15 EU-Black Sea Cooperation
| Committee's assessment
| Politically important |
| Committee's decision | Cleared from scrutiny
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| Document details | Joint Staff Working document on the report on the Black Sea Synergy Initiative
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| Legal base | —
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| Department | Foreign and Commonwealth Office
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| Document numbers | (36655), 5598/15, (SWD)15 6
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Summary and Committee's conclusions
15.1 The Black Sea Synergy initiative was proposed
by the European Commission in April 2007, and formally launched
in February 2008.[35]A
report on the first year of implementation was published in June
2008 (see paragraphs 15.08-15.17 below for summary details).
15.2 This Joint Staff Working Document reviews progress
on the Black Sea Synergy initiative since 2009, and highlights
lessons learnt. The Minister for Europe (Mr David Lidington)
notes (as did his counterpart at the outset) that the Black Sea
region continues to represent a challenge for the EU in a number
of strategic areas including stability, security, governance,
energy, migration and trafficking. Those challenges have increased
following Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea, and subsequent
destabilisation of eastern Ukraine. The need for a well-coordinated
EU policy to promote greater intra-regional cooperation "is
arguably greater now than in 2008". In the meantime, the
Black Sea Synergy initiative has demonstrated that it has practical
value in promoting co-operation in the region but "has yet
to develop into a driving force for change, or gain public support
in the way that other regional initiatives, such as the Eastern
Partnership have".
15.3 The inclusion of a lessons learnt section, as
an important means of assessing progress and ensuring that the
Black Sea Synergy improves its effectiveness, is welcomed. The
key lessons are: the need to improve participation by partner
countries in the Synergy and to engage civil society, business
and the public; more needs to be done to involve business in particular;
better co-ordination between differing policies and initiatives,
to ensure that the full range of EU activity in the region is
incorporated. The political situation in the region remains dynamic
and the crisis in Ukraine has undermined co-operation. More focus
and impetus should be given to co-operation and projects between
smaller groups of partners, in order to foster co-operation and
deliver the EU's objectives with partner countries (see paragraphs
15.18-15.23 below for details).
15.4 The Minister's analysis speaks for itself.
The absence of any major developments is reflected in the down-grading
of this assessment from a Commission Communication (in 2008) to
a Joint Staff Working Document, which is not expected to attract
any attention from the Council. This is understandable, given
that the Council is inevitably focussing not on regional cooperation,
but on a year-long manifestation of its antithesis, instigated
by one country, and leading to great destruction and upheaval,
and significant loss of life, in the other.
15.5 It is nonetheless a pity, in that greater
profile will therefore not be given to the inclusion of a "lessons
learnt" section, which we, too, welcome, and which should
become a standard feature of such substantive overviews of performance.
Right from the outset, both the Minister's and our predecessors
agreed that the key would be for the Commission to synergise activity
without duplication, and ensure effective spending via practical
projects that delivered concrete results in priority areas. That
remains so, even if, for the time being at least, the EU's ambitions
are obliged to be more limited than they were in 2007.
15.6 We draw these developments to the attention
of the House because of the widespread interest in the region,
and now clear the document.
Full details of the documents:
Joint Staff Working Document: Black Sea Synergy: review of
a regional cooperation initiative: 36655, 5598/15, SWD(15)
6.
Background
15.7 In the introduction to its Communication 16371/06
of 4 December 2006, which we considered on 14 December 2006, the
Commission recalled the premise of the European Neighbourhood
Policy (ENP) — "that the EU has a vital interest in
seeing greater economic development and stability and better governance
in its neighbourhood". Responsibility lies primarily with
the countries themselves, "but the EU can substantially encourage
and support their reform efforts" and also recalled that
"the ENP remains distinct from the process of EU enlargement
— for our partners, considerably enhanced cooperation with
the EU is entirely possible without a specific prospect of accession
and, for European neighbours, without prejudging how their relationship
with the EU may develop in future, in accordance with Treaty provisions".
