The Reuniting Europe programme supports partner countries with the reforms necessary for EU accession or closer partnership with the EU.

Why does enlargement matter?

EU enlargement has been a major success, helping reunite a continent divided by the cold war and helping us respond to the opportunities and challenges of globalisation. It is strongly in our interest to maintain the momentum of the enlargement process, including the accession negotiations with Turkey and Croatia, and progress on bringing peace and stability to the Western Balkans. We also want to ensure that we share our prosperity and stability with our wider neighbourhood.

The programme

Reuniting Europe helps deliver our vision of building an effective and globally competitive EU in a secure neighbourhood.
It does this by supporting EU enlargement and by helping European partner countries implement the reforms necessary for EU accession. It focuses, in particular, on:
• stable institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and the respect for and protection of minorities
• a competitive, functioning market economy.

Programme objectives

• to increase political transparency and good governance
• to strengthen reforms in the justice sector and promote human rights
• to build capacity in public administration
• to strengthen economic reforms in line with the Lisbon Agenda.
Further details of the rationale behind the selection of these objectives and guidelines on the kinds of projects sought are contained in the Reuniting Europe Programme Strategy FY 2008/11 [PDF 144 KB], which includes a full break-down of the revised Programme ndicators.

All project bids will need to contribute to the achievement of at least 1 of the specific indicators developed for each programme objective.

Funding
In 2008-9, the programme totals £6.1 million.

Target countries/regions for 2008/09
These are the priority countries/regions for the programme, together with indicative allocations:
Turkey £850,000
Croatia £750,000
Macedonia £750,000
N. Cyprus £600,000
Bosnia & Herzegovina £550,000
Serbia £500,000
Albania £25,000
Belarus £150,000
Georgia £150,000
Moldova £150,000
Montenegro £150,000
Armenia £100,000
Azerbaijan £100,000
Kosovo £100,000
Ukraine has a ring-fenced, and devolved, allocation of £650,000.

New EU Member States are no longer eligible for direct funding, but we particularly welcome trilateral projects where the UK works in partnership with one of the new member states in a target country or region.

Regional projects involving more than 1 country are also welcome.
Please see Trilateral Projects: a rough guide [PDF 56 KB,] for guidance on trilateral/regional work best practice.

Programme operating principles

The programme will:
• focus on building capacity and efficiency in organisational structures and processes for policy-making, and in establishing the regulatory framework for effective policy implementation

• focus on fields where the UK has specific expertise to offer or is better equipped than other potential partners to meet the local need

• pursue harmonisation with other donors through, where appropriate, co-funding arrangements or projects to pump-prime, pilot or underpin the sustainability of larger-scale projects led by other donors which support the UK’s objectives

• encourage the development of projects using New Member State expertise

• operate in areas that avoid duplication and maximise complementarity with the work of other UK government funding sources

• support UK objectives in each country/region and facilitate FCO action, enhancing the UK’s diplomatic effort.

Bidding process

The bidding round, for projects beginning in April 2008, was launched in Autumn 2007 with successfully approved projects now underway. Guidelines ask us to achieve full funding by 30 June, so a Supplementary Bidding Round has now taken place to allocate the approximately £500,000 of funding remaining.

Bids were considered at the Programme Board which sat on 25 June with approved projects starting on 1 July.

Project Officers are responsible for developing project ideas and managing the projects. A list of all Project Officers for the programme is in Overseas Post contact details [PDF 17.7 KB].

When the London Programme Team issue a call for bids, Project Officers at overseas posts will ask implementers to draw up a concept bid. Concept bids should be submitted on Part A of the Project Proposal Form [DOC 126 KB]. Overseas posts will then do an initial sift and make recommendations to the London Programme Team. If the London Programme Team approve the recommendations, they will commission a full bid. This is part B of the Project Proposal Form.

Full project bids will then be appraised by a selection of functional and geographic experts. This will take form as a country selection committee. Recommendations from the country selection committee will then be examined and approved by members of the Reuniting Europe board, which consists of representatives of the FCO, other relevant government departments and other donor organisations.