Cooperation Programme with the new EU Member Countries

Cooperation projects between institutions in the new EU Member Countries and Norway might be eligible for support under the EEA financial mechanism.

History
The name EU Candidate Countries was administratively changed to the New EU Member Countries as the countries encompassed by the agreement joined the EU in 2004. However, the old name as set forth in the agreement between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Research Council of Norway and the Norwegian Council for Higher Education (UHR) is still the formal reference.

This programme followed up the Norwegian government’s Action Plan for increased contact and cooperation between Norwegian and the EU candidate countries. The purpose of the Action Plan was to:

• Contribute towards increased security, stability and sustainable growth and development in Europe by supporting the Baltic and Central European countries in their efforts to achieve full integration in the economic and political cooperation in Europe.
• Create a platform for broad and strengthened cooperation between the candidate countries, particularly the countries in the Baltic region, by stimulating increased contact, network building and cooperation within selected fields.

Cooperation with the former candidate countries was to be based on the principles and objectives laid down in the government’s Action Plan , and the cooperation projects were to conform to the priorities of the former candidate countries within the field of research and educational cooperation.

Programme period: 2002 - 2005
Funding: NOK 10 mill./year