[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1026 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1026

         To foster cross-border cooperation in Northern Europe.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 1, 2005

  Mr. Shimkus (for himself and Mr. McCotter) introduced the following 
  bill; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
         To foster cross-border cooperation in Northern Europe.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Cross-Border Cooperation in Northern 
Europe Act of 2005''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) Northern Europe is a vital part of Europe and one that 
        offers continuing opportunities for United States investment.
            (2) Northern Europe offers an excellent opportunity to 
        continue to implement the United States vision of a secure, 
        prosperous, and stable Europe, in part because of--
                    (A) historical tradition of regional cooperation;
                    (B) the opportunity to engage the Russian 
                Federation in positive, cooperative activities with its 
                neighbors to the west;
                    (C) commitment by the Nordic and Baltic states to 
                regional cooperation and integration into western 
                institutions; and
                    (D) long-standing, strong ties with the United 
                States.
            (3) In 1997, the United States established the Northern 
        Europe Initiative (NEI) which provided a conceptual and 
        operational framework for United States policy in the region, 
        focused on developing a regional network of cooperation in the 
        important areas of business and trade promotion, law 
        enforcement, the environment, energy, civil society, and public 
        health.
            (4) Since then the United States Northern Europe Initiative 
        has sponsored a wide variety of regional and cross-border 
        projects, including the following:
                    (A) A United States-Lithuanian training program for 
                entrepreneurs from Belarus and Kaliningrad.
                    (B) The Great Lakes-Baltic Sea Partnership program 
                implemented by the Environmental Protection Agency.
                    (C) A Center of Excellence for Treatment of 
                Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis in Riga, Latvia.
                    (D) A regional HIV/AIDS strategy developed under 
                United States and Finnish leadership.
                    (E) Multiple efforts to combat organized crime, 
                including regional seminars for police officers and 
                prosecutors.
                    (F) Programs to encourage reform of the Baltic 
                electricity market and encourage United States 
                investment in such market.
                    (G) Language and job training programs for Russian-
                speaking minorities in Latvia and Estonia to promote 
                social integration in those countries.
                    (H) A mentoring partnership program for women 
                entrepreneurs in the northwest region of Russia and the 
                Baltic states, as part of broader efforts to promote 
                women's participation in political and economic life.
            (5)(A) With the then pending accession of Estonia, Latvia, 
        and Lithuania to the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic 
        Treaty Organization (NATO), the United States recognized the 
        need for new policy approaches to Northern Europe. In 2003, the 
        United States established the Enhanced Partnership in Northern 
        Europe (e-PINE).
            (B) The United States Enhanced Partnership in Northern 
        Europe provides the conceptual and operational framework for 
        United States policy in the region, focused on developing a 
        regional network of collaboration between Nordic and Baltic 
        countries and the United States in promoting cooperative 
        security, vibrant economies, and healthy societies within 
        Northern Europe and beyond its borders.
            (C) Much of the focus of the Enhanced Partnership in 
        Northern Europe has been on collaboratively extending the 
        lessons learned from the success of Baltic states to other 
        countries in the region.
            (D) Though primarily policy-oriented in focus, the Enhanced 
        Partnership in Northern Europe has also sponsored projects and 
        initiatives in the region, including the following:
                    (i) Several joint projects between the United 
                States and Latvia and Lithuania focused on democracy 
                promotion and institution building in Belarus.
                    (ii) A mentoring partnership program for women 
                entrepreneurs in the northwest region of the Russian 
                Federation, Finland, the Baltic states, Belarus, and 
                Ukraine, as part of broader efforts to promote women's 
                participation in political and economic life.
                    (iii) An outreach program to bring parliamentarians 
                in the Baltic states to the United States.
            (6) The United States commends European Union efforts in 
        Northern Europe associated with the EU's ``Northern Dimension'' 
        which is designed to address challenges in Northern Europe with 
        regard to economic development, protection of the environment, 
        the safety and containment of nuclear materials, and other 
        issues.
            (7) While the European Union, its member states, and other 
        European countries should clearly take the lead in addressing 
        the challenges posed in Northern Europe and the wider region, 
        in particular through appropriate yet substantial assistance 
        provided by the European Union, the United States Enhanced 
        Partnership in Northern Europe, and this Act are intended to 
        supplement such efforts and build on the considerable 
        assistance that the United States has already provided to the 
        Baltic states and the Russian Federation. Partnership with 
        other countries in the region means modest United States 
        investment can have significant impact.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to demonstrate concrete 
support for continued cross-border cooperation in Northern Europe.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the United States Enhanced Partnership in Northern 
        Europe (e-PINE) is a sound framework for future United States 
        involvement in Northern Europe;
            (2) the European Union should continue to authorize and 
        fund the `Northern Dimension' Initiative at appropriate yet 
        substantial levels of assistance and that the United States and 
        the European Union should continue to work collaboratively on 
        issues of mutual interest; and
            (3) the United States should continue to support a wide-
        ranging strengthening of democratic and civic institutions on a 
        regional basis to provide a foundation for political stability 
        and investment opportunities, including cross-border exchanges, 
        in Northern Europe and neighboring countries.

