Article 55. Environment
1. Bearing in mind the European Energy Charter, the Parties shall develop and strengthen their cooperation on environment and human health.
2. Cooperation shall aim at combating the deterioration of the environment and in particular:
Effective monitoring of pollution levels and assessment of 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,
Technical assistance concerning rehabilitation of zones affected by radioactivity and addressing related health and social problems,
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 in view of achieving sustainable development,
Environmental impact studies.
Article 56. Transport
The Parties shall develop and strengthen their cooperation in the field of transport.
This cooperation shall, inter alia, aim at restructuring and modernising transport systems and networks in the Kyrgyz Republic, and developing and ensuring, where appropriate, compatibility of transportation systems in the context of achieving a more global transport system.
The cooperation shall include, inter alia:
The modernising of management and operations of road transport, railways, ports and airports,
Modernisation and development of railways, waterways, roads, ports, airports and air navigation infrastructure including the modernisation of major routes of common interest and the trans-European links for the above modes,
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 privatisation of the transport sector.
Article 57. 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,
Carry out transfer of technology and know-how, including on 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 liberalisation of activities of sub-sectors,
Advanced application of telecommunications, notably in the area of electronic funds transfer,
Management of telecommunications networks and their optimisation,
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 58. Financial Services
Cooperation shall in particular aim at facilitating the involvement of the Kyrgyz Republic in universally accepted systems of mutual settlements. Technical assistance shall focus on:
The development of banking and financial services, the development of a common market of credit resources, the involvement of the Kyrgyz Republic in a universally accepted system of mutual settlements,
The development of fiscal system and its institutions in the Kyrgyz Republic, exchange of experience and personnel training,
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 the Kyrgyz Republic, as well as the development of export credit insurance.
This cooperation shall in particular contribute to foster the development of relations between the Kyrgyz Republic and the Member States in the financial services sector.
Article 59. Money Laundering
1. The Parties agree on the necessity of making efforts and cooperating in order to prevent the use of their financial systems for laundering of proceeds from criminal activities in general and drug offences in particular.
2. Cooperation in this area shall include administrative and technical assistance with the purpose of establishing suitable standards against money laundering equivalent to those adopted by the Community and international forums in this field, including the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
Article 60. Regional Development
1. The Parties shall strengthen cooperation on regional development and land-use planning.
2. To this end, they shall encourage 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 organisations responsible for regional development planning with the aim, inter alia, to exchange methods and ways of fostering regional development.
Article 61. Social Cooperation
1. With regard to health and safety, the parties shall develop cooperation between them with the aim of improving 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-related diseases and other work-related ailments,
Prevention of major accident hazards and the management of toxic chemicals,
Research to develop the knowledge base in relation to working environment and the health and safety of workers.
2. With regard to employment, the cooperation shall include notably technical assistance to:
Optimisation of the labour market,
Modernisation 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 the Kyrgyz Republic.
These reforms shall aim to develop in the Kyrgyz Republic methods of protection intrinsic to market economies and shall comprise all directions of social protection.
Article 62. 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,
Training for tourism development.
Article 63. Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
1. The Parties shall aim to develop and strengthen small and medium-sized enterprises and their associations and cooperation between SMEs in the Community and the Kyrgyz Republic.
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 (an agency to support SMEs, communications, assistance to the creation of a fund for SMEs),
The development of technology parks.
Article 64. 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 the Kyrgyz Republic, including, where possible, access to databases, in full respect of intellectual property rights.
Article 65. 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, 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 organisation of seminars and training periods.
Article 66. Customs
1. The aim of cooperation shall be to guarantee compliance with all the provisions scheduled for adoption in connection with trade and fair trade and to achieve the approximation of
The Kyrgyz Republic'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 interconnection between the transit systems of the Community and the Kyrgyz Republic,
Simplification of inspections and formalities in respect of the carriage of goods,
The support in the introduction of modern customs information systems,
The organisation 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 Article 69 the mutual assistance between administrative authorities in customs matters of the Parties shall take place in accordance with the provisions of the Protocol attached to this Agreement.
