BRUSSELS – The Directorate General for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR) will be reorganized once the new European Commission takes office, the sources in the European Commission say for European Western Balkans. They clarify that the new Directorate General for the Mediterranean will be established, which will support the Commissioner-designate for Mediterranean Dubravka Šuica in her work, whereas the activities of the Commissioner-designate for Enlargement Marta Kos will be supported by the Directorate-General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood.
In practice, these changes will imply that the DG for the Mediterranean will be dealing with ten countries: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria and Tunisia, whereas the DG for Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood will manage the bilateral relations of the Union with the candidate and potential candidate countries on their path to the EU, as well as with Armenia, Azerbaijan and Belarus.
Commenting on the planned reorganisation of the DG NEAR, Pierre Mirel, a former Director of the Directorate-General for Enlargement at the European Commission, notes for EWB that the decision to keep all the candidates in a separate DG is “a natural, wise and welcome decision”.
“In retrospect, a similar EU policy for the Eastern and Southern neighbourhood had been a mistake. The differentiation in 2013-2014 with the Eastern partnership increased the artificial handling of all countries by a single DG. All the more so since Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia have become EU candidate countries. They share the same tools and procedures with the Western Balkans. The decision to keep all the candidates in a separate DG is, therefore, a natural, wise and welcome decision”, Pierre Mirel stresses.
Mirel concludes that “Commissioner Dubravka Šuica will concentrate the new DG resources to develop a new Mediterranean policy, as advocated by the President of the European Commission”.
The European Commission is organised into policy departments, known as Directorates-General (DGs), which are responsible for different policy areas. DGs develop, implement and manage EU policy, law, and funding programmes.
Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR) manages the bulk of the Union’s financial and technical assistance to the neighbourhood and enlargement countries. DG NEAR is based in Brussels and has approximately 1,650 staff members in Brussels and in the EU Delegations in the partner countries, working under the political authority of the Commissioner for Enlargement and managed by the Director-General. The current Director-General of DG NEAR is Gert Jan Koopman.
The mission of the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations is to take forward the EU’s Neighbourhood and Enlargement policies. DG NEAR works closely with the European External Action Service and the line DGs in charge of thematic priorities.
In addition, by implementing assistance actions in Europe’s eastern and southern neighbourhood, DG NEAR supports reform and democratic consolidation and strengthens the prosperity, stability and security around Europe. DG NEAR helps to promote EU values, policies and interests in this region, and to contribute to developing the special relationship of the EU with its neighbouring countries.