15.8 The first 18 months had laid a substantial foundation
— a single policy framework, 11 ENP Action Plans and a new
financial instrument (the European Neighbourhood Policy Instrument;
ENPI) — and shown its worth. It was now time for the EU
build upon this by strengthening its commitment to the ENP via
a series of proposals encompassing:
— Enhancing the trade and economic component:
deep and comprehensive Free Trade Agreements with all partners;
enhanced support for reforms; efforts to improve trade and economic
regulatory environment and the investment climate; strengthened
economic integration and co-operation in key sectors.
— Facilitating mobility and managing
migration: removing obstacles to legitimate travel while at
the same time ensuring well-managed mobility and migration.
— Promoting people-to-people exchanges:
educational, youth, business and civil society exchanges; training;
increasing the visibility of the EU.
— Building a thematic dimension:
multilateral dialogue on energy, transport, environment, information
society, public health, financial services, border management
and migration.
— Strengthening political co-operation:
more active EU role in conflict resolution; informal ministerial
meeting with partner countries; intensified parliamentary co-operation.
— Enhancing regional co-operation:
particularly in the Black Sea region.
— Strengthening financial co-operation:
making the most of the new, larger funding instrument, including
a new Governance Facility and Investment Fund.[36]
15.9 The Conclusions subsequently adopted at the
11 December 2006 GAERC underlined the importance the Council attached
to the ENP "as one of the core priorities of the Union's
external action" and looked forward to considering future
proposals from the Commission.[37]
15.10 Against this background, the Commission's Communication
8478/07, Black Sea Synergy — A new regional cooperation
initiative (BSSI), set out a number of proposals for developing
cooperation both within the Black Sea region[38]
and between the region and the EU, viz:
— promoting democracy, respect for human
rights and good governance;
— improving border management and customs
cooperation to increase security and tackle cross-border crime;
— more active EU involvement in efforts
to address the so-called "frozen conflicts" (involving
Moldova (Trans-Dniester), Georgia (Abkhazia and South Ossetia),
and between Armenia and Azerbaijan (Nagorno-Karabakh));
— aim to provide a clear transparent and
non-discriminatory framework in line with the EU acquis for energy
production, transport and transit and cooperate on the upgrading
and construction of energy infrastructure;
— supporting regional transport cooperation
to improve the efficiency, safety and security of transport operations
(including aviation and maritime safety);
— encouragement of Member States to work
within the framework of regional seas conventions, to enhance
implementation of multilateral environmental agreements and establishing
more strategic environmental cooperation in the region;
— promoting sustainable fisheries development
through management, research, data collection and stock assessment;
— continuing EU support for trade liberalisation
and implementation of ENP Action Plans' trade provisions;
— stimulating research cooperation, harmonisation
and establishing regulatory authorities;
— promoting Science and Technology capacity
building and dialogue;
— promoting social cohesion and better
integration of minorities through training, information sharing
and awareness raising campaigns.
15.11 There would be no new institutions or bureaucratic
structures. The majority of EU funding would be through established
Commission-managed programmes. New cross border cooperation programmes
would also take place between Bulgaria and Romania (funded through
the European Regional Development Fund) and between Bulgaria and
Turkey (through the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance).
The Commission proposed "a kick-off high level political
event" to provide political orientation, visibility and,
it hoped, regular ministerial meetings between the EU and Black
Sea ENP partners. All of this was broadly welcomed by the then
Minister for Europe at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr
Geoffrey Hoon).[39]
15.12 A report on the first year of implementation
was published in June 2008. A number of projects had reinvigorated
cooperation in important areas such as tackling climate change,
maritime policy and fisheries management, energy, transport, and
managing migratory movement. A seminar had been held in Moldova
on democracy, respect for human rights and good governance. The
Commission had continued to advocate an active EU role in addressing
the underlying causes of the frozen conflicts in the region, including
cooperation programmes to bring the otherwise divided parties
together. The first civil society activities included a meeting
in Odessa of 29 environmental NGOs. All Black Sea countries had
been involved. A Foreign Ministers' meeting in Kiev, initiated
by the EU, had welcomed the Black Sea Synergy as "a common
endeavour" and stated that greater EU involvement could increase
the potential of Black Sea regional cooperation. Relations were
also strengthened with the Organisation of Black Sea Economic
Cooperation,[40] including
the Commission becoming an observer. In 2007 €837 million
of Community assistance under the ENPI and the Instrument of Pre-Accession
were committed; a new Neighbourhood Investment Facility (NIF)[41]
offered a vehicle for pooling grant resources from the Community
and the Member States, and the possibility of leveraging additional
loan financing from European public finance institutions for investments
in neighbouring countries, including in the Black Sea region.
