The Instrument for PreAccession Assistance

1
The Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance

• An overview
• DG Enlargement
• Head of Unit Financial Instruments coordination
• January 2006

2
Main characteristics of IPA

• An integrated Pre-Accession Instrument to assist
  candidate (Croatia, Turkey) and potential
  candidate (Western Balkan) countries
• Replaces Phare, ISPA, SAPARD and Turkey
  pre-accession instruments, as well as the CARDS
  instrument
• Expected financial envelope (200713) after
  European Council conclusions on Financial
  Perspectives
• approximately 10. 5 billion (constant
  prices)

3
Structure of IPA

• Five components
• Transition Assistance and Institution Building
  (I)
• Regional and Cross-Border Co-operation (II)
• Regional Development (III)
• Human Resources Development (IV)
• Rural Development (V)

4
Targeted assistance under IPA

• Streamlined pre-accession assistance through the
  creation of a single framework
• both Candidate and potential Candidate Countries
  united under the same Regulation
• Specificities of Candidate Countries and
  potential Candidate Countries (as recognised by
  the European Council) taken into account
• Two separate annexes in the proposed IPA Council
  regulation and differentiated access to IPA
  components

5
Differentiation under IPA

• Potential candidates support for participation
  in the Stabilisation and Association process all
  the way to their future accession, with access to
  the first two IPA components eligibility for
  components III, IV and V-type measures under
  component I
• Candidate countries access to all 5 components
  to help countries to
• Adopt and implement the acquis
• Implement EU funds on accession

6
Regulatory framework (1)

• IPA
• Council Framework Regulation
• COM(2004) 627 of 29 Sept. 2004, currently
  negotiated with Council and Parliament
• detailed Implementing Regulation
• prepared by Commission,
• subject to comitology

7
Regulatory framework (2)

• Framework Regulation
• In Council well received more general concerns,
  common to all instruments of external relations
  package, than specific issues adoption hoped
  for early second quarter 2006
• In Parliament Some horizontal issues related to
  the whole Relex package question of the legal
  base for IPA (Article 181a) Parliamentary
  plenary expected to pronounce on the whole Relex
  package end March 2006

8
Regulatory framework (3)

• Implementing Regulation
• Single Implementing regulation aiming at
  harmonising implementing rules between
  components, whenever more efficient and/or
  effective (auditing and control, monitoring,)
• Components may apply different implementing
  methods where justified by need to anticipate
  Structural, Cohesion and Rural Development Funds
  implementing modalities and institutional
  framework

9
General policy and programming framework (1)

• Political and Financial Framework Multi- annual
  Indicative Financial Framework (MIFF), per
  country and per component, 3 years rolling
  forward, included in enlargement package.
• Strategic planning Multi-annual Indicative
  Planning Documents (MIPD), per country and for
  all components, following the logic of the MIFF.
• Specific programming by country and by component

10
General policy and programming framework (2)
For candidate countries I. II. III.
Enlargement package, including Multi-annual
Indicative Financial Framework (MIFF by country
and by component)
Multi-annual Indicative Planning Document by
country
I
II
III
IV
V
programme
programme
programme
programme
programme
11
Comitology

• Commission proposal
• Overall co-ordination is ensured by the
  Transition and IB or IPA Management Committee, to
  which MIPD will be submitted. Annual or
  multi-annual programmes submitted for
  information.
• Decisions concerning the Regional, HRD and Rural
  development components submitted to respective
  existing Committees (ERDF, ESF, etc.)

12
Next steps

• Adoption of the IPA framework Regulation
• Presentation of the IPA Implementing regulation
  to the relevant Committees and adoption
• As soon as agreement on breakdown for Heading IV,
  establishment of the multi-annual indicative
  financial framework MIFF
• Strategic planning per country, all components
  (MIPD)
• Specific programming per country, per component

13
Conclusion

• Building on lessons learned, for all
  beneficiary countries
• Single legal base more coherence and
  co-ordination in assistance under IPA
• Five components targeted and more efficient
  assistance
• Single implementing regulation harmonisation of
  implementing procedures to the maximum possible
  extent