The European Commission finalised, on 20 December, a series of aid programmes to support reforms in countries wishing to join the EU. The funding, totalling almost €1 billion, comes under the budget of the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA), and will be available to Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, as well as Kosovo, Turkey and Iceland.

These actions are funded through IPA 2011, under the Transition Assistance and Institution Building and Cross-Border Cooperation components. They are based on the priorities set out by the EU and have been designed together with the governments concerned, local stakeholders and other donors.

This year’s funding focuses on better governance, with projects aiming at further reinforcement of administrative capacity, more efficient use of EU assistance, adoption and enforcement of EU standards, further support to reforms in public administration, as well as in the judiciary and fundamental rights and the continued support to the fight against organised crime and corruption.

Allocations (euro):

- Albania: 82,000,000

- Bosnia and Herzegovina: 91,280,000

- Croatia: 39,159,128

- FYROM: 28,903,410

- Iceland: 12,000,000

- Kosovo: 62,900,000

- Montenegro: 26,493,599

- Serbia: 178,556,810

- Turkey (including participation in European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument): 232,968,023.00

- Multi-beneficiary and other programmes: 210,436,237