Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance
Legal basis: Regulation (EC) No 1085/2006 of 17 July 2006 establishing an Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA).
Objectives: The Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) is the EC financial instrument for the pre-accession process for the period 2007-2013. Assistance is provided on the basis of the European Partnerships of the potential candidate countries and the Accession Partnerships of the candidate countries, i.e. the Western Balkan countries and Turkey.
The IPA is based on strategic multi-annual planning established in accordance with the broad political guidelines set out in the Commission's enlargement package, which now includes a Multi-annual Indicative Financial Framework (MIFF). The MIFF takes the form of a table presenting the Commission's intentions for the allocation of funds for the three forthcoming years, broken down by beneficiary and by component, on the basis of the needs and the administrative and management capacity of the country concerned and compliance with the Copenhagen criteria.
The strategic planning introduced under the IPA is made up of multi-annual indicative planning documents, with the MIFF constituting the reference framework. They are established for each beneficiary country and cover the main intervention areas envisaged for that country.
As regards action on the ground, annual or multi-annual programmes (depending on the component) based on the indicative planning documents, are adopted by the Commission. They are implemented in three ways: by centralised, decentralised or shared management.
Assistance under the IPA can take, inter alia, the following forms:
- investment, procurement contracts or subsidies;
- administrative cooperation, involving experts sent from the Member States;
- action by the Union acting in the interest of the beneficiary country;
- measures to support the implementation process and management of the programmes;
- budget support (granted exceptionally and subject to supervision).
Eligibility: The rules of participation and origin for implementing the different programmes launched under the IPA are relatively flexible, thus ensuring that the instrument is effective. Participation in the award of procurement or grant contracts is open to all natural persons who are nationals of a Member State, to legal persons who are established in a Member State of the EU or the European Economic Area (EEA), a country that is a beneficiary of the IPA or a country that is a beneficiary of the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI), and to international organisations.
Participation is also open to natural and legal persons from countries other than those mentioned above where these countries enjoy reciprocal access to Union external assistance. Reciprocal access is based on a country's or regional group of countries' status as a donor and is subject to a Commission decision adopted after consulting the IPA Committee.
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