMER SOVIET UNION.—Of 
the amounts available for fiscal year 2006 to carry out 
the provisions of chapter 11 of part I of the Foreign As-
sistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2295 et seq.) and the 
Freedom for Russia and Emerging Eurasian Democracies 
and Open Markets Support Act of 1992 (22 U.S.C. 5801 
et seq.) for assistance for the independent states of the
former Soviet Union and related programs, such sums as 
may be necessary are authorized to be available for the 
projects described in subsection (c). 
(c) PROJECTS DESCRIBED.—The projects described 
in this subsection are United States Enhanced Partner-
ship in Northern Europe (e-PINE) projects relating to, 
but not exclusively, regional security, democracy pro-
motion, democratic institution building, economic growth, 
environmental cleanup, law enforcement, public health, en-
ergy, business and trade promotion, and civil society. 
SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) NORTHERN EUROPE.—The term ‘‘Northern 
Europe’’ means the Republic of Estonia, the Repub-
lic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, the King-
dom of Denmark, the Republic of Finland, the Re-
public of Iceland, the Kingdom of Norway, and the 
Kingdom of Sweden. 
(2) UNITED STATES ENHANCED PARTNERSHIP 
IN NORTHERN EUROPE (E-PINE).—The term ‘‘United 
States Enhanced Partnership in Northern Europe’’ 
or ‘‘Enhanced Partnership in Northern Europe’’ 
(commonly referred to as ‘‘e-PINE’’) means the 
partnership formed in 2003 between the United 
States and the countries of Northern Europe to pro-