15. 6. 91 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 157/7 
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: 
Article 1 
Member States shall ensure that the number 00 is 
introduced in public telephone networks as the standard 
international telephone access code. 
Article 2 
The standard international telephone access code shall be 
introduced by 31 December 1992 at the latest, except as 
provided for in Article 3. 
Article 3 
Where particular technical, financial, or organizational 
difficulties in a Member State make the introduction of 
the standard international telephone access code by the 
date laid down in Article 2 impossible, that Member 
State shall submit to the Commission the relevant infor­
mation. 
The Member State concerned shall communicate to the 
Commission, with adequate explanations and justifi­
cation, a new date for the introduction of the standard 
international telephone access code which, however, 
shall not be later than 31 December 1998. 
Article 4 
Where Member States invoke Article 3, Member States 
shall nevertheless ensure that the 00 number range is 
freed from other uses by 31 December 1995, in antici-
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European 
Economic Community, and in particular Article 235 
thereof, 
Having regard to the conclusion of protocols on 
financial and technical cooperation between the 
European Economic Community and non-member 
Mediterranean countries hereinafter referred to as 
'protocols', pation of the full implementation of this number as the 
international telephone access code. 
Member States shall ensure that from this date onwards, 
subscribers attempting to dial 00 are provided with a 
free-of-charge recorded announcement in an appropriate 
number of Community languages, advising of the 
specific international telephone access code still in use. 
Article 5 
1. Special dialling arrangements for making calls 
between adjacent locations across borders between 
Member States may be established or continued. 
In these cases Member States shall ensure that where the 
standard international telephone access code is dialled, 
the call is nevertheless correctly routed to its destination 
and that the same tariffs as under these arrangements are 
applied. 
2. Where particular technical, financial, or organiz­
ational difficulties make it initially impossible to comply 
with paragraph 1, Member States shall inform the 
Commission and ensure that the necessary changes are 
made as quickly as possible. 
3. The telephone subscribers in the locations 
concerned shall be fully informed of the arrangements. 
Article 6 
This Decision is addressed to the Member States. 
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, 
Having regard to the opinion of the European 
Parliament, 
Whereas the protocols provide for operations financed 
from the Community budget in the form of grants, 
special loans, contributions to the constitution of risk 
capital and loans from the own resources of the Proposal for a Council Regulation (EEC) on the application of the protocols on financial and 
technical cooperation concluded by the Community with non-member Mediterranean countries 
(91/C 157/08) 
COM(91) 184 final 
(Submitted by the Commission on 3 June 1991) 
No C 157/8 Official Journal of the European Communities 15.6.91 
European Investment Bank, hereinafter referred to as 
'the Bank'; 
Whereas detailed rules for the administration of financial 
cooperation should be laid down; 
Whereas on 5 June 1984 and on 16 May 1989 the 
Council adopted resolutions on the coordination of 
cooperation policies and operations within the 
Community; 
Whereas the Treaty has not provided the powers 
necessary for this purpose other than those of Article 
235, 
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: 
Article 1 
In implementing aid to the recipient countries, the 
Commission shall ensure the application of the policy 
guidelines for financial and technical cooperation agreed 
with these countries in the context of the new Mediter­
ranean policy and of the development cooperation policy 
laid down by the Council. 
Article 2 
1. In order to ensure consistency of cooperation and 
greater complementarity between the Member States 
operations, the Commission and the Bank shall exchange 
any relevant information on financing that they envisage 
giving. 
Possibilities for cofinancing shall be sought when infor­
mation is exchanged. 
2. The Member States, the Commission and the Bank 
shall also communicate, within the framework of the 
committee referred to in Article 6, information in their 
possession on other bilateral and multilateral aid for the 
recipient countries. 
Article 3 
1. Operations in support of a structural adjustment 
programme shall be implemented on the basis of the 
following principles. 
