COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT BACKGROUND DOCUMENT TO THE REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL AND THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE#2009 ANNUAL REPORT ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE INSTRUMENT FOR PRE-ACCESSION ASSISTANCE (IPA)
Date: 2010-11-25
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye, accession criteria, accession negotiations, pre-accession aid

EUROPEAN COMMISSION  

Brussels, 1.12.2010 

SEC(2010) 1430 final/2 

CORRIGENDUM 
Annule et remplace le document SEC(2009) 1430 final du 25.11.2010 
Correction de l'année de la cote 

COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 

BACKGROUND DOCUMENT TO THE REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO 
THE PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL AND THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND 
SOCIAL COMMITTEE 

2009 ANNUAL REPORT ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE INSTRUMENT 
FOR PRE-ACCESSION ASSISTANCE (IPA) 

COM(2010) 687 

EN 

  EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 

INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………………………………..............5 

PART I: COUNTRY SECTION………………………………………………………………………………….....9

1. 

1.1. 

1.2. 

ALBANIA.................................................................................................................... 9 

The year in review........................................................................................................ 9 

IPA programming and implementation in 2009......................................................... 10 

1.2.1.  MIPD 2009-2011....................................................................................................... 10 

1.2.2.  Programming exercise ............................................................................................. 11 

1.2.3. 

Implementation Modalities and Structures ........................................................... 16 

1.2.4.  Overview of IPA projects/contracts implemented in 2009................................... 18 

1.3. 

1.4. 

2. 

2.1. 

2.2. 

Coherence, compatibility and coordination of aid ..................................................... 21 

Monitoring.................................................................................................................. 22 

BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA ................................................................................ 23 

The year in review...................................................................................................... 23 

IPA programming and implementation in 2009......................................................... 23 

2.2.1.  MIPD 2009 – 2011 .................................................................................................... 23 

2.2.2.  Programming exercise ............................................................................................. 25 

2.2.3. 

Implementation Modalities and Structures ........................................................... 28 

2.2.4.  Overview of IPA projects/contracts implemented in 2009................................... 29 

2.3. 

2.4. 

3. 

3.1. 

3.2. 

Coherence, compatibility and coordination of aid ..................................................... 31 

Monitoring.................................................................................................................. 31 

CROATIA .................................................................................................................. 32 

The year in review...................................................................................................... 32 

IPA programming and implementation in 2009......................................................... 32 

3.2.1.  MIPD 2009-2011....................................................................................................... 32 

3.2.2.  Programming exercise ............................................................................................. 33 

3.2.3. 

Implementation Modalities and Structures ........................................................... 39 

3.2.4.  Overview of IPA Implementation in 2009 ............................................................. 40 

3.3. 

3.4. 

4. 

Coherence, compatibility and coordination of aid ..................................................... 44 

Monitoring.................................................................................................................. 45 

THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA................................ 46 

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4.1. 

4.2. 

The year in review...................................................................................................... 46 

IPA programming and implementation in 2009......................................................... 46 

4.2.1.  MIPD 2009-2011....................................................................................................... 46 

4.2.2.  Programming exercise ............................................................................................. 48 

4.2.3. 

Implementation Modalities and Structures ........................................................... 55 

4.2.4.  Overview of IPA projects/contracts implemented in 2009................................... 55 

4.3. 

4.4. 

5. 

5.1. 

5.2. 

Coherence, compatibility and coordination of aid ..................................................... 61 

Monitoring.................................................................................................................. 62 

KOSOVO (under UNSCR 1244/99).......................................................................... 63 

The year in review...................................................................................................... 63 

IPA programming and implementation in 2009......................................................... 63 

5.2.1.  MIPD 2009-2011....................................................................................................... 63 

5.2.2.  Programming exercise ............................................................................................. 64 

5.2.3. 

Implementation Modalities and Structures ........................................................... 66 

5.2.4.  Overview of IPA projects/contracts implemented in 2009................................... 66 

5.3. 

5.4. 

6. 

6.1. 

6.2. 

Coherence, compatibility and coordination of aid ..................................................... 69 

Monitoring.................................................................................................................. 69 

MONTENEGRO........................................................................................................ 71 

The year in review...................................................................................................... 71 

IPA programming and implementation in 2009......................................................... 71 

6.2.1.  MIPD 2009-2011....................................................................................................... 71 

6.2.2.  Programming exercise ............................................................................................. 73 

6.2.3. 

Implementation Modalities and Structures ........................................................... 77 

6.2.4.  Overview of IPA projects/contracts implemented in 2009................................... 78 

6.3. 

6.4. 

7. 

7.1. 

7.2. 

Coherence, compatibility and coordination of aid ..................................................... 82 

Monitoring.................................................................................................................. 83 

SERBIA...................................................................................................................... 84 

The year in review...................................................................................................... 84 

IPA programming and implementation in 2009......................................................... 84 

7.2.1.  MIPD 2009-2011....................................................................................................... 84 

7.2.2.  Programming exercise ............................................................................................. 85 

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7.2.3. 

Implementation modalities and structures ............................................................ 89 

7.2.4.  Overview of IPA projects/contracts implemented in 2009................................... 89 

7.3. 

7.4. 

8. 

8.1. 

8.2. 

Coherence, compatibility and coordination of aid ..................................................... 95 

Monitoring.................................................................................................................. 95 

TURKEY.................................................................................................................... 97 

The year in review...................................................................................................... 97 

IPA programming and implementation in 2009......................................................... 97 

8.2.1.  MIPD 2009-2011....................................................................................................... 97 

8.2.2.  Programming exercise ............................................................................................. 99 

8.2.3. 

Implementation Modalities and Structures ......................................................... 104 

8.2.4.  Overview of IPA projects/contracts implemented in 2009................................. 106 

8.3. 

8.4. 

Coherence, compatibility and coordination of aid ................................................... 111 

Monitoring................................................................................................................ 112

PART II: MULTIBENEFICIARY AND REGIONAL PROGRAMMES………………………...114
MULTI-BENEFICIARY ......................................................................................... 114 
9. 

9.1. 

9.2. 

The year in review.................................................................................................... 114 

IPA programming and implementation in 2009....................................................... 114 

9.2.1.  MIPD 2009-2011..................................................................................................... 114 

9.2.2.  Programming exercise ........................................................................................... 116 

9.2.3. 

Implementation Modalities and Structures ......................................................... 119 

9.2.4.  Overview of IPA projects/contracts implemented in 2009................................. 119 

9.3. 

9.4. 

Coherence, compatibility and coordination of aid ................................................... 134 

Monitoring................................................................................................................ 134 

PART III: FINANCIAL DATA……………………………………………………….........................................136 

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INTRODUCTION 

The IPA instrument 

Since 1 January 2007, EU pre-accession funding has been channelled through a single, unified 
instrument,  the  Instrument  for  Pre-accession  Assistance  (IPA),  designed  to  deliver  focused 
support  to  both  candidate  countries1  and  potential  candidates2.  IPA  (Council  Regulation  No 
1085/2006  of  17  July  2006)  is  the  successor  to  the  former  pre–accession  instruments 
PHARE3,  ISPA4,  SAPARD5,  the  Turkish  pre-accession  instrument6  as  well  as  the  financial 
instrument for the Western Balkans, i.e. CARDS7. 

In order to achieve each country's objectives in  the  most  efficient  way,  IPA  is  structured  in 
five different components: 

I.  Transition  Assistance  and  Institution  Building,  aimed  at  financing  institution  building 
measures and associated investment; 

II. Cross-Border Co-operation (CBC), to support cross-border cooperation between candidate 
countries/potential  candidates  and  with  EU  Member  States.  It  may  also  fund  relevant 
participation  in  trans-national  co–operation  programmes  (Structural  Funds)  and  Sea  Basin 
programmes (European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument - ENPI); 

III. Regional Development, which finances investments and associated technical assistance in 
areas such as transport, environment and economic cohesion; 

IV. Human Resources Development, to strengthen human capital and help combat exclusion; 

V.  Rural  Development,  which  finances  rural  development-type  measures  and  contributes  to 
the sustainable development of rural areas. It also provides assistance to the restructuring of 
agriculture and its adaptation to EU standards in the areas of environmental protection, public 
health, animal and plant health, animal welfare.  

Components  I  and  II  are  open  to  all  beneficiaries.  Components  III,  IV  and  V  are  open  to 
candidate  countries  only,  and  are  designed  to  mirror  Structural,  Cohesion  and  Rural 
Development Funds in order to prepare candidate countries for the management of such EU 
funds  upon  accession.  This  requires  beneficiary  countries  to  have  adequate  administrative 

1 

2 
3 
4 

5 

6 
7 

Croatia,  the  former  Yugoslav  Republic  of  Macedonia  and  Turkey.  As  Iceland  became  formally  a 
beneficiary of IPA assistance only in 2010, this annual report does not yet cover for programming and 
implementation of IPA assistance to Iceland. References to candidate countries in the text of this report 
and  in  the  background  document  must  be  understood  to  refer  only  to  Croatia,  the  former  Yugoslav 
Republic of Macedonia and Turkey.  
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo under UNSCR 1244/99.  
Council Regulation (EEC) No 3906/89 of 19 December 1989. 
Instrument for Structural Policies for Pre-Accession, Council Regulation (EC) No 1267/1999 of 21 June 
1999. 
Special  Accession  Programme  for  Agriculture  and  Rural  Development,  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No 
1268/1999 of 21 June 1999. 
Council Regulation (EC) No 2500/2001 of 17 December 2001. 
Community  Assistance  for  Reconstruction,  Development  and  Stabilisation,  Council  Regulation  (EC) 
No 2666/2000 of 5 December 2000. 

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capacity and structures to take responsibility for the management of assistance. For potential 
candidates,  regional-,  human  resources-  and  rural  development–type  measures  can  be 
implemented through Component I. 

Within  the  Commission,  DG  Enlargement  (ELARG)  manages  component  I  and  part  of 
component II. DG Regional Policy (REGIO) manages the part of component II under shared 
management  with  Member  States  and  is  responsible  for  component  III.  DG  Employment, 
Social  Affairs  and  Equal  Opportunities  (EMPL)  is  responsible  for  component  IV  and  DG 
Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) has responsibility for component V. DG ELARG 
leads  in  the  coordination  of  the  instrument  as  a  whole  and  defines  the  overall  Enlargement 
strategy (the Enlargement Strategy Paper and the annual Progress Reports that constitute the 
so called ‘Enlargement package’, published every autum). 

As  part  of  the  ‘Enlargement  package’,  and  in  accordance  with  Article  5  of  the  IPA 
Regulation, the Multiannual Indicative Financial Framework (MIFF) provides the indicative 
breakdown of the overall IPA envelope by country and by component for a three year rolling 
period. The MIFF acts as the link between the political framework within the ‘Enlargement 
package’ and the budgetary process.  

Based  on  MIFF  allocations,  and  on  the  priorities  identified  within  the  political  framework 
defined by the accession strategy, Multi-annual Indicative Planning documents (MIPDs) are 
established for each country and for the multi-beneficiary programme. They give a three-year 
strategic perspective and represent the Commission's view of major areas of interventions and 
main priorities that beneficiary countries are expected to develop in detail in the programming 
documents. The MIPDs are reviewed annually.  

Annual  or  multi-annual  programmes  are  then  designed  in  accordance  with  the  relevant 
MIPDs.  

Component I assistance is programmed by the Commission in the form of annual/national and 
multi-beneficiary programmes, managed either by the Commission, directly or indirectly, or 
by the beneficiary, or jointly with other donors, as appropriate. Annual/national programmes 
consist  of  Financing  Proposals  prepared  by  the  Commission  on  the  basis  of  Project  Fiches 
submitted by the IPA beneficiaries, or prepared by the Commission in the case of regional and 
horizontal  Multi-beneficiary  programmes,  following  consultation  with  stakeholders  and 
donors and after the positive opinion of the IPA Management Committee. 

IPA  Component  II  cross–border  cooperation  encompasses  two  strands:  cross–border 
cooperation  between  candidate  countries/potential  candidates  and  cross–border  cooperation 
between  them  and  neighbouring  EU  Member  States.  Additionally,  IPA  Component  II  may 
also  support  the  participation  of  candidate  countries  and  potential  candidates  in  Structural 
the  European  Regional 
Funds' 
Development Fund – ERDF, in the context of the European Territorial Cooperation objective) 
and  in  the  European  Neighbourhood  Policy  Instrument  (ENPI)  Sea–Basin  cooperation 
programmes. 

transnational  cooperation  programmes  (financed  by 

Assistance  to  cross–border  cooperation  under  Component  II  is  delivered  on  the  basis  of 
multi–annual  cross–border  programmes  currently  covering  the  period  2007-2011,  jointly 
drawn  up  by  the  participating  countries,  and  is  granted  through  annual  financing  decisions 
which  are  also  subject  to  the  positive  opinion  of  the  IPA  Management  Committee. 
Concerning  participation  in  the  ERDF  transnational  programmes  or  the  ENPI  Sea–Basin 

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programmes, IPA assistance is granted through annual Financing Decisions on a country–by–
country basis. 

Similarly to Structural Funds, programming of Components III and IV is made through multi-
annual  programmes,  prepared  initially  for  three  years,  but  which  can  be  extended  to  cover 
additional  years.  On  the  basis  of  the  Strategic  Coherence  Frameworks  and  in  consultation 
with relevant stakeholders, candidate countries draft multi-annual operational programmes per 
component (Component IV) or per theme (transport, environment, regional competitiveness - 
Component  III)  which  are  then  agreed  with the  Commission  for  formal  adoption,  following 
consultation of the relevant Member States Committee: Coordination Committee for the funds 
(COCOF)  for  Component  III  and  COCOF  and  European  Social  Fund  (ESF)  Committee  for 
Component IV. 

Based on the approach used for preparing the rural development programmes for the Member 
States, Component V assistance is programmed on a multi-annual basis covering the period 
2007-2013. However, in line with the MIPD, the financial envelope was initially specified for 
the  years  2007-2009  only  and  is  subject  to  a  yearly  update  in  order  to  include  financial 
allocations for the subsequent years. After consultations with stakeholders, the programmes as 
well  as  the  modifications  are  adopted  by  the  Commission  following  consultation  of  the  EU 
Member States in the Rural Development Committee (RDC).  

In view of the time necessary to set up the fully decentralised implementation system on the 
basis  of  which  assistance  under  component  V  can  be  delivered,  and  based  on  related 
SAPARD8  experience,  financial  allocations  for  Component  V  follow  normally  a  phasing-in 
approach  with  a  back  loading  of  IPA  Rural  Development  funds.  Funding  for  the  first  four 
years of the implementation period (2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010) therefore represents a lower 
percentage of the full Component V allocation, which is due to increase considerably in the 
following years. Croatia represents the only exception to this rule as it was the only candidate 
country  which  set  up  the  SAPARD  system  to  profit  from  SAPARD  funds  prior  to  the 
implementation of the IPA Rural Development component. 

Implementation modalities 

Pre-accession assistance is implemented through a variety of management modes which take 
into account the different levels of preparedness of the beneficiary countries. In practice, by 
the  end  of  the  reporting  period  seven  different  kinds  of  management  modes  could  be 
distinguished: 

o  Centralised direct – central: funds are managed by the Commission services in Brussels 
(e.g.  horizontal  and  multi-beneficiary  programmes  such  as  Nuclear  Safety  and  Tempus, 
parts of the Multi-beneficiary-programme proper); 

o  Centralised direct – de-concentrated: funds are managed by the EU Delegations under the 
supervision  of  Commission  services  in  Brussels  (e.g.  most  of  Component  I  and 
Component II for Albania; Component I for Serbia, Components I and II for Montenegro, 
Component  I  for  Kosovo,  Components  I  and  II  of  IPA  2007  and  2008  for  Bosnia  and 
Herzegovina);  

o  Centralised indirect: management of funds is delegated to third parties such as specialised 
EU bodies or national or international public sector bodies (some projects under IPA 2008 
Component I for Albania and under IPA 2009 Component I for Bosnia and Herzegovina); 

8 

Special Accession Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development. 

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o  Decentralised with ex-ante control: funds are managed by accredited national authorities 
of  the  beneficiary  ,  but  procurement  is  subject  to  ex  ante  control  by  the  EU  Delegation 
(Components  I  to  IV  in  Croatia  and  Turkey  and  Components  III  and  IV  in  the  former 
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia); 

o  Decentralised  without  ex-ante  control:  funds  are  managed  by  accredited  national 
authorities of the beneficiary and are not subject to ex-ante controls by the EU Delegation 
(component V in Croatia9, Turkey and in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia10); 

o  Shared:  funds  are  managed  by  a  managing  authority  located  in  participating  Member 

States (Component II CBCs with Member States);  

o  Joint:  funds  are  jointly  managed  with  International  Organisations,  such  as  the  EBRD, 
Sigma, UN agencies (e.g. part of the Multi-beneficiary-programme, infrastructure support 
projects in Albania and in Bosnia and Herzegovina under Component I of IPA 2009, parts 
of Component I for Kosovo).  

9 
10 

For two measures out of seven. 
For three measures out of four under the IPARD Programme. 

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PART I: COUNTRY SECTION 

1. 

ALBANIA 

1.1. 

The year in review  

Albania  applied  for  EU  membership  in  April  2009.  After  the  Council  requested  the 
Commission  on  16  November  2009  to  prepare  an  Opinion  on  Albania's  application,  a 
Questionnaire  was  sent  to  Albania  in  December  2009.  The  Stabilisation  and  Association 
Agreement (SAA) entered into force in April 2009 and up to the end of the reporting period 
implementation was progressing smoothly on the whole. Albania continued to make progress 
in  addressing  the  political  criteria  in  line  with  the  European  Partnership.  Parliamentary 
elections were held in June 2009, which were assessed by the OSCE/ODIHR as meeting most 
international standards, but further efforts were needed to address recommendations for future 
elections.  According  to  the  OSCE/ODIHR  report,  tangible  progress  with  regard  to  voter 
identification,  legal  framework  and  voting  took  place,  but  the  politicisation  of  technical 
processes,  such  as  the  vote  count,  remained  to  be  addressed.  After  the  elections,  the 
opposition  Socialist  Party  (SP)  started  a  parliamentary  boycott,  which  by  the  end  of  the 
reporting period had not yet come to an end. Political dialogue between the two main parties 
deteriorated and continued to be a major source of concern.  

The  main  issues  in  Albania  revolved  around  strengthening  democracy  and  the  rule  of  law, 
reforming the judicial system, and continuing with efforts to fight corruption. The capacity of 
the  Albanian  institutions  in  these  areas  remained  to  a  large  extent  limited,  in  particular  as 
regarded  the  judiciary's  independence,  transparency  and  efficiency,  the  implementation  of 
public administration reform and the fight against corruption and organised crime, even if an 
important work was done in the framework of the visa liberalisation dialogue.  

Some  progress  was  registered  regarding  human  rights  and  the  protection  of  minorities,  for 
which  the  legal  framework  was  broadly  in  place.  However,  further  efforts  were  needed  in 
order  to  improve  the  enforcement  of  legislation  in  a  number  of  fields.  Areas  of  special 
concern were the situation of the Roma population and freedom of expression. In relation to 
the latter, the joint EU-Council of Europe Action plan on media reform aimed at improving 
the overall climate of media regulation in Albania. 

In addition, the implementation of the SAA, which  started after final  ratification on 1 April 
2009, demanded strong administrative capacities in almost all acquis related areas in order to 
meet  the  requirements  identified  in  the  SAA.  Structural  reforms  were  not  yet  fully 
implemented  and  more  efforts  were  needed  in  the  economic  area  to  improve  the  business 
environment.  

The  economy  of  Albania  maintained  macroeconomic  stability  despite  the  global  crisis. 
However,  economic  growth  slowed  down  in  2009  as  a  consequence  of  reduced  exports, 
remittances  and  credit  growth.  Nevertheless,  Albanian  growth  rates  exceeded  those  of 
regional neighbours.  

In their assessment of Albania’s implementation of the roadmap for visa liberalisation in June 
2009, Commission services concluded that, despite the important progress made, Albania had 
not  yet  fully  met  all  the  agreed  benchmarks.  The  Commission  continued  to  monitor  the 
implementation  of  benchmarks  by  the  country,  while  intensifying  cooperation  with  the 

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Albanian authorities. In this context, until the end of the year Albania made good progress in 
meeting the criteria. 

For  more  details  on  developments  in  2009  in  Albania’s  preparation  for  EU  membership, 
please refer to the Commission’s 2009 Progress Report on Albania11.  

1.2. 

IPA programming and implementation in 2009 

1.2.1.  MIPD 2009-2011 

As a potential candidate country, in 2009 Albania benefited from IPA Components I and II. 
The Multi-annual Indicative Planning Document (MIPD) 2009-2011 was adopted on 31 July 
2009.  

The indicative allocations to Albania under the Multi-annual Indicative Financial Framework 
(MIFF)  for  the  period  2009-2011  amounted  to  EUR  269.4  million,  as  specified  in  Table  1 
below. Assistance was in line with the recommendations of the 2008 Enlargement Strategy12 
and  Progress  Report  as  well  as  with  the  priorities  stated  in  the  European  Partnership  and 
addressed the requirements under the SAA. 

More  specifically  for  the  period  2009–2011,  EU  assistance  to  Albania  should  address  key 
issues  such  as  public  administration  reform  and  rule  of  law  enforcement,  in  particular  as 
regarded  good  governance  and  anti-corruption  measures.  This  emphasis  was  reflected  in  a 
further  increase  of  funds  allocated  to  the  area  of  political  requirements  for  the  IPA  2009 
envelope  compared  to  previous  programmes.  Strengthening  of  the  administrative  capacity 
with  a  view  to  the  implementation  of  the  SAA  was  given  a  high  priority,  to  support  the 
Albanian authorities in fulfilling the requirements of that agreement. There was also a need to 
further  support  structural  reforms  in  the  country  and  invest  in  related  infrastructure,  in 
particular in the area of regional development and acquis related infrastructure. 

