- mobility for teachers, graduates, administrators, young scientists and researchers, and young people;
- promoting teaching in the field of European Studies within the appropriate institutions;
- teaching Community languages;
- post-graduate training of conference interpreters;
- training of journalists;
- training of trainers.
3. The possible participation of one Party in the respective programmes in the field of education and training of the other Party could be considered in accordance with their respective procedures and, where appropriate, institutional frameworks and plans of cooperation will then be established through the participation of Turkmenistan in the Community's TEMPUS programme.
Article 51. Agriculture and the Agro-Industrial Sector
The purpose of cooperation in this area shall be the pursuance of agrarian reform, the modernization, privatization and restructuring of agriculture, the agro-industrial and services sectors in Turkmenistan, development of domestic and foreign markets for Turkmen products, in conditions that ensure the protection of the environment, taking into account the necessity to improve security of food supply as well as the development of agri-business, the processing and distribution of agricultural products. The Parties shall also aim at the gradual approximation of Turkmen standards to Community technical regulations concerning industrial and agricultural food products including sanitary and phytosanitary standards.
Article 52. Energy
1. Cooperation shall take place within the principles of the market economy and the European Energy Charter, against a background of the progressive integration of the energy markets in Europe.
2. Cooperation shall concentrate, inter alia, upon the formulation and development of energy policy. It shall include among others the following areas:
- improvement in management and regulation of the energy sector in line with a market economy;
- improvement of energy supply, including security of supply, in an economic and environmentally sound manner;
- promotion of energy saving and energy efficiency and implementation of the Energy Charter Protocol on Energy Efficiency and related environmental aspects;
- modernization of energy infrastructures;
- improvement of energy technologies in supply and end use across the range of energy types;
- management and technical training in the energy sector; - transportation and transit of energy materials and products;
- the introduction of the range of institutional, legal, fiscal and other conditions necessary to encourage increased energy trade and investment;
- development of hydro-electric and other renewable energy resources.
3. The Parties shall exchange relevant information relating to investment projects in the energy sector, in particular concerning the production of energy resources and the construction and refurbishing of oil and gas pipelines or other means of transporting energy products. The Parties attach particular importance to cooperation regarding investments in the energy sector and the manner in which these are regulated. They shall cooperate with a view to implementing as efficaciously as possible the provisions of Title IV and of Article 45, in respect of investments in the energy sector.
Article 53. Environment
1. Bearing in mind the European Energy Charter, the Declarations of the Lucerne Conference of April 1993 and of the Sofia Conference of October 1995, and taking into account the Energy Charter Treaty and especially its Article 19, and the Energy Charter Protocol on Energy Efficiency and related environmental aspects, the Parties shall develop and strengthen their cooperation on environment and human health.
2. Cooperation shall aim at protecting the environment and in particular:
- effective monitoring of pollution levels and assessment of the environment; system of information on the state of the environment;
- combating local, regional and transboundary air and water pollution; ecological restoration;
- sustainable, efficient and environmentally effective production and use of energy;
- safety of industrial plants; classification and safe handling of chemicals; water quality;
- waste reduction, recycling and safe disposal, implementation of the Basle Convention;
- the environmental impact of agriculture, soil erosion, and chemical pollution;
- the protection of forests;
- the conservation of biodiversity, protected areas and sustainable use and management of biological resources;
- land-use planning, including construction and urban planning; use of economic and fiscal instruments;
- global climate change;
- environmental education and awareness;
- implementation of the Espoo Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a transboundary context.
3. Cooperation shall take place particularly through:
- disaster planning and other emergency situations;
- exchange of information and experts, including information and experts dealing with the transfer of clean technologies and the safe and environmentally sound use of biotechnologies;
- joint research activities;
- improvement of laws towards Community standards;
- cooperation at regional level, including cooperation within the framework of the European Environment Agency, and at international level;
- development of strategies, particularly with regard to global and climatic issues and also with a view to achieving sustainable development;
- environmental impact studies.
4. The Parties shall seek to develop their cooperation on questions of human health, in particular through technical assistance on the prevention and combating of infectious diseases and the protection of mothers and young children.
Article 54.
Transport The Parties shall develop and strengthen their cooperation in the field of transport. This cooperation shall, inter alia, aim at restructuring and modernizing transport systems and networks in Turkmenistan; developing and ensuring, where appropriate, compatibility of transportation systems in the context of achieving a more global transport system; and identifying and elaborating priority projects and seeking to attract investment for their implementation.
