Partnership with the European Commission
The EU enlargement cooperation with the European Commission (EC) and a number of European International Financial Institutions supporting the EU accession process of ten Central and Eastern European countries takes the form of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) concluded with these parties. The MoU includes a so-called "higher level" meeting - at the Vice-President level - once a year and more frequent working group meetings - where the Bank is presented by its senior partnership advisor, who is based in the Budapest. These high level meetings have the aim to coordinate respective assistance strategies, both as regards lending as well as analytical reviews and support. The program has an "exit strategy" in the sense that Bank assistance to these countries will likely cease once these countries have become EU member countries. This issue has been spelled out in a paper, entitled "Framework for World Bank Group Support to European Union (EU) Accession Candidate Countries of Central and Eastern Europe", which has been discussed with the EU candidate countries and the European partners and also submitted to the Bank's Board (SecM2001 –0564, dated October 10, 2001). Starting in mid-2001, the cooperation has started to give special emphasis to the issue of "Knowledge Economy" (KE), with the Bank and the EC, in close cooperation with EIB, EBRD and OECD, assisting EU candidate countries to launch national KE strategies.
Back to Top   Open Society Institute: EU Accession Monitoring Program
In cooperation with partner institutions, such as the World Bank, and individuals from throughout the EU accession region, the EU Accession Monitoring Program monitors compliance with aspects of the Copenhagen political criteria for accession. Reflecting the interests of the Soros foundation network, monitoring focuses on minority rights, judicial independence, corruption and (together with OSI's Network Women's Program) equal opportunities for women and men. The goals of monitoring are the following: To promote public awareness of the EU accession process To help ensure that the EU's annual evaluations of compliance with the Copenhagen political criteria in candidate States are made clearly and consistently, on the basis of accurate and comprehensive information supplied by independent, non-governmental monitors. To evaluate and promote transparency in EU assistance to the candidate States, and thereby to identify possible areas in which OSI and other funders may help the relevant governments and the EU promote compliance with the Copenhagen political criteria. To support ongoing monitoring of human rights and rule of law issues by civil society throughout the European Union.
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Open Society Institute:Â Support for the RomaÂ
 The Roma are one of the most significant poverty groups in Central and Eastern Europe. However, because of information constraints it has been a challenge for the Bank to develop a productive dialogue with governments on the issue. The Soros Foundation, and subsequently the Open Society Institute (OSI) has been a leader in developing and implementing projects targeted to Roma in Central and Eastern Europe since the early 1990s. OSI has an established network of NGOs and counterparts in the region with experience and expertise in working with Roma communities. This network, along with OSI's financial support, provides a strong complement to the Bank's analytical work and policy development. Partnership with OSI in Slovakia and Hungary has assisted the Bank in designing and implementing research on living conditions of the Roma and the effectiveness of policy alternatives. The collaboration has catalyzed partnerships among Roma and non-Roma NGOs working on the issue and provides a valuable instrument for dissemination of work and dialogue. Back to Top
Bertelsmann Foundation: Towards EU IntegrationÂ
The "Towards EU Integration" network is based on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) concluded in 1997 with Germany's Bertelsmann Foundation and the World Bank. It is intended as a vehicle to listen to and disseminate voices from civil society in EU candidate countries on matters of concern and interest in the context of the EU enlargement debate. Network events take place about three times a year and focus on demand driven topics. The network's proceedings are published; the network also has a web site which draws a lot of attention. In November 2001, it was decided to extend the network and open it to research institutes and think tanks from the countries in the Western Balkans which have been offered an "EU integration perspective" and thus, want to share knowledge and experience with their peers from EU candidate countries.
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Bertelsmann Foundation:Â Cities of ChangeÂ
"The Cities of Change" program is based on a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 1998 by Germany's Bertelsmann Foundation and the World Bank. It is intended as a vehicle to build close relations among 10 reform minded secondary cities in Central Europe all of which have been deeply affected by both their countries' economic reform programs and by the prospective accession to the European Union. The purpose of the network is to assist local authorities in building local institutions ready to meet the challenges of a decentralized market economy within a wider regional and global context. The cross country networking ensures that experiences are being shared widely and that learning takes place across national boundaries among both technical staff and political leadership. The whole program of learning is based on a strategic management approach to local government and the encouragement of stakeholder involvement. The present members of the Network comprise Smolyan and Pazerdjik in Bulgaria, Gyor and Tatabanya in Hungary, Liepaja and Rezekne in Latvia, Poznan and Ostrow- Wielkoploski in Poland and Poprad and Kosice in Slovakia.
The network operates in two cluster groups of 5 cities of 5 different countries each. The cluster themes address key development challenges in environmental management, especially solid waste, and in enhancing local economic development. There is a plenary session for all network members once a year, preceded by 4 cluster meetings, two per cluster theme. The MoU envisages a 5 year program, divided in two segments, of which the first pilot phase will be completed by end of June 2002. Back to Top |
 
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