The Tacis programme reports on its activities in 1998
The European Commission's Tacis programme, aimed at providing assistance to economic reform in the New Independent States of the former Soviet Union and Mongolia, has recently published its 1998 annual report. The report summarises how Tacis delivered assistance to these countries in 1998, both country by country and across national borders. 'This report provides tangible evidence of what Tacis has done. It demonstrates how Tacis has helped the region move towards democracy, and how it has helped develop the region's capacity to operate in the international market economy environment', says Hans van den Broek, the former European Commissioner responsible for relations with these countries during 1998, introducing the report. The report effectively provides a balance sheet, reflecting the programme's achievements, as well as areas where it has been less successful than hoped. This in turn is useful for seeing what Tacis can and cannot do. An example of how Tacis funds can be used to good effect is demonstrated in the report's chapter on Russia, where Tacis funds were rediverted into projects providing expertise for banks and debt management, after the country was hit by acute economic problems in August 1998. The report also picks out high points for the programme in1998, and reports on the programme's financial and operational performance.