The paper is a draft regulation for the Pre-Accession Assistance and shall be seen in the context of revision of the External Aid framework for the forthcoming financial perspective within the period of 2007- 2013, which is currently ongoing. The purpose of the of the document in question is to harmonize as far as possible the EU’s external aid instruments. The draft comprises 21 Articles and 2 Annexes, besides, the comments with respect to every individual Article are provided. The draft regulation constitutes a framework regulation, establishing a unified instrument for pre-accession assistance. The beneficiary countries (i.e. Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia und Montenegro, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Croatia and Turkey) are divided into two categories, depending on their status as either Candidate Countries (listed in Annex II) or potential Candidate Countries (listed in Annex I). The idea is that the potential Candidate Countries will continue to receive assistance along the lines currently laid down in the CARDS-Regulation. The Candidate Countries will obtain the same kind of assistance and will additionally be favored in preparation of the implementation Structural and Rural Development Funds after Accession as well as concerning full implementation of the acquis communautaire. A country can move from Annex I to Annex II only after the decision of the Council giving it Candidate status. In addition the IPA legislative financial statement including the budget lines, overall financial estimate, budget characteristics, follow-up and evaluation procedures and anti-fraud measures is attached.