JOINT STAFF WORKING PAPER

Implementation of the European Neighbourhood Policy in 2010 Sector Progress Report

1. Introduction

The Lisbon Treaty and the establishment, in 2011, of the European External Action Service provide new opportunities for the EU to strengthen relations with its neighbours. The European Neighbourhood Policy’s (ENP) aims to deepen political dialogue and cooperation and to achieve a very substantial degree of economic integration with the Eastern and Southern neighbours.

Against this background, it is key to continue strengthening sector dialogue and sector cooperation with ENP partners in a wide range of areas such as: employment; social policy; trade and trade related matters; justice and home affairs issues, including migration, mobility and security; transport; environment; climate change; energy; student mobility; education, culture and health.

Sector dialogue supports the ongoing, longer-term, deep reform process of partners both in the South and the East. Sector reform contributes to greater prosperity for all citizens including the youth and underpins efforts towards better governance. Sector cooperation also helps prepare partners to negotiate and, in the future, to implement deep and comprehensive free trade agreements. Through the transfer of sector reform experience, the EU is able to support approximation of legislation, strengthen the capacity and enforcement capabilities of institutions and prepare the sector stakeholders for reform. Sector dialogue can also be conducive to conflict prevention and resolution, for example as in the case of Transnistria. It can also support state building, as in the case of the occupied Palestinian territory.

In 2010, sector dialogues were held in numerous fora including in sector subcommittees and working groups under the bilateral agreements with ENP partners. Several new subcommittees with the South Caucasus countries were launched in 2010. High level and technical dialogues, as well as exchanges in the context of European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI) projects, also contributed to strengthening sector relations with ENP partners.

The present report provides an overview of ENP partners’ progress, in 2010, on a range of sectoral policies. It also describes certain ENPI related issues (Neighbourhood Investment Facility, TAIEX, Twinning, SIGMA). Bilateral financial cooperation is dealt with in the country progress reports. This report furthermore summarises progress on preparation for the participation of ENP partners in EU programmes and agencies. The document is completed by Annexes on these issues, on political and economic indicators and on mobility.

2. Social reform and development

The measures to boost employment, increase social cohesion, reduce inequalities and ensure inclusive growth were negatively effected by the lasting impact of the global financial and economic crisis on already strained public finances and budgets.

The employment situation improved in some countries in step with the global economic outlook, while other countries continued to struggle. In nearly all countries, the labour market remains segmented with a high share of informal employment and precarious work situations and the development of the skills needed to support the diversification of the economy, investment and the modernisation of the labour market remains a major challenge. Poor employment and social prospects for the young generation in particular, nurtured discontent and contributed to social unrest in the Southern region.

Efforts to reduce poverty in the ENP partner countries were curbed by the necessity to contain budget deficits. The remittances were on the increase from 2009, but generally still below the 2008 level, impacting particularly Armenia and the Republic of Moldova.

Reforms of pension systems are under way in several countries and the provisions for social protection were reviewed in most ENP countries in an attempt to counter the impact of the global recession on the vulnerable population as well as on public finances. Social inclusion approaches often suffer from uncoordinated interventions of a multitude of institutions and players and from the related lack of capacity to cooperate efficiently on delivering services to the people. Under these circumstances, the efforts for social inclusion were rather marginal, but the Republic of Moldova ratified the UN convention on the rights of disabled persons.

The framework for social dialogue was undergoing a slow change, and modest changes were introduced in 2010 in most countries, most notably in the legislation but the impact on the ground of the modest changes introduced in legislation in 2010 has yet to be confirmed in the general climate of limited independence and poor capacities of social partners.

The provisions for social protection were reviewed in most ENP countries in an attempt to counter the impact of the global recession on the vulnerable population, as well as on public finances. Under these circumstances, the efforts directed towards social inclusion were rather marginal, although the Republic of Moldova ratified the UN convention on the rights of disabled persons.

The participation of women in economic and political life made little progress, although the highest ever share of female candidates in the Lebanese municipal elections (8.2%) is a welcome sign of improvement. Egypt organised training events for women community leaders, while Lebanon, Tunisia and Morocco directed their efforts at combating domestic violence.

Sustainable development

Despite the global environment of financial and economic crisis, most of the partner countries' economies performed well in 2010. However, the lack of structural reforms, the high unemployment rates and persistent levels of poverty remain disappointing and endanger the long term objective of sustainable development, including environmental protection.

3. Trade, market and regulatory reform

Some progress was made in 2010 in the area of trade and economic integration. Negotiations on the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) with Ukraine continued through several negotiation rounds in 2010, although progress was rather limited. Progress in the negotiations on the trade related part of the framework agreement with Libya was also slow. A fact-finding mission to explore the possibility of DCFTA negotiations with the Republic of Moldova took place in June 2010 and the European Commission presented its key recommendations in October 2010. Armenia and Georgia continued to make progress in their DCFTA preparations. A Commission proposal for extending the current ATP Regulation for the Republic of Moldova, which would also include a significant increase in the wine quota, was presented to the Council for approval.

There was good progress regarding the negotiation of agreements on further liberalisation of trade in agricultural, processed agricultural products and fish and fishery products with the Mediterranean partners; the EU-Egypt agreement entered into force in June 2010, and the EU-Morocco agreement was signed in December 2010. Also in December 2010, the Commission and the Palestinian Authority initialled a draft agreement which is expected to support the development of the economy of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Negotiations with Tunisia continued fruitfully and some exploratory talks on possible future negotiations on the liberalisation of trade in agricultural, processed agricultural and fish and fisheries products took place with Lebanon in May 2010.

Negotiations with the Mediterranean ENP partners on the liberalisation of services and the right of establishment made little progress in 2010.

The Agreement on Conformity Assessment and Acceptance for Industrial Products (ACAA) with Israel was signed in May 2010 in the sector of Good Manufacturing Practice of Pharmaceuticals.

Good progress was made in the area of protection of "Geographical Indications" (GIs). In July 2010, the European Union and Georgia concluded negotiations on a bilateral agreement for the protection of their respective GIs. The GI’s negotiations with the Republic of Moldova proceeded fruitfully during the reporting period. GIs are handled with Ukraine in the framework of the negotiations on the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement. Moreover, in the framework of the agreement on further liberalisation of trade in agricultural, processed agricultural products and fish and fishery products, the EU and Morocco agreed to start negotiations on GIs within three months following the entry into force of the agreement.

Some progress was achieved in the negotiations of Protocols establishing a Dispute Settlement Mechanism applicable to disputes under the trade provisions of the bilateral Association Agreement with the Mediterranean partners. The EU and Egypt signed the protocol in March 2010, while the protocol with Lebanon was signed in December 2010.

The 9th Union for the Mediterranean Trade Ministerial meeting, which was held in Brussels on 11 November 2010, endorsed a package of measures to facilitate trade in Palestinian products with other Euro-Mediterranean partners in line with the Euromed Trade Roadmap for 2010 and beyond. The ministerial meeting also agreed that the working priorities for 2011 should focus on the following issues: a Euro-Mediterranean trade and investment facilitation mechanism; enhanced cooperation with the business community on Euro-Mediterranean trade and investment relations; reinforced cooperation in the area of the fight against piracy and counterfeiting in the Euro-Mediterranean region; and enhanced sectoral cooperation

As reported last year, some customs administrations in partner countries, such as Israel, Morocco, the Republic of Moldova and Tunisia, have already implemented a large part of the customs-related commitments in their respective Action Plans and are continuing their reform process. Georgia and Jordan amended their customs legislation with the introduction of a new Code and a temporary law amending the customs law. Several ENP partners are implementing national strategic plans to modernise customs services (the Republic of Moldova, Jordan, and Morocco) and to enhance the automation of customs procedures (Armenia, Lebanon, Georgia, Jordan, and the Republic of Moldova). Several partners, such as Georgia and the Republic of Moldova are strengthening the use of risk analysis. An interactive English version of the website of the Egyptian Customs Authority is now available to operators. The facilitation of trade for reliable operators remains a priority, and several countries continued their efforts to ensure the security of the supply chain based on international standards (WCO) and made progress on the concept of “authorised economic operators” (AEO). Several countries are working towards the creation of a single window environment. The question of customs ethics is being tackled in most countries, but it remains a concern, especially in Ukraine, where cumbersome, bureaucratic and restrictive customs controls are applied, and in Azerbaijan. Georgia and Ukraine have made no real progress towards ensuring the proper implementation of WTO-compatible customs valuation rules. Several Mediterranean partners (Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, oPt, Syria and Tunisia) participated in the "SIROCCO" joint customs operation conducted in June 2010. SIROCCO is a joint customs operation, coordinated by OLAF and carried out by the customs administration of the EU and eleven partner countries from the southern rim of the Mediterranean. The customs services in the region, and in particular the Republic of Moldova and Morocco, also reinforced IPR protection and the fight against pirating and counterfeiting. The European Commission and the State Customs Committee of Belarus continued discussions on issues of common interest.

On standards, technical regulations and conformity assessment, most ENP partner countries continued their preparatory work towards the conclusion of bilateral agreements on Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of Industrial Products (ACAAs). In May 2010, the EU and Israel signed an ACAA agreement in the sector of Good Manufacturing Practice of Pharmaceuticals. Egypt and Tunisia are also well advanced in their ACAA preparations.

