Report from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council and the European Economic and Social Committee. 2013 annual report on financial assistance for enlargement (IPA, PHARE, CARDS, Turkey Pre-Accession Instrument, Transition Facility)

The overall objective of the enlargement policy is to implement Article 49 of the Treaty on European Union which offers the prospect of EU membership to all European countries that respect the fundamental values of the EU and are committed to promoting them. The current enlargement agenda covers the Western Balkans, Turkey and Iceland. In 2013, the enlargement countries further advanced on their path towards the European Union. There were a number of positive developments in the candidate countries and potential candidates, including progress made on EU-related reforms. Accession negotiations with Iceland were put on hold by the Icelandic government in May 2013 and will only be resumed by the Icelandic side if the government decides to continue on the path towards EU membership.

The policy objectives of the Commission in the field of enlargement are supported by the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA). The instrument is the means by which the EU supports reforms towards alignment to EU standards and acquis in the enlargement countries through both financial and technical help. IPA funds build up the capacities of the countries throughout the accession process, thus resulting in progressive, positive developments in the region.

IPA replaced the previous instruments for pre-accession: PHARE, ISPA, SAPARD, the pre-accession instrument for Turkey, and the financial instrument for the Western Balkans, CARDS. Since 2007, the enlargement countries have received EU funding and support through this single channel.

This Report briefly refers to the political context in which EU-funded activities took place, as assessed in the Enlargement Package. It then highlights the progress made to improve strategic planning, providing an overview on programme/project implementation, and the on-going pogramming process and the enhancement of donor coordination. Analysis of past experience, provided also through several evaluations, is used to draw recommendations for further improving the impact of IPA funds beyond 2014. In line with the EU Enlargement Strategy 2013-2014, particular emphasis is put on the approach of "fundamentals first".

As of 2014, the new Instrument for Pre-Accession Funding (IPA II) replaces its predecessor. The allocations foreseen for the 2014–2020 period amount to €11.7 billion. Based on lessons learnt from the planning and implementation in the previous financial period, including two IPA interim- and meta-evaluations, pre-accession assistance will be more closely linked to the enlargement policy priorities, and based on a more results-oriented and strategic approach targeting key reforms in the enlargement countries.

• Primary Source

EUR-Lex: COM(2014)610: Follow the progress of this report through the decision-making procedure http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/HIS/?uri=COM:2014:610:FIN

EUR-Lex: SWD(2014)287: Background document http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=SWD:2014:287:FIN

---