The Parliament and Council of the European Union negotiators reached an agreement on the instrument governing the 2021-2027 funding for countries on the path to EU membership.
The co-legislators have agreed on the priorities, objectives and governance of the modernised Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA III) financing. It will be worth 14.2 billion euros and will support the implementation of EU-related reforms in the seven partner countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Turkey.
The upgraded pre-accession instrument strengthens conditionality related to democracy, human rights and rule of law, envisaging the suspension of assistance in case of government backtracking in those areas.
The IPA III will step up strategic communication and the fight against disinformation and will contribute to the cross-cutting goals of climate and environmental protection, human rights and gender equality. The revised fund envisages improved donor coordination and enhanced consultations with civil society organisations and local and regional authorities.
The new instrument will also increase steer from the Union, with programming based on thematic priorities rather than country envelopes. This allows for rewarding performance and progress towards key priorities and an increased flexibility to respond to the evolving needs of the partners in their path towards accession.
(B92, 07.09.2021)
https://www.b92.net/biz/vesti/svet.php?yyyy=2021&mm=09&dd=07&nav_id=1919241
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