Article 67. 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 the Kyrgyz Republic.
The Parties, in particular, shall cooperate in the following fields:
Adaptation of the Kyrgyz 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 the Kyrgyz Republic.
Article 68. 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 the Kyrgyz Republic 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.
Article 69. Drugs
Within the framework of their respective powers and competencies the Parties shall cooperate in increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of policies and measures to counter the illicit production, supply and traffic of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, including the prevention of diversion of precursor chemicals, as well as in promoting drug demand prevention and reduction. The cooperation in this area shall be based on mutual consultation and close coordination between the Parties over the objectives and measures on the various drug-related fields.
Article 70.
The Parties undertake to promote, encourage and facilitate cultural cooperation. Where appropriate, the Community's cultural cooperation programmes or those of one or more Member States may be the subject of cooperation and further activities of mutual interest may be developed.
Article 71.
In order to achieve the objectives of this Agreement and in accordance with Articles 72, 73 and 74 the Kyrgyz Republic shall benefit from temporary financial assistance from the Community by way of technical assistance in the form of grants to accelerate the economic transformation of the Kyrgyz Republic.
Article 72.
This financial assistance shall be covered within the framework of TACIS as foreseen in the Community's relevant Council Regulation.
Article 73.
The objectives and the areas of the Community's financial assistance shall be laid down in an indicative programme reflecting established priorities to be agreed between the two Parties taking into account the Kyrgyz Republic's needs, sectoral absorption capacities and progress with reform. The Parties shall inform the Cooperation Council thereof.
Article 74.
In order to permit optimum use of the resources available, the Parties shall ensure that Community technical assistance contributions are made in close coordination with those from other sources such as the Member States, other countries, and international organisations such as the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
Article 75.
A Cooperation Council is hereby established which shall supervise the implementation of this Agreement. It shall meet at ministerial level once a year. It shall examine any major issues arising within the framework of the Agreement and any other bilateral or international issues of mutual interest for the purpose of attaining the objectives of this Agreement. The Cooperation Council may also make appropriate recommendations, by agreement between the two Parties.
Article 76.
1. The Cooperation Council shall consist of the members of the Council of the European Union and members of the Commission of the European Communities, on the one hand, and of members of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic, on the other.
2. The Cooperation Council shall establish its rules of procedure.
3. The office of President of the Cooperation Council shall be held alternately by a representative of the Community and by a member of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic.
Article 77.
1. The Cooperation Council shall be assisted in the performance of its duties by a Cooperation Committee composed of representatives of the members of the Council of the European Union and of members of the Commission of the European Communities on the one hand and of representatives of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic on the other, normally at senior civil servant level. The office of President of the Cooperation Committee shall be held alternately by the Community and by the Kyrgyz Republic.
In its rules of procedure the Cooperation Council shall determine the duties of the Cooperation Committee, which shall include the preparation of meetings of the Cooperation Council, and how the Committee shall function.
2. The Cooperation Council may delegate any of its powers to the Cooperation Committee, which will ensure continuity between meetings of the Cooperation Council.
Article 78.
The Cooperation Council may decide to set up any other special committee or body that can assist it in carrying out its duties and shall determine the composition and duties of such committees or bodies and how they shall function.
Article 79.
When examining any issue arising within the framework of this Agreement in relation to a provision referring to an article of the GATT, the Cooperation Council shall take into account to the greatest extent possible the interpretation that is generally given to the article of the GATT in question by the Contracting Parties to the GATT.
Article 80.
A Parliamentary Cooperation Committee is hereby established. It shall be a forum for Members of the Kyrgyz Parliament and the European Parliament to meet and exchange views. It shall meet at intervals which it shall itself determine.
Article 81.
1. The Parliamentary Cooperation Committee shall consist of members of the European Parliament, on the one hand, and of members of the Kyrgyz Parliament, on the other.