No C 140/10 Official Journal of the European Communities 30. 5. 91 
II 
(Preparatory Acts) 
COMMISSION 
Proposal for a Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom) concerning aid to assist economic reform 
and recovery in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics 
(91/C 140/08) 
COM(91) 172 final 
(Submitted by the Commission on 8 May 1991) 
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European 
Economic Community, and in particular Article 235 
thereof, and to the Treaty establishing the European 
Atomic Energy Community, and in particular Article 203 
thereof, 
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, 
Having regard to the opinion of the European 
Parliament, 
Whereas the European Economic Community and the 
European Atomic Energy Community have concluded an 
Agreement on trade and commercial and economic 
cooperation with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; 
Whereas the Community and its Member States, at 
meetings of the European Council in Dublin and Rome 
in 1990, expressed their will to back the steps undertaken 
by the Soviet authorities to bring about the reform and 
recovery of the Soviet economy, in particular through 
technical assistance in the fields of public and private 
sector management training, financial services, energy, 
transport and food distribution; 
Whereas the Rome European Council also stressed the 
importance of effective coordination by the Commission 
of efforts undertaken in the USSR by the Community 
and individual Member States; 
Whereas it is appropriate that the Commission be 
assisted in the implementation of Community aid by a 
committee made up of Member States' representatives; the financial perspectives annexed to the interinstitu-
tional Agreement of 29 June 1988 ('); whereas the 
implementation of these operations is such as to 
contribute to the attainment of the Community's 
objectives, and the Treaties have not provided, for the 
operations in question, powers other than those of 
Article 235 of the EEC Treaty and of Article 203 of the 
EAEC Treaty, 
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: 
Article 1 
The Community shall implement an operation to assist 
economic reform and recovery in the Union of Soviet 
Socialist Republics (USSR) in accordance with criteria 
laid down in this Regulation. 
Article 2 
The budgetary authority shall determine the funds 
available for each financial year. 
Article 3 
1. The aid referred to in Article 1 shall take the form 
of technical assistance for the economic reform under 
way in the USSR, for measures aimed at bringing about 
the transition to a market economy and for related 
projects. It shall also cover the the cost of supplies 
required for the implementation of these operations. 
2. The funds referred to in Article 2 shall cover costs 
related to the preparation, implementation and moni­
toring of the execution of these operations. 
Whereas the funds effectively available will be decided in 
accordance with budget procedure with due regard for O OJ No L 185, 15. 7. 1988, p. 33. 
30. 5. 91 Official Journal of the European Communities NoC 140/11 
3. Technical assistance shall cover the fields of public 
and private sector management training, financial 
services, energy, transport and food distribution. 
4. Within these five focal areas, the selection of oper­
ations to be financed under this Regulation shall take 
account inter alia of the recipients' preference. 
Article 4 
1. Community assistance shall take the form of grants, 
which shall be mobilized in instalments in the course of 
implementation of the operations. 
2. Financing decisions, and any contracts resulting 
therefrom, shall inter alia expressly provide for super­
vision by the relevant Commission departments and the 
Court of Auditors. 
Article 5 
General guidelines shall be laid down in an indicative 
programme covering all the operations referred to in 
Article 3 (4) and adopted under the procedure provided 
for in Article 7 (2) and (3). These general guidelines 
shall define the thrust of Community assistance in the 
focal areas and the procedures for the implementation of 
operations. 
Article 6 
1. The Commission shall implement operations in 
accordance with the indicative programme referred to in 
the preceding Article. 
2. The consultants charged with providing technical 
assistance shall be recruited under service contracts. 
Contracts worth up to ECU 500 000 shall be concluded 
by direct agreement, those worth from ECU 500 000 to 
ECU 3 million by restricted invitation to tender and 
those worth in excess of ECU 3 million by open invi­
tation to tender. Participation in invitations to tender 
and contracts shall be open on equal terms to all natural 
and legal persons of the Member States and the USSR. 
3. Taxes, duties and charges shall not be funded by 
the Community. 
Article 7 
1. The Commission shall be assisted by a committee 
of Member States' representatives, chaired by a represen­
tative of the Commission, to be known as the 
Management Committee for Aid to the USSR. c 2. The Commission representative shall present to the 
L1 Committee a draft of the measures to be taken. The 
Committee shall deliver its opinion on the draft within a 
time limit laid down by the chairman according to the 
urgency of the matter under consideration. The opinion 
shall be delivered by the majority which Article 148 (2) 
of the Treaty lays down for the adoption of decisions 
that the Council is required to take on a proposal from 
the Commission. When the committee votes, the votes of 
the Member States' representatives shall be weighted as 
specified in the aforementioned Article. The chairman 
» shall not vote. 
f 
3. The Commission shall adopt measures which are 
immediately applicable. However, should these conflict 
; with the opinion of the committee, the Commission shall 
notify the Council of these measures forthwith. The 
; Commission shall then defer the application of the 
measures it has adopted for a period of six weeks. 
The Council, acting by a qualified majority, may take a 
different decision within the period laid down in the 
preceding subparagraph. 
I 
1 4. The committee may examine any other question 
5 related to the implementation of this Regulation which 
, may be put to it by its Chairman or the representative of 
f a Member State, and in particular any question relating 
to the cofinancing and coordination referred to in the 
following Article. 
Article 8 
The Commission shall ensure the effective coordination 
of efforts undertaken in the USSR by the Community or 
individual Member States, including the granting of 
funds to provide emergency supplies for Soviet industry. 
' The Member States shall provide the Commission with 
any information needed for such coordination. 
I 
Article 9 
At the end of each budget year, the Commission shall 
draw up a progress report on cooperation activities. This 
report shall be transmitted to Parliament, the Council 
and the Economic and Social Committee. 
Article 10 
This Regulation shall enter into force on the third day 
following the date of its publication in the Official 
Journal of the European Communities. 
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and 
directly applicable in all Member States.