Measures to take the BSSI forward included long-term measurable
objectives in each area, lead countries and organisations to ensure
coordination, sectoral partnerships (which could include Belarus),
increasing people-to-people contacts (including a possible Black
Sea Civil Society Forum) and Ministerial meetings when justified.
15.13 All in all, the Commission saw the initial
results as revealing the practical utility and the potential,
in a complex environment, of this new policy approach. The launch
phase had been completed and implementation begun. Participants
favoured the establishment of a long-term cooperation process
and had formulated converging ideas about its content and arrangements.
Continued progress required the consistent and active involvement
of a growing number of actors, including both Member States and
Black Sea partners. As in the first year, the Commission stood
ready to contribute to this important work.
15.14 The then Minister for Europe (Mr Jim Murphy)
described this BSSI review as "timely", and noted that
the Black Sea region represented a challenge for the EU in a number
of strategic areas including stability, security, governance,
energy, migration and trafficking. He saw "a well-coordinated
EU policy which inspires greater intra-regional cooperation, at
all levels of society" as having "great potential for
mutual benefit". He continued as follows:
"The key will be for the Commission to synergise
activity without duplication, and ensure effective EC spending.
In this context, the Commission's proposal to set measurable long-term
targets, is welcome. We will continue to work closely with the
Department for International Development to influence and monitor
Commission programming, through their participation in the European
Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI) Management Committee.
We shall continue to urge that the Synergy focus on practical
projects which will deliver concrete results in priority areas."
15.15 The then Minister also noted that the June
2007 European Council had invited the Commission to develop the
Polish/Swedish proposals for an Eastern Dimension to ENP; this
would cover EU bilateral and multilateral cooperation with Moldova,
Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Belarus, and thus provide
another forum needing to gel with the Black Sea Synergy. He welcomed
the Eastern Dimension as a further vehicle to support progress
for these countries, especially to promote Ukraine's and Moldova's
further integration with the EU, and would be alert to arguments
from other Member States that improved Black Sea cooperation lessened
the need for an Eastern Dimension.
15.16 The then Committee agreed that the BSSI had
got off to a good start. However, as well as the proposed "Eastern
Dimension" to the ENP, the BSSI would also need to interface
with the proposed Mediterranean Union (which aimed at reinvigorating
the moribund southern dimension of the EU's relations with its
neighbours, known as the Barcelona Process). In its observations
on the BSSI, the European Parliament had seen Bulgaria, Greece
and Romania as the natural protagonists among existing Member
States; the same sort of model might need to be explored if the
"regional approach" (which also includes the so-called
"Northern Dimension") was to avoid overload and, instead,
gain and maintain momentum and avoid the pitfalls of the Barcelona
Process. It would also require some hard thinking on the part
of the Commission: as the Minister rightly emphasised, the key
would be for the Commission to synergise activity without duplication,
and ensure effective spending via practical projects that delivered
"concrete results in priority areas".[42]
The Joint Staff Working Document
15.17 The report sets out progress made since 2009
on each of the main areas of co-operation — Maritime Policy;
Environment; Energy; Transportation; Mobility and Security; Research,
Science and Education; Democracy, Civil Society and Youth; Employment
and Social Affairs; Trade; Cross Border Co-operation; and Working
with International Organisations. It then highlights lessons learnt,
and includes an annex of activities in each area.
The Government's view
15.18 In his Explanatory Memorandum of 26 February
2015, the Minister for Europe (Mr David Lidington) says that Black
Sea region continues to represent a challenge for the EU in a
number of strategic areas including stability, security, governance,
energy, migration and trafficking.
15.19 He continues as follows:
"The challenges the EU faces in this region
have increased following Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea,
and subsequent destabilisation of eastern Ukraine, and the paper
does not comment on the impact and role (if any) the Black Sea
Strategy could have on regional security. The need for a well-coordinated
EU policy to promote greater intra-regional cooperation is arguably
greater now than in 2008."
