European Union - Syria Cooperation projects Day
Syria-European Union, Economics, 12/4/2003

The delegation of the European Commission to Syria organized yesterday, December 3, the "EU project Day" in which the head of delegation of the European Commission in Syria, Frank Hesske, explained European Union cooperation activities in Syria.

Ambassador Frank Hesske, head of the delegation of the European Commission to Syria and three members of his team of project managers described the current bilateral cooperation activities between the EU and Syria that the European Union and Syria have been linked by through a cooperation agreement since 1978, and are currently in the final phase of negotiations for an Association Agreement. The current cooperation program takes place in the framework of the National Indicative Program for 2002-2004 for a total amount of 93 Million EUROS.

Kominos, head of the Finance and contract section talked about the deconcentration process; Ms. Bessonne, head of the social and human development section presented the EU projects in health, culture and education field, and Mr. Fontana, head of the economic cooperation section who talked on how the EU supports the economic infrastructure of the country, the development of the private sector and trade links with the EU.

In his address, Hesske said that the relationship between Syria and the European Union must be seen in the wider framework of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership. He added that the aim of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership is to turn the Mediterranean basin into an area of dialogue, exchange and cooperation. He indicated that the European Union and the partner states around the Mediterranean can be seen as neighbors with many shared interests, noting that these shared interests include guaranteeing peace, stability and prosperity; strengthening the political dialogue, developing economic and financial cooperation, fostering the social, cultural and human dimension. One of the tangible results of these endeavors will be the establishment of a Euro- Mediterranean free trade area by the year 2010.

Hesske added that the EU's proximity policy towards the Mediterranean region is governed by the global and comprehensive Euro-Mediterranean partnership that was launched at the 1995 Barcelona conference between the European Union and its Mediterranean Partner countries and known as the Barcelona Process..

He outlined that the main principles of the Barcelona process are political and security partnership; economic and financial partnership, and social, cultural and human partnership.

He said that the European Union cooperation with the Euro-Mediterranean Partner states is managed mainly under the MEDA program. Hesske detailed that the MEDA program is structured in two phases: the first phase covered the period 1995- 1999, where the program for the whole Euro- Mediterranean area accounted for EURO 3.4 billion. The second phase covers the period 2000- 2006, where the whole program received EU funding amounting to EURO 5.4 billion. The main area of intervention and objectives are directly derived from the 1995 Barcelona Declaration.

He said that the European Commission established the first country strategy paper for Syria in 2002. This strategy guides the activity of the second phase of the MEDA program at the bilateral level. In April 2002 the European Commission also signed with the Syrian government the first national Indicative program for Syria, which covers the years 2002-2004.

Hesske continued that the national Indicative Program takes into account the priorities determined with the Syrian authorities and define the main goals guidelines and priority sectors of community support in the fields concerned.

On news to sign the Syria- EU association agreements by the beginning of next year at the latest,Hesske said that both Syria and the EU are optimistic and have constructive attitudes to this effect.

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