EUR 11 bln will be offered within EU’s neighborhood policy

The Council of Europe adopted a regulation establishing and laying down general provisions for a European neighborhood and partnership instrument for 2007-2013, following an agreement reached with the European Parliament in first reading, the foreign media informs. The document is intended to support the development of an area of prosperity and good neighborly relations involving both the European Union and the following countries and territories: Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Moldova, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the Russian Federation, Syria, Tunisia and Ukraine. A total of EUR 11.181 bln over seven years will be provided from the Community budget for implementation of the regulation, of which at least 95 % will be allocated to country and multi-country programs, and up to 5 % will be intended to cross-border cooperation programs. The regulation will be applied as of January 1, 2007. The document aims at providing pre-accession assistance to candidate countries and countries that are potential candidates for members of the EU, promoting democracy and human rights worldwide and stability, the cited sources inform.