Negotiations on the liberalisation of services and establishment with Egypt, Israel, Morocco and Tunisia made no progress in 2010.

Regarding sanitary and phyto-sanitary (SPS) issues, the ENP partners continued to make progress in 2010. As stated in last year’s report, substantial efforts remain necessary in order to achieve the ENP Action Plan objectives and to prepare for (possible) future deep and comprehensive free trade agreements between the EU and ENP partners. ENP partners adopted a food safety strategy (Georgia) or made progress with the preparation of such a strategy (Armenia, the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine). Most ENP partners adopted or prepared legislation which, to some extent, is increasingly approximated with EU standards. The European Commission and the occupied Palestinian territory initiated a gap analysis regarding SPS legislation and institutional capacity which was supported by TAIEX.

ENP partners trained SPS staff and strengthened laboratories (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine). In 2010, additional ENP partners were connected to the external window of the EU’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Israel, Jordan). In 2010, the European Commission’s Food and Veterinary Office carried out fourteen inspection visits to ENP countries covering various sectors (Egypt, Georgia, Israel, Jordan, the Republic of Moldova, Morocco and Ukraine). In April 2010, Eastern ENP partners participated in a seminar on handling food emergencies and crises, organised jointly by the Commission and the European Food Safety Authority and held in Kyiv. A similar event for Mediterranean ENP partners was held in October 2010 in Parma. The EU and the ENP partners continued exchanging experience through other training events, including in the context of the Commission’s ‘Better Training for Safer food’ programme. In July 2010, the EU and the Eastern partners held a first meeting on SPS and animal welfare issues under the Eastern Partnership panel on trade and trade-related regulatory approximation. The EU and its partners pursued SPS cooperation through ongoing (twinning) projects under the ENPI. A new twinning was launched with Israel. SPS cooperation with Belarus continued, including on the subject of rabies.

All countries made efforts to improve their business climate, but only some of them managed to improve their comparative ranking in the global race. The main beneficiaries were new entrepreneurs, because many countries have made it easier to set up a company. Increased transparency in the functioning of public institutions is likely to benefit the business climate throughout the region. The legal framework for the establishment of a company by non-nationals did not change in 2010. Other changes in company law concerned business registers in Egypt and Israel, minimum capital in Jordan, and investor protection in Georgia.

In 2010, most of the partner countries worked on the implementation of their respective tax administration reform. Activities range, for example, from the development of electronic declaration systems, (Armenia, Georgia, Tunisia) to the development of risk-based controls (Armenia). Both Georgia and Ukraine adopted a new Tax Code and most of the partners continued to expand the network of bilateral treaties on the avoidance of double taxation with EU Member States. The Republic of Moldova approved a new regulation on VAT refunds in October 2010, aimed at simplifying the refunds procedure and increasing transparency, while the VAT collection and management system in Ukraine remained dysfunctional.

In the field of competition policy, some countries (Armenia, Egypt, Georgia, Ukraine) continued their reforms towards establishing a modern competition policy. However, overall, there are still many challenges in implementing competition policies in many ENP countries (Azerbaijan, Jordan, Lebanon, the Republic of Moldova, Morocco, Tunisia) where an adequate legal and institutional framework is not yet in place.

The legal protection of intellectual property rights was reinforced in particular in the Eastern Partnership countries, where Armenia adopted a law on trademarks, Georgia a law on design and an amendment to the patent law, and the Republic of Moldova a law on copyrights. Ukraine acceded to the Singapore treaty and the Strasbourg agreement. Jordan amended the trademark fees’ schedule. Vigorous enforcement of the legal provisions is still needed, as demonstrated by the high rankings of the EaP countries in the report of May 2010 by the Business Software Alliance, where they all appear on the world list of the fifteen highest piracy rates.

On financial services, despite the effects of the global financial and economic crisis, most partner countries continued to make some progress in implementing the modernisation of their financial sectors. New banking laws (Israel, Jordan, the Republic of Moldova, Palestinian Authority, Ukraine) and laws regulating the non banking financial sector (Azerbaijan, Egypt, the Republic of Moldova, Morocco) were under consideration in several ENP countries.

Most countries improved their public procurement mechanisms either by drafting or adopting new laws, by setting up procurement agencies or review authorities, or by developing electronic procurement systems. Training the economic operators to understand the new system was an important part of the implementation of the reforms.

In the area of free movement of capital and payments, ENP partners made modest progress. Morocco facilitated the availability of international credit cards, but Ukraine reinstated some restrictions.

All ENP partner countries further improved their statistics with a view to conforming more closely to European and international standards. They have recently introduced new legislation, worked on development plans and provided to the EU a considerable number of statistical data in various areas including trade, energy and demography.

Many of the developments in consumer protection came about through other areas of co-operation, such as the air services agreements that the EU signed with Georgia and Jordan, and which include, among others, harmonisation with EU rules in that area. In Ukraine the financial sector regulators developed consumer protection measures for financial services. Jordan developed a specific consumer protection law and Lebanon reactivated its consumer protection council. In July 2010, Israel initiated a review of the Israeli standard on the safety of toys with a view to adopting the EN European Standard. Jordan transposed several European standards and prepared draft regulations in some priority sectors (e.g. electrical products and electronic appliances, toys and gas appliances equipment).

As regards co-operation in the field of public internal financial control (PIFC) in the framework of public finance management, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine continued their reform efforts by establishing and implementing control systems and internal audit. Inter-Ministerial cooperation to prevent irregularities needs ongoing attention. Reforms gathered pace in Armenia and Georgia, while initiatives stagnated in Azerbaijan. Steady advances were made in Jordan, the occupied Palestinian territory, and Morocco and Tunisia, but they lost momentum in Egypt and Lebanon. Public internal financial control, which is based on advanced principles such as managerial accountability and operationally independent and decentralised internal audit, can only develop successfully under the principle of transparency inherent in a democratic state order.

In the area of enterprise policy, many regional activities took place in both ENP south and ENP east.

The Mediterranean partner countries continued implementing the 2009-2010 work programme on Euro-Mediterranean industrial cooperation and the Euro-Mediterranean Charter for Enterprise. Syria, together with Egypt and the Palestinian Authority, launched a regional survey on the added value of the Charter process and on the possible need to revise the Charter. Jordan consulted partner countries on their priorities for future Charter activities. Based on a proposal from Tunisia, the European Training Foundation completed a very successful pilot project on entrepreneurial learning in higher education. Exchange of knowledge and good practice continued with the publication of a directory of on-line manuals, the development of a Euro-Mediterranean good practice data base and the participation of Mediterranean partner countries in many European and Euro-Mediterranean events, including those organised by the regional, EU-supported 'Invest in MED' programme and under the dialogue on the textile sector.

The Eastern Partnership economic platform created a specific panel for ‘Small and Medium Enterprises’ (SME panel), which provides a forum for exchange on enterprise policies in the six eastern partnership countries and in the EU. A number of projects were launched under the SME Flagship Initiative, namely East-Invest (networking); TAM/BAS (advisory services) and SME Facility (funding). Also, the Eastern partner countries welcomed the "Enterprise Policy Performance" project, conducted by the European Commission, the OECD, the European Training Foundation (ETF) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

The general tendency in the ENP area is towards applying the International Financing Reporting Standards for accounting at least for major companies with international exposure. Regarding audit Egypt started up the operations of an independent oversight board, the Republic of Moldova further developed its board, and Israel developed plans to establish such a board.

4. Cooperation on justice, freedom and security

In the field of migration, dialogue with ENP partners was pursued mainly at bilateral level through the available institutional frameworks, such as the Justice and Home Affairs Subcommittees and the Working Groups on Migration. New subcommittees on Justice and Home Affairs were established with Armenia and with Azerbaijan. The European Commission supported dialogue in this field also at regional level, in particular through the EUROMED Migration project II.

The EU signed visa facilitation and readmission agreements with Georgia, which entered into force in March 2011. Progress has been made in the EU-Ukraine visa dialogue which entered into the operational phase in November 2010 on the basis of an action plan setting out all technical conditions to be met by Ukraine before the possible establishment of a visa-free travel regime. As regards the Republic of Moldova, following the launch of the visa dialogue, in June 2010, a similar action plan on visa liberalization with a view to the visa dialogue entering a fully operational phase was presented in January 2011.

The implementation of the Visa Facilitation and Readmission Agreements with both Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova continued. In October 2010, the Commission adopted draft negotiating directives for the renegotiation of the Visa Facilitation Agreements in order to align them with the new Visa Code and introduce further facilitations.

Regarding the Mobility Partnership with the Republic of Moldova, new initiatives were included, covering areas such as strengthening organisational and institutional capacity of the country to regulate legal migration flows, the promotion of sustainable use of remittances and their attraction into the local economy, supporting the implementation of the EU-Republic of Moldova visa facilitation and readmission agreements, protection of victims of trafficking, analysing the effects of migration on families left behind, as well as protection of refugees and asylum seekers. The implementation of most of these projects will start in 2011.

