WRITTEN QUESTION E-1598/01 by André Brie (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Future of the PHARE Programme in Bosnia-Hercegovina.
Date: 2001-06-01
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Bosnia and Herzegovina, EU financing, EU programme, cooperation policy, non-governmental organisation

C 40 E/60

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

14.2.2002

(2002/C 40 E/057)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1598/01

by AndrØ Brie (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(1 June 2001)

Subject: Future of the PHARE Programme in Bosnia-Hercegovina

During my recent visit to the Balkans as a member of a parliamentary delegation, I had an opportunity to
meet a local NGO in Bosnia-Hercegovina which is currently carrying out a project under the PHARE LIEN
Programme co-financed by the Commission. Although the project has another year to run, this NGO is
already seeking sources of funding for activities after the end the co-financing period. Unfortunately, the
PHARE LIEN Programme (and its successor Access Programme) as such is out of the equation, since (cid:129)
unlike ten other Central and Eastern European countries (cid:129) no funds have been allocated to Bosnia-
Hercegovina, despite the persistent desperate plight of its inhabitants.

Given the extremely tense social and economic situation in that country and the constructive contribution
being made by local NGOs to the establishment of a functioning civil society, and given that very
successful projects have been carried out
the PHARE LIEN
Programme, could the Commission indicate:

in this connection specifically under

(cid:129) whether it is aware of the significance of such projects for the establishment of civil-society structures,
for support for a plethora of local initiatives and for an improvement in the situation of the direct
beneficiaries in Bosnia-Hercegovina?

(cid:129) why no funds have been made available for the Access Programme in Bosnia-Hercegovina (and who

took the decision)?

(cid:129) what specific steps and measures it intends to take so that, in future, funds for this programme are

again allocated to this programme in Bosnia-Hercegovina as well?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(31 July 2001)

The Commission believes that local initiatives can and do make an important contribution to stabilisation
in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Projects such as those financed by PHARE LIEN have undoubtedly
contributed to establishing civil society structures. This has been achieved inter alia through support to
local initiatives which, in turn, bring an immediate and positive effect to local beneficiaries. Since the
initiative, non-governmental organisations
Commission continues to attach great significance to local
(NGOs) will continue to benefit from Community assistance in the context of the new CARDS programme.

The PHARE LIEN programme has indeed been discontinued in BiH and BiH will not have access to its
Instead, the Union has decided through the Council that Community
successor programme, Access.
assistance to the Western Balkans should be rationalised and concentrated in a single framework for
assistance, namely CARDS, as requested by the Helsinki European Council of December 1999. Thus,
CARDS is now and will remain the main vehicle for the delivery of Community support, including that to
NGOs.

For this reason, the 2001 CARDS programme for BiH proposes the provision of technical assistance to
approximately 40 NGOs (cid:129) with help in project management, networking and advocacy (including
contacts with government). Furthermore, it is proposed to finance around 30 social development projects
proposed by NGOs receiving technical assistance. It is also proposed to use a (cid:145)Small-Scale Operations
Facility(cid:146) to support a number of individual initiatives. Thus, while the CARDS programme undoubtedly has
a different orientation than PHARE LIEN or its successor,
it does,
nevertheless, provide adequate room to continue support to strategic local initiatives.

the Commission believes that