Explanatory Memorandum to COM(2000)502 - Assistance to Turkey in the framework of the pre-accession strategy, and in particular on the establishment of an Accession Partnership

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dossier COM(2000)502 - Assistance to Turkey in the framework of the pre-accession strategy, and in particular on the establishment of an Accession ...
source COM(2000)502 EN
date 26-07-2000
The European Council which met in Helsinki on 10 and 11 December 1999 largely endorsed the Commission's Regular Report on Turkey as well as its recommendations of the composite paper (Reports on progress towards accession by each of the candidate countries). In particular the Helsinki conclusions stated that:

Turkey is a candidate State destined to join the Union on the basis of the same criteria as applied to the other candidates;

Turkey will benefit from a pre-accession strategy (building on the European strategy). This will include enhanced political dialogue, with emphasis on progressing towards fulfilling the political criteria with particular reference to the issue of human rights as well as border disputes and Cyprus;

Turkey will participate in all Community programmes and agencies and in meetings between candidate States and the Union in the context of the accession process;

an Accession Partnership (AP) will be drawn up, combined with a National Programme for the adoption of the acquis (NPAA). Appropriate monitoring mechanisms will be established;

a process of analytical examination of the acquis will be prepared by the Commission;

a single framework for co-ordinating all sources of EU financial assistance for pre-accession will be presented by the Commission.

The proposal establishes the legal base to draw up an Accession partnership for Turkey and define a single framework for co-ordinating all sources of EU financial assistance to Turkey for pre-accession. The European Council of Feira invited the Commission to present as soon as possible these proposals.

With the other candidate countries, the Council, on a proposal from the Commission, followed a 2 step process - first it adopted a framework legal base by unanimity - this sets up the accession partnership and provides that the priorities will be adopted by qualified majority.

For the countries of Central and Eastern Europe this is done in a special framework regulation which has no financial implications (the framework regulation states that under the pre-accession strategy, the Community assistance shall be the assistance provided for in the programmes adopted in accordance with the provisions of the Treaty).

For Turkey the same approach is proposed i.e. to adopt a draft framework regulation for Turkey modelled on the regulation for the ten Central and Eastern European candidate countries.

The proposed framework regulation has no financial implications. It states that under the pre-accession strategy for Turkey, the Community assistance shall be the assistance provided for in the programmes adopted in accordance with the provisions of the Treaty, namely the share of Turkey in the Meda programme as well as the financial assistance laid down in the two regulations to accompany financially the European strategy. One regulation namely regarding the implementation of measures to intensify the EC-Turkey Customs Union has been adopted. The other regulation regarding the implementation of measures to promote economic and social development in Turkey is still pending under the co-decision procedure.