The mobility partnership with Georgia entered the implementation phase with a project on the reintegration of migrants and other activities. Several other projects have been approved for funding, with implementation starting shortly. Discussions started in 2010 between the EU, Armenia and a group of EU Member States for the establishment of a Mobility Partnership with Armenia.

ENP partners continued to enhance their border management capacities to combat cross-border and organised crime. They also further approximated the border and law-enforcement authorities to EU standards. Efforts to professionalise border management services need to be resolutely pursued, including through technical training of staff in order to maintain the capacity to ensure effective border controls and surveillance. The continuing work on border demarcation and delimitation serves to underpin the above efforts, as well as contributing to overall regional security. The Republic of Moldova and Ukraine adopted Integrated Border Management Strategies.

The third and fourth meetings of the Eastern Partnership Integrated Border Management (IBM) Panel were held in Brussels in June and in Chisinau in November 2010. The Panel took stock of the development of the Eastern Partnership IBM Flagship Initiative, which includes training activities to enhance the surveillance capacity of the Eastern partners, as well as pilot projects on technical equipment and border-crossing infrastructure.

Regarding the fight against organised crime, the First Protocol to the UN Convention against Trans-national Organised Crime to Prevent, Suppress and Punish the Trafficking of Persons, especially Women and Children, has been signed and ratified by all partners except Morocco. Neither Jordan nor Morocco have signed or ratified the Second Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air. The Third Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Their Parts, Components and Ammunition remains to be signed and ratified by Armenia, Egypt, Jordan, Israel and Ukraine. As was the case in 2009, the full and effective implementation of established national plans and strategies against all forms of organised crime, particularly in the context of regional cooperation, remained a priority for all partner countries.

Most ENP partners continued to implement the national action plans adopted to fight trafficking in human beings, including victim support measures, while working on the design and adoption of successor action plans. In this regard, renewed attention needs to be paid to the rehabilitation of victims, including social and medical services. In 2010, substantial new laws were adopted in Egypt and drafted in Lebanon. Azerbaijan and Ukraine ratified the 2005 Council of Europe Convention on Action against Human Trafficking completing the ratification of this important instrument by all ENP partners who are members of the Council of Europe.

Most ENP partners continued to develop and implement national strategies to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism, incorporating the 40 + 9 FATF (Financial Action task Force) recommendations. The work of MoneyVal continues to serve as a reference point for reform. The Council of Europe’s 2005 Convention on the Laundering, Search, Seizure and Confiscation of the Proceeds from Crime and on the Financing of Terrorism has yet to be signed by Azerbaijan and Georgia In 2010, Morocco and Tunisia indicated their intention to apply to join the Egmont Group.

Regarding the fight against drugs, all partner countries continued implementing their obligations under the 1988 UN Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances, and other international instruments. Continued attention to human resource development and capacity building within designated national authorities and other law enforcement agencies is still required. As stated in 2009, effective intelligence-sharing among ENP partners and other geographical neighbours on drugs production and trafficking supply routes is critical for regional cooperation. The implementation of an integrated approach requires structured cooperation with civil society groups, including the development of harm-reduction and rehabilitation programmes. In October 2010, ENP partners including Belarus, Libya and Syria participated in a TAIEX-funded regional seminar on the EU drug monitoring system and the prospects for technical cooperation with the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA). Jordan joined the Council of Europe’s Pompidou Group in 2010, while the latter’s cooperation with Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia continued under the MedNet network with training seminars on drug treatment, school surveys (MedSPAD), supply indicators and data collection.

On police and judicial cooperation, Azerbaijan, Georgia and the Republic of Moldova did not sign the 2001 Second Additional Protocol to the European Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters to protect individual rights in the processing of personal data. This protocol is still awaiting ratification by Armenia and Ukraine.

In the area of criminal law cooperation, Azerbaijan ratified the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime, but Georgia has yet to ratify it. Azerbaijan and Georgia did not sign the 2003 Additional Protocol of that Convention concerning the criminalization of acts of a racist and xenophobic nature committed through computer systems. In 2010, Armenia signed the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, whereas it has still to be ratified by Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. In addition, the 1997 Additional Protocol to the Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons has yet to be signed by Azerbaijan and ratified by Armenia. As was the case in 2009, further attention is required in order to ensure the ratification and effective implementation of these Conventions. Non-Council of Europe ENP partners are encouraged, where possible, to accede to the 1983 Council of Europe Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons and its 1997 Additional Protocol, as well as the 2001 European Convention on Cybercrime and its 2003 Additional Protocol. In 2010, Lebanon and Morocco indicated their interest in acceding to the European Convention on Cybercrime.

With regard to civil law, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Israel, Jordan and Ukraine continued their cooperation under the Hague Conference on Private International Law working on international protection of children, family and property relations, legal cooperation and commercial and finance law. In this context, and in order to improve international legal assistance and cooperation, ENP partners are encouraged, as they were in 2009, to accede - if they have not already done so - to the 1980 Hague Convention on Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction; the 1996 Hague Convention on Parental Responsibility and the Protection of Children; the 1965 Hague Convention on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extrajudicial Documents and the 1970 Convention on Taking of Evidence Abroad in Civil or Commercial Matters.

With the assistance of The Hague Conference, Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia participated in the work of the Judicial Conference on Cross-Frontier Family Law Issues – the so-called “Malta Process” which seeks to promote expert dialogue on international child protection and family law issues. The Malta Process is recognised by these ENP partners as a point of reference in deliberating on and settling cross-frontier family law disputes.

In the context of the Malta Process, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia took part in December 2010 in two successful judicial seminars held in Rabat (Morocco) on cross-border protection of children and families, related to the 1980 and 1996 Hague conventions and organized by the Supreme Court of morocco and the Hague conference on Private International Law with the financial support of the TAIEX instrument.

As regards data protection, Azerbaijan andUkraine ratified the 1981 Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data. The latter is yet to be ratified by Armenia and Azerbaijan. Ratification is essential in terms of developing further judicial and police cooperation, as well as exchange of data with EUROJUST and Europol. The 2001 Additional Protocol to the Convention, regarding supervisory authorities and trans-border data flows, has yet to be ratified by Armenia and the Republic of Moldova and signed by, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. A law on data protection entered into force in Morocco.

Regarding judicial reform, work continued in order to enhance the capacity and efficiency of the judiciary in line with relevant national reform strategies. Efforts to secure greater judicial independence, effectiveness and impartiality faltered in several partner countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine), while certain advances were noted in others (Georgia, Jordan). A new reform strategy was adopted for the occupied Palestinian territory, whereas the situation did not change substantially in other ENP partner countries. National programmes for the continuing training of judges, prosecutors and court staff continued to be implemented in several partner countries (Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, occupied Palestinian territory) along with the upgrading of court administrative procedures and the improvement of automated case management (Armenia, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, Morocco). Improvements in access to justice were also noted in the Republic of Moldova and the occupied Palestinian territory. No tangible progress was noted in the area of judicial reform in Lebanon, although there were some signs of a political commitment to comprehensive reform in Egypt and Tunisia following recent developments there.

In the area of penitentiary reform, progress remained slow across Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Egypt, the Republic of Moldova, Morocco, Ukraine and Tunisia, while reform advanced in Jordan in cooperation with international partners. Prison overcrowding, including for remand prisoners, use of ill treatment and torture and lack of access by human rights and international observers to penitentiary facilities remain significant unaddressed issues in most ENP partner countries. The use of parole and other alternatives to detention and long-term incarceration need to be explored in parallel with improvements to medical and social care.

In the area of juvenile justice, there was a dialogue with Georgia, Jordan, Morocco and Ukraine on the development of appropriate protection policies for child and young offenders by law enforcement agencies. Customised juvenile justice approaches, including juvenile parole boards, are necessary in order to develop appropriate prevention and probation policies. The application of international standards and norms on juvenile justice, particularly the 1985 UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice (Beijing Rules) and the 1990 UN Guidelines for the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency (Riyadh Guidelines), serve as one of the main reference points for policy dialogue.

All partner countries except Syria completed ratification of the 2005 UN Convention against Corruption. As a complement to their international obligations under the above Convention, Egypt and Tunisia have yet to sign the 2003 African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption. Cooperation with civil society in the implementation of national anti-corruption plans remains critical in all partner countries in order to fight corruption in both the public and private sectors. Enhanced vigilance is required in relation to transparency in public procurement, in order to guarantee the accountability of public officials.

In 2010, the Council of Europe’s Criminal Law Convention on Corruption and its 2003 Additional Protocol, aimed at protecting domestic and foreign judicial arbitrators and jurors from corruption, entered into force in Ukraine. The latter was not signed by Azerbaijan and Georgia.

With regard to civil service and public administration reform, further advances in planning for a professional and accountable civil service were noted in Jordan, the Republic of Moldova, the occupied Palestinian territory and Ukraine, while the pace slackened further in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Georgia and Lebanon. The absence of comprehensive reform strategies incorporating schedules for implementing ethics codes and strengthening the quality of public service through training poses a serious obstacle to further advances in the case of each ENP partner.

Regional cooperation under the Euro-Mediterranean Justice Programme with the participation of all Mediterranean ENP partners including Algeria and Syria continued in 2010, covering the themes of access to justice and legal aid, resolution of cross-border family conflicts and criminal and prison law.