The  strategic  objectives  identified  in  the  MIPD  2009-2011  responded  to  the  European 
Partnership  priorities,  the  2008  Progress  Report  and  the  SAA  requirements.  Assistance  was 
supposed to support the implementation of Albania’s 2007 National Strategy for Development 
and  Integration,  the  2007-2012  National  Plan  for  the  Approximation  of  the  Legislation  and 
the SAA, as well as other relevant strategies in areas related to the EU integration process. 

The  2009-2011  MIPD  foresaw  that  IPA  support  under  Component  I  for  the  corresponding 
period,  amounting  to  EUR  237.9  million  (see  Table  1  below),  should  assist  Albania  in  the 
following main areas:  

Political criteria: Particular attention was paid to assisting Albania in addressing fundamental 
issues  such  as  good  governance  and  the  rule  of  law.  IPA  support  contributed  primarily  to 
improving the political system so as to ensure better functioning of the executive, legislative 
and  judiciary,  a  more  effective  fight  against  corruption  and  organised  crime,  strengthened 
public administration, financial control and better involvement of civil society in the political 
process.  The  preparation  for  decentralised  management  of  EU  assistance  also  required 
intensive support. 

11 

12 

Albania  2009  Progress  Report,  SEC(2009)  1337  of  14  October  2009,  available  at 
http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/pdf/key_documents/2009/al_rapport_2009_en.pdf.  
Communication  from  the  Commission  to  the  Council  and  the  European  Parliament:  Enlargement 
Strategy  and  Main  Challenges  2008-2009,  COM(2008)674 
final,  of  5  November  2008, 
http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/pdf/press_corner/key-
documents/reports_nov_2008/strategy_paper_incl_countryconclu_en.pdf.  

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Economic criteria: To ensure complementarity with other donors, EU support under this axis 
concentrated on economic, fiscal and trade policies and the banking system, structural reforms 
to  support  regional  development  (including  cultural  heritage  activities),  social  policies, 
education and employment and development. 

Ability to assume the obligations of membership: priority was given to supporting Albania’s 
progressive  alignment  with  the  acquis  in  the  areas  of  internal  market,  agriculture  and  rural 
development,  food  safety,  veterinary  and  phytosanitary  policy,  environment,  energy, 
transport,  integrated  border  management,  visa  and  migration,  fight  against  organised  crime 
with a focus on obligations under the SAA. Support was provided for the establishment and 
capacity  building  of  agencies  and  institutions  required  for  the  implementation  and 
enforcement of sectoral policies. 

Support programmes: these programmes were foreseen to allow Albania to participate in EU 
agencies and institutions, as well as in EU-funded  programmes. 

With regard to support for Cross-Border Co-operation under IPA Component II, amounting to 
EUR 31.5 million for the period 2009 – 2011, the MIPD foresaw that it should address cross-
border activities between Albania and EU Member States as well as with adjacent candidate 
countries and potential candidates. 

Continuity  was  ensured  between  the  MIPD  2008-2010  and  the  MIPD  2009-2011,  as 
developments  in  the  country  did  not  justify  a  radical  change.  In  line  with  the  2008 
Enlargement Strategy, continued focus was put on support for projects in the context of the 
political criteria. More emphasis was laid on the protection of cultural heritage, which were in 
line  with  demands  from  the  European  Parliament  and  the  so  called  "Ljubljana  Process" 
initiated  by  the  European  Commission  and  the  Council  of  Europe.  Furthermore,  activities 
were  introduced  to  help  soften  the  effects  of  the  financial  crisis.  This  included  for  example 
major  infrastructure  projects  (IPA  2009  included  EUR  23  million  for  municipal  water  and 
sewerage infrastructure). 

Table 1: MIFF13 allocations per component, in million EUR 

Component 
I. Transition Assistance and Institution Building 
II. Cross-Border Cooperation 
TOTAL 

200914 

2010 

2011 

70.9
10.3
81.2

82.7
10.5
93.2

84.3 
10.7 
95.0 

2009-2011 
237.9
31.5
269.4

1.2.2.  Programming exercise 

The  IPA  2009  national  programme  for  Albania  focused  on  the  objectives  identified  in  the 
2009-2011  MIPD.  It  encompassed  16  projects  grouped  under  4  strategic  priority  axes. 
Experience  with  the  so  far  limited  implementation  of  IPA  assistance  in  Albania  as  well  as   
findings of evaluations conducted by DG Enlargement - specifically, the evaluation on public 
administration reform15 - suggested that planning and programming of IPA assistance needed 
to consider the following lessons: 

13 

14 

15 

(IPA)  Multi-Annual 

Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament 'Instrument for Pre-
Accession  Assistance 
for  2010-2012', 
COM(2008)705 of 5 November 2008. 
Final allocations (shown in the main report and in table 2) differ from these indicative figures following 
transfers between components I and II during the course of 2009. 
 Supporting Public Administration Reform in Croatia - Thematic evaluation of EU and other support,  
June 2009. 

Indicative  Financial  Framework 

- 11 - 

 
 
                                                 
 
(cid:190)  Ownership by the beneficiary was essential for the effective targeting of assistance and for 
achieving  expected  results.  As  a  result,  in  2009  the  Commission  undertook  significant 
efforts  to  involve  Albania's  institutions  in  planning  and  programming  of  EU  assistance. 
The Ministry for European Integration (MEI) benefited from substantial institutional and 
capacity-building support. The introduction of the function of Senior Programme Officers 
(SPO) within the European Integration units in line ministries and the leading role of the 
MEI in the programming process should help increase ownership in the future. 

(cid:190)  The absorption capacity of the authorities needed to be ensured. This depended on project 
maturity  in  terms  of  adequate  staffing  in  the  relevant  institutions,  mobilisation  of  civil 
society and a political consensus on key reform activities.  

(cid:190)  Timely  planning  of  future  assistance  was  essential  to  addressing  key  areas.  Past 
experience with delays in implementation of CARDS and IPA showed the need to ensure 
that projects did not become obsolete because of late implementation. 

(cid:190)  The link between EU assistance and sectoral strategies and action plans of the Albanian 
institutions needed to be ensured. The aim was to design assistance in relation to Albanian 
strategic  plans,  which  in  turn  should  address  the  requirements  of  the  EU  integration 
process. 

(cid:190)  Particular attention needed to be paid to projects preparedness and maturity.  

The above mentioned points were raised at several occasions with the beneficiary during the 
programming meetings of IPA 2009 and were taken as much as possible into account in the 
preparation of the IPA 2009 programme. 

IPA  2009  addresses  key  issues  such  as  police  reform  and  rule  of  law  enforcement,  in 
particular  as  regards  anti-money  laundering,  witness  protection  and  further  improvement  of 
the  justice  system.  All  in  all,  EUR  9.8  million  are  provided  to  support  justice  and  home 
affairs, which constitute about 14% of the overall programme amount. At the same time, the 
national  programme  also  meets  the  requirements  to  continue  preparation  of  the  Albanian 
administration  for  decentralised  management  as  well  as  to  assist  with  preparations  for  the 
population Census in 2011, support civil society and help with advancing on important acquis 
related issues such as industrial property rights, food safety and data protection. 

Two  large  infrastructure  projects  are  also  included  in  the  2009  programme,  one  in  the 
environment sector (water supply and sewerage) and one in the transport sector (local roads). 
In  consultation  with  the  Albanian  government,  it  was  agreed  that  the  local  road  project  and 
parts of the water project shall be implemented via the municipal window of the Infrastructure 
Project  Facility  (which at  the  end  of  2009  was  merged  into  the  Western  Balkan  Investment 
Framework  –  cf.  Part  II  of  this  document)  in  cooperation  with  International  Financial 
Institutions. This should also be seen in the context of Commission's efforts to respond to the 
need for measures to help Albania soften the effects of the financial crisis.  

In general, projects were chosen on the basis of their maturity or readiness to be implemented. 
This means that a minimum of preparatory or design work had to be available, in order to be 
able to start projects soon after the signature of the Financing Agreement. At the same time, 
conditionalities  were  systematically 
the 
introduced 
sustainability of interventions, once being finalised (e.g. maintenance plans). 

the  project  fiches  regarding 

in 

- 12 - 

 
 
                                                                                                                                                         
 
There  was  a  trend  towards  less  but  bigger  projects  in  programming  of  IPA  assistance  to 
Albania in 2009. This was mainly due to the fact that IPA 2008 included a rather high number 
of small projects. At the same time, under the pressure of the effects of the financial crisis the 
European  Commission  decided  to  focus  more  on  larger  infrastructure  projects,  in  order  to 
support the demand side of the public sector for necessary works. 

As regards the types of contracts, Component I of the 2009 programme foresees altogether 5 
action  grants  in  the  areas  of  judicial  reform,  support  to  civil  society  and  improvement  of 
industrial  property  rights.  In  addition,  alongside  with  7  work  contracts  concerning  boarder 
control, protecting cultural heritage, the Kukes region and environmental infrastructure (water 
supply and sewerage system), the programme also includes 7 supply contracts as well as an 
indicative number of about 23 service contracts. Finally, 3 twinning projects are envisaged in 
the area of anti-money laundering, fight against corruption and judicial reform.  

The  programming  process  for  IPA  2009  was  carried  out  with  close  involvement  of  the 
beneficiary  institutions,  in  particular  the  Ministry  of  European  Integration.  There  was  a 
moderately  improved  ownership  on  the  Albanian  side  during  the  programming  exercise,  in 
particular  regarding  preparation  of  project  fiches.  The  quality  of  the  project  fiches,  which 
were  produced  by  the  beneficiary,  was  much  better  than  in  previous  years.  The  preliminary 
project  list  for  IPA  2009  had  been  presented  to  the  Member  States  and  their  agencies  in 
Tirana at the end of 2008. Later, during the first half of 2009 the list was circulated amongst 
IFIs,  multi-lateral  donors  and  civil  society  organisations.  Finally,  the  programme  was 
presented to the IPA Committee on 25 September 2009 and adopted in December of that year.  

Table 2: Indicative financial allocations for the year per component, in million EUR 

ALBANIA 
I. Transition Assistance and Institution Building 
Of which:                                                                                                      

National Programme (Including Kukes region programme, 
i.e. funds transferred from IPA Component II to IPA Component I) 
                                                                          Nuclear Safety Programme* 
                                                                                    Tempus Programme* 

II. Cross-Border Cooperation 
Of which:                     

                                                                              CBC FYROM - Albania 
                                                                              CBC Montenegro – Albania 
                                                                              CBC Greece – Albania 
                                                                              CBC Adriatic 
                                                                   ERDF South-East Europe + MED 

TOTAL 

2009
71.36

69.86
0.50
1.00
9.83

0.85
0.85
1.63
5.90
0.60
81.19 

* The Nuclear Safety Programme and Tempus Programme are coordinated and implemented under the relevant 
Multi-beneficiary IPA 2009 programmes.  

As  for  programming  of  IPA  2010,  the  exercise  began  in  early  2009,  in  order  to  achieve  an 
earlier  adoption  than  for  the  2009  programme.  A  first  programming  mission  took  place  in 
May  2009.  However,  due  to  the  outcome  of  the  elections  of  June  2009  and  the  consequent 
changes in government, the outcome of this first mission had to be substantially revised. By 
the end of the year a final project list was agreed between the Beneficiary and the European 
Commission and presented also to other donors.  

- 13 - 

 
 
 
 
1.2.2.1  

Component I: Transition Assistance and Institution Building 

Component I aims at achieving the objectives listed in Art 2 of the IPA regulation in line with 
the  above  enlisted  priority  areas.  Within  the  dimension  of  “strengthening  democratic 
institutions”, support for enhancing government's services to citizens and businesses will be 
provided through IPA 2009 by building an e-Government infrastructure that is in line with EU 
Personal  Data  Protection  standards.  Furthermore,  strengthening  of  European  Integration 
structures  and  preparation  for  Decentralised  Management  System  of  IPA  funds  (DIS)  shall 
give impetus to Public Administration reform.  

In  order  to  strengthen  the  rule  of  law,  IPA  2009  continues  to  emphasise  support  to 
horizontally  important  areas  such  as  blue  border  management,  anti-money  laundering  and 
financial crime investigation structures as well as witness protection. Activities in these fields 
are  expected  to  further  strengthen  the  fight  against  organised  crime  and  corruption. 
Furthermore, citizens' trust into the judiciary is expected to further improve by supporting the 
strengthening  of  the  legislative  and  institutional  justice  system  and  the  establishment  of  a 
probation service and alternative measures to detention. 

Component I of the 2009 programme aims also at supporting media freedom and the media 
sector  in  developing  an  independent,  high-quality  public  service  broadcasting  system, 
including  the  digitalisation  of  broadcasting,  and  at  developing  a  regulatory  environment  in 
line with European standards. As a result, an effective, transparent and predictable regulatory 
framework for the media is expected to be in place, as well as improved performance of the 
Broadcasting Authority. In this context, the joint EU-Council of Europe Action plan on media 
reform aims at improving the overall climate of media regulation in Albania.  

IPA  2009  supports  also  civil  society  in  order  to  create  a  genuine  partnership  with  the 
authorities  for  the  democratic  stabilisation  and  the  economic  and  social  development  of  the 
country. As a result, it is expected that dialogue between the authorities and civil society will 
improve.  In  addition,  it  is  envisaged  that  the  independence  and  integrity  of  civil  society 
organisations will be further strengthened to fulfil a "watchdog" function, and that transparent 
mechanisms for disbursement of local funds for civil society organisations will be developed. 

Concerning  the  protection  of  minorities  and  vulnerable  groups  (including  Roma,  women, 
children,  the  handicapped  and  mentally  ill)  support  is  provided  through  the  civil  society 
facility.  Furthermore,  sound  data  on  minorities  will  be  gathered  through  the  Census 
preparation  project,  which  will  be  the  basis  for  developing  policies  to  overcome  their 
vulnerable and economically fragile situation and protect them against discrimination. 

Table  3:  Indicative  financial  allocations  for  the  year  2009  under  the  National 
Programme, per priority axis and per project, in million EUR 

Priority Axis 
Political Criteria 

Projects 

Support for Blue Border Management 

Budget 

21.8
4.0

- 14 - 

 
 
 
Support/ Twinning for Anti-Money Laundering and Financial 
Crime Investigation Structures 
Technical Assistance/Twinning for the Justice System 
Fight against corruption and organised crime: Witness and Special 
Persons Protection 
Support for enhancing Decentralised Management System 
Support for the Population and Housing Census 2011 
Project Preparation Facility 
Civil Society Facility 

Socio-economic Criteria 

Infrastructure: Secondary and local roads 
Support for Cultural heritage 
Kukes Region 

Ability to assume the obligations of membership 

Improvement of water supply and sewerage systems 
Improvement of industrial property rights 
Consolidation of the food safety system 
Building and e-government infrastructure that is in line with EU 
Personal Data Protection standards 

Participation in EU Programmes 

Support for participation to EU Programmes: in particular 
Competition and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP), 
Europe Citizens, 7th Research Framework Programme (FP 7) 

TOTAL 

1.2.2.2  

Component II: Cross-border Cooperation 

1.5

3.3
1.0

1.5
8.0
1.0
1.5
14.46
9.0
5.0
0.46
31.6
23.1
1.0
3.5
4.0

2.0
2.0

69.86

The  overall  objective  of  cross-border  cooperation  (CBC)  programmes  is  to  promote 
institutions,  aiming  at  sustainable 
cooperation  between  people,  communities  and 
development, stability and prosperity of bordering areas.  

The  cross-border  programme  for  2007-2009  between  the  former  Yugoslav  Republic  of 
Macedonia  and  Albania  was  adopted  by  Commission  Decision  in  December  2007.  The 
Financing  Proposal  for  the  year  2009  was  adopted  by  Commission  Decision  in  September 
2009. The latter only added the 2009 financial allocation for both countries and did not touch 
at  the  substance  of  the  programme.  The  overall  objective  of  the  programme  is  to  promote 
sustainable development in the cross-border area.  

The  cross-border  programme  between  Albania  and  Montenegro  2007-2009  was  adopted  by 
Commission Decision in December 2007 and the Financing Proposal for the year 2009 was 
adopted by Commission Decision in August 2009. No programme revision was undertaken as 
the 2009 Financing Proposal only added the yearly financial allocation to this programme. 

Considering  the  status  of  Kosovo16  and  since  the  conditions  to  have  a  fully  fledged  joint 
cross-border  programme  between  Albania  and  Kosovo  were  not  met,  IPA  2007,  2008  and 
2009  funds  were  allocated  to  the  Albania  national  programme  for  unilateral  projects  in  the 
Kukes  region  bordering  Kosovo.  Although  financed  with  IPA  component  II  funds,  this 
programme  was  implemented  under  component  I,  exceptionally  transferring  the  funds  from 
one  IPA  component  to  another.  In  October  2009,  the  Commission  recommended  to 

16 

Under UNSCR 1244/99. 

- 15 - 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
progressively  activate  the  IPA  cross-border  co-operation  component  for  Kosovo17,  notably 
with Albania, under IPA 2010 programming. 

The cross-border programme between Greece and Albania 2007-2013 was jointly developed 
by  the  Albanian  and  Greek  authorities  and  adopted  after  revision  in  November  2008.  The 
programme builds on the 2000-2006 INTERREG programme between the two countries. The 
Financing Proposal for the year 2009 was adopted by Commission Decision in August 2009 
and  did  not  imply  any  programme  revision.  The  overall  objective  of  the  programme  is  to 
increase living standards by promoting sustainable local development in the border area.  

Since 2007, Albania is part of the IPA Adriatic cross-border cooperation programme together 
with Italy, Slovenia, Greece, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and, in phasing-
out,  Serbia.  This  programme  is  a  continuation  of  the  2004-2006  Italy-Adriatic  INTERREG 
and  Italy-Albania  Neighbourhood  programmes.  The  Financing  Decision  for  the  year  2009 
was adopted by the Commission in August 2009. The global objective of the programme is to 
strengthen sustainable development of the Adriatic region.  

Albania is also participating in the ERDF transnational programme since, respectively, 2007 
for the "South-East Europe" part and 2009 for the "Mediterranean" part, under the European 
Territorial Co-operation objective of the Structural Funds 2007-2013. The Financing Decision 
for its participation for the year 2009 was adopted by the Commission in August 2009. The 
programme supports Albanian participation to joint transnational co-operation activities with 
partners  from  EU  Member  States  and  familiarises  the  country  with  territorial  co-operation 
programmes under EU Structural Funds. 

1.2.3. 

Implementation Modalities and Structures  

As  in  the  previous  reporting  year,  in  2009  the majority  of  the  projects  under  IPA  2007  and 
2008  component  I  and  II  were  implemented  on  a  centralised  (de-concentrated)  basis  by  the 
European  Union  Delegation  to  Albania  in  accordance  with  article  53(a)  of  the  Financial 
Regulation  (FR)18  and  the  corresponding  provisions  of  the  implementing  rules  (IR)19. 
However,  IPA  2008  foresees  5  projects  to  be  implemented  by  indirect  centralised 
management  with  Deutsche  Gesellschaft  für  Technische  Zusammenarbeit  (GTZ)  and  the 
Austrian Development Agency (ADA). As this represented a novelty for the Commission as 
well  as  for  the  Member  States’  agencies  concerned  in  the  enlargement  context,  it  took  a 
relatively long time to negotiate the corresponding delegation agreements, which were finally 
signed in June 2009. This management mode allowed the Delegation to free human resources 
for project implementation. At the same time, the chosen development agencies had a proven 
track record in the field for which they signed delegation agreements with the Commission. 
The selection was based on a transparent process, to which all present and accredited agencies 
were invited.  

17 

18 

19 

Communication  from  the  Commission  to  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council,  Kosovo*  - 
Fulfilling its European Perspective, COM(2009)534 final, of 14 October 2009, p. 14. 
Council  Regulation  (EC,  Euratom)  No  1605/2002  of  25  June  2002  on  the  Financial  Regulation 
applicable to the general budget of the European Communities (OJ L 248, 16 September 2002, p. 1), as 
amended  by  Council  Regulation (EC) No  1525/2007  of 17  December  2007 (OJ  L 343,  27 December 
2007, p. 9). 
Commission Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2342/2002 of 23 December 2002 laying down detailed rules 
for  the  implementation  of  Council  Regulation  (EC,  Euratom)  No  1605/2002  on  the  Financial 
Regulation  applicable  to  the  general  budget  of  the  European  Communities  (OJ  L  357,  31  December 
2002, p. 1) as last amended by Commission Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 478/2007 of 23 April 2007 
(OJ L 111, 28 April 2007, p. 13). 

- 16 - 

 
 
                                                 
to 

the  centralised  (de-concentrated)  management  more  are 

Further  exceptions 
the 
infrastructure support projects (rural roads and water infrastructure) in Part I of the 2009 IPA 
programme. As already mentioned, these projects will be implemented by joint management 
with the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) in cooperation with Kreditanstalt für 
Wiederaufbau  (KfW).  Joint  management  with  CEB/KfW  was  chosen  on  the  basis  of  their 
broad experience in the water sector in Albania and with a view to pooling different sources 
of finance in order to allow implementation of large infrastructure projects, which represent a 
priority  for  the  beneficiary.  This  should  be  seen  also  in  the  context  of  the  European 
Commission's  efforts  to  soften  the  impact  of  the  financial  crisis  on  the  countries  of  the 
Western Balkans. 