In analysing the situation of the recipient countries on 
the basis of the criteria referred to in the protocols on 
financial and technical cooperation, the Commission 
shall appraise the scope and effectiveness of the reforms 
undertaken in areas covered by these criteria. Aid given for structural adjustment must be linked 
directly to the adjustment operations and measures of 
the recipient country. 
The procedures for the award of contracts must be suffi­
ciently flexible for adaptation to the recipient country's 
normal administrative and commercial practices. For 
imports in the public and semi-public sectors, however, 
the usual procedures for the award of public contracts 
shall be followed. 
2. The Commission shall inform the Member States, 
whenever necessary and at least once a year, of the 
implementation of structural adjustment operations and 
of any problem arising in connection with the continuing 
eligibility of these operations. 
Article 4 
1. Financing decisions on projects or operations 
financed from the Community budget for a cost of more 
than ECU 2 million shall be adopted following the 
procedure laid down in Article 6 (2). 
2. Where the financing decisions referred to in 
paragraph 1 concern interest-rate subsidies for Bank 
loans, they shall be adopted on the basis of the loan 
proposals transmitted by the Bank to the Commission. 
Article 5 
Projects or operations financed from the Community 
budget shall be administered by the Commission without 
prejudice to the Bank's administration of interest-rate 
subsidies accorded by the Community for Bank loans 
from its own resources and risk capital operations, in 
accordance with the mandate given the Commission 
under Article 105 (3) of the Financial Regulation of 21 
December 1977 applicable to the general budget of the 
European Communities. 
Article 6 
1. The Commission shall be assisted by a Committee 
made up of representatives of the Member States and 
chaired by a representative of the Commission. 
A representative of the Bank shall take part in the 
proceedings, without the right to vote. 
2. The Commission representative shall submit to the 
Committee a draft of the measures to be taken. The 
Committee shall deliver its opinion on the draft within a 
time limit decided by the chairman according to the 
urgency of the matter. The opinion shall be 
15.6.91 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 157/9 
delivered by the majority laid down in Article 148 (2) of 
the Treaty in the case of decisions which the Council is 
required to adopt on a proposal from the Commission. 
The votes of the Member States' representatives on the 
Committee shall be weighted as provided for in that 
Article. The chairman shall not vote. 
Measures adopted by the Commission shall be 
immediately applicable. If, however, such measures do 
not conform to the opinion of the Committee, the 
Commission shall notify the Council of the measures 
forthwith. In that event the Commission shall defer 
application of the measures it has adopted for three 
months from the date of this notification. 
The Council, acting by a qualified majority, may take a 
different decision within the time limit referred to in the 
preceding paragraph. 
Article 7 
1. Without prejudice to the Bank's mandate provided 
for in Article 5, the Commission shall be responsible for 
the implementation of aid and for the terms under which 
the projects and operations financed with this aid are 
implemented by the recipient countries or by any other 
recipients for which provision is made in the relevant 
protocol. 
2. In close liaison with the relevant authorities of the 
recipient country or countries, it shall also be responsible 
for the terms under which the projects financed with 
Community aid are used by the recipients. 3. In carrying out the controls provided for in para­
graphs 1 and 2 the Commission shall examine jointly 
with the Bank the extent to which the objectives chosen 
in accordance with the agreements and protocols 
concluded with the recipient countries have been 
achieved. 
4. The Commission shall send an annual report on the 
implementation of aid, notably as regards compliance 
with the terms of paragraphs 1, 2 and 3, to the Council 
and Parliament. 
Article 8 
The Commission and the Bank, each acting in respect of 
the projects for which they are responsible, shall evaluate 
the main projects with the aim of finding out whether 
the objectives set when the projects were identified have 
been achieved and of establishing guidelines designed to 
improve the efficiency of future aid. These evaluation 
reports shall be made available to the Member States. 
Article 9 
Regulation (EEC) No 3973/86 is hereby repealed. 
Article 10 
This Regulation shall enter into force on the third day 
following its publication in the Official Journal of the 
European Communities. 
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and 
directly applicable in all Member States.