Council Joint Action

of 29 October 2001

regarding a contribution from the European Union to the conflict settlement process in South Ossetia

(2001/759/CFSP)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on European Union, and in particular Article 14 thereof,

Whereas:

(1) On 26 February 2001, the Council declared its willingness to play a more active political role in the Southern Caucasus and to look for further ways to support efforts to prevent and resolve conflicts in the region, in particular through strengthening the cooperation with the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

(2) Under the auspices of the OSCE, a Joint Control Commission (JCC) and an Experts' Group have been set up as Conflict Settlement Mechanisms. The mandate of the JCC is to deal with the current situation in the zone of the Ossetian conflict, especially in the security field, and that of the Experts' Group is aimed at preparing an intermediate political status for South Ossetia.

(3) In order to speed up negotiations on the settlement of the conflict in South Ossetia, the OSCE and the parties concerned (Georgia, South Ossetia, the Russian Federation and North Ossetia) intend to establish permanent Secretariats to assist the activities of the JCC and of the Experts' Group as the main instruments of the conflict settlement process.

(4) To this end, the OSCE has decided to set up a fund for voluntary contributions to support the activities of the Secretariat of the JCC as well as the activities of the Experts' Group.

(5) The European Union considers that a contribution to the aims of that fund would support its own aims in the region, as well as reinforce its role, together with that of the OSCE, in the settlement of the conflict and has, therefore, agreed to make such a contribution,

HAS ADOPTED THIS JOINT ACTION:

Article 1

1. The European Union shall contribute to strengthening the conflict settlement process in South Ossetia.

2. For this purpose, the European Union shall provide a contribution to the OSCE to establish permanent Secretariats in order to assist the activities of the JCC, as well as to finance meetings of the JCC and the Experts' Group, so as to improve the operationality of these bodies entrusted with the settlement of the conflict.

Article 2

1. Disbursement of financial aid provided for under this Joint Action is conditional upon a JCC co-chairman resolution on the setting up of Secretariats and on the holding of not less than two JCC and two experts' group meetings within the next twelve months. Furthermore, demonstrable efforts by both the Georgian and South Ossetian sides to achieve real political progress towards a lasting and peaceful settlement of the differences between them should be made.

2. The Council shall entrust the Commission with the implementation of the Joint Action, with a view to meeting the objective specified in Article 1(2). The Commission shall conclude a financing agreement with the OSCE on the use of the European Union contribution, which will take the form of a grant. The grant shall cover in particular office equipment and supplies, the refurbishment and the running costs of the two offices for twelve months, as well as mission expenses of the Georgian and the South Ossetian sides for meetings of the JCC and the Experts' Group.

3. The OSCE Mission in Georgia shall be responsible for setting up the Secretariats and reimbursing mission expenses.

4. The Commission, through its Delegation in Tbilisi, shall liaise closely with the OSCE in order to monitor and evaluate progress, so as to ensure the success of the action, as well as the correct use of the grant for the purposes set out under paragraph 2.

5. The Commission shall report to the Council under the authority of the Presidency, assisted by the Secretary General of the Council, High Representative for the CFSP.

Article 3

1. The financial reference amount for the purposes referred to in Article 1(2) shall be EUR 210000.

2. The management of the expenditure financed by the amount specified in paragraph 1 shall be managed in accordance with the European Community procedures and rules applicable to the general budget of the European Union.

Article 4

1. This Joint Action shall enter into force on the day of its adoption.

It shall expire twelve months after the conclusion of the respective grant agreement between the Commission and the OSCE.

2. This Joint Action shall be reviewed ten months after the date of its adoption.

Article 5

This Joint Action shall be published in the Official Journal.

Done at Luxembourg, 29 October 2001.

For the Council

The President

L. Michel