All Mediterranean partners, including Algeria and Syria, participated actively in the EuroMed Police II programme which covers joint cooperation activities and seminars for senior officers on specialized topics of practical police cooperation in all fields of organized crime, terrorism, drug and weapons trafficking.

5. Transport, energy, climate change, environment, civil protection, research and innovation, information society, audiovisual sector

Regarding transport, the partner countries continued to implement sector reforms to increase the efficiency, safety and security of transport operations.

In the aviation sector, negotiations on more comprehensive Euro-Mediterranean aviation agreements were launched with Tunisia. In December 2010, the EU signed comprehensive air services agreements with Georgia and with Jordan. The agreements will open the respective markets and integrate Jordan and Georgia into a Common Aviation Area with the EU. Jordan and Georgia will harmonise their legislation with European standards and implement EU aviation rules in areas such as aviation safety, security, environment, consumer protection, air traffic management, competition issues and social aspects. Negotiations on a Common Aviation Area agreement with Lebanon and Ukraine advanced slowly and need to be accelerated, particularly in view of the importance of safety aspects in Ukraine. Most countries continued to implement a policy of gradual introduction of EU standards. However, the civil aviation administrations (in particular in relation to safety oversight) and the performance of carriers need to be strengthened.

In the road sector, a number of countries made substantial progress regarding the introduction of the digital tachograph under the UN-ECE AETR agreement on driving times and rest periods.

Reform of the rail sector is ongoing. In some countries (Egypt) very comprehensive railway restructuring plans made good progress, while in other countries (Jordan, the Republic of Moldova or Armenia) rail policy concentrated on the upgrading or construction of new railway infrastructure.

Partner countries paid particular attention to maritime safety standards. However, certain partners need to step up their efforts to implement these standards, especially Georgia and the Republic of Moldova, which are still considered a high risk flag and remain on the black list of the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on port state control. Egypt, Lebanon and Ukraine also remained on the black list.

A number of important initiatives to promote regional transport cooperation continued. The Euro-Mediterranean Transport Working Groups met regularly and agreed on further steps to implement both the regulatory reform and related actions of the Regional Transport Action Plan for the Mediterranean for the period 2007-2013 in respect of transport network planning (RTAP). EC-funded technical support is ongoing and multi-faceted. As part of the SAFEMED II project to develop Euro-Mediterranean co-operation in the field of maritime safety and security, in late 2010 a number of countries indicated their willingness to share their AIS (Automatic identification systems) data with the rest of the Safemed project beneficiary countries through the use of the already established EC/EMSA MED AIS Regional Server located in Rome, Italy. Furthermore, in the framework of the Motorways of the Sea-MEDAMOS project, work has started on the development of a roadmap for a Motorway of the Seas network in the Mediterranean, which also connects to the Trans European Transport network (TEN-T). A short list of priority projects drawn up by the Euro-Mediterranean Transport Infrastructure Working group has received practical technical assistance in 2010 with a view to their realization. These projects lie at the basis of the implementation of the missing infrastructure links of the Trans Mediterranean Transport network (TMN-T). Under the Euro-Mediterranean Aviation Project, plans have been developed to create a cell within the EASA which is fully devoted to cooperation with the Mediterranean Partners during the period 2011-2013. This will favour the harmonisation of the standards and procedures of air safety between the European Union and the Mediterranean Partners. Regional cooperation with Eastern partners has continued to make progress in the Eastern Partnership and TRACECA framework. Regarding the Eastern Partnership, transport cooperation was launched in May 2010 under ‘Platform 2 on Economic Integration and Convergence with EU Policies’. Transport cooperation will focus in particular on road safety. The TRACECA Coordinating project has used a participatory methodology that was developed to identify the list of TRACECA infrastructure priority projects which were presented at the first TRACECA Investment Forum, held on 12 October 2010 in Brussels. Most of the projects presented, for instance the "Road/Armenian project "North-South Corridor" and Road/Georgia Zestaponi-Samtredia Motorway Widening, will be financed through EIB loans and grant schemes. As a follow-up to this exercise, several projects were earmarked to receive practical technical assistance. The foundations have been laid to develop a regional maritime safety and security strategy in the Black Sea and Caspian Sea. Also, in order to enhance maritime trade and port operations and establish Motorways of the Sea for the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, a number of pilot projects have been developed, with the close involvement of both the public and private sectors.

The EU and the ENP partners enhanced energy dialogue and cooperation. The ENP partners took some steps towards reform, increasingly aimed at achieving a measure of approximation with EU rules and enhanced efforts on energy efficiency and renewable energy.

Bilateral energy dialogue and cooperation continued, particularly in the energy subcommittees and in the context of ENPI energy projects. The first ever meetings of the energy subcommittees were held, in October 2010, with Armenia and Georgia. In October 2010, the Commission and Egypt held an energy dialogue under the EU-Egypt Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on a strategic partnership. In November 2010, the Georgian Prime Minister and the Energy Commissioner co-chaired a Georgia energy investment conference in Brussels. Also in November 2010, the EU-Ukraine Summit endorsed the fifth progress report on the implementation of the EU-Ukraine Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Energy cooperation. In October 2010, the European Commission and Belarus held an energy dialogue. Negotiations on an Energy MoU with Algeria have not yet been concluded. The energy dialogue with Libya continued in the context of the EU-Libya framework agreement negotiations.

At regional/multilateral level, the EU and the Eastern partners consolidated cooperation under the Eastern Partnership (EaP). A second series of EaP Energy Security Platform meetings were held in May and October 2010, focusing on security of supply, oil supply and energy efficiency. In addition, in July 2010 an EaP workshop on electricity interconnection was held. The EU and the Eastern partners continued their cooperation, including in the context of the ‘Baku initiative’ for EU-Black Sea/Caspian energy cooperation. The areas of (project) cooperation remained market integration, regulatory convergence, networks, energy efficiency and renewable energy.

The EU and the Mediterranean ENP partners made progress in the context of the Euro-Mediterranean energy cooperation. Partners took steps, with EU support, towards the future realisation of the Mediterranean Solar Plan and the Euro-Mediterranean gas and electricity rings. Projects aimed at the integration of the Maghreb (concluded in 2010) and Mashrek energy markets, regulation, energy statistics, energy efficiency and renewable energy also continued. In June 2010, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia adopted an action plan for the period 2010-2015, confirming their intention to establish a Maghreb electricity market as a preparation for gradual integration with the EU energy market. As reiterated during the dialogue with the parties, the European Commission remains committed to re-activating the trilateral energy cooperation with Israel and the Palestinian Authority, which has stalled due to the regional conflict. The aim remains to establish a joint energy office and to facilitate the development of projects of common interest, such as the joint “Solar for Peace” initiative.

ENP partners adopted new energy strategies (Belarus, Lebanon), implemented existing strategies, continued preparing new policies (Egypt, Israel) or announced plans to update policies (Jordan, the Republic of Moldova). Partners continued their efforts to enhance the (future) use of domestic energy resources such as hydrocarbons (Azerbaijan, Israel, Jordan and Tunisia), renewable energy sources, uranium (Armenia, Egypt and Jordan) and oil shale (Armenia, Egypt, Jordan and Morocco). In April 2010, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Syria, Turkey and energy companies (including from the EU) signed a declaration on the establishment of an oil shale cooperation centre. The EU supported this process.

In 2010, several ENP partners continued their preparations towards a degree of approximation with the internal energy market. In May 2010 the Republic of Moldova became a member of the Energy Community, following the entry into force of the new electricity and gas laws. In December 2010, Ukraine ratified the Energy Community Treaty and became a member in February 2011. In July 2010 Ukraine adopted a new gas law which the EU considers to be a sound basis for starting to align with the EU and Energy Community rules. In May 2010, Armenia applied to become an observer of this Community. Georgia, which is currently an observer under the Energy Community, looked into the possibility of membership. In February 2010, the occupied Palestinian territory established the electricity regulatory council.

ENP partners continued to develop, construct and refurbish energy infrastructure, including power plants (to deal with growing demand) and energy networks. The main gas and oil export pipelines of Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum (Turkey) and Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (Turkey) also brought Caspian resources to the EU in 2010. In June 2010, Azerbaijan and Turkey agreed on gas pricing and transit through Turkey. This is a major step in the development of the Azerbaijani Shah-Deniz-II gas field and the strategic Southern Gas Corridor. The EU-European Investment Bank-World Bank study for a Caspian Development Corporation was pursued with the central purpose of aggregating gas demand in support of the Corridor’s development. In September 2010, the Heads of State of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Romania, as well as the Hungarian Prime Minister, endorsed the AGRI project (Azerbaijan-Georgia-Romania Interconnection). The aim of the project is to export liquefied natural gas from Azerbaijan, via a Georgian Black Sea terminal, to Romania and beyond. Azerbaijan, Georgia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine continued working towards a Euro-Asian Oil Transportation Corridor. Azerbaijani, Georgian and Bulgarian companies further studied the possibilities of developing compressed natural gas supply to the EU across the Black Sea from the Georgian coast.

