EN Official Journal of the European Union CE 65/159

(2004/C 65 E/175)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2473/03

by Marie Isler Béguin (Verts/ALE), Charles Tannock (PPE-DE), Alima Boumediene-Thiery (Verts/ALE), Patsy Sörensen (Verts/ALE) and Miquel Mayol i Raynal (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(24 July 2003)

Subject: Regions adjacent to the enlarged Union's external borders

The current process of enlargement towards the east will, in the near future, alter the EU's political, economic and social makeup, as harmonisation, protection and transitional aid measures are applied in the applicant central European and Baltic countries.

Given their particular sensitivity to this process of economic alignment, during the successive enlargements of the EU the eastern border regions of the Member States and, subsequently, the applicant countries, have benefited from special programmes and aid intended to guard against and mitigate imbalances and socio-economic repercussions within their borders. The western border regions of the European countries neighbouring the enlarged EU, such as Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine, are primarily and intrinsically dependent on the interregional economy and trade with their many partners on the EU side of the border. These three eastern European countries, which form part of our continent's history and identity, are directly concerned by the implications of the EU enlargement process at all levels. The current Moldovan and Belarussian governments' predecessors clearly stated their wish to join the EU, and this has remained a priority for the current Ukrainian Government.

On 11 February 2003 the European Parliament adopted a report by Pedro Marset Campos on ‘relations between the European Union and Belarus: towards a future partnership’, in which it called on the Commission, ‘in order to prevent any cracks from appearing in the economic or social structure at the future eastern border of the enlarged EU and to curb smuggling and immigration, to develop Community financial programmes and support for the western regions of the new neighbours to the East, Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova, on the same scale as those already being implemented in the eastern regions of the neighbouring candidate countries’.

1. What interregional programmes does the Commission intend to implement with a view to providing support for symmetrical social and economic development on both sides of the EU's future eastern border so as to guard against a widening gulf between the new Member States and Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus?

2. What preventive measures does it intend to take in order to protect cross-border trade in this region, a trade which, in Ukraine, accounts for one third of imports and provides a livelihood for 20 % of the population, and which is directly threatened by the introduction of visas on 1 July 2004?

3. Would the Commission not agree that in order to maintain and foster the existing social and economic links between the applicant countries and these eastern European partners coordination between the Phare and TACIS and Interreg and Phare-CBC programmes should be optimised and, if necessary, reorganised?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(17 September 2003)

1. Working together to create an area of shared prosperity and stability with the neighbours of the future enlarged Union, is a clear objective for the Union, as outlined in the Commission's Communication ‘Wider Europe — Neighbourhood’ (1). In its follow-up Communication ‘Paving the way for a New Neighbourhood Instrument’ (2), the Commission proposes the specific possibility of creating a Neighbourhood Instrument, which would build on the experience of promoting cross-border co-operation within the PHARE, TACIS and Interreg programmes. The programme could focus on ensuring the smooth functioning and secure management of the future Eastern and Mediterranean borders, promoting sustainable economic and social development of the border regions and pursuing regional and transnational co-operation. As such an instrument cannot be created immediately, the Commission is introducing a two-phase approach, starting with the concept of Neighbourhood Programmes for the period 2004-2006 operating as joint cross-border and regional co-operation programmes on the Union's external borders with Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova (as well as those in the Western Balkans and the Mediterranean) and addressing the above issues.

2. The neighbouring countries of the enlarged Union should be well placed to take advantage of direct access to a Single Market of 450 million people. The enlarged Union will remain an open trading partner, with a single set of rules and administrative procedures, and a single tariff, with the overall level of tariff protection decreasing after enlargement. This will simplify the activity of third country operators within the new Member States. The simplification and standardisation of rules will benefit particularly small and medium-sized enterprises and individual operators, who are often those involved in border trade activities, for whom the costs of compliance with trade procedures are proportionately higher. Moreover, enlargement is expected to bring accelerated economic growth in the new Member States, which will increase demand for imports. This will especially benefit bordering regions to the new Member States which will be well positioned to take advantage of this economic growth and can increase their trade with these expanding markets. Finally, cross-border trade is an issue addressed under the Neighbourhood Programmes, with one of the main objectives of the programme being ‘Ensuring efficient and secure borders’ under which activities towards facilitation of trade and passage such as user-friendly small border traffic would be possible.

3. The Commission is addressing this issue within the framework of the current financial perspective and on-going programming for 2004-2006 through the introduction of Neighbourhood Programmes. Over the coming months, the Commission will examine the possibility of creating a New Neighbourhood Instrument from 2007, which could be capable of operating on an identical footing on both sides of the Union's external border.

(1) COM(2003) 104 final.

(2) COM(2003) 393 final.