The main type of assistance provided by the European Union to
Belarus is International Technical Assistance, which
provides to
Belarus
with ‘know-how’ technologies, consultation serviced, expert assessment,
trainings, investment and business plans. From 1991 to 2006 the EU input into
Belarus within the TACIS Programme comprised
around 220 million Euro, which is around 40% of the entire technical assistance
which has been provided to
Belarus
by various international donors in the course of this period. Mr. Leonid Orlov,
the Executive Director of the Coordination Bureau of the TACIS Programme of the
European Union in the
Republic of
Belarus, is pleased
with the outcomes of 2008 and points to the significant dynamics of the
development within the field of provision of the international technical assistance.
National Programmes for
Belarus
The European Union has elaborated special national programmes related to
the most needed, important and priority areas for a specific country, taking
into account the country’s specifics, characteristics and urgency of the
issues.
From 2007 to 2013 the bulk of the international assistance programmes of
the European Union for
Belarus
was implemented via the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument
(ENPI).
Within the European Nighbourhood and Partnership Instrument there were
two national programmes elaborated and approved for
Belarus, the third one is still at
the elaboration stage.
These national programmes use a so-called ‘sector’ approach.
The first comprehensive National programme lies within the energy area
and will be financed from the European Union budget of 2007. The annual budget
of the programme for
Belarus
is 5 million Euro per year.
The second, a comprehensive National programme related to the
environmental protection (2008). The budget of the Programme is 5 million Euro.
In 2009 a comprehensive programme on Standardization and Certification
will be elaborated. The budget of the programme is 10 million Euro. The unification
of the standards is a crucial requirement for the Belarusian goods to have an
opportunity to enter European markets.
National programmes actively involve the participation of the state institutions
of the highest level, such as the Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Natural
Resources and Environmental Protection, Ministry of Internal Affairs, State
Border Committee, State Customs Committee, Ministry of Emergency Situations,
oblast executive committees, scientific and research institutes, as well as
non-state sector and non-governmental organizations. The Executive Director of the
Co-ordination Bureau of the TACIS Programme of the European Union in
Belarus, Leonid Orlov is pleased to point out
that the state authorities and governmental institutions are interested in
participation within the TACIS Programmes of the European Neighbourhood and
Partnership Instrument for
Belarus.
Regional and Cross-border Cooperation Programmes
Another area of cooperation is Eastern Interregional and Intergovernmental
Programmes that are implemented jointly with the neighbouring countries. For
instance, fighting trafficking in women, fighting illegal drugs traffic (these
programmes are implemented jointly with the neighbouring countries:
Ukraine,
Poland,
Moldova,
for instance, programme BUMAD).
“
Baltic
Sea Region” Neighbourhood Programme. It was
planned that the European Union will allocate 22.4 million US Dollars for
Belarus and
Russia
for implementation of this programme, however
Russia
was late to sign the relevant financial documents therefore all the allocated
funds will be spent by
Belarus.
Based on this Programme, we’ll take an opportunity to list all partners
that are involved in these programmes from the Belarusian side: Ministry of
Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, Belarusian Chamber of Commerce,
Scientific Research Institute of Complex Water Resources Usage, Belarusian
Scientific Research Institute of City Construction, Belarusian Science and
Technical University, several non-governmental organizations, Zhodino and
Braslav Executive Committees, Grodno Oblast Executive Committee.
International partners include: Danish Scientific Research Institute for
Forestry and Landscape, Finnish Environmental Institute, City administration of
Rostak (
Germany), Academy of
the Environmental Research and Planning (
Sweden), Ministry of Internal
Affairs of Finland, Stockholm Administration, Government of Berlin, Lithuanian
and St.-Petersbourg Offices of the Council of Ministers of the Scandinavian
countries.
As a result of the first competition of applications within the
Programme of transnational cooperation “Baltic Sea Region” 24 projects were
approved with the overall budget 66.1 million Euro (which is about 30% of the
overall budget of the Programme).
Belarus will take part in three
projects: BALTRADE, related to the improvement of the meteorological network of
the radio-location stations (Republican hydro-meteo centre is a partner from
the Belarusian side). The second project “Assistance to the development of the
bio-energy resources” and the third – “Support to the measures on energy
efficiency and complex development of cities”.
Until 31 March is open a call for applications within the “Baltic Sea
Region” Programme.
It is also worth mentioning such programmes within the intergovernmental
neighbourhood programmes as “
Latvia
–
Lithuania –
Belarus” (14 project involving Belarusian
partners) and “
Poland –
Belarus –
Ukraine” (7 projects with
Belarusian partners).
Adjoined territories
In 2009 the construction of the largest cargo customs terminal “Kazlovichi
-2” will be finished, its overall budget is 14 million Euro. The construction
is almost finished de facto and at the moment contemporary equipment is being
installed there and staff is undergoing training.
In 2008 a joint project of the European Union was launched “Improvement
of the bordering and customs control in
Belarus,
Ukraine,
Moldova (BOMBEL-3)” with the overall budget 30
million Euro, 14 million of which is allocated for
Belarus. It is planned to use these
funds for laying fiber-optic cable lines at the border with the European Union
and to purchase equipment for the systemic biometric control and mobile x-ray
machine. Also seminars and trainings for customs and borderguard officers,
rescuers are being held within the project.
The local population of the adjoined territories is taking active part within
the cross-border cooperation programmes. From 2008 inhabitants of other regions
of
Belarus
may also join these prorgammes apart from the inhabitants of the adjoined territories.
Challenges
Compared with the other countries such as for instance
Ukraine and
Moldova,
Belarus
is yet receiving fewer funds so far. Deterioration of the relations with the
European Union and the lack of dialogue was the main cause. However there is
hope for the improvement of the relations between the European Union and
Belarus. The
fresh impulse could be given after
Belarus joins the Eastern
Partnership Programme, believes the Executive Director of the Coordination
Bureau of the TACIS Programme in Belarus Leonid Orlov. Recently the President
of Belarus in an interview with the leading European informational channel
EURONEWS stated that
Belarus
welcomed the steps made by the European Union within the Eastern Partnership
Programme, “we welcome this positive step of the European Union forward towards
improvement of the relations with its neighbours. It isa pragmatic, reasonable and a timely move of
the European Union”, said the Belarusian President.
All Belarusian partners have to realize that technical assistance is not
a mere gift or an award, but also a certain burden and responsibility.
Sometimes the case is that the decision making process is delayed in
time: one has to wait for experts to come and to make assessment… However there
is a programme TAIEX, Technical Assistаnce Information Exchange for
Belarus today
(this programme is funding short-term and operational activities, as well as
expert assessment, preparation and implementation of which takes only a few
weeks, up to maximum 3 months).
Frequently the efficiency of cooperation is delayed by the language
barrier: partners are not capable of translating efficiently all the documents at
the local level.
Also an Informational and communicational system should be developed,
distribution of information about the programmes (literally at the level of
local councils), explanations, trainings and education, believes Leonid Orlov.
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