Objectives of my OSI Research

My OSI research intends to find answers to the question "How to improve EU foreign assistance to South-East Europe and the Black Sea region?" The project description is here: Draft Policy Paper

The wider scope of the research will evaluate the present experience with the accession process to the EU. I want to look at what lessons from Central Europe can be useful for the countries in South East Europe and the Black Sea Region. In cooperation with other OSI fellows I intend to analyse and compare the situation in a number of different countries, notably in Bulgaria, Albania, Turkey and in Georgia. I want to give special attention to the developing relations between Yugoslavia and the EU.

The eventual publication should focus on the following areas:

	General Indroductory Chapter
The Political Framework for Enlargement	Necessary reforms within the European Union for enlargement The negotiation process and recent Commission decisions on accession Recent EU initiatives towards South East Europe and the Black Sea Region
	Individual Country Chapters
The Role of Foreign Assistance	Amount and Structure of Foreign Assistance Effectiveness of funding provided by the Phare programme Comparison of Phare with foreign assistance through other aid schemes
The Domestic Political Debate	The Association Agreements and domestic debate on EU membership Assessment of objectives of political actors regarding relations with the EU The level of available information and public awareness about the EU
Annex: Public Opinion	Overview of public opinion on possible future EU membership