Finally,  as  in  the  previous  reporting  year,    the  horizontal  nuclear  safety  and  education 
(Tempus)  programmes  will  be  implemented  on  a  centralised  basis  by  the  European 
Commission in Brussels, in the framework of the Multi-Beneficiary Programme. 

The  process  leading  to  decentralised  management  of  IPA  funds  is  a  challenging 
administrative  capacity-building  exercise  for  the  Albanian  government  on  the  road  towards 
EU integration and shall become one of its main medium-term priorities in the years to come. 
In  January  2009,  a  project  funded  under  the  IPA  2007  programme  started  to  support  the 
Albanian  administration  in  its  decentralised  management  process  for  IPA  component  I  and 
helped in starting to set up the structures and manuals for Albania's financial management and 
control  system  of  IPA  funds.  A  European  Commission  fact-finding  mission  to  Tirana  took 
place in May 2009 and provided guidance to the Ministry of Finance on the necessary steps 
for the process. The mission made substantial recommendations with regard to Albania's set-
up  of  an  Audit  Authority  and  provided  clarification  about  the  competent  accrediting  and 
national authorising officer functions. As a follow-up to the Commission's recommendations, 
in  the  summer  of  2009  the  Albanian  Ministry  of  Finance  revised  its  2008  roadmap  for  the 
decentralised management of component I; the DIS structure was approved by the Albanian 
Council  of  Minister  in  June  2009;  key  nominations  were  made  in  autumn  2009,  Senior 
Programming  Officers  in  line  ministries  were  nominated  and  the  legal  frame  of  the  Audit 
Authority was created in October 2009 and started to be staffed in December 2009; the staff 
of  the  Albanian  Central  Financing  and  Contracting  Unit  was  trained  on  Commission's 
programming and contracting rules. By the end of 2009, Albania had established most of the 
framework for the management and control system. 

As  for  preparations  for  the  IPA  Rural  Development  component  (component  V),  in  October 
2009  a  project  funded  under  the  IPA  2008  programme  started  to  support  the  Albanian 
Ministry  of  Agriculture,  Food  and  Consumer  Protection  to  design  and  develop  a  rural 
development strategy and relevant IPA Rural Development structures, building upon current 
Albanian ones. By the end of 2009 Albania was able to present a draft roadmap/concept paper 
for IPA Rural Development preparations. 

While by the end of the reporting period progress seemed solid on component I and promising 
on component V, the process leading to decentralised management of IPA funds was still at a 
very  early  stage  for  components  II,  III  and  IV.  Key  challenges  remained,  regarding:  the 
establishment of a National Fund; drafting of roadmaps towards decentralised management of 
component II; kicking-off preparations for the structures' set-up for components II, III, IV, V; 
starting  drafting  the  Strategic  Coherence  Framework  and  Operational  Programmes  for 
components  III  and  IV  and  the  IPA  Rural  Development  programme  for  component  V;  the 
need for strong coordination and ownership of the process at governmental level and regular 
reporting  to  the  Commission.  In  order  to  address  these  challenges,  at  the  end  of  2009  the 
European  Commission  was  preparing  for  a  joint-mission  to  Tirana  of  the  four  General 

- 17 - 

 
 
Directorates  responsible  for  the  five  IPA  components,  to  officially  launch  preparations  for 
decentralised  management  of  IPA  II,  III,  IV  and  V  in  early  2010.  Furthermore,  IPA  2009 
programming included a project that built upon the ongoing IPA 2007 DIS project and aimed 
at supporting further preparation requirements for all IPA components. 

1.2.4.  Overview of IPA projects/contracts implemented in 2009 

In 2009, IPA 2007 projects were under implementation and IPA 2008 projects started to be 
contracted. For the exact implementation figures, please see tables below.  

1.2.4.1  

Component I: Transition Assistance and Institution Building 

Tables 4: Status of implementation of IPA financial assistance (Component I) as at 31st 
December  2009  (in  million  EUR)  per  annual  programme  and  distribution  of  total 
committed funds (2007-2009 allocations) by priority axes 

IPA 2007 
IPA 2008 
IPA 2009 
TOTAL 

Committed 

49.27 
64.0422 
69.86 
183.17 

Contracted 
23.48
26.49
0.00
49.97

RAC20  %Contracted  Paid  RAL21  %Paid 

25.79
37.55
69.86
133.20

47.66% 6.61 
41.36% 8.06 
0.00% 0.00 
27.28% 14.67 

42.66 
55.98 
69.86 
168.49 

13.42%
12.59%
0.00%
8.01%

Priority Axes 

% of 2007-2009 allocations  

Political criteria 

(of which civil society)

Economic criteria 
Ability to assume membership obligations 
Support programmes 
TOTAL 

31.29% 
(0.82%) 
20.20% 
46.71% 
1.80% 
100.00% 

During  2009,  some  significant  IPA  projects  started  and/or  were  ongoing  in  Albania  under 
Component I, as follows:  

IPA 2007 projects  

The  project  'Police  Assistance  Mission  of  the  EU  to  Albania  (PAMECA  III  –  EUR  5.5 
million) started its activities in 2008. The project team was composed of a group of experts 
drawn from 3 Member States (United Kingdom, Austria and Sweden) and spams across the 
entire  spectrum  of  activities  of  the  Albanian  State  Police,  including  organized  crime, 
integrated  border  management,  human,  financial  and  material  resources 
terrorism, 
management,  community  policing  and  others.  In  2009  the  team  was  fully  completed  and 
focused  on  important  areas,  such  as  customs  police,  criminal  intelligence  and  general 
policing. Up to the end of the reporting period, the project proved successful in highlighting 
areas needing further improvement towards building a credible Police Force in Albania, and 
in identifying suitable strategic and tactical actions to achieve that goal. The key principle of 
the project was to build sustainable capacity and not to replace it. 

The project of technical assistance to the preparation of the Albanian Authorities for the EU 
Decentralised  Implementation  System  (DIS)  started  in  January  2009  and  foresaw  EUR  1 
million  of  IPA  funds.  The  overall  objective  of  the  project  was  to  adequately  prepare  the 

20 
21 
22 

 Remains to be contracted (Reste à Contracter). 
 Remains to be paid (Reste à Liquider). 
 Includes an additional € 3.12 million allocated during the year 2008 following the Gerdec explosion. 

- 18 - 

 
 
 
 
                                                 
Albanian  Authorities  for  absorbing  EU  financial  assistance,  putting  into  place  efficient 
structures  and  strengthening  the  capacities  of  key  institutions  for  technical  management  of 
decentralized programmes in order to ensure sound management of DIS. During the reporting 
year,  the  project  supported  the  Albanian  authorities  in  revising  the  DIS  roadmap  and  in 
setting-up the main structures. 

IPA 2008 projects 

The "Project Against Corruption" in Albania (PACA) funded under IPA 2008 and featuring a 
EUR  2  million  contribution  from  the  European  Commission  was  signed  in  July  2009  and 
implementation  started  in  September  of  that  same  year.  The  project  is  conducted  by  the 
Council  of  Europe  and  focuses  on  assisting  the  Albanian  government  in  enhancing  the 
effectiveness of implementation of the Cross Cutting Strategy against Corruption, a declared 
Government  priority  in  line  with  the  European  Partnership  objectives.  The  project  aims  at 
building  the  capacity  of  the  Albanian  administration  (Line  Ministries,  State  Police)  and 
independent institutions such as the General Prosecutor's Office, the High Inspectorate for the 
Declaration  of  Assets  and  the  High  Council  of  Justice  to  adopt,  implement  and  monitor 
internal  mechanisms  to  counter  and  reduce  corruption.  The  project  also  features  a  pilot 
component on anti-corruption in the education sector, and has an implementation period of 30 
months. 

In October 2009, the EUR 2.2 million project "Supporting Albanian SMEs to become more 
competitive  on  the  EU-market"  started  its  implementation.  This  strategic  project  aims  at 
supporting the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Energy (METE) and Albinvest23 to develop 
SME policy and specific support measures in order to assist Albanian SMEs to compete in the 
wider  EU  market.  The  overall  objective  of  the  project  is  to  maintain  sustainable  growth, 
increase the competitiveness of the private sector and provide a healthy business environment 
for  investment  and  employment.  This  is  of  great  importance  as  the  Stabilisation  and 
Association  Agreement  in  force  between  the  EU  and  Albania  gives  Albanian  SMEs  an 
enormous  opportunity  to  expand  their  businesses  into  EU  markets.  The  project  should 
strengthen  the  capacities  of  METE  and  Albinvest  to  develop,  implement  and  monitor 
Albanian  SME  policy  in  order  to  provide  entrepreneurship  and  innovation  programmes  to 
SMEs. 

In  order  to  assist  the  government  in  achieving  the  main  goals  of  the  Rural  Development 
Strategy  for  Albania  (2007-2013),  further  support  is  provided  by  IPA  2008  through  the 
project  "Capacity  building  for  Rural  Development  Strategy"  (EUR  2  million),  that  started 
implementation  in  October  2009.  The  project  aims  at  establishing  and  strengthening 
institutional and administrative capacities in the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Consumer 
Protection  to  design,  develop  and  implement  the  policies  and  the  appropriate  supporting 
means  for  the  development  of  agriculture  and  rural  areas  in  the  framework  of  EU  pre-
accession assistance programs for IPA Rural Development. 

The IPA 2008 project "Improving the consumer protection against zoonotic diseases" (EUR 
5.7 million) started its implementation in December 2009. The main purpose of the project is 
to  assist  the  Ministry  of  Agriculture,  Food  and  Consumer  Protection  to  strengthen  the 
administrative and technical capacity of the veterinary service in order to plan and implement 

23 

The Albanian Government has assigned AlbInvest three strategic goals: assisting and accelerating the 
inflow  of  foreign  investment  into  the  Albanian  economy,  improving  the  competitiveness  of  Albanian 
exporters,  and  providing  professional  services 
the  growth  of  Albanian  SMEs. 
(www.albinvest.gov.al). 

to  assist 

- 19 - 

 
 
                                                 
the appropriate measures conducive to the eradication and controlling of animal diseases such 
as brucellosis, tuberculosis, anthrax, classical swine fewer and rabies.  

In  December  2009,  the  EU  Delegation  signed  a  works  contract  of  EUR  6.6  million  for  the 
reconstruction of rural roads in Albania. These works include reconstruction of four sections 
of secondary roads in Gjirokastra, Lezha and Shkodra Districts, totalling 30.7 km. The funds 
are part of a EUR 8 million IPA 2008 project dedicated to rural roads infrastructure.  

TAIEX, Twinning and SIGMA 

Altogether,  seven  twinning  projects  were  launched  for  Albania  during  2009,  one  of  which 
funded  by  IPA  2007  and  the  remaining  six  by  IPA  2008.    Finance  was  the  most  relevant 
sector concerned by more than half of the projects launched. One project, "Strengthening the 
institutional  capacity  of  the  Albanian  Central  Bank",  was  successfully  re-circulated  in 
November  2009  after  no  proposals  were  received  at  the  first  launch  in  June.  The  Member 
States selected for leading the twinning projects were Austria, Italy, Poland and Germany. For 
one  twinning  no  partner  was  selected  by  the  end  of  the  reporting  period.  No  twinning 
contracts were signed in 2009. Altogether, 71 TAIEX experts assisted Albania in 2009.  

SIGMA  activities  in  2009  revolved  around  the  following  topics:  public  service  and 
administrative  framework  with  focus  on  the  law  on  administrative  procedures  and  civil 
service  reform,  public  expenditure  management  and  assistance  to  the  development  of  the 
public procurement system.  

Regarding  the  evaluation  of  these  institution  and  capacity  building  instruments,  i.e.  the 
success of twinnings  vs.  technical  assistance, evaluation contracted by headquarters had not 
started yet in 2009.   

1.2.4.2  

Component II: Cross-border Cooperation 

Tables 5: Status of implementation of IPA financial assistance (Component II) as at 31st 
December  2009  (in  million  EUR)  per  annual  programme  and  distribution  of  total 
committed funds (2007-2009 allocations) by priority axes 

IPA 2007 
IPA 2008 
IPA 2009 
TOTAL 

Committed 

6.68 
8.58 
9.83 
25.09 

Contracted 
0.68
0.00
0.00
0.68

RAC  %Contracted  Paid  RAL 

6.00
8.58
9.83
24.41

10.18% 0.62 
0.00% 0.00 
0.00% 0.00 
2.71% 0.62 

6.06. 
8.58 
9.83 
24.47 

%Paid 
9.28%
0.00%
0.00%
2.47%

Priority Axes 

% of 2007-2009 allocations  

CBC with Member States 
CBC within Western Balkans 
Participation to ERDF Transnational Programmes 
TOTAL 

73.48% 
22.53% 
3.99% 
100.00% 

Implementation of the 2007–2009 Cross-border Cooperation Programmes with Albanian was 
ongoing in 2009.  

For  programmes  at  borders  between  candidate  countries/potential  candidates,  i.e.  Albania-
Montenegro and Albania-the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, it took about one year 
from the signature of first financing agreements (March/April 2008) for national authorities to 
set up the programme management structures and prepare the first calls for proposals, which 
were published for all programmes from June to July 2009. This timing is comparable to that 

- 20 - 

 
 
 
 
of  Member  States  for  CBC  at  intra-EU  borders.  The  calls  included  IPA  2007  funds  for  the 
programmes between Albania and Montenegro and between Albania and the former Yugoslav 
Republic of Macedonia. Calls were closed in September-October 2009.  

For the programme Albania-Greece, one call for proposals encompassing IPA 2007, 2008 and 
2009 funds altogether was prepared in 2009 for launching in 2010.  

As  regards  Albanian  participation  to  the  ERDF  “South-East  Europe”  Transnational 
Programme,  calls  were  open  for  project  proposals  in  the  following  areas:  facilitation  of 
the  environment, 
innovation  and  entrepreneurship,  protection  and 
improvement of the  accessibility and development of transnational  synergies for sustainable 
growth  areas,  and  three  grant  contracts  with  Albanian  beneficiaries  were  signed  in  winter 
2009.  The  objectives  of  the  selected  projects  were  the  networking  for  the  promotion  of 
transport corridors, the exchange of information and the protection of the environment. The 
quality  of  the  applications  received  was  considered  ‘average  to  good’  as  beneficiaries  were 
requested  to  review  in  depth  their  action  plan  and  their  budget  as  per  project  cycle 
management requirements.  

improvement  of 

CBC  Programmes  can  make  a  valuable  contribution  to  reconciliation  and  good  neighbourly 
relations,  and  the  beneficiaries  have  shown  great  expectations  with  regards  to  the  results  of 
the  programmes  of  this  component,  also  in  light  of  the  fact  that  CBC's  'learning-by-doing' 
approach should significantly contribute to local capacity-building. These great expectations 
were reflected in the large number of applications submitted to the Calls for proposals, despite 
the  almost  symbolic  amount  of  available  funds.  The  amount  requested  with  all  applications 
received  was,  for  Albania-Montenegro  CBC  programme,  four  times  more  and,  for  Albania-
former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia CBC programme, ten times more, than the overall 
amounts available under these calls. 

1.3. 

Coherence, compatibility and coordination of aid 

In  order  to  increase  effectiveness  and  efficiency  in  the  delivery  of  assistance  through  donor 
coordination, the Commission and the Member States ensure coordination of their respective 
assistance  programmes.  This  coordination  is  extended  also  to  the  IFIs  and  other  non-EU 
donors. At local level, a consultation mechanism during the different phases of the assistance 
cycle  was  established  in  2007.  It  provided  for  an  early  consultation  on  draft  IPA  planning 
(MIPDs)  and  programming  documents  with  Member  State  embassies,  local  offices  of  IFIs, 
UN entities and non–EU donors.  

At central level, coordination meetings with IFIs as well as with EU and non–EU donors are 
organised on a regular basis. They focus primarily on strategic orientations and the regional 
dimension  of  IPA  planning  and  programming.  Additionally,  coordination  between  the 
Commission  and  Member  States  take  place  on  a  regular  basis  in  the  context  of  the  IPA 
Committee. Meetings with Member States embassies and the local branches of the IFIs on the 
MIPD  2009-2011  and  the  IPA  2009  draft  national  programme  were  organised  in  December 
2008. 

Since November 2005, the Government of Albania receives support to improve the process of 
donor coordination through the Integrated Planning System (IPS), which aims at ensuring that 
core  policy  and  financial  processes  function  in  a  coherent,  efficient  and  integrated  manner. 
Assistance  to  this  mechanism  was  foreseen  under  IPA  2007.  Furthermore,  the  Albanian 
Government  has  significantly  improved  donor  coordination  and  aligned  international 
assistance  with  national  priorities  through  the  Department  of  Strategy  and  Donor 

- 21 - 

 
 
Coordination (DSDC). It was created in 2005 under the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office in the 
Council of Ministers of the Albanian government and is responsible for national, sectoral and 
cross-cutting development strategy coordination. 

The  Delegation  of  the  European  Union  has  played  a  leading  role  in  the  past  as  head  of  the 
Donor Technical Secretariat (DTS), which facilitates coordination and hosts project data from 
all donors since 2003. This leading role is rotating between the main donors such as European 
Union, OSCE, World Bank, UNDP and Member States.  

To facilitate the coordination among donors as well as between government and donors within 
each sector, Sector Working Groups have been created. The government has the leading role 
in calling the meetings of the Sector Working Groups, but donors can take the initiative and 
call meetings each time they feel there is an important issue to be discussed amongst them, or 
with  the  government.  The  9  Sector  Working  Groups  for  donor  coordination  are  currently 
shared  as  follows:  1)  environment,  land  and  agriculture;  2)  infrastructure  &  energy;  3) 
economy  &  finance;  4)  social  policy  sectors;  5)  justice  &  home  affairs;  6)  government 
modernisation; 7) decentralisation; 8) youth and culture, civil society and media; 9) elections 
and civil registry. 

Albania  was  selected  in  January  2007  as  a  pilot  country  for  the  UN  "delivering  as  one" 
reform, which is financially supported (amongst others) by the EU. Furthermore, the Division 
of  Labour  initiative  in  line  with  the  Paris  Declaration  and  the  Accra  Agenda  for  Action  is 
becoming more and more developed. 

The Tirana Donor Coordination Conference organised by the European Commission and the 
Albanian Government in April 2009 was seen as a success by all participants as for the first 
time  it  was    organised  by  the  European  Commission  together  with  (and  in)  a  beneficiary 
country.  According  to  figures  presented  at  the  last  donors'  conference,  the  total  amount  of 
donors' committed funds to Albania for the period 2007-2009 was EUR 2.7 billion.  

However, with view to donor presence in Albania, it was feared that due to the financial crisis 
some bilateral donors could reduce their foreseen resources as in some donor countries they 
are often linked to GDP.  

1.4.  Monitoring   

The  monitoring  of  IPA-funded  projects  in  Albania  started  only  in  2009.  Three  different 
projects  were  monitored  by  Result  Oriented  Monitoring  (ROM):  1)  one  on  preparing  the 
Albanian authorities for decentralized management; 2) one on the police assistance mission of 
the European Union to Albania (PAMECA III); 3) one on fighting corruption in Albania. The 
exercise identified weaknesses and areas of improvement that appeared to be prevalent in all 
three projects. In particular, there was a need to improve the logical frameworks and produce 
results  with  suitable  indicators  of  achievement,  alongside  with  better  standards  of  reporting 
(with  emphasis  on  results  and  project  purpose  achievement);  all  projects  should  review  the 
risks  assessment  and  establish  a  risk  management  plan;  more  efforts  were  needed  to  ensure 
and  increase  EU  visibility;  inter-institutional  cooperation  at  the  national  level  could  be 
improved.  

- 22 - 

 
 
 
2. 

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA  

2.1. 

The year in review 

The  conclusions  of  the  2009  Progress  Report  for  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina24  confirmed  that 
implementation  of  the  Interim  Agreement  in  2009  was  overall  satisfactory.  However  there 
was only very limited progress in addressing key reforms. Bosnia and Herzegovina needed to 
reform its constitutional framework to permit its institutions to function effectively and ensure 
a  sustainable  progress  towards  EU  integration.  In  particular,  the  country  needed  to  be  in  a 
position to adopt, implement and enforce the laws and the rules of the EU.  

In  2009  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina  made  very  limited  progress  in  addressing  the  political 
criteria. Reform implementation was slow due to the lack of consensus and political will and 
the complex institutional framework. The functioning of state-level institutions and legislative 
bodies  was  deficient.  While  some  progress  was  made  in  the  area  of  public  administration, 
more efforts were needed on improving the judicial system, in particular on the fight against 
corruption and organised crime. 

The European Union Police Mission (EUPM) is part of the overall EU efforts in Bosnia and 
Herzegovina.  Since  2003  it  contributes  to  the  security  and  stability  of  the  country.  IPA 
interventions,  in  particular  in  the  sectors  rule  of  law  and  law  enforcement  are  closely 
coordinated with the EUPM. 

As regards the economic criteria, during the reporting period Bosnia and Herzegovina made 
little further progress towards a functioning market economy. The quality and sustainability of 
public  finances  deteriorated  further  and  considerable  efforts  had  to  be  pursued  with 
determination  to  enable  the  country  to  cope  with  competitive  pressures  and  market  forces 
within the Union over the long term. 

Finally, Bosnia and Herzegovina made limited progress in 2009 with regard to the alignment 
of its legislation and policies with European standards. Some progress was made in areas such 
as  transport,  customs,  taxation,  education  and  culture.  Progress  was  registered  also  in  a 
number of justice, freedom and security related issues, especially in fulfilling the conditions 
for  visa  liberalisation.  However  particular  efforts  remained  necessary  as  regards  the 
movement of goods, persons and services, social and employment policies, state aid, energy 
and environment. 

