Section 2: EU Programs

Introduction

The following pages describe EU programs that are either currently open to NGOs from CEE and NIS, or will be in the near future.

Each description begins with the title of the program, and where available, the budget line number and the budget amount. The aims or goals of each program are summarised in the section on objectives. The section concerning eligibility states what kinds of organizations are entitled to apply and under which conditions.

The section called geographical area specifies which countries are entitled to participate in the programs. For the purpose of this guide, the geographical areas are:

• EU: the 15 countries that are members of the European Union;

• EEA: the European Economic Area, comprising all EU member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway;

• EFTA, the European Free Trade Association includes Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway;

• CEE: refers to Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, FYR Macedonia, Poland, Romania, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia;

• Applicant countries: refers to the ten CEE countries that have applied for membership in the EU – Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia – plus Cyprus, Malta and Turkey. Also referred to as accession countries or candidate countries;

• NIS: refers to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. In the context of this guide, Mongolia is also included in references to NIS countries.

The section contact address includes the contact information for both the individual and/or the unit within the directorate general (DG) that administers the program and the budget. Where applicable, it also mentions the individual and/or the unit within the European Commission's Joint External Relations Service (SCR) that is responsible for implementation.

The SCR, created in 1998, manages all technical aspects of the Commission's aid to non-member countries including the preparation and signing of contracts, financial transfers, interim and final reporting, audits, and evaluations. In practical terms, this means that NGOs will be in contact with the relevant DG concerning the program guidelines, content and application process. Once a project has been selected for funding, the signing of the contract, payments, extensions and reports will be handled by SCR.

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