1. EU – Georgia cooperation From Tacis to ENPI
Barbara Lücke
Europe Aid Cooperation Office
Head of Unit
Geographical Co-ordination and Supervision for Europe
Tbilisi, November 2007
I am very pleased to be in Tbilisi and to have the opportunity to participate in this seminar
Before I leave the floor to my colleagues for a thorough presentation of what is the main topic of this seminar, i.e. the twinning, I will try, briefly, to situate twinning in the broad context of EU assistance to Georgia.
I believe this is a nice opportunity to review briefly what has been the EU assistance to Georgia over the last 15 years, where we come from, what we have achieved, how EU assistance has adapted to a fast evolving context and what are the prospects of current and future cooperation

2. From Tacis to ENPI Georgian issues EU response
Civil war and frozen conflict: care for vulnerable people
Humanitarian aid (ECHO)
Food Shortage and Poverty
Food Security Programme
Early 1990s: Transition towards market economy, democratisation, governance, rule of law and overall reform agenda
Expertise and Technical Assistance through Tacis
From Relief to Rehabilitation and Development
Rehabilitation Programme
Debt reduction
Macro-financial assist.
1992: Cooperation between the EU and Georgia started in 92, with the Tacis porgrammejust after Georgia regained its sovereignty in the wake of the break-up of the Soviet Union
Which programmes: Assistance provided via a broad range of instruments, the most important being TACIS, the Food Security Programme (FSP), EC Humanitarian Office (ECHO), European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR), Rehabilitation and Macro-financial Assistance (MFA).
To do what:
TACIS: transition towards a market economy and building democratic institutions, notably by providing assistance in the field of legal and regulatory reforms and the approximation of Georgian legislation to that of the EU
FSP: providing an impetus to key reforms in sectors that directly impact on food security, poverty reduction and public expenditure management, such as agriculture and the social sector,
ECHO: First, immediate emergency relief to overcome the effects of the civil war – Then, the focus has shifted from food aid to food security and income generating activities, increasingly targeting population groups affected by the conflict, and in complementarity with the rehabilitation programme
How much: In the period the EU gave Georgia EUR 505 million in grants.
How: Mainly through TA and BS, but I will come back to this later in my presentation
2003 "rose revolution" : EU-Georgia relations further intensified since the revolution which brought to power a new Georgian administration committed to an ambitious programme of political and economic reforms. EU responded by providing an additional assistance under the Tacis programme

3. From Tacis to ENPI Programmes Achievements (examples)
ECHO (incl.Food Aid)
Food, income generation, health & shelter; rehabilitation projects in conflict regions
Food Security
Agriculture production, income support (social assistance, childcare)
Tacis
Elaboration of Georgian action plan to implement the reform of criminal justice
Macro-financial
balance of payments and budgetary support
Total:
Over € 500 million
1992: Relations between the EU and Georgia started in 92 just after Georgia regained its sovereignty in the wake of the break-up of the Soviet Union
Which programmes: Assistance provided via a broad range of instruments, the most important being TACIS, the Food Security Programme (FSP), EC Humanitarian Office (ECHO), European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR), Rehabilitation and Macro-financial Assistance (MFA).
To do what:
TACIS: transition towards a market economy and building democratic institutions, notably by providing assistance in the field of legal and regulatory reforms and the approximation of Georgian legislation to that of the EU
FSP: providing an impetus to key reforms in sectors that directly impact on food security, poverty reduction and public expenditure management, such as agriculture and the social sector,
ECHO: First, immediate emergency relief to overcome the effects of the civil war – Then, the focus has shifted from food aid to food security and income generating activities, increasingly targeting population groups affected by the conflict, and in complementarity with the rehabilitation programme
How much: In the period the EU gave Georgia EUR 505 million in grants.
How: Mainly through TA and BS, but I will come back to this later in my presentation
2003 "rose revolution" : EU-Georgia relations further intensified since the revolution which brought to power a new Georgian administration committed to an ambitious programme of political and economic reforms. EU responded by providing an additional assistance under the Tacis programme

4. Changes in external assistance
Successive EU Enlargements
Reforms and ENP
EU-Georgia Action Plan
Reform of the Financial Instruments: ENPI, EIDHR, DCI...

5. Annual National Action Programme
in cooperation with partner country and other stakeholders
2007: Public Finance Management, Twinning, settlement of internal conflicts
economic growth, poverty reduction, democracy and governance
ENPI: more options than Tacis

6. ENPI: adapted to the beneficiary’s needs
tailor-made, policy-driven, more flexible
Sector Support: increased ownership
Project Support, Technical Assistance
enhanced options for implementation (eligibility, procedures)
other: Cross-Border Cooperation, Neighbourhood Investment Facility, Twinning, TAIEX

7. Regional Cooperation
Regional and Interregional Action Programmes:
Integrated Border Management Support Programme (€6 million 3 years)
Support for Higher Education: TEMPUS, Erasmus Mundus External Cooperation Window
other challenges addressed by (inter)regional programmes: transport, energy, environment

8. Other Funding
European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR)
Development Cooperation Instrument (DCI) Thematic Lines (example: « Non-state actors and Local Authorities in the Process of Development »)

9. Thank you!