24.11.2006 Official Journal of the European Union L 3271 (Acts whose publication is obligatory) REGULATION (EC) No 1717/2006 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 15 November 2006 establishing an Instrument for Stability THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Commu- nity, and in particular Articles 179(1) and 181a thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Acting in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 251 of the Treaty (1), Whereas: 1 O The Community is a major provider of economic, financial, technical, humanitarian and macroeconomic assistance to third countries. The promotion of stable conditions for human and economic development and the promotion of human rights, democracy and fundamental freedoms remains one of the prime objectives of European Union (hereinafter referred to as ‘the EU’) external action to which Community instruments for external assistance contribute. The Council and the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States meeting within the Council, in their November 2004 Conclusions on the effectiveness of EU External Action, concluded that ‘peace, security and stability as well as human rights, democracy and good governance, are essential elements for sustainable economic growth and poverty eradication’. The EU Programme for the Prevention of Violent Conflicts, endorsed by the European Council, underlines the EU’s ‘political commitment to pursue conflict prevention as one of the main objectives of the EU’s external relations’ and states that Community development cooperation instru- ments can contribute to this goal and to the development of the EU as a global player. Measures taken under this Regulation in pursuit of the objectives of Articles 177 and 18la of the Treaty establishing the European Community (hereinafter referred to as ‘the EC Treaty’) may be complementary to and should be consistent with measures adopted by the EU in pursuit of Common Foreign and Security Policy objectives within the framework of Title V and measures adopted within the Opinion of the European Parliament delivered on 6 July 2006 (not yet published in the Official Journal) and Council Decision of 7 November 2006. framework of Title VI of the Treaty on European Union (hereinafter referred to as ‘the EU Treaty’). The Council and the Commission should cooperate to ensure such consis- tency, each in accordance with their respective powers. The European Consensus on Development, adopted by the Council and the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States meeting within the Council, the European Parliament and the Commission on 22 November 2005 and welcomed by the European Council on 15 and 16 December 2005, states that the Community, within the respective competences of its institutions, will develop a comprehensive prevention approach to State fragility, conflict, natural disasters and other types of crises, to which goal this Regulation should contribute. The European Council approved the European Security Strategy on 12 December 2003. The European Council Declaration on Combating Terror- ism of 25 March 2004 called for counter-terrorist objectives to be integrated into external assistance pro- grammes. Moreover, the EU Millennium Strategy on the prevention and control of organised crime, adopted by the Council on 27 March 2000, calls for closer cooperation with third countries. Post-crisis stabilisation requires a sustained and flexible engagement from the international community, in particu- lar in the first years after a crisis, on the basis of integrated transition strategies. Implementation of programmes of assistance in times of crisis and political instability requires specific measures to ensure flexibility in decision-making and budget allocation, as well as enhanced measures to ensure coherence with bilateral aid and mechanisms for the pooling of donor funds, including the delegation of public authority tasks through indirect centralised management. The Resolutions of the European Parliament and the Conclusions of the Council following the Commission Communications on the Linking of Relief, Rehabilitation