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Project Funded Under Seventh Framework Programme
Funding scheme: Marie Curie Actions— International Research Staff Exchange Scheme (IRSES)

Project Title: Possibilities and limits, challenges and obstacles of transferring CEE EU pre-accession best practices and experience to Moldova’s and Georgias pre-accession process (acronym: EU-PREACC)
Grant Agreement Number: PIRSES-GA-2012-318911
Project Period: 01.03.2013-28.02.2017
Lead Partner: University of Tartu, EuroCollege
Partners: Vilnius University, Moldova State University, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University


Work Packages

Work package 1

Mapping CEE states reform experience: environment of positive conditionality – mapping of success and failure of reforms in key policy areas related to EU accession criteria (Progress Report Chapters)

The objective of the work package 1 is to map the character and results of CEE pre-accession process from the beginning of their accession negotiations until the accession in 2004/2007. Focus will be on critical variables in reform process: which decisions and choices eventually led to faster convergence and which decisions slowed it down. Also critical areas of harmonization and transpondation will be selected. Attention will be also given to specific circumstances of the CEE pre-accession process compared with previous practice of the EU. Work package will allow a detailed overview based on Progress Report structure and accession partnership agreement chapters. Work package should build a basis for following work packages in terms of empirical data: actual progress and Commission evaluation.|

Work package 2

European Neighbourhood Policy and Europeanization (political, economic and legal aspects) – analysing which CEE states pre-accession knowledge is transferable and needed.

The aim of the WP is to analyze, which part of the CEE 2004/2007 enlargement experience can be used for Moldova and Georgia, dependent on the changes in the enlargement criteria. WP 2 will also analyse the data collected and mapped and will analyse, which candidate states are the closest to Moldova and Georgia, which experience can be used for benchmarking and which reform experience can be transferred. The objective of the work package is a thorough analysis what have been the main changes in the EU enlargement criteria, set by the European Commission and which changes relate to current EU-Moldova and/or EU-Georgia cooperation in Europeanization and harmonisation. The objective is a thorough mapping of EU-Moldova and EU-Georgia cooperation in all policy fields of European Commission EU enlargement criteria – the aims set in the framework of European Neighbourhood Policy are compared with the Chapters of the Copenhagen Criteria. Among others the issues of conflict resolution, borders and de facto states will be touched upon. The WP will also construct new and enhance existing networks of international research collaborations between Member States and associated countries.

Work package 3

Moldova and Georgia – the transition countries on the EU border and states between EU and Russia – analysing the specific circumstances and policy trends

The objective of WP 3 is to analyze what is the position in Moldova’s accession and Georgias possible pre-accession. The objective of the work package is a thorough mapping of EU-Moldova and EU-Georgia cooperation in all policy fields of European Commission EU enlargement criteria – the aims set in the framework of European Neighborhood Policy are compared to the Chapters of the Copenhagen Criteria.
The package uses the results of the work done in work packages 1 and 2 in mapping which previous candidate country and on which period of the pre-accession is most similar to Moldova’s and Georgias situation. All Copenhagen Criteria Chapters will be looked at separately, as in different fields the comparable countries may vary. Based on the results, the analysts can suggest, which can be the most important fields where Moldova and Georgia need to focus the most to when planning policy reforms; as well as what are the steps to be made related to harmonization of legislation and public sector reforms. It also involves an analysis in which fields the CEE states’ experts monitoring is needed and would have influence and which country of origin the experts or the benchmarking data could come from.

Work package 4

Teaching EU, EU-Russia relations and European Neighbourhood Policy in the context of interdisciplinary European Studies curricula

The objective of the WP is to map the situation in Moldova’s and Georgias education system and degree programmes. European Union-related, policy-planning and impact assessment-related curricula and courses are thoroughly analysed in the context of preparing experts for the Moldova’s public and private sector. The aim is to map the current situation and work out suggestions to curricula development or special programmes for preparing experts of policy reform, reform planning (impact analysis), negotiations to the EU and EU law and policies in general.