Community Initiative INTERREG III
INTERREG III is one of the four Community Initiatives . It was launched on 28th April 2000 following the positive experiences of its predecessors INTERREG I, INTERREG II and REGEN. It aims to stimulate transeuropean cooperation between years 2000 and 2006. The current phase of the INTERREG initiative is designed to strengthen economic and social cohesion throughout the EU, by fostering the balanced development of the continent through cross-border, transnational and interregional cooperation. It is therefore divided into three strands (A, B and C).
Tacis (Technical Assistance to the Commonwealth of Independant States) programme
Launched by the EC in 1991, the Tacis Programme provides grant-financed technical assistance to 12 countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan), and mainly aims at enhancing the transition process in these countries. (Mongolia was also covered by the Tacis programme from 1991 to 2003, but is now covered by the ALA programme.)