In order to provide pre-accession assistance to Croatia it is appropriate to include it as a beneficiary under Council Regulations (EEC) No 3906/89 of 18 December 1989 on economic aid to certain countries of Central and Eastern Europe (PHARE) , Council Regulation (EC) No 1267/1999 of 21 June 1999, establishing an instrument for structural policies for pre-accession (ISPA) and Council Regulation (EC) No 1268/1999 of 21 June 1999 on Community support for pre-accession measures for agriculture and rural development in the applicant countries of central and eastern Europe in the pre-accession period ...[+++](SAPARD).

Steps shall shall be taken in the accession negotiations to ensure that the candidate countries from central and eastern Europe can be included in schemes for controlling classical swine fever via the application of Community animal health legislation.

What is the Council’s position on efforts being made in applicant countries of Central and Eastern Europe to continue, subsequent to any EU accession, to restrict or prohibit the free acquisition of land by EU citizens, at least during a transition period?

The EU is also providing assistance though the Phare National Programs for each central and eastern European candidate country by means of "twinning" projects between the public administration of the Member States and of the candidate countries.

Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the Economic and social Committee, the Committee of the Regions and the candidate countries in Central and Eastern Europe of 20 May 1998 on accession strategies for the environment: meeting the challenge of enlargement with the candidate countries in Central and Eastern Europe.

The Programme of Community aid to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (Phare) is the main financial instrument of the pre-accession strategy for the Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs) which have applied for membership of the European Union.