| Author (Person) | Bower, Helen | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Publisher | ProQuest Information and Learning | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Series Title | In Focus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Series Details | 6.3.03 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Publication Date | 06/03/2003 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content Type | News, Overview, Topic Guide | In Focus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Enlargement, stability and sustainable growth are to be the three key priorities for the European Union in 2004, according to the Annual Policy Strategy adopted by the European Commission on 5 March 2003. The Annual Policy Strategy (APS), which was introduced by this Commission in 2001 as part of its reform programme in an attempt to improve European governance, is the first step in the annual strategic and planning programming cycle and a tool in the Activity Based Management system, which the European Commission hopes to have fully in place by 2004. The APS sets out the political priorities for the following year and outlines the necessary shifts in resources, thereby kickstarting the inter-institutional debate on the budget. In October, the political priorities outlined in the APS are translated into a concrete action plan in the form of the European Commission's legislative and work programme. All the stages in the European Commission's strategic planning and programming cycle are summarised in the table below:
In 2004, the central political priority will be to manage the accession process correctly, ensuring that existing EU programmes are extended to the new Member States and that the entire acquis communautaire is implemented completely. One of the greatest challenges facing the European Commission is that it has to prepare an annual budget that will for the first four months of the year only apply to 15 Member States and then, from 1 May 2004, apply to up to 25 states. The European Commission will ask the budgetary authority for 780 posts to manage the accession process, in addition to the 500 auxiliary posts granted for 2003. The magnitude of the enlargement task means that it will receive a dedicated €11,000 million in 2004, one-tenth of the total planned budget. With the EU's borders shifting eastwards in 2004, the second political priority outlined in the APS, is to further develop stability at the borders of the European Union and beyond, with an additional €175 million allocated to this task. On a domestic front, the funds will be used to improve border control, establish an integrated system on visa information, develop a policy of security communication networks as well as activities such as the fight against bio-terrorism. Externally, efforts will focus on increasing support to the Western Balkans and the Mediterranean region, and providing more humanitarian aid to the regions where democracy, human rights and stability is endangered. The final political priority for 2004 is 'to ensure that the foundations are in place for sustainable growth'. In particular, an additional €45.7 million is intended to enhance the capacity to respond to oil pollution disasters in the European Union, following the sinking of the Prestige oil tanker off the Spanish coastline in November 2002. The EU also plans to pursue its goal of 'sustainable growth' beyond the EU's borders with funds to cover the implementation of the EU action plan on communicable diseases, the financing of contributions to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis and the EU action plan on reproductive health and rights in developing countries. The President of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, will present the Annual Policy Strategy to the European Parliament on 11 March as the first stage in the inter-institutional dialogue. The Council of the European Union will decide on its priorities for 2004 at a meeting of the Ecofin Council on 7 March 2003.
Helen Bower Compiled: Thursday, 6 March 2003 Enlargement, stability and sustainable growth are to be the three key priorities for the European Union in 2004, according to the Annual Policy Strategy adopted by the European Commission on 5 March 2003. |
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| Subject Categories | Economic and Financial Affairs, Politics and International Relations | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