For more details on developments in 2009 in Bosnia  and  Herzegovina’s  preparation  for  EU 
membership, please refer to the Commission’s 2009 Progress Report, abovementioned.  

2.2. 

IPA programming and implementation in 2009 

2.2.1.  MIPD 2009 – 2011 

As  in  previous  Enlargement  Strategy  papers  and  in  line  with  findings  in  the  2009  Progress 
Report,  the  Commission  concluded  in  the  2009  Enlargement  Strategy  that  Bosnia  and 
Herzegovina urgently needed to speed up key reforms and revise its constitutional framework 
in  order  to  increase  its  administrative  capacity  to  be  in  a  position  to  adopt,  implement  and 
enforce EU acquis. While some progress had been made in the area of public administration, 
more  efforts  were  needed  on  improving  the  judicial  system,  in  particular  the  fight  against 
corruption  and  organised  crime.  Similarly  to  the  other  economies  of  the  Western  Balkans, 

24 

Bosnia  and  Herzegovina  2009  Progress  Report,  SEC(2009)  1338  of  14  October  2009,  available  at 
http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/pdf/key_documents/2009/ba_rapport_2009_en.pdf. 

- 23 - 

 
 
                                                 
Bosnia and Herzegovina was severely hit by the economic crisis and the strategy concluded 
that the EU would assist Bosnia and Herzegovina in alleviating the impact of the crisis and 
paving  the  way  for  sound  recovery,  in  coordination  with  the  International  Financial 
Institutions (IFIs). 

The  Multi-Annual  Indicative  Planning  Document  (MIPD)  2009  –  2011  for  Bosnia  and 
Herzegovina was adopted on 1 July 2009. With regard to Component I, it reflected closely the 
conclusions  of  the  2009  Strategy  Paper  by,  as  it  concerned  the  political criteria,  prioritising 
assistance  on  strengthening  the  administrative  capacity  and  offering  support  to  domestic 
efforts  towards  constitutional  reform.  Another  priority  was  to  support  the  rule  of  law,  in 
particular  the  police,  the  reform  of  the  judicial  system  and  the  implementation  of  an  anti-
corruption  policy.  Further  objectives  of  the  2009-2011  MIPD  were  supporting  the  return 
process, minorities and vulnerable groups, civil society, the media, preservation of the cultural 
heritage and de-mining of mine-contaminated areas. 

With regard to the economic criteria, the MIPD followed the enlargement strategy by setting 
assistance priorities aimed at creating employment and softening the impact of the financial 
and  economic  crisis.  It  foresaw  support  to  the  establishment  of  regulatory  capacity  and  the 
enhancement  of  entrepreneurial  know-how.  It  contributed  to  the  development  of  the  Small 
and  Medium  Enterprise  (SME)  sector,  to  promoting  trade  policies  and,  in  cooperation  with 
IFIs,  to  foster  economic  development  through  investing  in  infrastructure.  Support  to  the 
education reform and to development of the national strategy on research would promote the 
development of the economy and society and active labour market measures should assist in 
combating unemployment.  

The MIPD strategy with regard to Bosnia and Herzegovina's ability to assume the obligations 
of  membership  (approximation  to  the  EU  acquis)  was  again  in  line  with  the  2009  Strategy 
conclusions on needed support to the rule of law and the economy by addressing the internal 
market (quality infrastructure, institutional set-up of key market actors, customs and taxation, 
development  of  a  single  financial  market),  sectoral  policies  (agriculture  and  rural 
development,  environment,  energy  and  transport,  the  information  society  and  statistics)  and 
justice,  freedom  and  security  (integrated  border  management,  visa,  asylum  and  migration 
policy, the fight against money laundering, drugs, organised crime and terrorism). 

Under  Component  II,  IPA  assistance  targeted  Cross-Border  Co-operation  through  joint 
projects at borders with Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia and with EU Member States, through 
the IPA CBC Adriatic Programme and by supporting Bosnia and Herzegovina’s participation 
in  joint  projects  under  the  European  Regional  Development  Fund's  (ERDF)  transnational 
programmes "South-East Europe" (SEE) and "Mediterranean" (MED). 

Table 1: MIFF25 allocations per component, in million EUR 

Component  
Transition Assistance and Institution Building 
Cross-border Co-operation 
TOTAL 

2009 

2010 

2011 

83.9
5.2
89.1

100.7
5.3
106.0

102.7 
5.4 
108.1 

2009-2011 
287.3
15.9
303.2

25 

Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament 'Instrument for Pre-
Accession  Assistance 
for  2010-2012', 
COM(2008)705 of 5 November 2008. 

Indicative  Financial  Framework 

(IPA)  Multi-Annual 

- 24 - 

 
 
                                                 
2.2.2.  Programming exercise 

The 2009 IPA programme was divided into two parts in order to accelerate implementation of 
the assistance addressed to alleviating the impact of the financial and economic crisis. Those 
projects,  in  particular  support  to  investments  in  the  transport,  energy  and  environment 
infrastructure, support to SMEs and to the Deposit Insurance Agency, were included in part I 
of  the  2009  IPA  National  Programme.  Part  II  of  that  programme  continued  the  ‘traditional’ 
pre-accession support. Part I was adopted by the Commission on 11 August 2009, part II on 
29 October 2009. 

As  concerns  the  political  criteria,  in  line  with  the  MIPD  priorities  the  2009  programme 
pursued  the  objectives  to  continue  assisting  the  reform  of  the  public  administration.  In 
particular,  IPA  2009  assistance  aimed  at  strengthening  the  national  planning  capacities  and 
increasing the efficiency  of  the  presidency, sustaining domestic efforts on the reform  of  the 
constitution,  supporting  the  preparation  for  management  of  IPA  Components  III  and  IV, 
reinforcing the rule of law through support to the judiciary and strengthening anti-corruption 
capacities. Assistance was also provided to the promotion of civil society dialogue and to the 
preservation of cultural heritage. 

With  regard  to  the  economic  criteria,  the  programme  assisted  in  the  alleviation  of  the 
consequences  of  the  financial  crisis  by  supporting  investments  in  transport,  energy  and 
environment  infrastructure,  in  close  cooperation  with  the  IFIs,  by  contributing  to  SMEs 
development  and  by  improving  the  capacities  of  the  workforce  to  comply  with  the 
requirements of the labour market. 

In relation to the ability to assume the obligations of membership, the programme supported 
the development and implementation of strategies  and policies  for  approximation  to  the EU 
acquis  in  the  internal  market  (economic  and  fiscal  policy,  quality  infrastructure)  and  in 
sectoral policies such as statistics, agriculture, veterinary and phytosanitary services.  

Finally,  the  2009  programme  allocated  funds  also  to  co-finance  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina’s 
participation to EU programmes, in particular to the 7th Framework Programme for Research 
and to the Culture Programme. 

Programming of IPA assistance in 2009 continued a trend towards less and bigger projects. In 
2007, IPA started with 46 projects with an average budget of EUR 1 million, while the 2009 
programme included 19 projects with an average budget of EUR 4.2 million.  

Programming of 2009 IPA assistance took into account the experience gained in the planning 
and  implementation  of  previous  EU  assistance  programmes  in  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina  as 
well as the findings of different evaluations of EU past pre-accession programmes. The most 
common finding was that a number of assistance projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina did not 
achieve the expected results because of insufficient ownership on the side of the beneficiaries. 
Another important element was that in Bosnia and Herzegovina IPA projects carried political 
risks  of  various  degrees,  i.e.  most  of  the  projects  foreseen  for  implementing  the  European 
Partnership  required  reforms  which  were  not  necessarily  endorsed  by  all  competent 
authorities. 

One  of  the  most  important  lessons  learned  was  that  EU  assistance  should  not  only  reflect 
European Partnership priorities but, in the broader sense of the Paris Declaration, should also 
be interlocked with Bosnia and Herzegovina's own development and action plans. Therefore, 
the  IPA  2009  national  programme  aimed  at  promoting  ownership  by  ensuring  that  projects 

- 25 - 

 
 
were in line with Bosnia and Herzegovina's own reform strategies and development plans, as 
well as by enhanced participation of future beneficiaries in the programming process.  

The  programme  was  based  on  project  proposals  made  by  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina's 
authorities, in particular the Ministry of Finance and Treasury, the Directorate for European 
Integration  and  the  Senior  Programming  Officers  of  the  involved  line  ministries.  The 
proposals  had  been  elaborated  together  with  the  Commission  services  on  the  basis  of  the 
enlargement strategy and MIPD priorities.  

the  cross-border  programmes  with  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina’s 
For  Component  II, 
neighbouring countries, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia, were adopted in 2007 covering the 
period  2007-2009.  Therefore,  the  2009  Financing  Decisions  allocated  the  2009  budget 
appropriations to the respective programmes without changing the content of the programmes 
adopted in 2007. 

Table 2: Indicative financial allocations for the year per component, in million EUR 

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA  
I. Transition Assistance and Institution Building 
Of which:                                                                                      

National Programme Part I 
National Programme Part II 
                                                                               Nuclear Safety Programme* 
                                                                                          Tempus Programme* 

II. Cross-Border Cooperation 
Of which:                     

                                                           CBC Bosnia and Herzegovina - Croatia 
                                                    CBC Bosnia and Herzegovina - Montenegro 
                                                             CBC Bosnia and Herzegovina - Serbia 
ERDF Bosnia and Herzegovina (South East Europe, Mediterranean) 
CBC Adriatic 

TOTAL 

2009
83.90

39.00
41.50
1.00
2.40
5.21

1.00
0.50
0.70
0.56
2.45
89.11

* The Nuclear Safety Programme and Tempus Programme are coordinated and implemented under the relevant 
Multi-beneficiary IPA 2009 programmes.  

2.2.2.1  

Component I: Transition Assistance and Institution Building 

The  IPA  2009  national  programme  will  support  the strengthening of democratic institutions 
and  the  rule  of  law,  in  particular  through  assistance  to  the  judiciary  for  strengthening  the 
capacity of courts and prosecutors and through support to the constitutional reform and to the 
anti-corruption agency, for strengthening its institutional and administrative capacities. It will 
support reform of the administration through i) assistance to develop and implement a road-
map for the decentralisation of management of assistance under the IPA components III and 
IV;  ii)  support  to  the  national  planning  process  to  create  a  comprehensive  policy  that  fully 
reflects the European integration requirements; iii) assistance to the Presidency to increase its 
efficiency  with  the  help  of  technological  and  organisational  changes.  The  2009  IPA 
programme  will  encourage  networks  of  civil  society  organisations  and  will  preserve  the 
country's  cultural  heritage  through  the  reconstruction  of  key  monuments  destroyed  in  the 
1990s war. 

The 2009 IPA programme will also contribute to the economic reform process by supporting 
SMEs  to  introduce  quality  management  systems  in  accordance  with  international  quality 
standards (ISO 9000), by implementing active labour market reforms to adapt the capacity of 

- 26 - 

 
 
the  work  force  to  adapt  to  the  labour  market,  and  by  supporting  adult  learning.  The 
infrastructure  investments,  in  particular  in  water  supply  and  sewage  systems,  will  create 
employment  and  thereby  contribute  to  the  alleviation  of  the  consequences  of  the  financial 
crisis. 

Finally,  all  projects  selected  under  the  European  standards  priority  axis  will  directly  or 
indirectly  support  economic  reforms.  They  will  contribute  to  the  improvement  of  the 
economic and fiscal policy-making at all levels of government, to the advancement of single 
market  integration  by  improving  the  market  surveillance  system,  to  the  strengthening  of 
agriculture  and  rural  development  by  establishing  an  agriculture  market  information  system 
and the framework for a land parcel identification system and to increasing the capacities of 
the veterinary and phytosanitary services. 

All projects in the 2009 programme follow closely the objectives of the MIPD 2009 – 2011. 
Noteworthy  are  the  support  to  the  judiciary,  where  EUR  4  million  are  allocated  to 
strengthening  the  capacities  of  the  courts  and  prosecutor  offices  to  process  war  crimes  and 
civil enforcement cases, and the support to the anti-corruption agency, where EUR 0.5 million 
are  allocated  to  strengthening  the  agency's  institutional  and  administrative  capacity.  The 
‘heavy  weight’  of  the  2009  programme  is  however  the  assistance  to  investments  in 
infrastructure, worth EUR 36 million of grant contributions, along with EUR 262 million of 
IFI's  loans  which  will  enable  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina  to  carry  out  large  infrastructure 
projects.  

The predominant part of the assistance (EUR 44.5 million) will be spent on grant contracts, 
mainly in the form of joint management and indirect centralised management agreements with 
IFIs  and  as  direct  grants  to  the  High  Judicial  and  Prosecutorial  Council  (HJPC)  and  to  the 
Food  and  Agriculture  Organisation  (FAO).  Four  twinning  projects  and  one  twinning  light 
project  (EUR  3.1  million)  will  be  implemented  with  the  assistance  of  EU  Member  States 
experts.  The  remaining  part  of  the  programme  will  be  implemented  through  service,  works 
and  supply  contracts  and,  in  the  case  of  the  civil  society  support  project,  through  calls  for 
proposal.  

It would be desirable to decrease the number of service contracts and increase the number of 
twinning  contracts.  However,  experience  shows  that  there  is  only  a  limited  number  of 
institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina who possess the administrative and human ressources 
capacity to successfully absorb twinning support.  

Table  3:  Indicative  financial  allocations  for  the  year  2009  under  the  National 
Programme (parts I and II), per priority axis and per project, in million EUR 

Priority Axis 
Political Criteria 

Projects 

Economic criteria 

Judiciary 
Constitutional reform 
Preparations for IPA components III and IV 
Civil Society 
Cultural heritage 
Anti-corruption 
National planning and presidency 

Support to SME sector (TAM/BAS) and the Insurance 
Agency 
Improvement of regional transport infrastructure 

- 27 - 

Budget 

15.5
4.0
1.0
1.0
3.0
4.0
0.5
2.0
47.5
3.0

14.0

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
European Standards 

Construction of a small hydro power plant Cijevna 
Rehabilitation and construction of water supply and 
sewage collection infrastructure 
SME support 
Labour and education 

Economic and Fiscal Policy 
Single Market Integration 
Statistics - Census 
Agriculture and rural development 
Veterinary and phytosanitary services 

Supporting Programmes 

TOTAL 

EU programmes 

2.2.2.2.  

Component II: Cross-border Cooperation 

5.5
16.5

3.5
5.0
14.5
2.0
3.9
2.0
3.4
3.2
3.0
3.0
80.5

The  multi-annual  cross-border  programmes  between  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina  and  Croatia, 
Montenegro and Serbia aim at bringing together people,  communities and economies of the 
border regions to jointly develop a cooperative area, using their human, cultural and economic 
resources.  This  will  be  achieved  through  joint  projects  in  the  field  of  e.g.  tourism,  SME 
support, rural development, environmental protection, social cohesion and cultural exchange. 

The  IPA  Adriatic  cross-border  programme,  in  which  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina  participates 
together  with  Italy,  Slovenia,  Greece,  Croatia,  Albania,  Montenegro  and  Serbia,  aims  at 
strengthening the sustainable development of the Adriatic region. 

The ERDF transnational programmes "South East Europe" and "Mediterranean" allows BiH 
to participate in joint transnational co-operation with EU Member States and thus to prepare 
for territorial co-operation under the EU Structural Funds.  

For more information on these programmes, please refer to the 2008 IPA Annual Report.  

2.2.3. 

Implementation Modalities and Structures 

As in the previous reporting year, also in 2009 the majority of projects under IPA 2007 and 
2008 Components I and II were implemented on a centralised (de-concentrated) basis by the 
EU Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina, in accordance with article 53(a) of the Financial 
Regulation  (FR)  and  the  corresponding  provisions  of  the  Implementing  Rules  (IR). 
Exceptions  are  infrastructure  support  projects  under  Part  I  of  the  2009  IPA  programme  and 
the  Multi-beneficiary  nuclear  safety  and  education  (Tempus)  programmes.  As  already 
mentioned  above,  infrastructure  support  projects  will  be  implemented  by  joint  management 
with  the  European  Bank  for  Reconstruction  and  Development  (EBRD)  and  the  European 
Investment Bank (EIB) in accordance with FR article 53(d) and corresponding IR provisions 
and by indirect centralised management through a delegation agreement with the Kreditanstalt 
für  Wiederaufbau  (KfW),  in  accordance  with  FR  article  54(2)(c)  and  corresponding  IR 
provisions. 

The  horizontal  nuclear  safety  and  education  (Tempus)  programmes  were  implemented  on  a 
centralised basis by the European Commission in Brussels. 

In  2009  there  was  no  progress  in  the  preparation  for  the  decentralised  management  of  IPA. 
The  Decentralised  Implementation  System  (DIS)  Strategy  of  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina  was 
adopted  in  July  2008.  However,  up  to  the  end  of  the  reporting  period  no  nominations  were 

- 28 - 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
made,  except  for  the  position  of  the  National  IPA  Coordinator  (NIPAC),  which  was 
established in the Ministry of Finance and Treasury. The Central Finance and Contracts Unit 
(CFCU)  and  the  National  Fund  (NF)  were  also  placed  within  the  Ministry  of  Finance  and 
Treasury and were functional, although not yet fully staffed.  

2.2.4.  Overview of IPA projects/contracts implemented in 2009 

Up to the end of the reporting period, progress in IPA implementation was barely measurable 
because  of  delays  due  to  the  reasons  indicated  below.  The  2007  National  Programme  was 
adopted  by  the  Commission  in  December  2007.  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina  ratified  the  IPA 
Framework Agreement in July 2008. However the Commission could not start implementing 
the  2007  Programme  before  January  2009,  due  to  the  fact  that  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina 
adopted  legislation  to  exempt  all  IPA  funded  goods,  services,  works  and  grants  from  fees, 
custom duties and taxes (a prerequisite of the IPA Framework Agreement) only in December 
2008.  In  the  meantime,  by  the  end  of  the  reporting  period,  the  2008  and  2009  national 
programmes were also adopted.  

Implementation  of  IPA  2007  projects  begun  in  the  first  half  of  2009,  while  tendering  and 
contracting  of  IPA  2008  started  mainly  in  the  second  half  of  2009.  Aggravating  factors 
explaining  the  delays  were  the  time  needed  for  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina  to  sign  IPA 
Financing  Agreements  (4  –  6  months)  and  the  limited  capacity  of  the  EU  Delegation  in 
Sarajevo to evaluate the high amount of tenders.  

In 2009, 45 IPA contracts were signed (32 from the IPA 2007 programme, 12 from the 2008 
programme and 1 from the 2009 programme,) the majority of which (38) in the second half of 
the year, and thereof 15 in the last quarter. This represented a clear improvement compared to 
the previous year, during which only 6 IPA contracts were signed. 

The  45  contracts  abovementioned  consisted  of  22  service  contracts,  12  grants,  9  supply 
contracts, 1 twinning light and 1 works contract.  

2.2.4.1.  

Component I: Transition Assistance and Institution Building 

Tables 4: Status of implementation of IPA financial assistance (Component I) as at 31st 
December  2009  (in  million  EUR)  per  annual  programme  and  distribution  of  total 
committed funds (2007-2009 allocations) by priority axes 

Committed  Contracted RAC26  %Contracted  Paid 

IPA 2007 
IPA 2008 
IPA 2009 
TOTAL 

49.74 
66.75 
80.50 
196.99 

37.58
9.01
12.00
58.59

12.16
57.74
68.50
138.40

75.55%
13.50%
14.91%
29.74%

8.44 
4.47 
0.00 
12.91 

RAL27  %Paid 
41.30  16.97%
62.28 
6.70%
80.50 
0.00%
6.55%
184.08 

Priority Axes 

% of 2007-2009 allocations  

Political criteria 

(of which civil society)

Economic criteria 
Ability to assume membership obligations 
Support programmes 
TOTAL 

26 
27 

Remains to be contracted (Reste à Contracter). 
Remains to be paid (Reste à Liquider). 

- 29 - 

27.76% 
(4.98%) 
36.73% 
33.30% 
2.21% 
100.00% 

 
 
 
 
                                                 
Because of the abovementioned implementation delays, no concrete results can be reported.  

In  2009,  four  twinning  projects  under  the  2008  IPA  programme  were  launched  in  different 
sectors:  internal  market  (pharmaceutical  agency),  finance  (support  to  further  EU  acquis 
alignment  in  the  indirect  taxation  authority),  justice  and  home  affairs  (support  to  the 
implementation of the integrated border management strategy and action plan) and transport 
(assistance  in  institution  building  of  the  civil  aviation  authority).  No  IPA  twinning  projects 
were implemented in 2009. 

Bosnia  and  Herzegovina  benefited  from  SIGMA  assistance  in  2009  to  improve  the 
administrative  law  framework,  to  support  the  development  of  the  Public  Internal  Financial 
Control (PIFC) strategies,  to  support  the public procurement and concessions reform and to 
support the public administration reform.  

The 2009 IPA programme allocated EUR 3 million to assist the participation of Bosnia and 
Herzegovina  in  EU  programmes,  in  particular  the  7th  Framework  Programme  for  Research 
and the Culture Programme. 

2.2.4.2.  

