INTERVIEW WITH MRS HILDEGARD PUWAK, ROMANIAN MINISTER OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION

EurActiv.com: What role does the ministry you lead play in the process of Romania's accession to the European Union?

With regard to the process of European integration, I consider that one of the most important measures included in the government programme is the coordination of the country's preparation for accession by a single governmental authority - and this is the Ministry of European Integration. It was established in January 2001, and its main goal is the coherent, continuous and pragmatic approach to the entire accession process. The objectives and the attributions of this ministry (according to the Government Resolution 14/2001) correspond to the objectives of the European integration process, since the main role of the Ministry is to watch over and take measures to fulfil the obligations Romania committed to through its Europe Agreement.

As a special body of the national public administration, subordinated to the government, the Ministry of European Integration ensures the substantiation and coordination of Romania's preparation for accession to the European Union, as well as the co-ordination of the accession negotiations. By its structure, the Ministry covers the whole range of problems related to the accession process.

At the same time, the Ministry of European Integration promotes and pursues both the approximation of national legislation and its degree of compliance with Community regulations, and the coordination of economic transformations and institution building in preparation of accession. This is in accordance with the programming instruments requested by the European Commission.

Our ministry closely collaborates with a large institutional network, consisting of departments for European integration from ministries, headed by secretaries of state, of high officials in other institutions of the national public administration, as well as of specialised European integration structures within the local public administration (prefectures and county councils), with specific tasks.

EurActiv.com: How do you ensure the coherence, consistency and pace of the accession process through such an institutional structure?

The Ministry of European Integration is the coordinator of the process, while the needed coherence of the preparations for accession is ensured by a close cooperation with all the structures already mentioned. Real support is given by the Inter-ministerial Committee for European Integration, gathering the secretaries of state responsible for European issues from other ministries, as well as officials in charge from the other institutions involved. The Committee is regularly convened to analyse and solve the problems faced by the accession preparatory activity.

In addition, the National delegation for the negotiation of Romania's accession to the European Union was established in March 2001 by Government Resolution 273/2001, consisting of the head of the national delegation, co-chairmen of the sectoral delegations and members of those delegations. At the meetings of the sectoral delegations - comprising specialists from line ministries and other institutions involved - the position papers for each negotiation chapter are debated and finalised. Before submitting the final position papers to the EU Council, these documents are subject to government approval.

Many important problems of interest to the accession preparation are also debated by the government in its meetings, with a view to taking the necessary measures to comply with the political and economic accession criteria.

At the same time, at the parliamentary level, there is a Commission for European integration, which organises the meetings in Romania of the Joint Parliamentary Committee Romania-EU, and pursues and recommends priority debates about laws that have to be harmonised with Community law.

EurActiv.com: We know that substantial support given to the accession process by the European Union is made up of non-reimbursable financial assistance. How is this financial support monitored?

Romania has developed the necessary legal framework and all the administrative and budgetary structures needed for the coordination and implementation of the programmes financed by the European Union. Thus, in accordance with the Government Decision 14/2001, and taking into consideration the requirements of the European Commission concerning the existence of a sole counterpart represented by the National Aid Co-ordinator, the Ministry of European Integration plays this role in relation with the European Union regarding the fund programming and programme monitoring.

The three financial pre-accession instruments providing non-reimbursable funds for EU programmes in Romania are, as you know, Phare, ISPA and SAPARD, the last two included in the assistance given to the candidate countries starting with the year 2000.

With respect to monitoring and assessing the Phare programmes, this process started in July 2000, in compliance with the requirements of the European Commission and in accordance with Government Resolution 1011/1999.

The programme monitoring has been effectively carried out since September 2000, by a Joint monitoring committee for Phare programmes and eight Sectoral monitoring subcommittees, coordinated by the Ministry of European Integration through its specialised Directorate for the Coordination and Monitoring of Accession Assistance.

The technical implementation of Phare projects is performed by various institutions within the Romanian administration (called Implementing Authorities) by means of specialised structures, units within some directorates in ministries (Project Implementation Unit).

The financial implementation of Phare projects is done by Implementing Agencies, which can be, depending on the project, the Central Financing and Contracting Unit (CFCU) within the Ministry of Finance or other institutions of Romanian central administration.

As to ISPA projects, with the view of their correct and efficient deployment, an ISPA Monitoring Committee was set up by prime minister's decision 272/2001. The Committee is headed by the Minister of European integration, in her function as ISPA national coordinator. There have been two meetings of this Committee, one in June and one in October 2001. The implementing and financing agency for ISPA projects on environment is also the CFCU, while the National Road Agency and the National Railway Company are the implementing and contracting agencies for ISPA projects on transport infrastructure. These two agencies are coordinated and monitored by the Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Housing.

For SAPARD projects, a SAPARD Management Unit has been set up within the Ministry of European Integration with the objective of monitoring and evaluating the program. A SAPARD Monitoring Committee was set up to efficiently co-ordinate its deployment.

The SAPARD Agency, soon bound to accredited internationally, is the agency in charge of technical and financial implementation of the SAPARD program and works closely with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forests and with the Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Housing.

As you can see, we are not alone in our activity, which is, as a whole, carefully and constantly monitored by the European Commission

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