The cooperation shall include, inter alia:
- the modernization of management and operations of road transport, railways, ports and airports;
- modernization and development of railways, waterways, roads, airport and air navigation infrastructure as well as navigation aids, and including the modernization of major routes of common interest and the trans-European links for the above modes, particularly those related to the TRACECA project;
- promotion and development of multi-modal transport;
- the promotion of joint research and development programmes; preparation of the legislative and institutional framework for policy development and implementation including privatization of the transport sector.
Article 55. Postal Services and Telecommunications
Within their respective powers and competences the Parties shall expand and strengthen cooperation in the following areas:
- the establishment of policies and guidelines for the development of the telecommunications sector and postal services;
- development of principles of a tariff policy and marketing in telecommunications and postal services;
- transferring technology and know-how, particularly regarding European technical standards and certification systems;
- encouraging the development of projects for telecommunications and postal services and attracting investment;
- enhancing efficiency and quality of the provision of telecommunications and postal services, amongst others through
- liberalization of activities of sub-sectors;
- advanced application of telecommunications, notably in the area of electronic funds transfer;
- management of telecommunications networks and their "optimization";
- an appropriate regulatory basis for the provision of telecommunication and postal services and for the use of the radio frequency spectrum;
- training in the field of telecommunications and postal services for operations in market conditions.
Article 56. Financial Services and Fiscal Institutions
1. Cooperation in the field of financial services shall in particular aim at facilitating the involvement of Turkmenistan in universally accepted systems of mutual settlements. Technical assistance shall focus on:
- the development of a stock market and a securities market;
- the development of banking services, the development of a common market of credit resources and the involvement of Turkmenistan in a universally accepted system of mutual settlements;
- the development of insurance services, which would inter alia create a favourable framework for Community companies' participation in the establishment of joint ventures in the insurance sector in Turkmenistan, as well as the development of export credit insurance.
This cooperation shall in particular contribute to foster the development of relations between the Parties in the financial services sector.
2. The Parties shall cooperate in developing the fiscal system and fiscal institutions in Turkmenistan. This cooperation shall include the exchange of information and experience on fiscal matters and the training of personnel involved in the formulation and implementation of fiscal policy.
Article 57. Enterprise Restructuring and Privatisation
Recognizing that privatisation is of fundamental importance to a sustainable economic recovery, the Parties agree to cooperate in the development of the necessary institutional, legal and methodological framework. Particular attention will be paid to the orderly and transparent nature of the privatisation process.
Technical assistance shall focus on, inter alia:
- the further development of an institutional base within the Government of Turkmenistan to assist with defining and managing the privatisation process;
- the further development of the privatisation strategy of the Government of Turkmenistan, including the legislative framework, and implementation mechanisms;
- furthering market approaches to land use and ownership, and the privatisation of land;
- the restructuring of those enterprises not yet ready for privatisation;
- the development of private enterprise, particularly in the small and medium enterprise sector;
- the development of investment funds. The objective of this cooperation is also to contribute to the promotion of Community investment in Turkmenistan.
Article 58. Regional Development
1. The Parties shall strengthen cooperation on regional development and land-use planning.
2. To this end, the Parties shall encourage the exchange of information by national, regional and local authorities on regional and land-use planning policy and on methods of formulation of regional policies with special emphasis on the development of disadvantaged areas.
They shall also encourage direct contacts between the respective regions and public organizations responsible for regional development planning with the aim, inter alia, of exchanging information regarding means to foster regional development.
Article 59. Social Cooperation
1. With regard to health and safety, the Parties shall develop cooperation between them with the aim of improving inter alia the level of protection of the health and safety of workers.
The cooperation shall include notably:
- education and training on health and safety issues with specific attention to high risk sectors of activity;
- development and promotion of preventive measures to combat work telated diseases and other work related ailments;
- prevention of major accident hazards and the management of toxic chemicals;
- research on developing information and understanding of the working environment and on the health and safety of workers.
2. With regard to employment, the cooperation shall include notably technical assistance to:
- optimization of the labour market;
- modermization of the job-finding and consulting services;
- planning and management of the restructuring programmes;
- encouragement of local employment development;
- exchange of information on the programmes of flexible employment, including those stimulating self-employment and promoting entrepreneurship.
3. The Parties shall pay special attention to cooperation in the sphere of social protection which, inter alia, shall include cooperation in planning and implementing social protection reforms in Turkmenistan.
