Press Release: Commission proposes to simplify and accelerate assistance to the Western Balkans

The European Commission adopted 10.5.00 a proposal for a Regulation on assistance to the countries of the Western Balkans. This Regulation will unify in one legal basis, with a single set of uniform procedures, assistance to the entire region which currently comes under the OBNOVA and PHARE programmes. This will help to simplify and speed up the provision of assistance. The proposed Regulation sets out the main objectives, which are to support the participation of the recipient countries in the stabilisation and association process, which, as stated by the Lisbon European Council, is the centrepiece of European Union policy in the region.