15.20 In the meantime, the Minister says that the
BSSI:
"has demonstrated that it has practical value
in promoting co-operation in the region but has yet to develop
into a driving force for change, or gain public support in the
way that other regional initiatives, such as the Eastern Partnership
have."
15.21 The Minister also highlights the following
as important areas of EU activity:
· "In Maritime Policy, there
has been practical work to increase the quality and availability
of maritime data, to improve planning for use of maritime space
in the Black Sea, and manage fish stocks;
· "On Environmental issues,
the Black Sea Synergy has delivered projects to increase the capacity
to monitor biological and chemical levels, increase the number
of protected areas in the Black Sea and improve the protection
of birdlife. It has also helped improve water supply and waste
treatment in Moldova;
· "Energy co-operation has been
a particular focus, with the development of new supply routes
through the Southern gas corridor, and projects in Georgia, Moldova
and Romania to improve gas interconnections;
· "Technical assistance has been provided
to improve transport infrastructure and safety, and a master
plan for improving sea links agreed;
· "The EU has increased its research
partnership with countries in the region through Framework Programme
7 and Horizon 2020 Programme, with a focus on looking at the impact
of climate change and the implementation of the Marine Strategy
Framework Directive;
· "The Black Sea Synergy has been active
in improving civil society co-operation through the Black
Sea NGO Forum, with over 600 participants taking part in Forum
activities over the last five years. This is a positive step which
we support, as it increases engagement with partner countries.
Child welfare has been a particular focus, with the establishment
of the ChildPact initiative to improve child protection policies
in the region."
15.22 The Minister also welcomes the inclusion of
a lessons learnt section in the report, which he describes as
an important means of assessing progress and ensuring that the
Black Sea Synergy improves its effectiveness:
"The key lessons are on the need to improve
participation by partner countries in the Synergy and to engage
civil society, business and the public. More needs to be done
to involve business in particular. There also needs to be better
co-ordination between differing policies and initiatives, to ensure
that the full range of EU activity in the region is incorporated.
The political situation in the region remains dynamic and the
crisis in Ukraine has undermined co-operation in the Black Sea
Region. More focus and impetus should be given to co-operation
and projects between smaller groups of partners, in order to foster
co-operation in the region and deliver the EU's objectives with
partner countries."
Previous Committee Reports
None, but see (29782),—: Thirty-first Report
HC 16-xxviii (2007-08), chapter 10 (22 July 2008); (28560),
8478/07: Twenty-first Report HC 41-xxi (2006-07), chapter 16
(9 May 2007); and (28120), 16371/06: Fourth Report HC 41-iv (2006-07),
chapter 14 (14 December 2006).
35 The Black Sea region includes Greece, Bulgaria,
Romania and Moldova in the west, Ukraine and Russia in the north,
Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan in the east and Turkey in the
south. Though Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova and Greece are not
littoral states, history, proximity and close ties make them natural
regional actors. Back
36
(28120), 16371/06: Fourth Report HC 41-iv (2006-07) chapter 14
(14 December 2006). Back
37
Council Conclusions, p.20. Back
38
The Black Sea region includes Greece, Bulgaria, Romania and Moldova
in the west, Ukraine and Russia in the north, Georgia, Armenia
and Azerbaijan in the east and Turkey in the south. Though Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Moldova and Greece are not littoral states, history,
proximity and close ties make them natural regional actors. Back
39
See headnote: (28560), 16371/06: Twenty-first Report HC 41-xxi
(2006-07), chapter 16 (9 May 2007). Back
40
The BSEC was established in 1992. Initially focusing on economic
cooperation, its remit has been gradually widened. Membership
includes Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece,
Moldova, Romania, the Russian Federation, Turkey and Ukraine. Back
41
The Commission intended to put €700 million (over the period
2007-2013) into a fund which would be used to support IFI lending
in ENP partner countries. EU Member States would be invited to
match this amount, with the idea that the fund could then leverage
as much as four to five times this amount of grant funding, in
concessional lending for investment products in ENP partner countries,
in priority sectors as identified in their ENP Action Plans. Back
42
(29782), -: Thirty-first Report HC 16-xxviii (2007-08), chapter 10
(22 July 2008). Back
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