These reforms shall aim to develop in Turkmenistan methods of protection intrinsic
to market economies and shall comprise all relevant forms of social protection.
Article 60. Tourism
The Parties shall increase and develop cooperation between them, which shall include:
- facilitating the tourist trade;
- increasing the flow of information;
- transferring know-how;
- studying the opportunities for joint operations;
- cooperation between official tourism bodies, including the preparation of promotional material;
- training for tourism development.
Article 61. Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
1. The Parties shall aim to develop and strengthen small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and their associations and cooperation between SMEs in the Community and Turkmenistan.
2. Cooperation shall include technical assistance, in particular in the following areas:
- the development of a legislative framework for SMEs;
- the development of an appropriate infrastructure to support SMEs, to promote communication and business cooperation between SMEs both within Turkmenistan and further afield, and to train SMEs in the skills necessary to access funding;
- training in the areas of marketing, accounting and control of the quality of products.
Article 62. Information and Communication
The Parties shall support the development of modern methods of information handling, including the media, and stimulate the effective mutual exchange of information. Priority shall be given to programmes aimed at providing the general public with basic information about the Community and Turkmenistan, including, where possible, access to databases, in full respect of intellectual property rights.
Article 63. Consumer Protection
The Parties will enter into close cooperation aimed at achieving compatibility between their systems of consumer protection. This cooperation may include the exchange of information on legislative work and institutional reform, the establishment of permanent systems of mutual information on dangerous products, the improvement of information provided to consumers especially on prices, characteristics of products and services offered, the development of exchanges between the consumer interest representatives, and increasing the compatibility of consumer protection policies, and the organization of seminars and training periods.
Article 64. Customs
1. The aim of cooperation shall be to guarantee compliance with all the provisions scheduled for adoption in connection with t-rade and fair trade and to achieve the approximation of Turkmenistan's customs system to that of the Community.
2. Cooperation shall include the following in particular:
- the exchange of information;
- the improvement of working methods;
- the introduction of the Combined Nomenclature and the single administrative document;
- the simplification of inspections and formalities in respect of the carriage of goods;
- support for the introduction of modern customs information systems;
- the organization of seminars and training periods. Technical assistance shall be provided where necessary.
3. Without prejudice to further cooperation foreseen in this Agreement and in particular Title VI, mutual assistance in customs matters between administrative authorities of the Parties shall take place in accordance with the provisions of the Protocol attached to this Agreement.
Article 65. Statistical Cooperation
Cooperation in this area shall have as its aim the development of an efficient statistical system to provide the reliable statistics needed to support and monitor the process of economic reform and contribute to the development of private enterprise in Turkmenistan.
The Parties, in particular, shall cooperate in the following fields:
- adaptation of the Turkmen statistical system to international methods, standards and classification;
- exchange of statistical information;
- provision of necessary statistical macro and microeconomic information to implement and manage economic reforms.
The Community shall contribute to this end by rendering technical assistance to Turkmenistan.
Article 66. Economics
The Parties shall facilitate the process of economic reform and the coordination of economic policies by cooperating to improve understanding of the fundamentals of their respective economies and the design and implementation of economic policy in market economies. To this end, the Parties shall exchange information on macroeconomic performance and prospects.
The Community shall provide technical assistance so as to:
- assist Turkmenistan in the process of economic reform by providing expert advisory and technical assistance;
- encourage cooperation among economists in order to expedite the transfer of know-how for the drafting of economic policies, and provide for wide dissemination of policy-relevant research;
- improve Turkmenistan's capacity to formulate economic models.
Title VII. Cooperation on Matters Relating to Democracy and Human Rights
Article 67.
The Parties shall cooperate on all questions relevant to the establishment or reinforcement of democratic institutions, including those required in order to strengthen the rule of law, and the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms according to international law and OSCE principles.
This cooperation shall take the form of technical assistance programmes intended to assist, inter alia, in the drafting of relevant legislation and regulations; the implementation of such legislation; the functioning of the judiciary; the role of the State in questions of justice; and the operation of the electoral system. They may include training where appropriate. The Parties shall encourage contacts and exchanges between their national, regional and judicial authorities, parliamentarians, and non-governmental organisations.
Title VIII. Cooperation on Prevention of Illegal Activities and the Prevention and Control of Illegal Immigration
Article 68.
The Parties shall establish cooperation aimed at preventing illegal activities such as:
- illegal activities in the sphere of economics, including corruption;
- illegal transactions of various goods, including industrial waste, and illicit traffic of arms;