Structural Funds and Investment Funds -
The Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund are the financial instruments of European Union regional policy, which is intended to narrow the development disparities among regions and the Member States. The Funds participate fully, therefore, in pursuing the goal of economic, social and territorial cohesion. Examples include the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF).
Support for the Western Balkans as EU candidate and potential candidate countries is available via the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA). The countries of the Western Balkans are involved in several programmes of the "European Territorial Cooperation" (see Interreg) as well as several cross-border cooperation programmes.
