Council Joint Action 2003/473/CFSP of 25 June 2003 regarding a contribution of the European Union to the conflict settlement process in Georgia/South Ossetia
Date: 2003-06-25
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: EU financing, Georgia, OSCE, cooperation policy, international meeting, settlement of disputes, war

L 157/72

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

26.6.2003

COUNCIL JOINT ACTION 2003/473/CFSP

of 25 June 2003

regarding a contribution of the European Union to the conflict settlement process in Georgia/
South Ossetia

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on European Union, and in parti-
cular Article 14 thereof,

2.
For this purpose, the European Union shall provide a
contribution to the OSCE to finance meetings of the JCC and
to provide for organisation of conferences
Experts' Group,
under the aegis of the JCC and to provide for publication of a
JCC newsletter.

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

On 26 February 2001, the Council declared its willing-
ness to play a more active political role in the Southern
Caucasus and to look for further ways to support efforts
to prevent and resolve conflicts in the region, in parti-
cular through strengthening cooperation with the Orga-
nisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

On 29 October 2001, the Council adopted Joint Action
2001/759/CFSP (1), regarding a contribution from the
European Union to the conflict settlement process in
South Ossetia.

The EU contribution under that
Joint Action to the
OSCE mission to Georgia has been effective in ensuring
the functioning of permanent secretariats for the Geor-
gian and the South Ossetian sides, under the aegis of the
OSCE, and in facilitating meetings of the Joint Control
Commission (JCC) and of the Experts' Group, which are
the main instruments of the conflict settlement process.

The EU considers that its assistance has reinforced the
effectiveness of its role, as well as that of the OSCE, in
the settlement of the conflict.

The OSCE and the co-Chairs of the JCC have appealed
for follow-up assistance from the EU, and the EU has
agreed to offer further financial assistance to the conflict
settlement process.

The Commission has agreed to be entrusted with the
implementation of this Joint Action.

The Commission will ensure an adequate visibility of the
contribution of the EU to the project,

HAS ADOPTED THIS JOINT ACTION:

Article 1

Article 2

1.
Disbursement of financial aid provided under this Joint
Action shall be conditional upon the holding of not less than
two JCC and two Experts' group meetings within 12 months of
the starting date of the financing agreement to be concluded
between the Commission and the OSCE mission to Georgia.
Both the Georgian and South Ossetian sides should make
demonstrable efforts to achieve real political progress towards a
lasting and peaceful settlement of their differences.

2.
The Council shall entrust the Commission with the imple-
mentation of this Joint Action, with a view to meeting the
objective specified in Article 1(2). To that end, the Commission
shall conclude a financing agreement with the OSCE mission to
Georgia on the use of the European Union contribution, which
shall take the form of a grant.

The OSCE mission to Georgia shall be responsible for
3.
reimbursing mission expenses, for the organisation of confer-
ences under the aegis of the JCC, and for the publication of a
JCC newsletter. The financing agreement will stipulate that the
OSCE mission to Georgia shall ensure visibility of the EU
contribution to the project.

4.
The Commission, through its Delegation in Tbilisi, shall
liaise closely with the OSCE mission to Georgia in order to
monitor and evaluate progress, so as to ensure the success of
the action, as well as the correct use of the grant for the
purposes set out in Article 1(2).

The Commission shall report in writing on the implemen-
5.
tation of this Joint Action to the Council under the authority of
the Presidency, assisted by the Secretary General of the Council,
High Representative for the CFSP. This information will
in
particular be based on regular reports to be provided by the
OSCE mission to Georgia under its contractual relationship
with the Commission, as stipulated in Article 2(2) above.

The European Union shall contribute to strengthening the

1.
conflict settlement process in South Ossetia.

Article 3

(1) OJ L 286, 30.10.2001, p. 4.

The financial reference amount for the purposes referred

1.
to in Article 1(2) shall be EUR 160 000.

26.6.2003

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Official Journal of the European Union

L 157/73

The management of

the expenditure financed by the
2.
amount specified in paragraph 1 shall be subject
to the
European Community procedures and rules applicable to the
general budget of the European Communities, with the excep-
tion that any pre-financing shall not remain the property of the
European Community.

Article 4

1.

This Joint Action shall enter into force on 1 July 2003.

It shall expire on 30 June 2004.

This Joint Action shall be reviewed ten months after

2.
entering into force.

Article 5

This Joint Action shall be published in the Official Journal of the
European Union.

Done at Brussels, 25 June 2003.

For the Council

The President

G. PAPANDREOU