PURPOSE: within the framework of the pre-accession strategy, to open certain Community programmes in the field of health and social policy to Bulgaria for the years 1998-2000.
COMMUNITY MEASURE: Council decision 1999/112/EC.
CONTENT: this decision (5/98) of the EC/Bulgaria Association Council of 23/11/98 lays down the conditions and requirments for this country's participation in 2 Community programmes in the field of health and social policy: Combatting cancer, Prevention of AIDS and other communicable diseases.
In particular, Bulgaria will:
- participate in all of the relevant operations in the same capacity as the Member States and in accordance with the objectives, criteria and procedures established by those programmes;
- as far as possible, apply the same conditions and requirements for the presentation, assessment and selection of applications as those applied by the Member States;
- be required to include a minimum number of partners from the Member States in all of the transnational projects and activities it proposes;
- pay a financial contribution to the Community budget to cover the costs of its participation in these various programmes.
This contribution will cover both financial support from the programmes to Bulgarian participants and supplementary administrative costs related to the management of the programmes by the Commission stemming from Bulgaria's participation.
The contribution varies according to the programme and is made annually.
Subject to regular PHARE programming procedures, some of this contribution wil come from Bulgaria's PHARE allocation. This does not include the supplementary administrative costs which will be borne entirely by Bulgaria's national budget.
In total, this financial contribution amounts to ECU 381,699 for the 3 years in question (of which ECU 214,038 comes from PHARE).
Bulgaria will be involved in the monitoring of its participation in the programmes concerned with a view to preparing for the Community decision-making process in the context of accession (in particular by being invited to coordination meetings prior to the regular meetings of the programme committees and being kept informed of the results of the committees' meetings).
Bulgaria's participation is valid for the duration of the programmes (until 31/12/2000).
ENTRY INTO FORCE: 01/12/1998.