Following up the joint 2009 EU-Ukraine conference on the modernisation of the Ukrainian gas transit system, the EU agreed to support a feasibility study and an environmental and social impact study on the modernisation of the Ukrainian gas networks and underground gas storage facilities. In September 2010 the EU, the European Investment Bank, the EBRD and the World Bank agreed to consider the reconstruction of sections of the Urengoy-Pomary-Uzhgorod gas pipeline as a ‘fast track’ project. Tunisia continued to implement the project to double the capacity of the gas interconnection with Italy. Algeria continued the construction of the “Medgaz” interconnection with Spain and the preparations for the “GALSI” interconnection with Italy.

Regarding electricity, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova continued with preparations to join the interconnected electricity networks of continental Europe in the future. Financing for a technical study is being identified. Belarus explored with Lithuania and Poland the possibilities for electricity interconnections. Armenia and Georgia, as well as Armenia and Iran, made progress on new electricity interconnections. Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey continued to work towards the Black Sea Electricity Transmission Line. The Republic of Moldova further prepared electricity interconnections with Romania. Morocco launched the construction of a third electricity connection with Spain. The occupied Palestinian territory and Jordan continued studying an additional electricity interconnection. Tunisia continued work on an electricity interconnection with Italy.

ENP partners made further efforts to promote and use renewable energy sources and to increase energy efficiency. Strategies and laws in these areas were launched or are in preparation (Algeria, Armenia, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, the Republic of Moldova, Morocco and Ukraine) and institutions were established or strengthened (Azerbaijan, Lebanon and Morocco). ENP partners further prepared and commissioned solar and wind power plant projects. In October 2010, Georgia (Tbilisi) hosted a major conference of the EU-supported Covenant of Mayors, aiming at promoting energy efficiency and the use of renewables at local level.

Armenia and Ukraine continued the safety upgrading of their nuclear power plants and strengthened the nuclear regulatory authorities. Armenia and Russia agreed to construct, expectedly in the period 2012-201/18 a new nuclear power plant. Armenia continued to prepare a decommissioning strategy for the Medzamor Nuclear Power Plant, as well as a nuclear fuel/radioactive waste strategy. In 2010, Ukraine, the European Commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) completed their joint evaluation of the nuclear safety of the country’s nuclear power plants. The evaluation concluded that there was full compliance with most of the IAEA’s standards. Ukraine is making progress in addressing the cases of non-full compliances. Ukraine took further steps to restore the Chernobyl site to an environmentally safe condition. Belarus, Egypt and Jordan further prepared their plans to construct a nuclear power plant. Jordan launched the construction of a nuclear research reactor.

In the field of climate change, some partners (Armenia, Egypt, Israel and Morocco) submitted national communications to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, including greenhouse gas inventories, vulnerability assessments and mitigation and adaptation measures. The Republic of Moldova completed a first draft National Low Emission Development Strategy and a draft National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy. Israel launched a pilot project for a voluntary greenhouse gas registry. Georgia organised a second Climate Week to raise awareness among stakeholders. In the oPt, the Council of Ministers approved the establishment of a National Committee on Climate Change.

The majority of partner countries continued to prepare investment projects to promote the use of the Joint Implementation and Clean Development Mechanism under the Kyoto Protocol. Some new projects in Egypt, Israel, Jordan and Ukraine were registered at UN level, but the vast majority of projects have still not yet been formally registered. In the reporting period, international discussions and negotiations on a post-2012 climate change regime continued. The EU remains fully committed to the UN negotiating process with a view to concluding a robust and effective legally binding international agreement. All partner countries are encouraged to fully implement the Cancun agreement and in particular devise a low carbon development strategy including update information on target or actions that they will implement.

Overall, there was only modest progress in the field of environment. Egypt and the Republic of Moldova took some steps to strengthen environmental administration. Enhanced administrative and implementation capacity, as well as enhanced resources, are still required in partner countries, including cooperation and co-ordination between the different authorities. Ukraine adopted a National Environment Strategy until 2020. In the oPt, the Environmental Quality Authority developed an Environment Sector Strategy for 2011-2013. Several partner countries took steps to prepare (Georgia) or review and implement (Jordan) their overall environment strategies and action plans. Some partner countries continued to prepare (Armenia, Georgia, Morocco and the Republic of Moldova) or review (Jordan) environmental framework legislation. As regards issue-specific legislation and implementing legislation, Israel adopted new legislation on the packaging of waste, Jordan approved new instructions on environmental audit and Tunisia adopted a Decree setting emission limit values for air pollution from fixed sources. Algeria is preparing new legislation on air quality and environmental liability. Implementation and enforcement of environmental legislation continues to require attention. Azerbaijan established the State Commission for Integrated Water Management and also strengthened environmental authorities. Egypt took some steps to enhance administrative capacities with regard to integrated coastal zone management and marine pollution. As regards sector-specific strategies, programmes and plans, Egypt designed a waste management master plan for Cairo as a model for the rest of the country. Azerbaijan submitted a National Implementation Plan for 2007–2020 under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), and Armenia established inventories of landfills, obsolete pesticides and PCBs. Lebanon began to prepare a National Water Strategy. Morocco launched a programme for the protection of biodiversity and published a new strategy for the management of water resources. In oPt, the Council of Ministers approved a Water and Wastewater Strategy for 2011-2013.

Overall, partner countries took limited steps to integrate environment considerations into other policy sectors. Most partners still need to complete or strengthen procedures for EIA, in particular with regard to public participation. State-of-the-environment reports were prepared or published in Georgia and Israel. Morocco started work on drawing up regional reports on the state of the environment in five out of sixteen regions. In most partner countries, further attention is required with regard to access to information and public participation.

In January 2011, Armenia ratified the Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessments to the UNECE Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Trans-boundary Context. Overall progress remained limited in terms of ratifying and signing international and regional environment conventions and protocols. Furthermore, implementation of the many already ratified agreements remains a challenge in most cases. Partner countries participated actively in various regional initiatives, such as the Horizon 2020 Initiative and the Eastern Partnership Flagship Initiatives. Partner countries also continued to participate in activities under the EU Water Initiative, including national policy dialogues in some countries. REC Caucasus and REC Moldova continued to play an important role in enhancing stakeholder participation and networking in the area of the environment. The European Commission held a further technical environment meeting with Belarus in October 2010. Environment sub-committees with Armenia and Georgia met for the first time. Construction and upgrading of environment related infrastructure continued, including with the support of EU financing instruments such as the Neighbourhood Investment Facility (NIF), EU Member States and International Financial Institutions. Many partners showed a continued interest in EU experiences, and are increasingly ready to converge with key elements of the EU’s environment directives.

In the field of civil protection, the Community Civil Protection Mechanism was mobilised in December 2010 to assist Israel to combat forest fires. Discussions with the Republic of Moldova on an administrative arrangement are underway. Partner countries continued to participate in the Eastern Partnership flagship initiative and the Euro-Mediterranean Programme on preparedness of and response to man-made and natural disasters.

Reforms in the Information Society field are well advanced in most ENP countries, and some are progressing towards the establishment of truly independent telecoms regulators. However, in many cases the political situation does not yet allow the introduction of key institutional safeguards supporting genuine independence (such as budget autonomy, separation of regulatory and commercial activities, transparent criteria for the appointment and dismissal of the board members, etc). Except for Azerbaijan, Belarus, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territory, partner countries have established independent regulatory authorities. Syria recently established a regulator. There is a need to continue to strengthen administrative capacity or the independence of the regulator in many countries, in particular in Algeria, Armenia, Egypt, Lebanon and Ukraine. Overall, those countries which have opened the telecoms markets the most (in relative terms), such as Israel, Jordan and Morocco, have clearly benefited and are the countries where the share weight of the ICT sector on the GDP is the highest in the region (14% in Jordan, 12.5% in Morocco).

At regional/multilateral level, the Mediterranean partners continued to be involved in the second phase of EUMEDCONNECT (whose high-capacity IP-based data-communications network serves the research and education communities in seven countries across the southern Mediterranean) and the activities supported by the Euro-Mediterranean Group of European Regulators (EMERG). For example, in May 2010 a high level workshop on the establishment of "Independent Regulatory Authorities" took place in Beirut (Lebanon). Under the Eastern Partnership (EaP), a similar workshop took place for Eastern regulators in the field of electronic communications in Vienna in October 2010. A first informal network of regulators of the EaP was established, enabling the development of further contacts with a view to providing expertise and sharing of best practice in the field of telecoms regulation. In September 2010 the "High-Performance Computing Infrastructure for South East Europe’s Research Communities" (HP-SEE) project was launched, thereby complementing the linking of the research and education communities around the Black Sea with a computation infrastructure. This brings the Black Sea community to a level similar to that of their European partners. The Black Sea Interconnection (BSI) project was concluded in 2010 and HP-SEE is continuing and enhancing its services. BSI has served as a role model for the Central Asian CAREN initiative.

Partner countries made limited progress in the audiovisual sector. While many Mediterranean partners still need to set up agencies or strengthen their administrative capacities, media freedom actually seems to be deteriorating in some Eastern partner countries, notably Ukraine.

