Legislative Observatory
European Parliament
Please fill in this field to find a procedure

Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) 2007-2013

2004/0222(CNS)

PURPOSE: to establish a new Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance for candidate countries and for potential candidate countries and to replace the existing financial instruments by way of a more simple and effective framework for the period 2007-2013: Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA).

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Council Regulation (EC) No 1085/2006 establishing an Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA).

BACKGROUND: following the adoption of the new financial framework 2007-2013, a series of new instruments for economic, financial and technical assistance for third countries were adopted, consolidating, reforming and improving the procedures governing access to and planning of assistance granted under the Community’s external policy.

There different funding instruments of the external policy are now as follows:

This Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) is part of this new structure, streamlining existing assistance measures into one single instrument and replacing 8 financial instruments from the period 2000-2006.

CONTENT: with an overall financial envelope of EUR 11.468 billion between 2007 and 2013, the IPA will help beneficiaries to gradually align themselves with the norms and policies of the European Union, including the acquis communautaire, with a view to their accession.

Beneficiaries: this Regulation covers two distinct categories of eligible countries:

  • candidate countries for membership (Annex I to the Regulation): Croatia, Turkey and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia;
  • potential candidate countries for membership (Annex II to the Regulation): Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia (including Kosovo).

Scope: the assistance shall be used to provide support in the following areas:

  • strengthening of democratic institutions, as well as the rule of law;
  • the promotion and the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms and enhanced respect for minority rights, the promotion of gender equality and non-discrimination;
  • public administration reform, including the establishment of a system enabling decentralisation of assistance management to the beneficiary country;
  • economic reform;
  • the development of civil society;
  • social inclusion;
  • reconciliation, confidence-building measures and reconstruction;
  • regional and cross-border cooperation;

In addition to these general objectives, assistance shall also be used to provide specific support depending on the beneficiary:

  • in candidate countries: (i) the adoption and implementation of the acquis communautaire; (ii) support for the policy development as well as preparation for the implementation and management of the Community's common agricultural and cohesion policies;
  • in potential candidate countries: (i) progressive alignment with the acquis communautaire; (ii) social, economic and territorial development including, inter alia, infrastructure and investment related activities, in particular in the areas of regional, human resources and rural development.

Status of a beneficiary country: if the status of “candidate country” for membership to the EU is granted to a “potential candidate country”, the Council shall, by qualified majority on the basis of a proposal from the Commission, proceed with the transfer of the country concerned to the “candidate country” category.

Political framework for assistance, multi-annual planning and programming of assistance: assistance shall be provided in accordance with the general policy framework for pre-accession, defined by the European and Accession Partnerships, and taking due account of the regular reports by the Commission on progress in beneficiary countries.

Assistance shall be provided on the basis of multi-annual indicative planning documentsestablished by country in close consultation with the national authorities. These documents shall present indicative allocations for the main priorities of assistance by country. These documents shall be established following a three-year perspective and shall be the subject of specific information presented to the European Parliament and to the Council in the form of a multi-annual indicative financial framework (this framework shall present the Commission's intentions for the allocation of funds, broken down by component, country and multi-country action).

Assistance shall also be provided through multi-annual or annual programmes, established by country and by component, or, as appropriate, by group of countries or by theme in accordance with the priorities defined in the multi-annual indicative planning documents.

Assistance components: assistance provided under the IPA is characterised by specific assistance components:

  1. Transition Assistance and Institution Building;
  2. Cross-Border Cooperation;
  3. Regional Development;
  4. Human Resources Development;
  5. Rural Development.

For each of these components, the Regulation defines specific rules for implementation depending on the beneficiary country. Transition assistance and institution building and cross-border assistance are aimed at all countries concerned, whereas assistance for regional development, human resources development and rural development is only aimed at three candidate countries.

Implementing rules: the Regulation provides the general framework for the implementation of measures as well as technical procedures for the management of measures. It lists, in particular:

  • eligible bodies: entities, bodies and institutions traditionally eligible for technical assistance to third countries, coming from Member States, a beneficiary country of the Regulation, the Neighbourhood Instrument, a Member State of the EEA or another third country, insofar as measures of reciprocity of external assistance of that country exist within that country as well as at international organisations;
  • types of assistance: assistance may, inter alia, finance investments, procurement contracts, grants, special loans, loan guarantees and financial assistance or  budgetary support, provided that specific eligibility criteria are met;
  • support measures: assistance may be used to cover the costs of actions linked to preparation, follow-up, control, audit and evaluation of implementing measures;
  • management methods that the Commission must use to implement the measures decided upon: the Commission is responsible for the implementation of the Regulation, relying on comitology measures laid down in the Regulation. Community financing can take the form of financing agreements between the Commission and the beneficiary country (framework agreements), procurement contracts or grant agreements with national or international public sector bodies. Each year the Commission shall send to the European Parliament and the Council a report on the implementation of Community assistance, containing information on the actions financed during the year;
  • rules on the possible suspension of assistance: it is provided that assistance may be suspended temporarily or permanently , under a gradual mechanism, in the event of non-compliance with democratic criteria by the partner country. Community assistance to the Western Balkans shall also be subject to the conditions defined by the Council in its Conclusions of 29 April 1997, in particular as regards the recipients' undertaking to carry out democratic, economic and institutional reforms;
  • implementing measures to strengthen the coherence and complementarity of assistance: the Commission and the Member States shall ensure coherence between Community assistance provided under the Regulation and financial assistance provided through other internal and external financial instruments;
  • regular evaluation of assistance: the Commission shall monitor and evaluate the implementation of assistance programmes. The Commission shall submit, by 31 December 2010, a report evaluating the implementation of this Regulation in the first three years, if appropriate with a legislative proposal introducing the necessary modifications.

Repeal: Regulations (EEC) No 3906/89 (PHARE), (EC) No 2760/98, (EC) No 1266/1999, (EC) No 1267/1999 (ISPA), (EC) No 1268/1999 (SAPARD), (EC) No 555/2000 (pre-accession assistance for Malta and Cyprus), (EC) No 2500/2001 (pre-accession assistance for Turkey) and (EC) No 2115/2005 shall be repealed as of 1 January 2007, except in the case of Bulgaria and Romania until their accession.

ENTRY INTO FORCE: the Regulation shall enter into force on 1 August 2006. It shall apply from 1 January 2007 until 31 December 2013.