Component II: Cross-border Cooperation 

Tables 5: Status of implementation of IPA financial assistance (Component II) as at 31st 
December  2009  (in  million  EUR)  per  annual  programme  and  distribution  of  total 
committed funds (2007-2009 allocations) by priority axes 

Committed  Contracted RAC  %Contracted  Paid 

IPA 2007 
IPA 2008 
IPA 2009 
TOTAL 

3.96 
4.95 
5.21 
14.12 

0.39
0.00
0.00
0.39

3.57
4.95
5.21
13.73

9.85%
0.00%
0.00%
2.76%

0.31 
0.00 
0.00 
0.31 

RAL  %Paid 
7.83%
0.00%
0.00%
2.20%

3.65 
4.95 
5.21 
13.81 

Priority Axes 

% of 2007-2009 allocations  

CBC with Member States 
CBC within Western Balkans 
Participation to ERDF Transnational Programmes 
TOTAL 

42.48% 
46.75% 
10.76% 
100.00% 

Implementation  of  the  2007  –  2009  Cross-border  Cooperation  programmes  was  ongoing 
during the reporting period. For programmes at borders between candidate countries/potential 
candidates,  it  took  about  one  year  from  the  signature  of  the  of  first  financing  agreements 
(March/April 2008) for national authorities to set up the programme management structures 
and  prepare  first  calls  for  proposals,  which  were  published  for  all  programmes  in  June-July 
2009. This timing is comparable to that of Member States for CBC at intra-EU borders. The 
calls included 2007 and 2008 IPA funds. Calls were closed in September-October 2009.  

CBC  Programmes  can  make  a  valuable  contribution  to  reconciliation  and  good  neighbourly 
relations,  and  the  beneficiaries  have  shown  great  expectations  with  regards  to  the  results  of 
the  programmes  of  this  component,  also  in  light  of  the  fact  that  CBC's  'learning-by-doing' 
approach  will  significantly  contribute  to  local  capacity-building.  These  great  expectations 
were reflected in the large number of applications submitted to the Calls for proposals, despite 
the almost symbolic amount of available funds. 

At  borders  with  Member  States,  the  first  Calls  for  proposals,  which  included  2007  –  2009 
funds, were launched between March and September 2009.  

- 30 - 

 
 
 
 
With regards to participation in the ERDF transnational programme 'South-East Europe', the 
selection  of  projects  following  the  first  call  for  proposals  was  completed  in  2009  and  grant 
contracts  absorbing  IPA  2007  funds  were  signed.  As  of  2008,  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina 
participates also in the 'Mediterranean' programme with an annual allocation of EUR 100,000. 
The second call for proposals was launched in the course of 2009.  

2.3. 

Coherence, compatibility and coordination of aid 

Donor coordination is ensured throughout the entire project management cycle from project 
design to implementation. In particular, in 2009 the European Commission as a core donor, 
together with DFID, was involved in setting up an Aid Coordination Committee together with 
the  Ministry  of  Finance,  the  Directorate  for  European  Integration  and  the  Directorate  for 
Economic  Planning.  Monthly  coordination  meetings  continued  to  be  held  with  EU  Member 
States  on  programming  and  implementation  of  assistance.  The  European  Commission  also 
participated  to,  and  provided  regular  updates  on,  the  IPA  programming  process  to  a  Donor 
Coordination Forum, which comprises key bilateral and multi-lateral donors. Improved donor 
co-ordination  has  resulted  in  a  division  of  labour  in  certain  areas  where  Member  States  or 
other  donors  are  carrying  out  projects  which  would  otherwise  have  been  considered  for 
Commission  financing.  Coordination  with  civil  society  has  been  performed  under  the 
responsibility of the Directorate for European Integration. 

2.4.  Monitoring  

As described before, most IPA projects started their implementation late in the year 2009 and 
the Result Oriented Monitoring could assess the projects only in or shortly after the inception 
phase.  The  monitors  however  assessed  a  predominant  number  of  projects  as  relevantly 
designed, efficient to date and with good prospects for sustainability.  

- 31 - 

 
 
3. 

CROATIA 

3.1. 

The year in review  

In 2009 accession negotiations with Croatia continued at a steady pace. Of the 35 negotiating 
chapters,  by  the  end  of  that  year  29  were  opened  for  negotiations,  of  which  6  in  2009.  10 
chapters were provisionally closed during the reporting period, out of a total of 17 that were 
provisionally closed by the end of that year. 

As  assessed  in  the  Commission's  Enlargement  Strategy  and  Main  Challenges  2009-2010  28 
during  the  reporting  period  "Croatia  continues  to  make  progress  on  key  political  reforms. 
Croatia continues to meet the political criteria and made progress in most areas, including 
intensified efforts in the field of rule of law. […] Croatia will need to step up reform efforts in 
the area of judiciary and fundamental rights, in particular as regards the independence and 
efficiency of the judiciary, the fight against corruption and organised crime, minority rights, 
including  refugee  return,  and  war  crimes  trials.  Public  administration  reform  requires 
particular  attention  […]  Croatia  needs  to  enhance  efforts  to  establish  required  instruments 
for the management and control of Community financial instruments".  

For more details on developments in 2009 in Croatia's preparation for EU membership, please 
refer to the Commission's 2009 Progress Report29. 

3.2. 

IPA programming and implementation in 2009 

3.2.1.  MIPD 2009-2011 

The  priorities  set  in  the  Commission's  Enlargement  Strategy  and  Main  Challenges  2009-
201030 and in the 2009 Progress Report, including reinforced support to the political criteria, 
were  taken  into  account  in  the  strategic  choices  for  IPA  financial  assistance  made  in  the 
Multi-annual  Indicative  Planning  Document  (MIPD)  2009-2011  for  Croatia.31  This  MIPD, 
amounting  to  EUR  462.6  million,  was  adopted  on  9  July  2009,  following  consultations 
conducted by the Commission with the National IPA Coordinator (NIPAC) in Croatia. At the 
beginning  of  the  drafting  process,  in  November  2008,  a  draft  version  of  the  MIPD  was 
circulated  to  EU  Member  States,  as  well  as  to  local  branches  of  International  Financing 
Institutions  (IFIs)  and  civil  society  representatives.  A  revised  version  was  presented  to 
Member  States  representatives  in  the  IPA  Management  Committee  on  24  April  2009.  The 
Committee delivered a positive opinion by written procedure on 8 May 2009. 

In light of Croatia's advanced stage in the EU accession process and in view of maximising 
the  preparation  of  its  structures  and  systems,  assistance  was  concentrated  on  institution 
building  and  preparations  for  implementation  of  the  EU  common  agricultural  and  cohesion 
policies.  

The 2009-2011 MIPD did not significantly differ from the 2008-2010 MIPD adopted by the 
Commission  on  18  September  2008,  as  the  objectives  under  the  five  IPA  Components 

28 

29 

30 

31 

Enlargement  Strategy  and  Main  Challenges  2009-2010,  COM(2009)  533  of  14  October  2009, 
http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/pdf/key_documents/2009/strategy_paper_2009_en.pdf.  
Croatia  2009  Progress  Report,  SEC(2009)  1333  of  14  October  2009,  available  at 
http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/pdf/key_documents/2009/hr_rapport_2009_en.pdf.  
Enlargement  Strategy  and  Main  Challenges  2009-2010,  COM(2009)  533  of  14  October  2009, 
http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/pdf/key_documents/2009/strategy_paper_2009_en.pdf.  
Multi-annual  Indicative  Planning  Document  (MIPD)  2009-2011,  C(2009)5371  of    9  July  2009, 
http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/pdf/mipd_croatia_2009_2011_en.pdf.  

- 32 - 

 
 
                                                 
remained largely relevant, with amendments taking into account the Commission's Progress 
Report and Enlargement Strategy of 5 November 2008.  

In particular, stronger emphasis was given, within the political criteria, to assistance needed 
for the judicial reform, the fight against corruption and organised crime, and the integration of 
the Serb minority. As regards the ability to take on the obligation of membership, the MIPD 
maintained  sufficient  flexibility  in  order  to  accompany  the  accession  negotiation  process  in 
the most optimal manner.  

The  2009-2011  MIPD  included  also  updates  on  lessons  learned  from  issues  and  remedial 
actions related to absorption capacity and management and control systems put in place by the 
Croatian authorities, as well as an overview on the conferral of management powers processes 
under the five IPA Components. 

Table 1: MIFF32 allocations per component, in million EUR 

Component 
I – Transition Assistance and Institution Building 
II – Cross-border cooperation 
III – Regional Development 
IV – Human Resources Development 
V – Rural Development 
TOTAL 

2009 
45.60
15.90
49.70
14.20
25.80
151.20

3.2.2.  Programming exercise 

2010 

2011 
39.96 
16.54 
58.20 
16.00 
26.50 
154.20 157.20 

39.48
16.22
56.80
15.70
26.00

2009-2011 
125.04
48.66
164.70
45.90
78.30
462.60

In  2009,  the  programming  of  IPA  2009  Component  I,  initiated  at  the  end  of  2008,  was 
finalised.  Financing  Decisions  under  IPA  Components  II  were  also  adopted  in  2009,  on  the 
basis  of  multi-annual  programmes  adopted  by  the  Commission  at  the  end  of  2007  and 
beginning of 2008. As regards Components III and IV, for which programming is done on a 
multiannual  basis  and  disbursements  follow  the  “n+3  rule33”,  Financing  Decisions  were 
adopted  at  the  end  of  2007,  with  financial  allocations  for  2007-2009.    Financing  Decisions 
adopted in 2009 consisted in the addition of the 2010 financial allocations, while revisions to 
the programmes content were made only in limited cases detailed in the relevant sub-sections 
below.  

The  distribution  of  the  five  IPA  Components  in  the  following  table  is  consistent  with  the 
strategic priorities for Croatia for 2009, as set out in the Enlargement Strategy and the revised 
MIPD 2009-2011. 

Table 2: Indicative financial allocations for the year per component, in million EUR 

CROATIA 
I. Transition Assistance and Institution Building 
Of which: 

                                                                                  National Programme Part I  
National Programme Part II (Lifelong Learning & Youth in Action)** 
                                                                                  Nuclear Safety Programme* 

II. Cross-Border Cooperation 
Of which:                     

2009 
45.60

42.10
2.50
1.00
15.90

32 

33  

Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament 'Instrument for Pre-
Accession  Assistance 
for  2010-2012', 
COM(2008)705 of 5 November 2008. 
As foreseen by Art. 166 (3)(a) of Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 of 25 June 2002. 

Indicative  Financial  Framework 

(IPA)  Multi-Annual 

- 33 - 

 
 
                                                 
                                                              CBC Croatia – Bosnia and Herzegovina 
                                                                                   CBC Croatia - Montenegro 
                                                                                            CBC Croatia - Serbia 
CBC Croatia - Slovenia 
CBC Croatia - Hungary 
CBC IPA Adriatic 
Croatia's participation in ERDF transnational programmes  
"South East Europe" and "Mediterranean" 

III. Regional Development 
Of which: 

1.00
0.40
0.80
3.21
2.62
7.31
0.56

49.70

Transportation 
Environment 
Regional Competitiveness 

18.50
18.50
12.70
14.20
25.80
151.20

IV. Human Resources Development 
V. Rural Development 
TOTAL 
*  The  Nuclear  Safety  Programme  is  coordinated  and  implemented  under  the  relevant  Multi-beneficiary  IPA 
2009 programme.  
**Management of the allocations for these two programmes was cross-delegated to DG Education and Culture 
(EAC)  

3.2.2.1  

Component I: Transition Assistance and Institution Building 

The  IPA  2009  Component  I  programme  for  Croatia  was  adopted  by  the  Commission  on  1 
December  2009,  on  the  basis  of  project  proposals  made  by  the  National  IPA  Coordinator 
(NIPAC) in Croatia at the end of 2008 and subsequent negotiations with the Commission. In 
March 2009, a draft list of projects was circulated to EU Member States and local branches of 
International  Financing  Institutions  (IFIs).  A  revised  draft  programme  was  presented  to 
Member  States  representatives  in  the  IPA  Management  Committee  on  25  September  2009. 
The Committee delivered a positive opinion by written procedure on 16 October 2009. 

The  20  projects  of  the  IPA  2009  programme  were  grouped  under  the  four  strategic  priority 
axes  defined  in  the  Multi-annual  Indicative  Planning  Document  (MIPD)  2009-2011  for 
Croatia: political criteria, economic criteria, ability to assume the obligations of membership, 
and supporting programmes. They were selected by taking into account their compliance with 
the Accession Partnership adopted on 12 February 2008, the Strategy Paper and the Croatia 
2008 Progress Report adopted on 5 November 2008. 

The projects proposals were also assessed against the background of the 2009 National Plan 
for the integration of the Republic of Croatia into the EU, the Croatian Strategic Development 
Framework 2006-2013 as well as sectoral strategies wherever appropriate. 

As in previous years, projects were also appraised according to the sequencing of assistance in 
a  given  sector,  the  implementation  capacity  of  the  potential  beneficiary  institution  and  the 
maturity of the project proposals. When deciding on the priority of the projects proposed by 
the  Croatian  authorities,  the  Commission  paid  particular  attention  to  the  sustainability  and 
"ownership" of the financial assistance, by ensuring that projects selected were part of a wider 
national strategy. Programming by the Croatian authorities has shown signs of improvement, 
with a reduction in the number of proposals submitted to the Commission, but by the end of 
the reporting period there was still room for introducing a more stringent screening of project 
proposals. The link of project proposals with overall priorities, and considerations about the 
proposed timing of implementation and how this fits with pre-accession needs, should also be 
made more explicit. 

- 34 - 

 
 
Given Croatia’s advanced stage in the EU accession process, the Component I of IPA 2009 
focuses  on  remaining  assistance  needs  relevant  for  assuming  membership  obligations.  The 
institution  building  component  accounts  for  the  majority  of  financing  (66%),  whereas 
investments amount to the remaining third of the IPA allocation.  

Regarding  institution  building,  the  twinning  instrument  continues  to  be  the  preferred 
implementation  modality  for  all  transposition  or  legal  approximation-related  projects  where 
the  relevant  expertise  lies  within  the  Member  States.  The  relevance  of  twinning  is  set  to 
further increase the closer Croatia gets to the EU.  

Investments  are  related  to  the  growing  importance  of  administrative  strengthening  priorities 
and  the  increasing  emphasis  on  post-accession  objectives  over  sheer  alignment  with  the 
acquis.  For  example,  in  the  case  of  the  Ministry  of  Agriculture,  Fisheries  and  Rural 
Development,  the  financing  of  supply  and  works  reflects  the  need  for  considerable 
investments  for  the  setting  up  veterinary  and  phyto-sanitary  inspection  facilities  at  border 
posts.  

IPA  2009  focuses  on  support  to  the  political  criteria.  Two  twinning  projects  in  the  area  of 
judiciary  reform  aim  at  supporting  the  training  of  judicial  advisors,  future  judges  and  state 
attorneys, as well as the reduction of case backlog. In the field of human rights, a twinning 
project will support the Ministry of  Interior  in fighting  sexual exploitation and the abuse of 
children.  Another  twinning  aims  at  strengthening  the  capacity  of  the  Office  of  the 
Ombudsman  and  of  the  Office  for  Human  Rights  in  combating  discrimination.  In  the 
framework  of  the  Multi-beneficiary  Civil  Society  Facility,  grant  schemes  will  support  Civil 
Society  Organisations  in  Croatia  in  the  fields  of  democratisation,  human  rights  and  refugee 
return, as well as promoting innovative social service delivery programmes.  

Complementarity  with  past  and  ongoing  projects  was  also  carefully  assessed  to  avoid  any 
overlaps  in  the  delivery  of  financial  assistance.    Most  of  IPA  2009  projects  are  to  varying 
degrees follow-up of previous initiatives (e.g. under CARDS and PHARE) or precursors for 
new  ones.  Substantial  projects  clusters  are  noticeable  in  the  area  of  environment,  statistics, 
border management, taxation.  

In  designing  the  IPA  2009  programme,  careful  account  was  taken  of  the  "lessons  learned" 
from  projects  programmed  in  previous  years,  notably  as  described  in  the  thematic  Public 
Administration  Reform34  evaluation  and  in  the  Country  Programme  Interim  Evaluation35 
carried out by the Commission in 2009.  

In  particular,  issues  that  in  the  past  affected  the  achievement  of  project  purposes  were 
increasingly  addressed  under  IPA,  as  compared  to  PHARE,  namely:  i)  more  attention  was 
paid  to  conditionality  and  sequencing  since  the  programming  stage;  ii)  measures  were 
deployed to improve the administrative implementability of projects and compress the length 
of  the  preparatory  phase;  iii)  where  required,  measures  were  adopted  to  enhance  the 
involvement  of  decision-makers  in  the  execution  of  projects,  and  to  facilitate  inter-
institutional coordination. 

The  Country  Programme  Interim  Evaluation  assessed  that  IPA  project  fiches  show  a  clear 
progress  compared  to  the  previous  PHARE  instrument,  but  that  there  was  still  room  for 

34 

35 

Supporting Public Administration Reform in Croatia – Thematic Evaluation of EU and other support, 
MWH Consortium, June 2009. 
2009  Country  Program  Interim  Evaluation  of  EU  Pre-accession  Assistance  to  Croatia,  Economisti 
Associati, draft report of 22 December 2009, final report of 12 March 2010. 

- 35 - 

 
 
                                                 
 
improvement.  The  identification  of  the  hierarchy  of  objectives  was  largely  correct,  but 
problems  persisted  in  the  selection  of  indicators  of  achievement,  with  a  frequent  confusion 
between  various  logical  levels  (indicators  of  purpose,  results  and  outputs).  Improvements 
reflected  the  good  work  done  by  the  Central  Office  for  Development  Strategy  and 
Coordination  of  EU  Funds  (CODEF)  in  providing  training  to  Programme  Implementation 
Units (PIU). 

Table 3: Indicative financial allocations for the year 2009 under the  National Programme, per 
priority axis and per project, in million EUR 

Priority Axis  Projects 
Political Criteria  

Capacity Building in the Field of Fight against Sexual Exploitation and 
Sexual Abuse of Children 
Establishing a comprehensive system for anti-discrimination protection 
Professional development of judicial advisors and future judges and state 
attorneys  
Further improvement of institutional capacity of all misdemeanour courts 
and development of ICMS compatible modules  
Enhancing the Sustainability and the Development of Civil Society 
Organizations (under the Civil Society Facility)  

Economic Criteria  

Reconstruction of Maškovića Han and Economic Revitalization of Vrana 
Settlement  
Technical assistance in business statistics  

Ability to assume the obligations of membership 

Preparations for eCTD and implementation of digital archival information 
system 
Strengthening the administrative capacity of competent authorities and 
implementation agencies for co-ordination of social security schemes  
Upgrading of four selected long-term veterinary and phytosanitary border 
inspection posts  
Reinforcement of the administrative and technical capacity of the Croatian 
Civil Aviation Agency and Accident Investigation Body 
Enhancement of the administrative capacity of CTA in the field of audit 
Modernization of State Border Control  
Supply of IT Equipment for police stations  
Capacity building for preparation of management plans and strengthening 
of nature protection inspection for proposed Natura 2000 sites  
Capacity building for implementation Directive on pollution caused by 
certain dangerous substances discharged into the aquatic environment and 
the Water Framework Directive  
Capacity building for the implementation of the environmental acquis in 
the areas of waste management, integrated pollution prevention and 
control and noise protection  
Strengthening the institutional capacity for blood, tissues and cell  

Supporting programmes  

Facility for Project Preparation & Reinforcement of Administrative 
Capacity 
Participation of Croatia in EU Programmes and Agencies  
Preparation for participation in "Youth in Action" and "LifeLong 
Learning" EU Programmes 

TOTAL 

Budget 
7.76 
1.37 

0.74
1.10

2.05 

2.50

2.63 
1.83 

0.80
20.55
1.00

0.95

6.44

1.30

0.95
1.11
1.50
1.70

1.00

2.60

2.00
13.66 
5.86 

5.30
2.50

44.60

At the end of 2009, the process of IPA 2010 programming was initiated by the Commission 
together with the Croatian authorities. 

- 36 - 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.2.2.2. 

Component II: Cross-Border Cooperation 

Croatia  participates  in  cross-border  cooperation  (CBC)  programmes  with  neighbouring  IPA 
countries:  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina,  Montenegro  and  Serbia.  These  programmes  aim  at 
encouraging  the  creation  of  cross-border  networks  and  partnerships  and  developing  joint 
cross-border actions with a view to revitalising the economy, protecting the environment and 
increasing  social  cohesion  in  the  programme  areas.  They  also  include  technical  assistance. 
The financing decisions allowing for the deployment of IPA 2009 funds, worth respectively 
EUR  2 million, EUR  0.9 million and EUR 1.8 million (amounts covering both sides of the 
borders), were adopted on 12 October, 14 October and 12 November 2009.  

The  programme  financing  Croatia’s  participation  in  the  ERDF  transnational  programmes 
"South-East  Europe"  and  "Mediterranean"  was  adopted  on  14  October  2009  for  an  IPA 
allocation  of  EUR  560  202.    The  ERDF  "South–East  Europe"  and  "Mediterranean" 
programmes aim at the establishment and development of transnational co–operation through 
the  financing  of  networks  and  of  actions  conducive  to  integrated  territorial  development, 
concentrating  primarily  on  the  areas  of  "innovation",  "environment",  "accessibility"  and 
"sustainable urban development".  

Croatia  participates  also  in  the  following  cross-border  programmes  with  Member  States:  
CBC  Adriatic,  CBC  Hungary-Croatia  and  CBC  Slovenia-Croatia,  which  had  been  adopted 
over February-March 2008. Multi-annual Financing Decisions were adopted already in 2008 
and continued to be implemented in 2009.  

The  "IPA  Adriatic  cross-border  programme"  between  Greece,  Italy,  Slovenia,  Albania, 
Bosnia  and  Herzegovina,  Croatia,  Montenegro  and  Serbia  contain  priority  axes  on 
"Economic,  social  and  institutional  cooperation",  "Natural  and  Cultural  Resources  and  Risk 
Prevention",  "Accessibility  and  Networks"  and  "Technical  assistance"  for  a  total  amount  of 
EUR 36 909 920  under 2009  funding (including the European Regional Development Fund 
(ERDF) contribution), the IPA contribution for the year amounting to EUR 17 604 391.  

