Final EU pre-accession funding to help Croatia become a successful EU Member State

Brussels, 14-12-2012 — /europawire.eu/ — The European Commission has approved the last pre-accession and transition assistance programme for Croatia. The €46,8 million programme will focus on strengthening administrative capacity for an efficient justice system and the protection of fundamental rights. The funding will also support Croatia’s on-going efforts to build a modern, transparent, and citizen-oriented public service.

“Croatia is almost there. I am confident this year’s programme will help Croatia reach its last goals in preparing for the entry and become a successful EU Member State”, said EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Štefan Füle.

As well as focusing on key reform areas, the last pre-accession programme will also help upgrade the border infrastructure in Tovarnik and Maljevac, rehabilitate the Turopolje Correctional Institute, provide support for Croatian Civil Society Organisations, and finance de-mining activities in Lika-Senj, Sisak-Moslavina, and Zadar County.

Since 2007, the EU has made available a total of €998 million in financial support to Croatia under pre-accession assistance (IPA). All these funds have now been allocated. As a future EU Member State, Croatia will subsequently benefit from Structural and Cohesion funds.

Background

Since 2007, countries wishing to join the EU have received focused EU funding and support through a single channel – the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA). The total pre-accession funding for the period 2007-2013 is €11.5 billion. IPA consists of five components:

Component I: Transition Assistance and Institution Building – yearly National Programme

Component II: Cross-Border Cooperation

Component III: Regional Development

Component IV: Human Resources Development

Component V: Rural Development

The execution of EU pre-accession aid begins with the definition of the Commission’s intentions in terms of indicative financial allocations. This is followed by the adoption of the IPA strategic document, i.e. the Multi-annual Indicative Planning Document, based on the countries’ specific needs and setting out the priorities for EU financial assistance for the period 2011-2013. The next step is the preparation, along with the beneficiaries, of programmes to set the frame for the yearly financial allocation. Finally, the programmes are implemented through specific projects on the country or at the regional level.

For more information:

Croatia country profile:

http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/countries/detailed-country-information/croatia/index_en.htm