Overview

The European Union is the world’s biggest donor providing more than half of all development aid worldwide. In order to cooperate with the EU successfully, and benefit from the funds, beneficiaries will have to comply with a multitude of regulations. EU financing instruments such as the Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA) necessitate extensive planning, reporting and a strictly result based management approach on the side of the beneficiaries to comply with all rules and prevent the withdrawal of funding.

The Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) is the means by which the EU supports reforms in the 'enlargement countries' with financial and technical help to build up the capacities of the countries throughout the accession process. Current beneficiaries are: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia, and Turkey.

For the period 2007-2013 IPA had a budget of some € 11.5 billion; its successor, IPA II, will build on the results already achieved by dedicating € 11.7 billion for the period 2014-2020. They help the beneficiaries make political and economic reforms, preparing them for the rights and obligations that come with EU membership. 

Programme

The two-day intensive workshop focuses on the key novelties of IPA II.

Prepared in partnership with the beneficiaries, IPA II sets a new framework for providing pre-accession assistance for the period 2014-2020. The most important novelty of IPA II is its strategic focus. Country Strategy Papers are the specific strategic planning documents made for each beneficiary for the 7-year period. These will provide for a stronger ownership by the beneficiaries through integrating their own reform and development agendas. A Multi-Country Strategy Paper will address priorities for regional cooperation or territorial cooperation.

IPA II targets reforms within the framework of pre-defined sectors. These sectors cover areas closely linked to the enlargement strategy, such as democracy and governance, rule of law or growth and competitiveness. Finally, it gives more weight to performance measurement: indicators agreed with the beneficiaries will help assess to what extent the expected results have been achieved.

• Process of Enlargement, status of (potential) candidate countries
• IPA II: Objectives, priorities and components
• Programming Process and Project Development
• Donor Coordination
• The West Balkan Investment Framework (WBIF)
• PRAG: Procurement rules and calls for proposals
• Monitoring and Evaluation

Who should participate?

• Officials from relevant institutions in WBIF beneficiaries
• Staff in eligible beneficiary countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia, and Turkey
• Officials from Ministry of European Integration or EU Affairs, Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy, for Growth, Competitiveness and SMEs, Ministry for Social and HR Affairs, Ministry for Rural Development and Agriculture
• Officers in programme management units, and heads and deputy heads of unit advising the accession negotiations
• Eligible project promoters
• External financiers from bilateral donors and financial institutions
• Consultancies and law firms specialized in EU Affairs and enlargement procedures
• Officers responsible for Twinning, TAIEX and cross-border projects under INTERREG or ETC

Experts:

• Massimo Cingolani, MM3, Blending EU/Accession Countries, European Investment Bank, Luxemburg
• Valentina Balkan & Hubert Warsman, WBIF Coordination Secretariat (IFICOORD) (tbc)
• Melinda Wezenaar, MDF Training & Consultancy, Brussels
• Johanna Sárközi, Hungarian Development Center, Budapest (tbc)
• Jan Dröge, Schuman Associates, Brussels
• Drasko Veselinovic, Slovenian Business and Research Association, Brussels
• Ivana Rasan Sladoljev, University of Zagreb, and former auditor at BDO Croatia Ltd, Zagreb

If you would like to receive the programme for this seminar or more information about it please contact Lena Brommer.