2.

Articles 1 to 4 are replaced by the following: ‘Article 1 Objective 1. For the purpose of this Regulation, “industrialised and other high-income countries and territories” shall comprise countries and territories listed in Annex I to this Regulation and “developing countries” shall comprise countries falling under Regulation (EC) No 1905/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 establishing a financing instrument for development cooperation (5) and listed in Annex II to this Regulation. They are together hereinafter referred to as “partner countries”. Union financing under this Regulation shall support economic, financial, technical, cultural and academic cooperation with partner countries in the areas set out in Article 4, falling within its spheres of competence. This Regulation shall serve to finance measures which, in principle, do not fulfil the criteria for Official Development Assistance (ODA criteria) established by the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD/DAC). 2. The primary objective of cooperation with partner countries shall be to provide a specific response to the need to strengthen links and to engage further with them on a bilateral, regional or multilateral basis in order to create a more favourable and transparent environment for the development of relations between the Union and partner countries in accordance with the principles guiding the Union’s external action as laid down in the Treaty. This refers amongst others to the promotion of democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, the rule of law, as well as decent work, good governance, and the preservation of the environment, in order to contribute to progress and sustainable development processes in the partner countries. Article 2 Scope 1. Cooperation shall be aimed at engaging with partner countries in order to enhance dialogue and rapprochement and to share and promote similar political, economic and institutional structures and values. The Union shall also aim at increasing cooperation and exchanges with established or increasingly important bilateral partners and players in multilateral fora and in global governance. The cooperation also covers partners with which the Union has a strategic interest in promoting links and its values as laid down in the Treaty. 2. In duly justified circumstances and in order to ensure the coherence and effectiveness of Union financing and to foster regional cooperation, the Commission may decide when adopting annual action programmes referred to in Article 6 that countries not listed in the Annexes are eligible for measures under this Regulation, where the project or programme to be implemented is of a regional or cross-border nature. Provisions shall be made for this in the multiannual cooperation programmes referred to in Article 5. 3. The Commission shall amend the lists in Annexes I and II following the regular OECD/DAC reviews of its list of developing countries, and shall inform the European Parliament and the Council thereof. 4. For Union financing under this Regulation, particular attention shall be paid where appropriate to the compliance of the partner countries with the core labour standards of the International Labour Organisation and to their efforts to pursue reductions of greenhouse gas emissions. 5. In relation to countries listed in Annex II to this Regulation, policy coherence with measures financed under Regulation (EC) No 1905/2006 and Regulation (EC) No 1337/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 establishing a facility for rapid response to soaring food prices in developing countries (6) shall be strictly observed. Article 3 General principles 1. The Union is founded on the principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and the rule of law and seeks to promote, develop and consolidate commitment to those principles in partner countries through dialogue and cooperation. 2. In the implementation of this Regulation a differentiated approach in designing cooperation with partner countries shall be pursued, where appropriate, to take account of their economic, social and political contexts as well as of the Union’s specific interests, strategies and priorities. 3. Measures financed under this Regulation shall be consistent with and cover areas of cooperation set out notably in the instruments, agreements, declarations and action plans between the Union and the partner countries, as well as areas pertaining to the Union’s specific interests and priorities. 4. For measures financed under this Regulation, the Union shall aim to ensure coherence with other areas of its external action as well as with other relevant Union policies, in particular development cooperation. This shall be ensured by formulating policy, strategic planning and the programming and implementation of measures. 5. Measures financed under this Regulation shall complement and bring added value to the efforts undertaken by Member States and Union public bodies in the area of commercial relations and cultural, academic and scientific exchanges. 6. The Commission shall inform and have regular exchanges of views with the European Parliament. Article 4 Areas of cooperation Union financing shall support cooperation actions in accordance with Article 1 and shall be consistent with the overall purpose, scope, objectives and general principles of this Regulation. Union financing shall cover actions that, in principle, do not fulfil the ODA criteria, and which may include a regional dimension, in the following areas of cooperation: 1. the promotion of cooperation, partnerships and joint undertakings between economic, social, cultural, academic and scientific actors in the Union and partner countries; 2. the stimulation of bilateral trade, investment flows and economic partnerships, including a focus on small and medium-sized enterprises; 3. the promotion of dialogues between political, economic, social and cultural actors and other non-governmental organisations in relevant sectors in the Union and partner countries; 4. the promotion of people-to-people links, education and training programmes and intellectual exchanges and the enhancement of mutual understanding between cultures, particularly at the family level, including measures to ensure and increase Union participation in Erasmus Mundus and participation in European education fairs; 5. the promotion of cooperative projects in areas such as research, science and technology, sports and culture, energy (in particular renewable energy), transport, environmental matters (including climate change), customs, financial, legal and human rights issues, and any other matter of mutual interest between the Union and the partner countries; 6. the enhancement of awareness about and understanding of the European Union and of its visibility in partner countries; 7. support for specific initiatives, including research work, studies, pilot schemes or joint projects destined to respond in an effective and flexible manner to cooperation objectives arising from developments in the Union’s bilateral relationship with the partner countries or aiming to provide impetus to the further deepening and broadening of bilateral relationships with them.