Tweet
NORTHERN EU COUNTRIES ARE DISPLEASED WITH THE FLOW OF THE MONEY TO THE EAST
PanARMENIAN.Net
25.02.2009 00:23 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ European Union countries have declared an
unwillingness to pledge financial support for the 'Eastern Partnership'
cooperation project that Poland and Sweden have proposed, thenews.pl
reports.
The project is meant to strengthen cooperation with the EU's eastern
neighbours - especially focused on former Soviet bloc countries such
as the Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and, potentially,
Belarus. The Partnership was meant to be a step towards EU membership.
While all EU members voted last year upon supporting the
Eastern Partnership, a debate has heated up in parliament over
details. Yesterday's meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Brussels
brought up the question of money.
The European Commission has proposed that between 2010-2013,
the Partnership project will receive 600 million euro. However,
the looming economic recession has raised questions about where the
funds will come from. The French Foreign Minister, Bernard Kouchner,
has proposed a budget cut to only 250 million over the same time span
- coming out at 15 million euro per year per country involved. "I
am convinced that there will be additional money and, in the end,
there will be an agreement for about 350 million euro," stated Benita
Ferrero-Waldner, EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs.
Northern EU countries have raised the question that too much money
is flowing east from the Union and too little is flowing to southern
neighbours. The German Forieng Minister claims that his country does
not want to increase the project's budget. Yet, Polish Foreign Minister
Radoslaw Sikorski, after his meeting with the German Frank-Walter
Steinmeier, stated that Germany will financially support the project.
The final decision on the budget for the project will be made at the
EU Summit on 19-20 March.
PanARMENIAN.Net
25.02.2009 00:23 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ European Union countries have declared an
unwillingness to pledge financial support for the 'Eastern Partnership'
cooperation project that Poland and Sweden have proposed, thenews.pl
reports.
The project is meant to strengthen cooperation with the EU's eastern
neighbours - especially focused on former Soviet bloc countries such
as the Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and, potentially,
Belarus. The Partnership was meant to be a step towards EU membership.
While all EU members voted last year upon supporting the
Eastern Partnership, a debate has heated up in parliament over
details. Yesterday's meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Brussels
brought up the question of money.
The European Commission has proposed that between 2010-2013,
the Partnership project will receive 600 million euro. However,
the looming economic recession has raised questions about where the
funds will come from. The French Foreign Minister, Bernard Kouchner,
has proposed a budget cut to only 250 million over the same time span
- coming out at 15 million euro per year per country involved. "I
am convinced that there will be additional money and, in the end,
there will be an agreement for about 350 million euro," stated Benita
Ferrero-Waldner, EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs.
Northern EU countries have raised the question that too much money
is flowing east from the Union and too little is flowing to southern
neighbours. The German Forieng Minister claims that his country does
not want to increase the project's budget. Yet, Polish Foreign Minister
Radoslaw Sikorski, after his meeting with the German Frank-Walter
Steinmeier, stated that Germany will financially support the project.
The final decision on the budget for the project will be made at the
EU Summit on 19-20 March.