PURPOSE:
presentation of the final accounts of the European Agency for Reconstruction
(EAR) for the financial year 2006.
CONTENT: this document
sets out a detailed account of the implementation of the 2006 budget,
including the revenue and expenditure and the balance sheet for the year
concerned.
According to
this document, the final budget of the EAR, whose main head office is based
in Thessalonica – Greece), amounted to EUR 286.8 million (compared to
EUR 318.9 million in 2005) including an EU grant.
As regards the
staffing policy, the EAR officially set out 108 posts in its establishment
plan. 90 are currently occupied + 164 other posts (local staff) (157
currently occupied) and 29 contract staff (26 currently occupied) giving a
total of 273 posts assigned to administrative and operational tasks of the
Agency. In 2006, staff expenditure represented EUR 17.117 million (final
appropriations paid).
The principal
operational activities in 2006 are as follows:
KOSOVO
- start-up
grants, loans, training and business advice to small businesses of
minorities and returnees;
- support to
privatisation;
- rehabilitation
of district heating (in north) and waste and water utility buildings in
(south) Mitrovica;
- improving
border/boundary management;
- setting up a
new system for public investment programming;
- expert
advice and training to the Kosovo Assembly;
- support to
Justice and Internal Affairs ministries and Statistical Office;
- environmental
upgrades, including construction of Pristina regional landfill;
- support to
drafting of Kosovo Rural Development Plan.
SERBIA
- draft laws
in public administration reform;
- supply of
equipment to border police;
- completion
of state-of-the- art DNA laboratory;
- rehabilitation
and supply of equipment to courts;
- rehabilitation
programme for hospitals;
- new jobs
created due to loans from the Revolving Credit Fund;
- training
support to enterprises;
- regional
training centres for adults;
- economic
development programmes for poorest municipalities;
- handover of
new border crossings with Hungary and Croatia;
- renovation
of municipal infrastructure;
- reform of
the statistics office;
- support to
Foreign Direct Investment management;
- support to
vulnerable groups including refugees and displaced persons;
- completion
of power plant rehabilitation projects;
- air filter
installed at Kostolac power plant.
MONTENEGRO
- construction
of Podgorica international airport and refurbishment of Tivat airport;
- central IT
database of the Ministry of the Interior;
- support for
Human Resources Management Agency;
- new Roads
Directorate and transport laws;
- electricity
utility unbundling/restructuring, energy efficiency strategy;
- establishing
an Environmental Protection Agency;
- providing
management expertise to companies;
- supporting
Judicial Training Centre;
- prison
reform;
- support to
drafting of strategy for agriculture and rural development.
FORMER
YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA
- assistance
in strengthening and creating new institutions in the public
administration (e.g. State Statistical Office, Civil Society Unit in the
General Secretariat; Public Procurement Bureau);
- support to
development of electronic communications market;
- support to
police reform including refurbishment of Police Academy;
- support to
money laundering prevention and refurbishment of Skopje Basic Court;
- opening of
new state phytosanitary laboratory;
- construction
of National Border Management Coordination Centre;
- assistance
to municipalities in decentralisation;
- upgrading of
municipal infrastructure;
- training of
civil servants from non-majority communities;
- management
training for SMEs.
The complete version
of the final accounts may be found at the following address: http://www.ear.europa.eu/agency/agency.htm