Regarding research and innovation, ENP partner countries were very interested in increasing their participation in the 7th Research Framework Programme (FP7) and strengthened their national contact points as well as their research system. Countries that had paid particular attention to building a strong national contact points network, such as Egypt, Morocco, Ukraine and Tunisia, reaped the benefits in the form of increased success under the FP7. The participation of several countries (Algeria, Armenia and Lebanon) remained below their potential. In 2010, first negotiations started with the Republic of Moldova on FP7 association. The Republic of Moldova adopted a comprehensive action plan with a view to preparing its possible association with the FP7. Israel, the only ENP country already fully associated with the FP7, continued to perform at a high level. A Science and Technology Agreement between the EU and Algeria is currently in preparation. Egypt and Syria strengthened their cooperation with the Enterprise Europe Network. Tunisia joined this network and Morocco submitted an application to join it.

At regional/multilateral level, a second call for proposals, ERA-WIDE, was issued for all ENP countries in July 2010, with a deadline for submission of March 2011. The call aims to develop the research strategy of research centres, and to increase cooperation capacity and networking with EU Member States and FP7 associated countries. Participation in ERA-WIDE should improve the quality of research activities and/or promising research centres under all FP7 thematic priorities. In January 2010, Egypt hosted the 'Euromed Innovation Marketplace' in Cairo, in the framework of the Union for the Mediterranean,. This event provided a platform for researchers, scientists, business people, inventors and policy makers from Mediterranean and EU countries to meet, network and further develop projects, business ideas and partnerships.

Eastern partner countries continued to play an active part in the International S&T Cooperation Network for Eastern European and Central Asian countries (FP7 IncoNet EECA project). The network aims to support a bi-regional EU-EECA policy dialogue on science and technology and to increase EECA participation in FP7. Some countries also played an active part in the Black Sea ERA-NET project, which aims to contribute to the coordination of national research programmes (from EU Member States and partner countries) targeting the extended Black Sea region. A first call for proposals was launched in 2010, which aims to promote collaborative research for innovative solutions concerning sustainable development and focusing on energy, climate change and environmental research.

6. Human capital and public health

Education and training

Higher Education

Most ENP partners adopted medium-term strategic approaches for higher education development for the period up to 2015, including governance reforms and changes to the legal and budgetary expenditure frameworks. As in 2009, the Bologna Process continued to act as the main policy reference framework for higher education reform in all partner countries[1]. ENP partners advanced on quality assurance and on the adaptation of higher education provision to the three-cycle structure. Reference to and use of the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) increased for the purposes of academic credit transfer, as well as mutual recognition of degrees. In conjunction with the above, Bologna Process Diploma Supplements were introduced in Ukraine and continued to be applied in Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Tunisia. Other ENP partners are encouraged to adopt the former or similar national measures to provide greater transparency of higher education qualifications. The introduction of quality assurance mechanisms, ensuring equal and transparent access to higher education and the development of university autonomy remain key policy goals. Strengthening partnerships with enterprises and industry remains critical in order to ensure the relevance of taught programmes and to enhance the employment prospects of higher education graduates. In March, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia participated in the second meeting of the Bologna Policy Forum in Vienna, focusing on mobility issues and how best to promote “brain circulation” through international cooperation. The Vienna Ministerial Conference also officially launched the European Higher Education Area as envisaged under the 1999 Bologna Declaration.

A total of 89 students from ENP partner countries were awarded Erasmus Mundus Masters Course scholarships under Action 1 of Erasmus Mundus in 2010, and two doctoral candidates received fellowships to take part in Erasmus Mundus Joint doctorates (Action 1). Since 2009, it has been possible for higher education institutions from ENP and other third countries to be involved in Erasmus Mundus Master Courses and Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctorates as full partners form the outset. ENP universities and higher education institutions are encouraged to use this opportunity to strengthen the link with their EU counterparts.

In addition, student and academic mobility is forecasted to receive an additional boost in the academic year 2010-11 under the Action 2 (Partnerships). Total realised mobility flows between ENP partner countries and the EU came to 1 138 for the academic year 2009-10 including 913 students and academics from ENP partner countries.

Under Action 1, it is now possible for higher education institutions from ENP and other third countries to be involved in Erasmus Mundus Master Courses (EMMC) and Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctorates (EMJD) as full partners from the outset. ENP universities and higher education institutions are encouraged to use this opportunity to strengthen links with their EU counterparts.

In 2010, 52 university graduates from ENP countries benefitted from master’s scholarships to study at the College of Europe (Bruges and Natolin). In addition, 48 graduate students from ENP countries and the Russian Federation received scholarships to follow a master’s degree in European Integration Studies in European universities for the academic years 2010-11 and 2011-12 under a special pilot project.

There was a significant increase in participation from ENP partner countries in the Jean Monnet Programme in 2010. For the first time ever, one Jean Monnet teaching module each was selected from universities in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Egypt, while one module and a conference were selected from the occupied Palestinian territory. One new conference and teaching module was selected in the Republic of Moldova and Morocco respectively, while a conference and two new Chairs were selected in Ukraine. ENP partner universities are encouraged to continue submitting high quality applications under the Jean Monnet programme in order to improve understanding of European integration and wider relations with the European Union, as well as to promote academic research, teaching and free and open debate on issues of mutual interest.

In the context of the Eastern Partnership, Jean Monnet seminars were held in Ukraine in October and in Brussels in December 2010. In the same context, an exploratory round table to present the eTwinning programme for schools, its cooperation opportunities and technical requirements took place in the Republic of Moldova in October, to discuss the potential partial opening of the programme to Eastern Partnership countries.

Tempus continued supporting higher education reform across all partner countries by promoting voluntary convergence with developments in the EU. A third Call for Proposals for Tempus IV was launched, eliciting a strong response from all ENP partner countries with a particular interest in multi-country and inter-regional projects (ENP and the Russian Federation) under the broad themes of curricular and governance reform and higher education and society. A total of 34 projects from ENP countries were selected under the Call, with a further eight projects for the Russian Federation. Tempus issued three policy-relevant publications in 2010: a review of university governance, the state of play of the Bologna Process in all Tempus countries for 2009-10, and a specific report on the same for the countries of the Southern Mediterranean. In addition, overviews of the higher educations systems in the different Tempus partner countries were published on the Tempus website providing interesting insight of the national systems. Furthermore, the Commission took preparatory measures to facilitate Libya’s full participation in the programme as from the fourth Call for Proposals (2011), including the establishment of a National Tempus Office. The work of the Higher Education Reform Experts (HERE) continued, including a specific regional training seminar on quality assurance for the Southern Caucasus in Georgia in November 2010. Two general experts meetings as part of the Bologna Process training seminars were held, in Tallinn in June 2010, on recognition of studies and in Cyprus, in November 2010, on the social dimension of higher education. Moreover, a regional seminar on university governance involving experts from Eastern European countries (including Russia) took place in Kyiv in April 2010.

As in 2009, ENP partners are encouraged to refer to the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ESG) and, where applicable, to join the European Quality Assurance Register (EQUAR). In pursuing the internationalisation of higher education, greater attention should be paid to the professional development of academic and administrative staff, as well as to promoting the active involvement of students in decision-making processes, particularly in the areas of mobility and changes to curricular content.

Vocational Education and Training

The reform of vocational education and training (VET) made advances in most partner countries, with the implementation of the initial phases of national reform strategies, including adoption of changes to the legal framework and governance structures. The direction of reform is predicated on the gradual introduction of competence-based training standards in a lifelong learning perspective, as well as cumulative investments in infrastructure, curricular development and teacher training. Coordination between involved ministries, state agencies and donors in all partner countries remains a critical factor influencing the overall dynamics and quality of agreed reform initiatives. Partner countries continue to face particular challenges in providing initial and continuing training adapted to labour market and future skill needs. Participative approaches and social dialogue on VET as well as vocational training quality are equally important items on the reform agenda. The development of entrepreneurial training and apprenticeships with industry support is not yet fully embedded into reform-thinking in partner countries and requires further investment. Equity and access to vocational education and training, particularly for women and in rural areas, are also pressing concerns.

As in 2009, work continued apace on the design of agreed national qualification frameworks aligned or modelled on the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) with the support of the European Training Foundation (ETF). The latter began implementing a regional qualifications project in the construction and tourism sectors involving Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia, while continuing a cross-regional project on entrepreneurship as a key competence in professionally oriented higher education, in line with the Euro Mediterranean Enterprise Charter involving all ENP Mediterranean partners and pre-accession countries. A regional conference on social partnership took place in this context. Support was provided for the skills development basket of the Mobility Partnerships with the Republic of Moldova. ETF completed the dissemination of the MEDA ETE (Education and Training for Employment) project in December providing practical examples and results of measures to maximize youth employment in the areas of entrepreneurship and e-learning for the information of decision- makers in all ENP Mediterranean partners and Turkey.

In the context of the work of the Eastern Partnership, the Black Sea Labour Market Reviews were discussed at a regional conference on ‘Labour Markets and Employability of Human Capital’ in Ukraine in October. This regional report is based on country studies of which the reports on Azerbaijan and Belaruswere published in 2010.

The Torino Process (a participatory review of progress in vocational education and training policy in ENP partner countries, the Russian Federation, Western Balkans, Turkey and Central Asia) completed its first year of evidence-based policy work and analysis in cooperation with national Ministries and interested stakeholders in thirteen partner countries. The draft national reports and the parallel Business and Education Studies were discussed in national seminars with ENP partners to corroborate their findings and identify future medium-term policy priorities and challenges. Algeria did not yet confirm interest in participating in the process.

