On 18 December 1989, at a meeting in Brussels, the Council of the European Communities adopts a programme of economic aid to Hungary and Poland.

On 10 April 1993, the French daily newspaper Le Monde discusses the criticism levelled at the ‘Poland and Hungary: Assistance for Restructuring their Economies’ (PHARE) Community Programme which aims to support reform in the former Communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

On 9 and 10 December 1994, at the Essen European Council, the Twelve adopt the PHARE programme as the financial instrument of the pre-accession strategy, the objective of which is the accession of the ten associated Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs) to the European Union.

On 10 April 1996, the European Commission proposes a regional cooperation initiative aimed at strengthening political stability and economic development in the Baltic Sea region.

On 15 June 1998, the European Commission draws up a report on the guidelines for the implementation of the Community Programme for Poland and Hungary: assistance for the restructuring of the economies (PHARE) of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEECs) which have applied for accession to the European Union.

Table showing the total aid granted by the European Communities to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEECs) under the Poland and Hungary: Assistance for Restructuring their Economies (Phare) programme.

On 27 February 1998, Hans van den Broek, Member of the Commission of the European Communities in charge of External Political Relations and Enlargement Negotiations, seals one of the lorries that, as a consequence of the PHARE programme, is getting ready to leave Brussels in order to take material aid to Estonia.