The  Hungary-Croatia  IPA  cross-border  programme  contains  priority  axes  on  "Sustainable 
Environment and Tourism", "Co-operative Economy and Intercommunity Human Resources 
Development"  and  "Technical  assistance",  for  a  total  amount  (again  including  the  ERDF 
contribution)  of  EUR 7  879  498  under  2009  funding,  the  IPA  contribution  for  the  year 
amounting to EUR 2 619 581. 

The Slovenia – Croatia IPA cross-border programme contains priority axes on "Economic and 
social  development",  "Sustainable  management  of  natural  resources"  and  "Technical 
assistance",  for  a  total  amount  of  EUR  6  417  370  under  2009  funding,  of  which  IPA 
contributes EUR 3 208 685. 

3.2.2.3  

Components III and IV: Strategic Coherence Framework 

In  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the  IPA  Implementing  Regulation,  in  2007  Croatia 
established  the  Strategic  Coherence  Framework  (SCF)  for  2007-2013  covering  IPA 
Components III (Regional Development) and IV (Human Resources Development). 

Within  the  SCF,  the  supporting  socio-economic  analysis  and  subsequent  strategy  identified 
the  key  objectives  and  priorities  to  be  implemented  through  four  multi-annual  Operational 
Programmes (three in Component III and one in Component IV) with a strong strategic focus. 
IPA, with its similarities to the European Regional Development Fund and Cohesion fund, is 

- 37 - 

 
 
a  precursor  of  Structural  Funds.  The  SCF  is  also  considered  as  "mini  National  Strategic 
Reference Framework. 

The  preparation  of  the  SCF  in  Croatia  was  coordinated  by  the  Strategic  Coordinator  who 
consulted  the  Commission  throughout  the  whole  process.  Commission  services  verified  the 
content of the SCF and concluded that it contained all the relevant elements. 

3.2.2.3.1  

Component III: Regional Development 

The strategy for financial assistance under Component III foresaw concentration of resources 
in the transport (Transportation Operational Programme - OP), environment (Environmental 
OP) and regional competitiveness (Regional Competitiveness OP) sectors. It covered acquis-
related  investments  in  environmental  protection  (waste  water,  drinking  water  and  waste 
management)  and  sustainable  transport  (railways  and  inland  waterways).  Along  with  these 
efforts  directed  at  basic  infrastructure,  further  assistance  aimed  at  modernising  and 
restructuring  the  productive  capacity  of  disadvantaged  regions  in  particular  by  providing 
services to enterprises, particularly small and medium-sized ones.  

Moreover, under the three Operational Programmes resources were utilised to introduce into 
the  national  framework  the  strategic  planning  and  management  principles  guiding  the 
implementation of EU structural instruments, also via a 'learning-by-doing' process.  

Within each of the OPs, a separate priority on Technical Assistance was introduced to support 
the  national  structures  managing  IPA  as  well  as  to  ensure  project  preparation  of  high 
standards.  The  comprehensive  institutional  set-up  built  for  IPA  (Operating  Structure 
consisting  of  specific  bodies  for  each  OP/priority)  will  continue  with  some  modifications 
under the Structural Funds regime. 

The "Regional Competitiveness" OP was adopted on 29 November 2007 for the period 2007-
2009  and  consisted  of  three  priority  axes:  "Improving  development  potential  of  the  lagging 
behind  regions",  "Enhancing  the  competitiveness  of  the  Croatian  economy",  and  Technical 
Assistance.  

The  "Transportation"  OP  was  adopted  on  7  December  2007  for  the  period  2007-2009  and 
encompassed  3  priority  axes:  "Upgrading  Croatia's  rail  transport  system",  "Upgrading 
Croatia's inland waterway system", and Technical Assistance.  

The "Environmental" OP  was adopted on 29 November 2007 for  the period  2007-2009 and 
consisted of 3 priority axes: "Developing Waste Management Infrastructure for Establishing 
an Integrated Waste Management System in Croatia", "Protecting Croatia's Water Resources 
Through  Improved  Water  Supply  and  Integrated  Wastewater  Management  Systems",  and 
Technical Assistance. 

All three programmes under Component III were modified after the reporting period, to add 
the 2010-2011 allocations. 

3.2.2.3.2 Component IV: Human Resources Development 

The  operational  programme  "Human  Resources  Development"  was  adopted  on  7  December 
2007  for  the  period  2007-2009  and  consisted  of  4  priority  axes:  "Enhancing  access  to 
employment and sustainable inclusion in the labour market", "Reinforcing social inclusion of 
people  at  a  disadvantage",  "Enhancing  human  capital  and  employability",  and  Technical 
Assistance. 

- 38 - 

 
 
3.2.2.4  

Component V: Rural Development 

The  "Programme  for  agriculture  and  rural  development"  (IPA  Rural  Development)  was 
adopted by the Commission on 25 February 2008 and consisted of 3 priority axes: "Improving 
market  efficiency  and 
implementation  of  EU  standards",  "Preparatory  actions  for 
implementation  of  the  agri-environmental  measures  and  local  rural  development  strategies", 
and "Development of the rural economy". 

The  programme  was  subsequently  modified  in  October  2008  and  September  2009.  The 
amendments  to  the  programme  were  essentially of  a  technical  nature and  concerned  mainly 
the adaptation of the financial tables to take into account the new financial allocation for 2011 
according  to  the  MIPD  2009-2011,  the  update  of  data  included  in  the  programme  and  the 
correction of editorial inconsistencies and mistakes.  

3.2.3. 

Implementation Modalities and Structures  

Overall, by the end of the reporting period contracting and payment rates under the five IPA 
Components were relatively low, as shown by the tables below. This is explained by the fact 
that  implementation  of  IPA  programmes  under  Components  I  to  IV  could  effectively  start 
only  after  decisions  on  conferral  of  management  powers,  allowing  for  the  so-called 
"decentralised  management  of  assistance",  were  adopted  by  the  Commission  at  the  end  of 
2008, as further detailed below. Contracting and disbursement could therefore not start before 
2009. 

A country can take full benefit of IPA only if it exercises decentralised implementation by a 
stable  institutional  set-up,  which  will  continue  to  exist  after  accession,  as  the  new  national 
structures will be used for the EU Cohesion and Rural Policies. Therefore, the time spent for 
putting them in place, i.e. the whole of 2007 and 2008 for Croatia, was well spent. 

Indeed,  Croatia  took  a  number  of  important  steps  to  address  weaknesses  identified  by  the 
Commission  in  the  decentralised  management  of  pre-accession  aid.  These  steps  led  to  the 
conferral  on  Croatia  of  decentralised  management  powers  (with  ex  ante  controls  by  the  EU 
Delegation)  on  28  October  2008  under  IPA  Component  I,  14  November  2008  under  IPA 
Component II36, 29 October 2008 as regards the environmental and regional competitiveness 
programmes  and  3  November  2008  as  regards  the  transportation  programme  under  IPA 
Component III, and 1 December 2008 under IPA Component IV. 

Croatia  needs  to  ensure  that  the  conditions  set  out  in  the  aforementioned  Commission 
Decisions  on  conferral  of  management  powers  are  met.  Findings  of  follow-up  audits  carried 
out in November 2009 for Components I and IV, December 2009 for Component II and March 
2010 for Component III will have to be thoroughly addressed. 

Improvements  undertaken  by  the  Croatian  authorities  in  2009  related  notably  to  the 
strengthening  of  the  accredited  system,  such  as  the  functioning  of  internal  audit  and  the 
strengthening of the Audit Authority and of control functions within the Operating Structures. 
The good functioning of the irregularity system was also stressed by the auditors as being vital. 

36 

Only regarding cross-border programme between IPA beneficiaries and the participation of Croatia in 
ERDF  transnational  programmes,  whereas  for  cross-border  programmes  with  Member  States 
management of assistance does not require a conferral on Croatia by the Commission as it is operated 
under shared management. 

- 39 - 

 
 
                                                 
Following  extensive  discussions  with  the  Commission,  the  National  Authorising  Officer  in 
Croatia  submitted  roadmaps  to  waive  ex  ante  controls  by  the  EU  Delegation  under  IPA 
Components I and III, respectively, in December and October 2009. Under IPA Component 
IV, the Commission requested further improvements of the draft roadmap in November 2009. 
These roadmaps provide a framework for monitoring and assessing progress towards waiving 
of ex ante controls. A track record of improved implementation is needed and various steps 
are described therein to strengthen the accredited system.  

Regarding  IPA  Component  II,  the  Central  Finance  and  Contracting  Agency  (CFCA)  in 
Croatia was conferred management powers on 14 November 2008. The Agency for Regional 
Development under the Ministry of Regional Development, Forestry and Water Management 
was  set  up  in  the  course  of  2009  as  a  new  Implementing  Agency  and  the  conferral  process 
needs to be completed before planning the waiving of ex ante controls. 

As  regards  IPA  Component  V,  conferral  of  management  powers  requires  more  time  as 
conferral  is  ensured  on  the  principle  that  the  Commission  does  not  operate  any  ex  ante 
controls on the transactions. Therefore this requires an even higher level of preparedness on 
the  side  of  beneficiary  administrations.  The  Commission  conferred  management  powers  on 
Croatia  for  two  measures  (out  of  seven)  on  30  November  2009,  namely  measure  101 
'Investments  in  agriculture  holdings  to  restructure  and  to  upgrade  to  EU  standards'  and 
measure 103 'Investments in the processing and marketing of agricultural and fishery products 
to  restructure  these  activities  and  to  upgrade  them  to  EU  standards'.  For  the  remaining 
measures, this process is expected to continue during 2010.  

3.2.4.  Overview of IPA Implementation in 2009 

Table 4: Status of implementation of IPA financial assistance (Components I to V) as at 
31st December 2009 (in million EUR)   

IPA 2007-2008-2009 

429.22

69.16

360.07 

16.11%

Committed 

Paid 

RAL37 

% Paid 

3.2.4.1  

Component I: Transition Assistance and Institution Building 

Tables 5: Status of implementation of IPA financial assistance (Component I) as at 31st 
December  2009  (in  million  EUR)  per  annual  programme  and  distribution  of  total 
committed funds (2007-2009 allocations) by priority axes 

IPA 2007 
IPA 2008 
IPA 2009 
TOTAL 

Committed  Contracted RAC38  % Contracted  Paid  RAL  % Paid 
36.94  18.65%
31.87% 8.47 
36.36  12.11%
12.11% 5.01 
0.00% 0.00 
44.60 
0.00%
14.83% 13.48  117.90  10.26%

45.41 
41.37 
44.60 
131.38 

30.94
36.36
44.60
111.90

14.47
5.01
0.00
19.48

Priority Axes 

% of 2007-2009 allocations 

Political criteria 

(of which civil society)

Economic criteria 
Ability to assume membership obligations 
Support programmes 
TOTAL 

37 
38 

Remains to be paid (Reste à Liquider). 
Remains to be contracted (Reste à Contracter). 

- 40 - 

18.21% 
(4.19%) 
4.11% 
53.25% 
24.42% 
100.00% 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Simultaneous  implementation  of  IPA  2007  and  IPA  2008  programmes  in  2009  was  a 
challenge for Croatia's absorption capacity, although there was an acceleration of procurement 
by the Croatian authorities compared to the previous PHARE instrument, notably due to the 
allocation of significant human resources to the Implementing Agency (CFCA).  

As  already  mentioned,  given  Croatia's  advanced  stage  in  accession  negotiations,  EU 
assistance  has  been  moving  from  the  sheer  adoption  of  the  acquis  to  its  concrete 
implementation  and  to  more  general  administrative  strengthening  with  a  view  to  post–
accession priorities, such as the preparedness for EU Structural Funds.  

For instance, the objective of the project "National Border Management Information System" 
(IPA 2007),  with an IPA allocation  of  EUR  4.4  million,  was  to  establish  greater  security  at 
Croatia's  future  external  borders  according  to  Schengen  standards  in  the  area  of  border 
management and improvement of efficiency of the Croatian Border Police. This project is a 
continuation of earlier CARDS 2002 ("Phase 1") and 2003 ("Phase 2") projects. The activities 
under  "Phase"  3  of  this  project  assist  in  extending  the  National  Border  Management 
Information System at 25 border crossing points into an integrated mechanism based on the 
design and tests made in Phases 1 and 2. 

Another example is the support to the National Anti-Corruption Strategy. IPA 2007 twinning 
projects  aimed  at  strengthening  USKOK,  the  coordination  body  in  charge  of  drafting  and 
implementing the anti-corruption strategy, and at improving inter-agency cooperation, for an 
IPA amount of EUR 3.74 million.  

Impacts  in  the  field  of  preparation  for  Structural  Funds  will  be  apparent  only  upon 
implementation of such instruments. IPA 2008 funding provided support to various Croatian 
institutions for the future implementation and management of the Cohesion Policy in Croatia. 

Under  IPA  2009,  EUR  5.3  million  were  also  allocated  to  co-finance  the  participation  of 
Croatia in EU Programmes and Agencies. 

In 2009 Croatia continued to benefit from TAIEX and SIGMA institution building activities. 

According to the 2009 Country Programme Interim Evaluation, a precise measurement of the 
effectiveness  of  pre-accession  assistance  was  often  hampered  by  the  unavailability  of 
indicators but, in general, completed projects delivered the expected results and prospects for 
almost  completed  ones  were  fairly  positive.  Prospects  for  projects  in  the  pipeline  were  also 
fairly  positive,  because  various  issues  that  in  the  past  affected  the  achievement  of  project 
purposes  were  being  increasingly  addressed  (e.g.  more  attention  paid  to  conditionality  and 
sequencing). 

Prospects  for  impact  were  generally  positive,  with  some  qualifications.  Actions  aimed  at 
achieving  alignment  with  specific  acquis  requirements  sometimes  provided  a  decisive 
contribution  to  the  opening  or  closing  of  negotiations  in  certain  chapters.  The  impact  of 
assistance  aimed  at  strengthening  the  public  administration  was  instead  more  difficult  to 
assess, because structural changes took longer to generate results and it more often suffered 
from the lack of systematic evidence. 

- 41 - 

 
 
 
3.2.4.2  

Component II: Cross-border Cooperation 

Tables 6: Status of implementation of IPA financial assistance (Component II) as at 31st 
December  2009  (in  million  EUR)  per  annual  programme  and  distribution  of  total 
committed funds (2007-2009 allocations) by priority axes 

IPA 2007 
IPA 2008 
IPA 2009 
TOTAL 

Committed  Contracted RAC  % Contracted  Paid  RAL  %Paid 
1.86%
0.00%
0.00%
0.45%

4.54% 0.18 
0.00% 0.00 
0.00% 0.00 
1.09% 0.18 

9.69 
14.73 
15.90 
40.32 

9.51 
14.73 
15.90 
40.14 

9.25
14.73
15.90
39.88

0.44
0.00
0.00
0.44

Priority Axes 

% of 2007-2009 allocations  

CBC with Member States 
CBC within Western Balkans 
Participation to ERDF Transnational Programmes 
TOTAL 

79.86% 
16.37% 
3.77% 
100.00% 

For  cross-border  programmes  at  borders  between  candidate  countries  and  potential 
candidates, calls for proposals were closed over September-November 2009.  

At  borders  with  Member  States,  the  first  calls  for  proposals,  which  included  2007–2009 
allocations,  were  launched  in  2008  and  2009  depending  on  the  various  programmes.  Some 
grant contracts were concluded at the end of 2009 (CBC Croatia-Slovenia).  

With regards to the participation in the ERDF transnational programmes 'South–East Europe' 
and  'Mediterranean',  the  selection  of  projects  following  the  first  calls  for  proposals  was 
completed in 2009 and the second call for proposal was launched. 

CBC  programmes  can  make  a  valuable  contribution  to  reconciliation  and  good  neighbourly 
relations,  and  the  beneficiaries  have  shown  great  expectations  with  regards  to  the  results  of 
the  programmes,  also  in  light  of  the  fact  that  CBC's  'learning-by-doing'  approach  will 
significantly contribute to local capacity-building. These great expectations were reflected in 
the  large  number  of  applications  submitted  to  the  calls  for  proposals,  despite  the  almost 
symbolic amount of available funds. 

3.2.4.3. 

 Component III: Regional Development 

Tables  7:  Status  of  implementation  of  IPA  financial  assistance  (Component  III)  as  at 
31st December 2009 (in million EUR) and distribution of total committed funds (2007-
2009 allocations) by priority axes 

IPA 2007-2008-2009 

142.35

42.80

99.55 

30.07%

Committed 

Paid 

RAL 

% Paid 

Priority Axes 

% of 2007-2009 allocations 

Transport 
Environment 
Regional Competitiveness 
TOTAL 

37.58% 
37.58% 
24.83% 
100.00% 

As regards Component III, though the three Operational Programmes were adopted in 2007, 
their  implementation  could  start  only  after  the  adoption  of  the  Commission  Decisions 
conferring  management  powers  relating  to  the  respective  Operational  Programmes  and  the 
signature of the Financing Agreements at the end of 2008.  

- 42 - 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Work  carried  out  in  2009  concentrated  on  appraisal  and  approval  of  projects/operations.  
Three  new  major  project  applications  were  submitted  to  the  Commission  in  2009.  The 
appraisal of a major project submitted in 2008 was completed and five funding decisions for 
major  projects  were  adopted  in  2009  (one  in  Transport,  the  “Zagreb  Main  Railway  Station 
Signalling and Interlocking System", for EUR 18 700 000, including EUR 14 025 000 of IPA 
funds,  and  four  in  Environment,  namely:  i)    the  “County  Waste  Management  Centre 
Mariscina",  for  EUR  11  473  200,  including  EUR  8  604  900  of  IPA  funds;  ii)  the  "County 
Waste Management Centre Kastijun", for EUR 6 197 752, including EUR 4 648 314 of IPA 
funds;  iii)  the  "Water  supply  and  sewerage  system  with  wastewater  treatment  plant  for 
Slavonski  Brod",  for  EUR  20  459  900,  including  EUR  15  344  925  of  IPA  funds;    iv)  the 
"Water  supply  and  sewerage  improvements  with  wastewater  treatment  plant  in  Knin",  for 
EUR  11  722  503,  including  EUR  8  791  877  of  IPA  funds).  Moreover,  an  additional  major 
project application in waste water was submitted to the Commission in 2009. Finally, in the 
Regional  Competitiveness  Operational  Programme  as  well  as  in  the  technical  assistance 
priority  axes  under  the  Environmental  and  Transportation  Operational  Programmes,  a 
significant number of non major projects/operations were approved at the national level. 

Tendering  could  start  for  all  the  operations  approved  in  2009.  At  the  end  of  2009,  the 
tendering rate was 26% for the Transport OP, 28% for the Environment OP and 37% for the 
Regional  Competitiveness  OP.  The  contracting  rates  remained  low,  especially  in  the  two 
infrastructure programmes, where the tendering process is quite long due to the complexity of 
the tender documentation. 

In 2009 the first interim payments for two Operational Programmes were made.  

3.2.4.4  

Component IV: Human Resources Development 

Tables  8:  Status  of  implementation  of  IPA  financial  assistance  (Component  IV)  as  at 
31st December 2009 (in million EUR) and distribution of total committed funds (2007-
2009 allocations) by priority axes 

IPA 2007-2008-2009 

38.28

12.70

25.58 

33.18%

Committed 

Paid 

RAL 

% Paid 

Priority Axes 

% of 2007-2009 allocations 

Employment 
Social inclusion 
Human capital and employability 
Technical assistance 
TOTAL 

24.82% 
23.51% 
41.67% 
10.00% 
100.00% 

In  the  course  of  2009,  implementation  of  Component  IV  started.  As  described  above,  the 
conferral of management powers for implementation of the Human Resources Development 
OP had been approved in December 2008 and the Financing Agreement entered into force in 
March 2009, which paved the way for the effective kicking-off of implementation activities. 

In 2009, the key priority was the selection, approval and implementation of operations and the 
absorption of the available funding. The tenders for all 8 grant schemes were launched, which 
was an important step in terms of preparations for the European Social Fund. A first payment 
request of EUR 1.2 million was received before the end of 2009.  

- 43 - 

 
 
 
 
3.2.4.5  

Component V: Rural Development 

Tables 9: Status of implementation of IPA financial assistance (Component V) as at 31st 
December 2009 (in million EUR) and distribution of total committed funds (2007-2009 
allocations) by priority axes 

IPA 2007-2008-2009 

76.90

0.0039

76.90 

0.00%

Committed 

Paid 

RAL 

% Paid 

Priority Axes 

% of 2007-2009 allocations 

Market efficiency and EU standards 
Agri-environmental measures and Leader approach 
Development of rural economy 
Technical assistance 
TOTAL 

66.66% 
0.00% 
29.67% 
3.67% 
100.00% 

The  implementation  of  projects  from  the  first  two  accredited  measures  under  IPA  Rural 
Development, namely measure 101 'Investments in agriculture holdings to restructure and to 
upgrade to EU standards' and measure 103 'Investments in the processing and marketing of 
agricultural  and  fishery  products  to  restructure  these  activities  and  to  upgrade  them  to  EU 
standards', was foreseen for after the reporting period. 

During  2009,  the  Croatian  authorities  were  also  strongly  focused  on  the  preparation  of 
procedures for conferral of management powers for all other programme measures.  

Besides the two conferred measures, some progress was made especially in the preparation of 
public  procurement  rules,  necessary  for  Rural  Infrastructure  and  Technical  Assistance 
measures. Although progress in preparations could be observed, the delays in implementation 
of the IPA Rural Development Programme that were still persisting by the end of 2009 put at 
risk  the  funds  allocated  for  2007  and  2008.  According  to  the  "n+340"  budgetary  rule,  these 
funds will have to be de-committed if not spent by the end of 2011. Therefore in the future all 
efforts shall be oriented towards further conferral of management and calls for applications. 