Youth

All partner countries continued to promote youth exchanges and informal education as a means of enhancing understanding and intercultural dialogue, as well as ensuring better social integration of young people. Medium term national youth strategies and approaches were adopted in Egypt, Morocco and the occupied Palestinian territory. As was the case in 2009, the formulation and development of coherent national youth policies remained weak in all ENP partner countries, with actions between concerned state agencies often being uncoordinated. The integration of youth needs into wider reform plans in health, social welfare, justice and employment remained a critical issue. The full relevance and cost-effectiveness of investment in youth work in terms of tackling drug addiction, addressing social exclusion and facilitating young peoples’ integration into working life needs to be underlined.

Levels of participation registered for actions under Youth in Action increased in all partner countries compared to 2009. The programme supports youth exchanges, voluntary service and youth cooperation activities in non-formal education. All ENP partners concerned confirmed their participation in the Euro Mediterranean Youth IV programme, which was launched in 2010. It promotes intercultural dialogue by stimulating and encouraging mutual comprehension between young people in the Euro-Mediterranean region, combating stereotypes and prejudices, and enhancing the sense of youth solidarity through the promotion of active citizenship.

Culture

By the end of 2010, all partner countries except Israel, Lebanon and Morocco had ratified the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. Signature of the Convention is essential for the further development of cultural cooperation, as it is now part of the Union’s legal order.

In 2010, a specific programme for strengthening regional capacities for cooperation in the cultural sector was launched under the Eastern Partnership. The aim of the Eastern Partnership Culture Programme is to support the role of culture in the region's sustainable development and to promote capacity building and regional cooperation between public and non-profit based civil society organisations in the region and with the EU. In addition, Eastern partners participated for the first time in an enlarged meeting of the National Cultural Contact Points in March under the Culture Programme.

In order to complement the Kyiv Initiative and to further enhance policy dialogue on culture, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine should expedite, where applicable, the signature and ratification of the 2000 European Landscape Convention and the 2005 Council of Europe Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society.

In 2010, a Special Action for ENP countries which have ratified the 2005 UNESCO Convention - Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Jordan, the Republic of Moldova, occupied Palestinian territory, Tunisia and Ukraine – was launched under Strand 1.3 (Cooperation Projects with Third Countries) of the Culture Programme. A total of 170 applications were submitted by cultural organisations from the eligible ENP countries. Sixteen projects were selected involving 24 ENP partner organisations. The themes covered cultural heritage; visual arts; performing arts; literature, books and reading; architecture, design and the applied arts, multi-media and new technologies and interdisciplinary activities.

In October 2010, the Commission published a report ‘Towards a Strategy for Culture in the Mediterranean Region’. This serves as a basis for the elaboration of a Euro Mediterranean Strategy for Culture, a process which was launched at the 2008 culture ministerial. In the report, external experts made proposals on how to design a future strategy sensitively and efficiently in areas such as cultural policy, access to culture, regional collaboration and intercultural dialogue.

Implementation of the twelve 2009 projects under the Euro-Med Heritage IV programme began during the reporting period. The projects include the preservation of written heritage, the promotion of intangible cultural heritage, youth outreach and engagement in culture, and the management of water heritage. The first Conference on Cultural Policies in the Arab region took place in Lebanon in June 2010, providing an opportunity for dialogue between ministries and cultural operators on how best to advance cultural cooperation within wider socio-economic development.

The Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation continued to implement the ‘Restore Trust, Rebuild Bridges’ Initiative in cooperation with the Alliance of Civilizations, as a means to promote conciliation, dialogue and confidence-building between peoples in the Middle East. The Foundation also continued implementing a special programme on Arab Children’s Literature[2] as part of its triennial Action Plan. The first Anna Lindh Report on Euro-Mediterranean Intercultural Trends and Mutual Perception was published in April 2010, providing a scientific analysis of the status of intercultural trends among the peoples of the region, with recommendations for policy makers, civil society organisations and opinion leaders for the positive advancement of exchanges in the region.

Public health

ENP partners sustained health sector reform, generally on the basis of existing strategies. In 2010 the occupied Palestinian territory adopted a new health strategy covering 2011-2013. The Republic of Moldova adopted a primary health care strategy for 2010-2013. The ongoing health sector challenges of ENP partners are still communicable and non-communicable diseases, the improvement of primary health care, greater efficiency in the sector, financial sustainability and better access to health services, in particular for the most vulnerable. In 2010 the European Commission, with reference to last year’s Influenza A (H1N1) epidemic, proposed to additional ENP partners to establish communication channels for the exchange of epidemiological information in the event of public health emergencies of international concern. In 2010, such channels were established with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the occupied Palestinian territory and Ukraine. The European Commission invited ENP countries to the high level EU global health conference, which was held in June 2010 in Brussels.

The EU continued, in its health dialogue with partners, to promote the implementation of key international health agreements, namely the International Health Regulations and the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). In June 2010, Tunisia ratified the FCTC. The fight against HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis remained a challenge in the Eastern neighbourhood. Also in 2010, the European Commission invited Belarus, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine to its HIV/AIDS Think Tank. In 2010, Georgia adopted a strategic plan on combating HIV/AIDS covering the period 2011-2016.

The EU and the Mediterranean ENP partners maintained cooperation in the EpiSouth Network for Communicable Diseases Control in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean. In 2010, the launch of the second phase of the EpiSouth project was prepared. The EU, the ENP partners, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) maintained their contacts on health policy issues, in particular through the HIV/AIDS Think Tank and the EpiSouth project. In 2010, Israel started to explore possibilities for enhanced interaction with ECDC. The ECDC provided assistance to Syria in the context of an ongoing EU supported health project.

7. Cross-Border Cooperation

In the area of Cross-Border Cooperation (CBC), thirteen of the planned fifteen programmes under the ENPI are being implemented. After a slow start the programmes are gaining momentum. They have launched their first (and in some cases their second) call for proposals and finalised the selection of the projects. In addition to nearly EUR 1 billion of Community funding (from both Heading 4 and the European Regional Development Fund), a number of Member States (Estonia, Finland and Sweden) and the Russian Federation decided to co-fund the programmes with an additional EUR 150 million. For the Russian Federation, the CBC is the main financial instrument for cooperation with the EU.

Two CBC programmes (Spain-Morocco and the CBC Atlantic Programme) were not submitted by the deadline of 30 June 2010. They were therefore cancelled and their funds have been re-allocated. The contribution from the European Regional Development Fund has to those programmes been returned to Spain to support external cross border co-operation within the framework of the cohesion policy. The Mid-Term Review of the ENPI CBC Strategy Paper was conducted in 2010 and the new Indicative Programme 2011-13 is being finalised with a view to its adoption by the European Commission in 2011.

8. Operational aspects

During 2010, TAIEX[3] continued to provide valuable support in assisting the transition and reform processes. ENP partners availed of its advice and technical assistance to support convergence with European practices and standards across a wide range of policies. The European Commission ensured that TAIEX events were consistent with the country-specific sector policy dialogue. The table and charts in the annex reflect the extent to which ENP partner countries used this instrument in the period up to 31 December 2010. The European Commission also included them in multi-country TAIEX events on topics of common interest.

ENP partners continued to benefit from the twinning[4] instrument under the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument. In 2010 the long-term twinning of experienced EU Member State officials with their peers in an ENP partner country continued to contribute to reforms and to the transfer of EU regulatory and institutional experience.

By the end of 2010, 151 twinning covenants had been established or are being implemented, whilst 128 covenants were still being prepared or were under negotiation with 12 ENP partner countries. These 279 twinning projects are broadly spread among ENP partner countries and across a wide range of sector policies (see annex).

In 2010, SIGMA continued to work with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Egypt, Jordan, the Republic of Moldova, Morocco, Tunisia and Ukraine, while extending its reach to Lebanon. It supports governance and public administration reforms in areas such as administrative law and administrative justice, public expenditure management, internal and external audit, public procurement, civil service reform and regulatory management. As a joint initiative of the OECD and the European Union, SIGMA assisted the national reform teams of ENP partners by providing ‘peer practitioner’ expertise, consisting of either OECD staff or public servants from within Member State administrations. A total of 54 reform-support activities took place in 10 ENP countries up to the end of 2010, principally in the areas of policy-making, public procurement, financial control and public administration reform (see annex).

In June 2010, the CIUDAD programme[5] (Cooperation in Inter Urban Development and Dialogue) commenced implementation of 21 intra- and inter-regional (East-South) projects promoting cooperation between local and regional authorities in capacity building for improved governance in sustainable urban development and planning. The programme also sustains an extensive network of over 170 partners and associates from 27 EU and ENPI countries, as well as thematic groups on energy efficiency, solid waste management and cultural heritage and sustainable tourism.

9. Neighbourhood Investment Facility

In 2010 the Neighbourhood Investment Facility (NIF) completed its third year of operation. This is a financial instrument providing grant support to lending operations by the EIB, the EBRD, and other European finance institutions in support of projects in the European Neighbourhood region.

