EUROPEAN NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY ACTION PLAN
FOR SOUTH CAUCASUS COUNTRIES (ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN AND GEORGIA)
Letter from Rt Hon Ian McCartney MP, Minister
for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs, Foreign and Commonwealth
Office/Department of Trade and Industry to the Chairman
I am writing in my capacity as Duty Minister
to let you and your Committee know of our plans to adopt the Council
Decision at the 13-14 November General Affairs and External Relations
Council of the European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan for Armenia.
The EU plans to adopt the Action Plan at the Co-operation Council
with Armenia on 14 November. The Action Plan, one of three for
all the South Caucasus countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia),
aims to promote economic integration with the EU and the deepening
of political co-operation. Implementation will also promote harmonisation
of Armenian legislation, norms and standards with the European
Union.
The Action Plans define a set of priorities
tailored to reflect the specific state of affairs within each
country, its needs and capacity, and the interests of the EU and
the country concerned. They include work in important areas for
us such as human rights, democracy, good governance and economic
reform, as well as areas of joint interest such as conflict prevention
and resolution, with each South Caucasus country involved in an
unresolved conflict (in Armenia's case Nagorno Karabakh, between
Armenia and Azerbaijan). A new funding stream, the European Neighbourhood
and Partnership Instrument, will support the agreed priorities
in the Action Plans.
In order to secure adoption of the Action Plan
at the meeting of the EU-Armenia Co-operation Council this has
had to be adopted at the GAERC on 13 November. An administrative
failure on the part of my officials and the swift referral of
the agreed South Caucasus Action Plans to the General Affairs
and External Relations Council caused the failure to deposit this
Memorandum with your Committee in good time.
I apologise unreservedly for this and assure
you that measures are being taken to address this failure, and
to prevent it occurring again. To allow the adoption of the Action
Plan at the EU-Armenia Co-operation Councils on 14 November, I
hope your Committee will understand my decision to allow the Decision
before scrutiny had been completed.
13 November 2006
Letter from Rt Hon Ian McCartney MP to
the Chairman
I am writing in my capacity as Duty Minister
to let you and your Committee know of our plans to adopt the Council
Decision at the General Affairs and External Relations Council
of the European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan for Azerbaijan,
on 13-14 November. The EU plans to adopt the Action Plan at the
Co-operation Council with Azerbaijan on 14 November. The Action
Plan, one of three for all the South Caucasus countries (Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Georgia), aims to promote economic integration
with the EU and the deepening of political co-operation. Implementation
will also promote harmonisation of Azeri legislation, norms and
standards with the European Union.
The Action Plans define a set of priorities
tailored to reflect the specific state of affairs within each
country, its needs and capacity, and the interests of the EU and
the country concerned. They include work in important areas for
us such as human rights, democracy, good governance and economic
reform, as well as areas of joint interest such as conflict prevention
and resolution, with each South Caucasus country involved in an
unresolved conflict (in Azerbaijan's case Nagorno Karabakh, disputed
between Armenia and Azerbaijan). A new funding stream, the European
Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument, will support the agreed
priorities in the Action Plans.
In order to secure adoption of the Action Plan
at the meeting of the EU-Azerbaijan Co-operation Council this
has had to be adopted at the GAERC on 13 November. An administrative
failure on the part of my officials and the swift referral of
the agreed South Caucasus Action Plans to the General Affairs
and External Relations Council caused the failure to deposit this
Memorandum with your Committee in good time.
I apologise unreservedly for this and assure
you that measures are being taken to address this failure, and
to prevent it occurring again. To allow the adoption of the Action
Plan at the EU-Azerbaijan Co-operation Council on 14 November,
I hope your Committee will understand my decision to allow the
Decision before scrutiny had been completed.
13 November 2006
Letter from Rt Hon Ian McCartney MP to
the Chairman
I am writing in my capacity as Duty Minister
to let you and your Committee know of our plans to adopt the Council
Decision at the 13-14 November General Affairs and External Relations
Council of the European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan for Georgia.
The EU plans to adopt the Action Plan at the Co-operation Council
with Georgia on 14 November. The Action Plan, one of three for
all the South Caucasus countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia),
aims to promote economic integration with the EU and the deepening
of political co-operation. Implementation will also promote harmonisation
of Georgian legislation, norms and standards with the European
Union.
The Action Plans define a set of priorities
tailored to reflect the specific state of affairs within each
country, its needs and capacity, and the interests of the EU and
the country concerned. They include work in important areas for
us such as human rights, democracy, good governance and economic
reform, as well as areas of joint interest such as conflict prevention
and resolution, with each South Caucasus country involved in an
unresolved conflict (in Georgia's case the separatist regions
of Abkhazia and South Ossetia). A new funding stream, the European
Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument, will support the agreed
priorities in the Action Plans.
In order to secure adoption of the Action Plan
at the meeting of the EU-Georgia Co-operation Council this has
had to be adopted at the GAERC on 13 November. An administrative
failure on the part of my officials and the swift referral of
the agreed South Caucasus Action Plans to the General Affairs
and External Relations Council caused the failure to deposit this
Memorandum with your Committee in good time.
I apologise unreservedly for this and assure
you that measures are being taken to address this failure, and
to prevent it occurring again. To allow the adoption of the Action
Plan at the EU-Georgia Co-operation Council on 14 November, I
hope your Committee will understand my decision to allow the Decision
before scrutiny had been completed.
13 November 2006
Letter from the Chairman to Rt Hon Ian
McCartney MP
Thank you for your letters of 13 November on
the Action Plans for Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia under the
EU's Neighbourhood Plan.
The documents were considered on 23 November
by Sub-Committee C who expressed regret that the Sub-Committee
had not had the opportunity to scrutinise the documents before
they were agreed in Brussels, particularly given the importance
attached to relations with the countries under the European Neighbourhood
Policy. The Sub-Committee intends to question Mr Hoon on the substance
of the Plans at the evidence session with him scheduled for 10
January.
We would like to thank you for your apology
for these overrides and welcome your assurance that steps are
being taken to prevent a recurrence of this problem.
27 November 2006
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