3.3. 

Coherence, compatibility and coordination of aid 

Donor coordination is of great importance to avoid any overlap of assistance. In line with the 
conferences on donor coordination in Tirana in April 2009 and in Brussels in October 2009, 
the  Commission  continued  to  promote  the  establishment  of  more  formal  co-ordination 
mechanisms by the Croatian government and its ownership of the coordination process.  

The donor community, in particular the EU via its Delegation and the World Bank, continued 
to  play  an  active  role  in  ensuring  synergies  and  complementarities  in  the  common  areas  of 
intervention. At the local level, the EU Delegation organised six meetings with the Member 
States in the course of 2009.  

Regarding IFIs, the "Joint IFI Action Plan in support of banking systems and lending to the 
real  economy  in  Central  and  Eastern  Europe"  was  agreed  on  26  February  2009  by  the 
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Investment Bank 
(EIB) and the World Bank's Presidents. The objectives of the Action Plan are to: 

39 

40  

Disbursements did not yet start under Component V as the process of conferral of management requires 
more  time  than  other  components,  based  on  the  principle  of  full  decentralisation  without  any ex  ante 
controls by the Commission. 
As foreseen by Art. 166 (3)(a) of Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 of 25 June 2002. 

- 44 - 

 
 
 
 
                                                 
- deploy rapid and sizeable financial assistance to strengthen banks and support lending to the 
real  economy,  particularly  to  SMEs,  in  a  coordinated  manner  and  building  on  each  IFI's 
capabilities; 

-  engage  other  stakeholders  and  mobilize  financial  resources  for  the  region,  using  IFI 
financing as a catalyst;  

- facilitate coordination of national bank support packages and policy dialogue between key 
private and public sector stakeholders in countries most affected by the crisis. 

In addition to support from the IFIs, EU Member States (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, 
Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK) and other donors were actively 
supporting Croatia's accession process.  

3.4.  Monitoring  

The Commission monitors the functioning of Croatia's decentralised implementation system 
and the impact of IPA assistance. In 2009 it participated in all monitoring committees, namely 
the bi-annual IPA Sectoral Monitoring Sub-Committees under each IPA Component over the 
May-June  and  November-December  periods,  as  well  as  the  IPA  Monitoring  Committee 
covering the five IPA Components on 6 July 2009.  

These  were  high  level  committees,  co-chaired  by  the  NIPAC  and  the  Commission.  The 
Central Office for Development Strategy and Coordination of EU Funds  (CODEF)  acted  as 
the  secretariat  of  the  committees  and  was  directly  responsible  for  quality  control  of 
monitoring  reports  prepared  by  beneficiaries  and  preparation  of  the  various  committees, 
including coordination of follow-up actions. 

The  annual  report  on  the  implementation  of  IPA  assistance  under  the  five  IPA  components 
was examined by the IPA Monitoring Committee of 6 July 2009 and submitted by the NIPAC 
to the Commission by the 31 August 2009 deadline set in the IPA Implementing Regulation. 
The report synthesised the different sectoral annual reports and included information about: 

- progress made in implementing EU assistance in relation to the priorities set up in the Multi-
annual Indicative Planning Document (MIPD) and the different programmes; 

- financial execution of EU assistance. 

According  to  the  aforementioned  2009  Country  Programme  Interim  Evaluation,  the  new 
notion  of  monitoring  in  Croatia  has  been  gradually  absorbed  by  the  entities  responsible  for 
projects implementation. The monitoring system is functioning fairly smoothly, as witnessed 
by  the  high  acceptance  rate  of  monitoring  reports  by  Sectoral  Monitoring  Sub-Committees 
(SMSC). However, the configuration of SMSC in 2009 became increasingly misaligned with 
the  priorities  of  assistance  under  IPA  Component  I  and  also  resulted  in  an  unbalanced 
distribution of workload among the committees.  In addition, there appeared to be room for 
improving the usefulness of monitoring reports that, due to an inadequate template, remained 
excessively  long  and  not  sufficiently  focused  on  the  most  important  issues.  Those 
recommendations were subsequently addressed by the Croatian authorities. 

- 45 - 

 
 
4. 

THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA 

4.1. 

The year in review  

In  2009  the  former  Yugoslav  Republic  of  Macedonia  stepped  up  its  efforts  to  prepare  for 
accession  to  the  European  Union.  Considerable  progress  was  made  in  a  number  of  relevant 
sectors like transport, customs, taxation and reform of the police. Thus the country managed 
to  overcome  doubts  about  the  respect  of  international  standards  for  democratic  elections 
which had built up following some incidents linked to the 2008 parliamentary elections41.The 
undisturbed  presidential  and  municipal  elections  in  April  2009  contributed  to  strengthening 
the perception that the political criteria were being fulfilled. The country was also successful 
in  convincing  the  EU  to  lift  visa  requirements,  a  much  welcomed  decision  that  came  into 
force for Schengen – countries in December 2009. 

The overall positive assessment was reflected in the Commission decision of 15 October 2009 
to suggest to the Council the opening of accession negotiations with the country, which had 
received candidate status in December 2005. Due to the unresolved name issue with Greece, 
the Council failed to set a starting date for accession negotiations with the former Yugoslav 
Republic of Macedonia at its meeting on 16 December 2009. 

For more details on developments in 2009 in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’s 
preparation for EU membership, please refer to the Commission’s 2009 Progress Report42.  

4.2. 

IPA programming and implementation in 2009 

4.2.1.  MIPD 2009-2011 

The overall objective of pre-accession assistance is to support the country's efforts to comply 
with the Copenhagen accession criteria and to help prepare the country meet the challenges of 
future  EU  membership.  Against  this  background,  pre-accession  assistance  for  the  period 
2009-2011  is  concentrated  on  three  strategic  areas:  i)  supporting  institution  building;  ii) 
improving  cross-border  cooperation;  iii)  preparing  for  participation  in  the  EU  cohesion  and 
rural development policies. 

The 2009-2011 MIPD for the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia43, worth EUR 272.8 
million,  was  adopted  in  June  2009.  Donor  coordination  and  Civil  Society  consultation 
meetings  were  organised  by  DG  ELARG  and  the  EU  Delegation  in  Skopje  and  in  Brussels 
(October  2008  and  April  2009).  Furthermore,  Civil  Society  Organisations  (CSO), 
International Financial Institutions (IFIs) and Member States as well as the beneficiary were 
given  the  opportunity  to  send  written  comments  on  the  draft  MIPD  to  the  Commission. 
Comments  from  Member  States,  IFIs  and  the  government  were  incorporated  into  the  draft 
MIPD  as  appropriate.  There  were  no  comments  on  the  draft  MIPD  from  the  Civil  Society 
Organisations.  

41 

42 

43 

Election  day  on  1  June  was  marred  by  a  large  number  of  security  incidents  and  acts  of  violence, 
including the death of one person in Aracinovo, and injuries to several others in exchanges of gun-fire 
in  a  suburb  of  Skopje.  There  were  also  reports  of  a  significant  number  of  instances  of  ballot  box 
stuffing, tampering with results, family voting, voter intimidation and other acts of electoral malpractice 
and,  last  but  not  least,  weak  and  partisan  action  of  police  forces  since  the  beginning  of  the  electoral 
campaign. 
The  former  Yugoslav  Republic  of  Macedonia  2009  Progress  Report,  SEC(2009)  1335,  14.10.2009, 
available at http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/pdf/key_documents/2009/mk_rapport_2009_en.pdf.  
C(2009)5043, 29.06.2009. 

- 46 - 

 
 
                                                 
Building  on  past  and  ongoing  assistance44  and  drawing  from  the  Accession  Partnership's 
recommendations, the MIPD identified priorities for making the overall strategy operational, 
as follows:  

Implementation of assistance faced challenges with regard to absorption capacity, as national 
institutions  were  endowed  with  inadequate  staff,  both  in  terms  of  quality  and  numbers. 
Therefore  absorption  capacity  was  taken  into  account  when  drafting  the  2009-2011  MIPD, 
targeting support to improve the capacities of public administrations as part of the major areas 
of intervention. 

Underlining the fact that the level of ownership of EU assistance was not very high, the MIPD 
foresaw to take into account the country's own needs (e.g. as outlined in the relevant national 
strategic documents like the National Programme for the Adoption of the Acquis - NPAA, the 
National  Development  Plan  -  NDP,  the  Ohrid  Framework  Agreement  and  other  sectoral 
strategy  documents)  during  programming  and  implementation.  Co-financing  requirements 
would also contribute to increased ownership. Political will and coherent decision-making on 
the part of the beneficiary were essential to rectify shortcomings in the implementation of pre-
accession assistance and ensure sustainability. 

The  2009-2011  MIPD  reflected  the  need  for  strong  horizontal  alignment  at  national  level 
(across  sectors  and  stakeholders),  to  be  achieved  by  improving  coordination  efforts  among 
ministries and relevant departments. 

to 
Overall,  sound  vertical  alignment  of  programme  development 
implementation),  together  with  strong  attention  to  the  conditions  for  successful  programme 
implementation,  were  highlighted  in  the  MIPD  in  order  to  decrease  the  risks  related  to  the 
difficulties described above.  

(from  design 

Compared to the 2008-2010 MIPD, the main revisions to the planning document introduced 
in  2009  consisted  in  putting  greater  focus  on  future  assistance  for  the  adoption  and 
enforcement of national legislation aligned with the EU acquis and further transposition of the 
EU  acquis  in  relevant  areas,  adding  competition,  transport,  justice,  freedom  and  security  to 
agriculture,  the  environment,  the  internal  market,  etc.  More  focus  was  given  to  public 
administration, particularly in terms of management of human resources and public finance. 

Table 1: MIFF45 allocations per component, in million EUR 

Component 
I. Transition Assistance and Institution Building 
II. Cross-Border Cooperation 
III. Regional Development 
IV. Human Resources Development 
V. Rural Development 
TOTAL 

200946
38.1
5.6
20.8
7.1
10.2
81.8

2010
36.3
5.7
29.4
8.49.4
12.5
92.3

2011 
34.5 
5.8 
35.0 
9.4 
14.0 
98.7 

2009-2011
108.9
17.1
85.2
24.9
36.7
272.8

44 

45 

46 

"Past  and  ongoing  assistance"  is  mentioned  in  headings  of  all  MIPDS  and  NPs/APs.  It  refers  to  the 
whole cycle of financial assistance, from design to implementation. 
Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament 'Instrument for Pre-
for  2010-2012', 
Accession  Assistance 
COM(2008)705 of 5 November 2008. 
Final allocations (shown in the main report and in table 2) differ from these indicative figures following 
transfers between components I and II during the course of 2009. 

Indicative  Financial  Framework 

(IPA)  Multi-Annual 

- 47 - 

 
 
                                                 
4.2.2.  Programming exercise  

The  strategic  reference  of  the  2009  National  Programme  was  the  2009-2011  MIPD.  As 
outlined therein, given the candidate status of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, 
pre-accession  assistance  was  aimed  at  supporting  the  country's  efforts  to  comply  with  the 
Copenhagen Criteria. This was reflected in the annual programming of IPA Component I and 
in the review of the multi annual programming documents for IPA Components II to V. 

Table 2: Indicative financial allocations for the year per component, in million EUR 

THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA 
I. Transition Assistance and Institution Building 
Of which: 

National Programme 
Nuclear Safety Programme* 
Tempus Programme* 

with Greece 
with Bulgaria 
with Albania 
South East Europe ERDF 

Transport  
Environment 
TA 

II. Cross-Border Cooperation 
Of which:  

III. Regional Development 
Of which:  

IV. Human Resources Development 
V. Rural Development 
TOTAL 

2009
39.31

37.06
0.50
1.75
4.37

1.47
1.34
1.00
0.56
20.80

15.70
3.90
1.20
7.10
10.20
81.78

* The Nuclear Safety Programme and Tempus Programme are coordinated and implemented under the relevant 
Multi-beneficiary IPA 2009 programmes.  

4.2.2.1  

 Component I: Transition Assistance and Institution Building 

The IPA 2009 National Programme for the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, which 
was adopted by the Commission on 12 November 2009, was the first to be programmed based 
on decentralised management (i.e. implementation managed by the beneficiary, with ex-ante 
controls  by  the  EU  Delegation),  as  it  was  assumed  that  conferral  of  management  could  be 
granted  before  the  end  of  2009.  This  assumption  proved  premature  and  resulted  in  no 
Financing Agreement for this programme being signed in 2009.  

The  projects  presented  under  IPA  2009  were  selected  based  on  the  following  (equally 
important)  criteria:  i)  consistency  with  EU  and  national  strategic  priorities;  ii)  consistency 
with the obligations deriving from the National Programme for the Adaptation of the Acquis 
(NPAA); iii) level of “coverage” from previous IPA/CARDS projects and previous bilateral 
assistance;  iv)  project  maturity  (how  developed  was  the  project  fiche  and  the  project/tender 
documentation); v) project lifespan (should be finite) and possibility of defining management 
boundaries  on  an  annual  level;  vi)  scope  for  inter  –  ministerial  cooperation  and 
communication; vii) involvement of other bodies and stakeholders. 

- 48 - 

 
 
Firstly,  projects  were  selected  on  the  basis  of  the  priorities  identified  in  the  MIPD.  For 
example, although the legal and institutional framework for human rights and the protection 
of  minorities  was  broadly  in  place,  it  was  evident  that  additional  efforts  were  needed  to 
improve implementation in a number of fields. Thus, IPA 2009 includes a project to develop 
the  capacity  to  ensure  full  respect  of  human  rights  by  law  enforcement  agencies  and 
investigative  institutions,  including  strengthening  the  effectiveness  of  investigations  of 
allegations of torture and of ill-treatment. 

Secondly,  the  existence  of  national  (sectoral)  strategies  was  taken  into  consideration.  Thus, 
interventions  outlined  in  the  IPA  2009  programme  in  most  cases  build  on  clearly  identified 
and well developed national strategies. For example, the objective behind supporting the State 
Transport  Inspectorate  is  to  strengthen  the  administrative  and  operational  capacity  for 
effective  enforcement  of  the  road  transport  legislation.  Therefore  this  project  will  not  only 
contribute  to  achieving  the  MIPD  goal  of  alignment  with  the  EU  acquis  in  the  transport 
sector, as its purpose is also directly linked to the National Transport Strategy (2007-2017), 
which aims at furthering approximation of the national legislation with EU legislation as well 
as  strengthening  the  capacity  of  the  relevant  transport  institutions.  In  some  cases  these 
national strategies will be updated and improved through IPA assistance, as it will be the case 
with the project aimed at assisting the Civil Servants Agency with their National System for 
Training Coordination. 

Thirdly, possible follow-up on previous and ongoing projects (EU, bilateral and multilateral 
assistance)  was  taken  into  consideration,  such  as  in  the  case  of  the  project  on  Integrated 
Border Management (CARDS 2006 and IPA 2008), in order to assure sustainability and avoid 
overlaps.  

In  addition,  projects  were  screened  on  their  maturity  (how  developed  was  the  project  fiche 
and  the  project/tender  documentation;  presence  of  key  elements  such  as  needs  analysis, 
feasibility studies and market studies and the intended beneficiaries’ preparedness to receive 
and  manage  the  support  provided  by  the  programme).  Finally,  they  were  screened  against 
possible  overlaps  with  ongoing  assistance  in  the  country,  inter-ministerial  cooperation  and 
communication and involvement of other relevant bodies and stakeholders.  

Regarding  the  involvement  of  national  beneficiaries,  the  NIPAC  and  the  Secretariat  for 
European  Affairs  must  have  a  coordination  role  in  the  programming,  identification  and 
formulation  of  strategic  priorities,  enabling  good  guidelines  and  facilitating  the  process  that 
must  result  in  the  drafting  of  mature  and  ready  to-go  projects.  The  analysis  of  the  strategic 
documents must provide a clear idea of what  are  the medium-term priorities of the relevant 
institutions in the country.  

In the period June – September 2008, based on those documents the Secretariat for European 
Affairs  developed  a  first  draft  of  a  Summary  Outline  which  pinpointed  the  most  relevant 
priorities  for  2009  programming.  In  order  to  maintain  continuity  of  the  reform  processes 
deriving from the European agenda of the country, the EU put the emphasis on a combined 
“top down” and “bottom up” approach in the programming process, through i) setting a clear 
action  plan  and  time  table  for  the  2009  programming;  ii)  creating  a  better  participatory 
approach  by  involving  municipalities  (through  the  Association  of  Local  Self  Government 
Units (ZELS)) and civil society (through the Unit for Civil Society in the General Secretariat) 
in the programming of Component I. 

The detailed calendar for programming of IPA 2009 Component I provided exact steps with a 
precise  schedule.  After  each  milestone  (e.g.  elaboration  of  summary  outline,  project 

- 49 - 

 
 
identification  sheets,  project  fiches,  technical  specifications,  Terms  of  Reference  and  tender 
dossiers,  etc.),  the  EU  Delegation  and  Commission  services  in  Brussels  were  consulted  and 
their comments incorporated.   

The  first  programming  step  was  the  ‘summary  outline’  provided  by  the  NIPAC,  containing 
project  ideas.  Final  beneficiaries  were  required  to  formulate  projects  ideas  (September-
October  2008)  in  line  with  the  set  priorities  and  EU  approximation  objectives.  Ideas  for 
projects  and  other  actions  were  identified  and  screened  for  further  study.  This  involved 
consultation  with  the  intended  final  beneficiaries,  an  analysis  of  the  problems  they  were 
facing and the identification of options to address those problems. Only then a decision was 
made,  based  on  the  relevance  of  each  project  idea  (both  for  the  intended  beneficiaries  and 
with  respect  to  the  programming  framework).  The  outcome  of  this  phase  was  the 
identification of projects to be covered by IPA 2009.  

During the second stage, final beneficiaries were required to draft project fiches and measures 
in line with the Operational Programmes. At this stage it was necessary to ensure consistency 
between  programming  and  national  budgetary  requirements  for  co-financing.  In  order  to 
avoid overlapping, increase transparency and assure complementarities, the 2009 programme 
was  discussed  with  the  international  community  and  civil  society  representatives  on  27-28 
October 2008 and on 6/8 April 2009, with the aim of avoiding overlapping with other donors’ 
assistance and allow full participation of civil society in the creation of the project proposals.  

In order to increase ownership of the programming process and reach better efficiency once 
priorities were defined, final beneficiaries had sole responsibility for drafting project fiches. 
However,  as  experience  had  shown  that  they  had  limited  capacities,  the  EU  Delegation 
supported the process by creating working groups on a project-fiche basis.  

In addition, in order to boost programming capacities in the country,  in  the  period  January-
June 2009 a team of two consultants was assigned to assist the Secretariat for EU Affairs and 
line ministries with the preparation of the IPA 2009 National Programme. The main purpose 
of  the  project  "Technical  Assistance  to  support  the  SEA  in  drafting  the  National  Annual 
Programme under IPA (Instrument for Pre Accession) Component I – Transition Assistance 
and  Institution  Building  for  2009”  was  to  provide  support  in  redrafting  IPA  Component  I 
project fiches for the 2009 programme, ensuring that these would be delivered in line with the 
programming schedule.  In doing so the project team carried out quality assurance of the draft 
project fiches and helped increase the capacity to understand and create logical frameworks in 
order to help preparation of project fiches for IPA. 

Against  this  background,  and  building  on  previous  CARDS  achievements,  as  well  as  more 
recent  experience  from  programming  of  IPA  2007  and  2008,  the  National  Programme  for 
Component I in 2009 provides support to the following priority areas:  

•  Political  criteria  (EUR  8.742  million)47-  The  programme  envisages  strengthening  the 
administrative  capacity  of  the  relevant  institutions  at  central  and  local  level  in  order  to 
ensure  sound  and  efficient  management  of  EU  funds,  thus  contributing  to  the 
decentralisation process. Regarding the rule of law and good governance, the programme 
supports  the  creation  of  an  independent  and  efficient  judicial  system.  It  also  provides 
technical assistance to prioritised institutions, including the Ministries of Justice, Interior, 
Local Self Government and the Civil Servants Agency. Finally, the programme foresees 
assistance to foster civil society development and dialogue, as well as to the Ministry of 

47 

The amounts in brackets refer to the EU contribution (excl. national co-financing). 

- 50 - 

 
 
                                                 
Culture  for  the  revitalisation  of  the  tourist  site  'St  George  –  Staro  Nagorichane',  in  line 
with the Ljubljana Process.  

•  Socio-Economic  criteria  (EUR  4.037  million)  –  Technical  and  material  support  is 
foreseen to be given to the State Statistical Office, contributing to harmonization with the 
EU acquis in this field. Furthermore, technical support is provided to the Department for 
macro-economy  of  the  Ministry  of  Finance,  the  Commission  for  Protection  of 
Competition and the National Bank. 

•  Ability to assume the obligations of EU membership (EUR 17.935 million)- The focus of 
2009 assistance in this area is the adoption of the acquis, including building institutional 
and  administrative  capacity  for  transposing,  implementing  and  enforcing  it  according  to 
the  priorities  identified  in  the  Accession  Partnership.  The  areas  covered  are  transport, 
agriculture,  environment,  energy,  information  society,  integrated  border  management, 
customs, veterinary and food safety. 

•  Support to programming and participation in EU Programmes and Agencies (EUR 6.345 
million) - The IPA 2009 Project Preparation and Support Facility proves crucial in helping 
prepare  project  documents  of  adequate  quality  for  the  EU  assistance,  in  a  quick  and 
effective manner.  