The NIF was created to pursue three objectives:

(1) Establishing better energy and transport infrastructure interconnections between the EU and neighbouring countries and among neighbouring countries themselves;

(2) Addressing threats to our common environment, including climate change;

(3) Promoting equitable socio-economic development and job creation through support for small and medium-sized enterprises and the social sector.

In order to accomplish these objectives the NIF makes use of a broad range of measures, embracing co-financing through direct grants, loan guarantees, interest rate subsidies, and technical assistance for project preparation and supervision. In order to maintain consistency with policy objectives, operations are evaluated according to a set of Strategic Orientations and priority criteria. A revised set of Strategic Orientations has been adopted for 2011-2013.

In 2010, € 110 million from the EU budget were allocated as a grant contribution to the NIF, bringing the total EU budget contribution to € 295 million in 2007-10[6]. This was supplemented by a Member State grant funding contribution to the ‘NIF Trust Fund’, of approximately € 78 million (see Annex for an overview of the Member State pledges).

In its third year of operations, 15 projects were approved (13 projects in 2009 and 15 in 2008). These projects received a total financing of € 121,5 million from the NIF (an increase of 9,8% when compared to € 110,7 million in 2009), and contributed to leverage loans from European Finance Institutions amounting to € 2,54 billion.

By financing these large projects, the NIF supports the reform priorities agreed with ENP partner countries and contributes to the investment necessary to further integrate the EU and its neighbours. The full list of projects approved in 2010 and an overview of the distribution of NIF contributions per country, sector and objective are presented in the Annex.

10. EU programmes and agencies

During 2010, the European Commission made progress with the participation, under certain conditions, of ENP partners in European Union programmes and agencies. Participation serves to support the ENP partner countries’ efforts to strengthen administrative and regulatory capacities in various policy fields. ENP partners are eligible to participate or to cooperate in a wide range of Union programmes[7]. In terms of participation in Union Programmes, negotiations to enable participation were successfully concluded with the Republic of Moldova, Morocco and Ukraine, leading to the signature of the Protocols in September, October and November 2010 respectively. The Protocol that was concluded with Israel in 2008[8] to enable it to participate in Union programmes is still awaiting the consent of the European Parliament before it can be formally concluded. To date, it remains provisionally applicable.

With regard to participation in the work of EU agencies, preliminary technical cooperation on drug monitoring between EMCDDA (European Monitoring Centre on Drugs and Drug Addiction) and ENP partners took place in October. Technical cooperation arrangements on aviation safety continued between EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) and Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Israel, the Republic of Moldova, Morocco and Ukraine. Technical contacts also continued between ENP partners and EFSA (European Food Safety Agency) and between some partners and ECDC (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control).Technical cooperation arrangements with FRONTEX are in force with Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, while they remain under discussion with Egypt and Morocco. Formal contacts also exist between EUROJUST and Egypt, Israel, the Republic of Moldova, Morocco and Ukraine, while EUROPOL approved the start of negotiations on an operational agreement with Israel in October.

Overview of Annexes

(1) Governance related indicators for ENP partner countries

(2) Tables of international human rights’ conventions binding ENP partner countries

(3) Main macroeconomic indicators of ENP partner countries

(4) Tables on trade between the EU and the ENP partner countries

(5) Tables on committee and programmed amounts under ENPI

(6) Tables on mobility under Youth I n Action, Erasmus Mundus, TEMPUS IV, scholarships in European Integration Studies, scholarships College of Europe

(7) Tables of TAIEX events with ENP partner countries

(8) Tables on SIGMA

(9) Tables on twinning projects with ENP partner countries

(10) Neighbourhood Investment Facility projects

MACRO-ECONOMIC INDICATORS

Youth in Action mobility figures 2010

Youth in Action[9]

|| Youth Exchanges and Youth Workers Mobility || Voluntary Service

Country/Year || 2009 || 2010 || 2009 || 2010

Armenia || 351 || 334 || 67 || 67

Algeria || 91 || 55 || 0 || 1

Azerbaijan || 231 || 163 || 8 || 4

Belarus || 221 || 253 || 10 || 11

Georgia || 344 || 356 || 60 || 47

Egypt || 79 || 102 || 13 || 4

Israel || 183 || 220 || 10 || 7

Jordan || 94 || 61 || 4 || 2

Lebanon || 68 || 109 || 3 || 4

Republic of Moldova || 309 || 228 || 11 || 13

Morocco || 116 || 84 || 4 || 6

occupied Palestinian territory || 142 || 90 || 2 || 6

Syria || 10 || 24 || 0 || 0

Tunisia || 108 || 97 || 1 || 7

Ukraine || 641 || 707 || 86 || 105

|| || || ||

Overall Total per Action || 2988 || 2883 || 279 || 284

Mobility under

Erasmus Mundus, Action 2, 2010-2011

ENP Country || Total Mobility Flows for academic year 2010-2011*

ARMENIA || 34

ALGERIA || 81

AZERBAIJAN || 33

BELARUS || 80

EGYPT || 102

GEORGIA || 59

ISRAEL || 65

JORDAN || 34

LEBANON || 27

REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA || 66

MOROCCO || 79

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY || 50

SYRIA || 26

TUNISIA || 77

UKRAINE || 100

GRAND TOTAL || 913

*Figures based on the projected mobility flows by 1 September 2011, subject to possible adjustment upwards

Erasmus Mundus Action 1 – Erasmus Mundus Masters Scholarships

|| Students || Scholars || Joint Doctorate Candidates

Country/Year || Academic year 2009- 2010 || Academic year 2010-2011 || Academic year 2009-2010 || Academic year 2010-2011*

Algeria || 5 || 3 || 6 ||

Armenia || 13 || 6 || 1 ||

Azerbaijan || 3 || 1 || 2 ||

Belarus || 5 || 6 || 2 ||

Egypt || 7 || 8 || 2 ||

Georgia || 9 || 7 || 2 || 1

Israel || 8 || 6 || 13 || 1

Jordan || 1 || 1 || ||

Lebanon || 3 || 2 || 2 ||

Republic of Moldova || 10 || 6 || 1 ||

Morocco || 3 || 4 || 7 ||

occupied Palestinian territory || 2 || 2 || ||

Syria || || 1 || ||

Tunisia || 10 || 6 || 2 ||

Ukraine || 29 || 30 || 8 ||

|| || || ||

Overall Total || 124 || 89 || 48 ||

The 2010 selection of Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses scholars take place throughout the academic year. Final figures per nationality for 2010 to 2011 will therefore only be available following the submission of final reports

Tempus IV- number of projects per country accepted in 2010

Country || Total Projects || National Projects || Multi Country Projects || Joint Projects || Structural Measures || As Grant Holder

Algeria || 6 || 0 || 6 || 5 || 1 ||

Armenia || 4 || 1 || 3 || 2 || 2 ||

Azerbaijan || 2 || 1 || 1 || 2 || || 1

Belarus || 2 || || 2 || 2 || ||

Egypt || 4 || 2 || 2 || 4 || ||

Georgia || 5 || || 5 || 4 || 1 || 1

Israel || 2 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1

Jordan || 5 || 2 || 3 || 5 || || 1

Lebanon || 7 || 1 || 6 || 6 || 1 || 1

Republic of Moldova || 5 || 1 || 4 || 5 || ||

Morocco || 8 || 1 || 7 || 7 || 1 ||

occupied Palestinian territory || 3 || 1 || 2 || 3 || || 1

Syria || 4 || 2 || 2 || 3 || 1 ||

Tunisia || 7 || 1 || 6 || 5 || 2 ||

Ukraine || 5 || || 5 || 5 || ||

[1] Only Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan are formal signatories to the Bologna Declaration. The Bologna Declaration of June 1999, signed by 29 European Ministers of Higher Education, foresees the establishment of a European Higher Education Area by 2010. The Bologna Process aims to put in motion the reforms necessary for its creation, namely: the introduction of a three-cycle system (bachelor/master/doctorate), quality assurance and mobility and recognition of qualifications and periods of study. Armenia, Azerbaijan, Geogia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine joined the Bologna Process at the Bergen Conference in May 2005. Southern ENP partners adopted a declaration calling for the establishment of a Euro-Mediterranean Higher Education Area at the First Euro-Mediterranean Ministerial Conference on Higher Education and Scientific Research in Cairo in June 2007.

[2] The “Arab Children Literature Programme” is a regional programme launched in 2006 with the support of Swedish Aid (SIDA) which seeks to strengthen the intellectual, social and emotional development of children in the Arab region through developing childrens’ literature and promoting reading for pleasure. It is implemented in five focus countries Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, the occupied Palestinian territory and Syria.

[3] TAIEX provides short-term technical assistance and advice on convergence with EU legislation, best practices and standards and on related administrative capacity needs, technical training and peer assistance, as well as a data base and information network that facilitates the monitoring of approximation measures, see also : http://taiex.ec.europa.eu

[4] http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/index_en.htm

[5] http://www.ciudad-programme.eu

[6] For the 2007-2013 period, the European Commission has earmarked a total amount of € 700 million for the NIF

[7] For a full list of these programmes, see “Other relevant Commission Documents” at http://ec.europa.eu/world/enp/documents_en.htm

[8] Official Journal L129 of 17/05/2008, pp 39-43

[9] Provisional figures gathered at application level for participants in projects submitted at decentralised level.