SEC. 4. SUPPORT FOR UNITED STATES ENHANCED PARTNERSHIP IN NORTHERN 
              EUROPE (E-PINE) PROJECTS.

    (a) Availability of Amounts From East European and the Baltic 
States Assistance.--Of the amounts available for fiscal year 2006 to 
carry out the provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 
U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) and the Support for Eastern European Democracy 
(SEED) Act of 1989 (22 U.S.C. 5401 et seq.) for assistance and for 
related programs for Eastern Europe and the Baltic States, not more 
than $2,000,000 is authorized to be available for the projects 
described in subsection (c).
    (b) Availability of Amounts From Independent States of the Former 
Soviet Union.--Of the amounts available for fiscal year 2006 to carry 
out the provisions of chapter 11 of part I of the Foreign Assistance 
Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2295 et seq.) and the Freedom for Russia and 
Emerging Eurasian Democracies and Open Markets Support Act of 1992 (22 
U.S.C. 5801 et seq.) for assistance for the independent states of the 
former Soviet Union and related programs, such sums as may be necessary 
are authorized to be available for the projects described in subsection 
(c).
    (c) Projects Described.--The projects described in this subsection 
are United States Enhanced Partnership in Northern Europe (e-PINE) 
projects relating to, but not exclusively, regional security, democracy 
promotion, democratic institution building, economic growth, 
environmental cleanup, law enforcement, public health, energy, business 
and trade promotion, and civil society.

SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Northern europe.--The term ``Northern Europe'' means 
        the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic 
        of Lithuania, the Kingdom of Denmark, the Republic of Finland, 
        the Republic of Iceland, the Kingdom of Norway, and the Kingdom 
        of Sweden.
            (2) United states enhanced partnership in northern europe 
        (e-pine).--The term ``United States Enhanced Partnership in 
        Northern Europe'' or ``Enhanced Partnership in Northern 
        Europe'' (commonly referred to as ``e-PINE'') means the 
        partnership formed in 2003 between the United States and the 
        countries of Northern Europe to promote security, economic 
        growth, and healthy societies in the region and appropriate 
        neighboring countries through policy coordination and 
        collaboration.
            (3) United states northern europe initiative (nei).--The 
        term ``United States Northern European Initiative'' or 
        ``Northern European Initiative'' (commonly referred to as 
        ``NEI'') means the framework agreement established in 1997 
        between the United States and the countries of Northern Europe 
        (including the northwest region of the Russian Federation 
        (including Kaliningrad), the Republic of Belarus, and the 
        Republic of Poland) to promote stability in the Baltic Sea 
        region and to strengthen key institutions and security 
        structures of the United States and the countries of Northern 
        Europe.

SEC. 6. REPEAL.

    The Cross-Border Cooperation and Environmental Safety in Northern 
Europe Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-255) is hereby repealed.
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