Editorial

10 years of development aid in Eastern Europe  
 

Ten Central European countries are preparing to join their cousins in the European Union with varying degrees of readiness and capacities for reform. Our Ministry is naturally contributing to this transformation by participating in the adoption of the acquis communautaire by the accession countries. It is thus conducting a major administrative twinning operation in Poland in the field of road controls, helping to set up structural funds for transport in Hungary and the Czech Republic, in conjunction with Datar¹, and seeking to create further twinning operations in various fields. Besides this instructional activity, the Directorate of Economic and International Affairs (DAEI) is addressing the economic aspects of enlargement. At my request, Pierre Debeusscher, from CGPC², has thus conducted an important survey on challenges for French companies resulting from the accession of new Member States to the Union. The recommendations in his report will be implemented and carefully monitored by a follow-up committee. This resolve to make the markets of Central and Eastern Europe more accessible to French companies is also reflected in the many promotional events that are being organized. This year’s most important event, “Public Works Days”, is taking place in March, in Warsaw. In partnership with CFCE³, we are also drawing up a guide on the access of companies to public works markets in Eastern Europe. Training is also high on our agenda of action. I must mention Cesroute - an advanced training programme for executives in the road sector, which admits several trainees from Eastern Europe each year and for which Isted is the project owner. In conclusion, I would like to pay tribute to our colleagues in Central and Eastern Europe for the considerable work accomplished in such a few years and in often arduous conditions, with a view to reforming their institutional framework and their economic practices. The frank, sometimes sensitive but always friendly cooperative relations we have forged with them over the past ten years doubtless form one of the most challenging and promising aspects of our activity.
 

 Jean-Yves Perrot,
 Director of Economic and International Affairs,
Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Housing

¹ Délégation à l’Aménagement du Territoire et à l’Action Régionale (Delegation for Economic Development and Regional Planning)
² Conseil Général des Ponts et Chaussées (General Council for Highways and Civil Engineering)
³ Centre Français du Commerce Extérieur (French Foreign Trade Centre)

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