As you know, we are giving these programmes very substantial support by means of pre-accession instruments.

Shortcomings in the implementation of pre-accession instruments are also detailed.

Subject to one reservation, the pre-accession instruments have been agreed unanimously.

Pre-accession instruments are designed to provide technical and financial support for efforts by candidate countries to meet the demands of the Community acquis.

We should provide them with access to pre-accession instruments so that they develop functioning national economies and functioning democracies.

Mr President, the Commission has changed its approach with regard to the arrangements for coordination of the pre-accession instruments.

And that means of course that we will have to work even harder in the coming years in order to implement the pre-accession instruments properly.

In its pre-accession instruments the Commission addressed the needs of the Roma minorities in a big way.

A Member of this House asked this question. No, we do not have any budgetary reserves in the pre-accession instruments.

The Court of Auditors has told us that in respect of the new pre-accession instruments there was actually a zero expenditure policy in 2000.

I should like to begin by saying that we are using all the pre-accession instruments at our disposal in order to help these applicant countries with their preparations.

The existing instruments, of course, include the Structural Funds for the Member States affected and the pre-accession instruments for the candidate countries.

An additional EUR 60 million was made available to Romania and Bulgaria between 2004 and 2006, under the pre-accession instruments.

Are you not concerned that this approach may pose serious internal policy problems within these two countries which will find themselves completely sidelined, even though pre-accession instruments are being proposed?

Outstanding commitments amount to EUR 12 000 million in the case of external aid and to nearly 3 000 million in the case of the new pre-accession instruments.

Firstly, it is important to provide candidate countries and potential candidate countries with pre-accession instruments appropriate to the challenges they will face: consolidation of the state, governance, socio-economic reforms, etc.

In response to your question, however, I should like to point out that we have pre-accession instruments and that these are what we should be using, when the time comes, to carry accession through successfully.

The communication looks at some of the practical questions which are relevant for drawing up national strategies allowing the CEECs to adopt the acquis communautaire without allocating funds from the pre-accession instruments.

What applies to the Structural Funds for EU Member States also applies to pre-accession instruments for the Czech Republic and Slovakia, as Mr Verheugen has already said.

The Phare programme is one of the three pre-accession instruments financed by the European Union to assist the applicant countries of Central and Eastern Europe in their preparations for joining the European Union.

Thirdly, the way in which the funds have been appropriated makes it clear that, in the case of eight new Member States, there is a continuing transition from the pre-accession instruments to support being given from the Cohesion Fund.

When we talk about the coordination of pre-accession instruments, that has to do with the changes that will take place from the year 2000 onwards when, subject to approval by the budgetary authority, we will have more financial means at our disposal.

The surpluses in budget year 2001 were chiefly due to inadequate utilisation of Structural Fund appropriations of EUR 9.4 billion, cohesion fund monies and funds under the pre-accession instruments - ISPA, Sapard and Phare.

We need to move towards pre-accession instruments and pre-accession aid, just as we did with the other enlargement countries, and secondly -as has also already been mentioned by others in the 'Balkans brigade' - we need to build up the rule of law.

My stay here in Strasbourg today and tomorrow will include further informal consultations on the Structural Funds and the pre-accession instruments and will therefore promote cooperation between the Council and Parliament, which is vital if Agenda 2000 is to be resolved on time.