Finally,  the  programme  supports  participation  of  the  country  in  a  series  of  EU  Programmes 
which  were  deemed  important  for  the  country’s  further  cohesion  process  (i.e.  the  7th 
Framework  Research  programme,  the  CIP-Entrepreneurship  and  Innovation  Programme, 
Culture  programme,  Progress  and  Europe  for  Citizens),  and  funds  are  allocated  for  the 
extension  of  preparatory  measures  for  the  Lifelong  Learning  and  Youth  in  Action 
programmes.  Furthermore,  funds  are  allocated  to  cover  costs  for  the  country’s  future 
participation as observer in activities of the European Fundamental Rights Agency.   

Following  the  submission  of  the  project  fiches  by  the  EU  Delegation  in  April  2009,  DG 
Enlargement conducted its assessment and concluded that the proposed programme was good 
and  balanced,  in  line  with  the  priorities  of  the  country  and  EU  strategic  documents,  while 
shortcomings were identified regarding the quality and maturity of project fiches. 

The  23  fiches  were  returned  to  the  Secretariat  for  European  Affairs  via  the  Delegation  and 
additional revisions were undertaken on all of them. The services on both sides were able to 
overcome the identified shortcomings in June-July 2009 and present the programme for Inter-
Service  Consultation  within  the  Commission.  The  programme  was  finally  adopted  on  12 
November 2009, following a positive opinion by the IPA Committee on 25 September 2009. 

During  the  programming  exercise,  some  progress  was  made  in  reducing  the  number  of 
planned  contracts  and  increasing  the  average  value  (IPA  contribution)  of  projects.  The  IPA 
2009  programme  has  86  contracts  in  total,  compared  to  93  for  IPA  2008,  including  six 
twinning  in  areas  such  as  criminal  law  reforms,  agriculture,  macroeconomics,  competition 
policy and statistics.  

The  major  part  of  the  assistance  under  Component I of IPA 2009 will be delivered through 
service contracts and there is a possibility to  use the Project Preparation Facility, where the 
budget  allows  for  a  maximum  33  framework  contracts.  More  specifically,  15  service,  7 
supply, 2 works, 6 twinning and 33 framework contracts are programmed under IPA 2009, in 
addition to 5 direct grant awards, 2 calls for proposals and 16 direct payments (CA and CP).   

- 51 - 

 
 
Projects  in  cooperation  with  other  international  agencies  and  EU  bodies  are  also  foreseen, 
such as with the Council of Europe in the area of human rights (Project Fiche 1.2 “Capacity 
Building  of  the  Law  Enforcement  Agencies  for  Appropriate  Treatment  of  Detained  and 
Sentenced Persons”), as well as with the European Central Bank in the area of economic and 
monetary  union  (Project  Fiche  2.2  “Review  of  Legal,  Organizational  and  Resource 
Requirements for the National Bank”) – see table below.  

Table  3:  Indicative  financial  allocations  for  the  year  2009  under  the  annual  National 
Programme, per priority axis and per project, in million EUR 

Priority Axis 
Political Criteria 

Projects 

Budget48 
8.75

1.1 Support in the Implementation of the Reform of the Criminal Justice 
System 
1.2 Capacity Building of the Law Enforcement Agencies for Appropriate 
Treatment of Detained and Sentenced Persons 
1.3 Support to the National Police and Criminal Law Reform 
1.4 Support to Enhancement, Sustainability and Development of an Active 
Civil Society 
1.5 Building effective and democratic local government 
1.6 Technical Assistance to the Civil Servants Agency and Strengthening 
the Implementation of the National System for Training Coordination 
1.7  Conservation  and  Revitalization  of  the  Cultural  –  Tourist  Site 
St.George – Staro Nagorichane 

 Economic Criteria 

the  Capacity  of 

the  Ministry  of  Finance  for 

2.1  Strengthening 
Macroeconomic Analysis and Policy Formulation 
2.2  Review  of  Legal,  Organizational  and  Resource  Requirements  for  the 
National Bank 
2.3 Support to the State Statistical Office 
2.4 Assistance to the Commission for Protection of Competition 

Acquis 

3.1  Enhancing  the  Administrative  Capacity  of  Telecom  and  Media 
Authorities 
3.2 Institution Building of the Administrative Capacity for Agriculture and 
Rural Development 
3.3  Capacity  Building  for  the  Authorities  for  Food  Safety,  Phytosanitary 
and Veterinary Policy 
3.4 Strengthening the Capacity of the Transport Inspectorate 
3.5 Strengthening the Capacity of the Energy Department in the Ministry 
of Economy and the Energy Agency 
3.6 Strengthening the Capacity for Approximation and Implementation of 
Environmental Legislation 
3.7 Strengthening the Capacity of the Customs Administration 
3.8 Strengthening the Blood Safety System 
3.9 Integrated Border Management 

Priority axis Supporting Programmes 

4.1 Participation in EU Programmes and Agencies 
4.1 Project Preparation and Support Facility 
4.3 Preparatory measures for Life Long learning and Youth in Action 

TOTAL 

48 

 The amounts under 'Budget' refer to the EU contribution.  

- 52 - 

1.27

1.80
1.03

1.50
0.99

0.99

1.17
4.04

1.22

0.40 
1.47
0.95
17.93

0.81

2.60

1.74
0.72

1.70

2.98
2.91
0.90
3.57
6.34
1.63
2.71
2.00
37.06

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
4.2.2.2  

Component II: Cross-border Cooperation 

For  Component  II,  the  three  multi-annual  bilateral  programmes  in  which  the  country  is 
involved (with Albania, Bulgaria and Greece) were originally adopted by the Commission in 
2007 - except with Greece, adopted in March 2008 -  with financial tables covering the period 
2007–2009.  In  accordance  with  the  art  93  (1)(a)  of  the  IPA  Implementing  Regulation,  the 
countries prepared a revision of the 2007-2013 programming documents in order to add the 
financial allocations for 2010-2011.  

The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia participates also in the transnational South-East 
Europe  programme.  Besides,  during  2009  national  authorities  confirmed  their  readiness  to 
start  the  programming  process  for  a  new  cross-border  cooperation  programme  in  the  area 
bordering Kosovo49.  

The  overall  objective  of  IPA  Cross-border  cooperation  (CBC)  is  to  promote  sustainable 
economic and social development in the areas concerned. Joint actions implemented with the 
support  of  the  programme  should  have  an  impact  on  the  socio-economic  situation  of  the 
population,  improve  the  joint  management  of  natural  and  cultural  resources  as  well  as 
strengthening  the  image  and  cohesion  of  the  cross-border  area.  All  programmes  contain  a 
description  of  priorities  and  the  measures  chosen  for  assistance  in  the  period  2007-2013,  as 
well  as  an  indicative  financing  plan  for  the  first  years.  CBC  programmes  are  essentially 
implemented through joint calls for proposals covering all the eligible territory. The Financing 
decisions for the 2009 allocations were taken in August 200950.  

Due to the late setting up of joint structures, the first call for proposals concerning 2007 funds 
under the CBC with Albania could only be launched in June 2009. The Financing Agreement 
for 2008 funds related to the same programme was signed in December 2009. Also the 2008 
Financing  Agreement  on  the  CBC  Programme  with  Greece  was  signed  in  December  2009. 
Implementation  of  this  programme  was  delayed  because  of  the  difficulties  encountered  to 
clarify all technicalities for this cross-border programme between a EU Member State and a 
candidate  country,  implemented  according  to  the  transitional  arrangements  laid  down  in 
Art.99 of the IPA Implementing Regulation51. Also, in view of the political relations between 
the two countries, it took more time to bring the two partners together to agree on the different 
implementation  steps.  As  in  the  case  with  Albania,  a  joint  launch  of  call  for  proposals  to 
absorb funds from IPA 2007 and 2008 was foreseen for after the reporting period. 

Under the transnational “South-East Europe” programme, after the successful completion of 
the  first  call  for  proposals  with  2007  funds,  40  projects  were  selected,  out  of  which  6  were 
from  the  former  Yugoslav  Republic  of  Macedonia.  The  second  call  was  published  in 
November 2009, with the 2008 and 2009 financial allocations, and the great interest for this 
programme shown during the first call was expected to be repeated.  

4.2.2.3  

Component III: Regional Development 

The multi-annual Operational Programme Regional Development under IPA Component III, 
worth  40.5  million  EUR  for  the  period  2007-2009,  was  prepared  by  the  national  authorities 

49 
50 

51  

Under UNSCR 1244/1999. 
The exception is the CBC programme with Bulgaria, which is implemented under shared management 
by  the  Member  State,  where  a  multiannual  Decision  taken  in  December  2007  covers  the  first  three 
years;  it  is  implemented  by  means  of  a  multi-annual  Financing  Agreement  between  the  Commission 
and the Government of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. 
Commission Regulation (EC) No 718/2007 of 12.6.2007  

- 53 - 

 
 
                                                 
during  2007  in  close  cooperation  with  the  Commission  and  was  adopted  by  Commission 
Decision on 29 November 2007.  

Its  overall  objective  is  to  support  the  sustainable  development  of  the  country  through  the 
improvement  of  transport  and  environment  infrastructure.  Assistance  in  the  transport  sector 
focuses  on  continuing  the  development  of  the  South-East  Europe  Core  Regional  Transport 
Network  (corridors  VIII  and  X).  Concerning  assistance  in  the  environment  sector,  targeted 
investments  will  focus  on  waste  water  treatment  and  solid  waste  management,  where  the 
impact  on  the  population  and  natural  environment  is  the  greatest.  Within  the  operational 
programme a separate priority on technical assistance has been introduced to support national 
structures  managing  IPA,  including  ensuring  projects  of  high  standards  for  current 
programmes and for the future programming periods.  

As  the  revised  multi-annual  planning  documents  for  the  periods  2008-2010  and  2009-2011 
essentially  maintained  the  priorities  of  the  previous  period,  the  strategy  and  priorities 
expressed  in  the  Operational  Programme  Regional  Development  adopted  in  2007  were 
maintained for the following two years.  

In  2009,  most  of  the  efforts  under  this  component  were  put  in  obtaining  conferral  of 
management  powers  (see  section  4.2.3  below).  The  Financing  Agreement  was  signed  and 
entered into force in September 2009. A pre-financing for an amount of EUR 12.15 million 
was transferred to the national authorities in October 2009.  

4.2.2.4  

Component IV: Human Resources Development 

The  multi-annual  Operational  Programme  Human  Resources  Development  (OPHRD)  under 
Component IV for the programming period 2007 – 2013, with financial allocations for 2007-
2009  worth  EUR  19.176  million  (including  the  national  contribution),  was  prepared  by  the 
national authorities during 2007 in close cooperation with the Commission and was adopted 
by Commission Decision on 7 December 2007. The OPHRD concentrates its strategy on three 
priority  axis  (plus  the  priority  axis  for  technical  assistance)  covering  the  following  fields: 
employment, education and training and social inclusion. 

Also under this component, most of the efforts in 2009 concentrated on obtaining conferral of 
management  powers  (see  section  4.2.3  below).    The  Financing  Agreement  between  the 
government and the Commission concerning the OPHRD was signed on 26 November 2009. 
A pre-financing payment for an amount of EUR 4.89 million was made in December 2009.  

4.2.2.5.  

Component V: Rural Development 

The  IPA  Rural  Development  programme  2007-2013,  adopted  in  2007  and  first  amended  in 
2008,  consists  of  3  priority  axes:  "Improving  market  efficiency  and  implementation  of  EU 
standards", "Preparatory actions for implementation of the agri-environmental measures and 
local rural development strategies" and "Development of the rural economy". The year 2009 
was used for final preparations for implementation of this programme. In addition, a second 
modification was made in order to include the 2010 financial allocation and to make technical 
revisions  in  order  to  facilitate  the  accreditation  of  the  operating  structure  as  well  as 
implementation. More specifically, vocational training on agriculture, rural infrastructure and 
preparation  for  Leader  type  measures  were introduced.  This  second  modification  received a 
positive opinion from the Rural Development Committee in July 2009. 

- 54 - 

 
 
4.2.3. 

Implementation Modalities and Structures  

2009  witnessed  developments  on  the  roadmap  to  decentralised  implementation  of  IPA 
assistance.  

In  February  2009  the  National  Authorising  Officer  (NAO)  in  the  Ministry  of  Finance 
submitted  to  the  Commission  the  Accreditation  Packages  for  conferral  of  decentralised 
management powers (with ex ante controls by the EU Delegation) for Components I and III. 
The  audit  mission  with  representatives  from  DG  ELARG  and  DG  REGIO  took  place  in 
March 2009.  

The  final  report  of  DG  ELARG  auditors  for  Component  I  was  delivered  in  July  2009.  The 
verification mission identified a substantial  number  of  'high  risks'  within  the  services  of  the 
NAO, National IPA Coordinator (NIPAC) and line ministries, namely shortage of staff in key 
positions,  insufficient  capacity  of  the  management  and  control  systems  regarding  IPA  and 
lack  of  segregation  of  duties.  Those  weaknesses  and  their  respective  risks  levels  did  not 
provide the Commission with sufficient assurance that the national system complied with the 
key criteria for conferral of management powers52 under Component I.  

As concerns Component III, the auditors of DG REGIO gave their final positive assessment 
which led the Commission to grant national authorities the power to manage EU funds for this 
component on July 24, 2009. By the end of the reporting period, a roadmap for waiving of ex-
ante controls under IPA Component III was submitted by the National Authorising Officer to 
the Commission and was in consultation within Commission services.  

With  regard  to  Components  IV  and  V,  the  Accreditation  Packages  were  submitted  to  the 
Commission  in  March  and  June  2009,  respectively.  Audit  Missions  by  DG  EMPL  and  DG 
AGRI  took  place  in  May  (Component  IV)  and  September  (Component  V).  Conferrals  of 
management powers (without ex-ante controls, as far as Component V was concerned) were 
granted to the national authorities, respectively, in October and December 2009.  

Component II-CBC was the only one for which no application for conferral of management 
was  submitted  by  the  NAO  in  2009.  The  Ministry  of  Local  Self  Government  (MoLSG), 
National  IPA-CBC  Coordinator,  is  expected  to  further  strengthen  capacities,  especially 
staffing, and be in a position to send the request to the Commission by the end of 2010 at the 
earliest. 

4.2.4.  Overview of IPA projects/contracts implemented in 2009 

Following  from  the  fact  that  the  Commission  could  not  grant  management  powers  for 
Component  I  to  the  former  Yugoslav  Republic  of  Macedonia,  in  2009  such  component 
continued  to  be  implemented  under  centralised  (de-concentrated)  management,  with  the  EU 
Delegation acting as contracting authority.  

All projects under the first Financing Agreement covering the 2007 allocations were tendered 
and contracted by the contracting deadline of 30 October 2009. For projects under the second 
Financing  Agreement,  for  which  the  contracting  deadline  falls  after  the  reporting  period, 
tendering and contracting was on track.  

52 

The  beneficiary  country  shall  put  in  place  an  organisational  structure  (see  sub-section  2  of  the  IPA 
Implementing  Regulation),  namely  the  NIPAC,  CAO,  NAO,  National  Fund,  Audit  Authority  and 
Operating  Structures  per  IPA  component  or  programme.  Also  internal  controls  and  procurement 
procedures necessary to meet the  minimum requirements  for the related internal control standards set 
out in Annex I of the IPA Regulation must be set up.  

- 55 - 

 
 
                                                 
Table 4: Status of implementation of IPA financial assistance (Components I to V) as at 
31st December 2009 (in million EUR)   

IPA 2007-2008-2009 

197.53

27.89

169.64 

14.12%

Committed 

Paid 

RAL53 

% Paid 

4.2.4.1  

Component I: Transition Assistance and Institution Building 

Tables 5: Status of implementation of IPA financial assistance (Component I) as at 31st 
December  2009  (in  million  EUR)  per  annual  programme  and  distribution  of  total 
committed funds (2007-2009 allocations) by priority axes 

IPA 2007  
IPA 2008  
IPA 2009  
TOTAL 

Committed  Contracted 
21.88 
0.10 
0.00 
 21.98 

34.94 
37.12 
37.06 
109.12 

RAC54  % Contracted 
13.06 
62.62% 
37.02 
0.27% 
37.06 
0.00% 
20.14% 
87.14 

Paid  
10.80 
0.05 
0.00 
10.85 

RAL   %Paid 

24.14 
37.07 
37.06 
98.27 

30.91% 
0.13% 
0.00% 
9.94% 

Priority Axes 

% of 2007-2009 allocations 

Political criteria 

(of which civil society)

Economic criteria 
Ability to assume membership obligations 
Support programmes 
TOTAL 

33.85% 
(2.47%) 
12.96% 
38.34% 
14.85% 
100.00% 

Although  project  implementation  was  in  its  early  stage  in  2009,  national  authorities  made 
good  use  of  the  Project  Preparation  Facility  in  preparation  of  project  documents  in  various 
areas,  mainly  assisting  beneficiary  institutions  in  drafting  Terms  of  References,  Twinning 
Fiches and complex Technical Specifications for works and supply contracts. This assistance 
proved effective, allowing for a timely preparation of Tender Dossiers of a good quality and a 
gradual increase of beneficiaries’ capacity for preparing such documents.  

In  the  course  of  2009  the  EU  Delegation  contracted  11  technical  assistance  contracts,  15 
framework  contracts,  4  negotiated  contracts  and  3  single  tender  contracts  for  services,  1 
twinning,  1  twinning  light  and  2  works  contracts,  all  funded  by  IPA  2007  allocations.  In 
addition,  DG  Education  and  Culture  contracted  two  direct  grant  agreements  for  preparatory 
measures  for  the  Lifelong  Learning  and  Youth  in  Action  programmes  (financed  under  IPA 
2007).  The  following  IPA  2007  projects  could  be  seen  as  showing  positive  results  during 
implementation: 

• 

"Support  to  the  implementation  of  the  Police  Reform  Strategy"  -  EUR  9.4  million  (IPA 
contribution EUR 9.0 million).  

The main part of IPA funding under this project went to the Police Development Assistance 
Project (EUR 7.73 million). The contract started on May 2008 and ended after the reporting 
period,  on  May  2010.  The  overall  objective  of  the  proposed  action  was  the  provision  of 
advisory  and  material  support  to  the  Police  Reform  process  to  ensure  consistency  and 
continuity  of  approach,  consolidate  progress  already  made  and  maintain  momentum.  More 
specifically,  support  addressed  directly  the  three  pillars  of  the  National  Police  Reform 
Strategy  (strategic,  tactical,  and  operational)  at  both  central  and  local  (regional)  levels  and 
provided feedback function for recirculation of operational observations and assessments into 

53 
54 

 Remains to be paid (Reste à Liquider). 
 Remains to be contracted (Reste à Contracter). 

- 56 - 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
the reform process, the assimilation of such observations and, where feasible, the specification 
and implementation of remedial actions to ensure continued progress of the reform  process. 
The project provided direct advisory support to the Ministry of Interior (MoI) and its partner 
institutions, to assist with the co-ordination and implementation of the strategic framework for 
reform.  In the wider context, the objective is to support the development and consolidation of 
an  effective  and  publicly  accountable  police  service  in  the  former  Yugoslav  Republic  of 
Macedonia, to uphold the rule of law and operate in accordance with the applicable National 
Strategies, implementing legislation and international standards and best practices. 

From  20  to  26  February  2009,  the  project  provided  training  to  the  Police  in  relation  to  the 
upcoming  presidential  and  municipal  elections.  In  addition,  the  project  provided  regular 
advice  on  a  human  resources  strategy  and  set  up  an  action  plan  in  line  with  European 
standards  to  regulate  the  rights  and  duties  of  police  officers,  i.e.  recruitment,  assignment, 
salary, promotion, discipline, etc. The project provided also regular advice on training (a key 
benchmark  for  EU  accession),  on  policing  the  police  structures  of  Skopje  city,  on  the 
evolution of Alpha Unit and on community policing/prevention/pilot sites.   

The  second  part  of  the  project  concerned  the  Reconstruction  of  Police  Stations  (EUR  1.67 
million).   

• 

"Support to the implementation of the Customs Reform Strategy" – EUR 3.2 million (EU 
contribution EUR 3.0 million). 

The  objective  of  the  project  is  to  achieve  further  alignment  with  the  acquis  in  the  area  of 
customs  and  strengthen  the  administrative  capacity  of  the  national  Customs  Administration 
(MCA) and its capacity to meet the EU requirements in this  area. The project purpose is to 
contribute to a professional customs administration that is enabled to appropriately implement 
reforms, taking due account of EU regulations and best practices. 

The following contracts within this project made good progress in 2009: 

- Technical Assistance for Improvement of the Customs IT System (EUR 688,000), started in 
July  2009  and  due  to  end  in  January  2011.  The  purpose  of  this  contract  is  to  improve  the 
customs  IT  system  with  the  aim  to  increase  operational  efficiency,  decrease  corruption  and 
achieve  full  compliance  with  the  EU  standards,  in  particular  interconnectivity  with  EU 
Member States administrations. The project team prepared the technical specifications/tender 
dossier for the IT supply contract to be funded under IPA 2007. 

-  Technical  Assistance  for  Reinforcement  of  Border  Control  (EUR  699.990),  started  on 
August  2009  and  due  to  end  on  February  2011.  This  contract  aims  at  reinforcing  customs 
border control. This is to be achieved by implementing comprehensive, systematic, simplified 
and efficient customs controls at border posts; facilitating the legal crossing of passengers and 
goods; ensuring revenue collection and public security; strengthening the MCA’s capacity to 
fight  against  fraud  and  corruption.  During  the  reporting  period,  the  project  team  has 
developed  technical  specifications  for  the  border  control  equipment  supply  component.  The 
review and report on the state of equipping border crossings with modern border inspection 
and detection equipment was under way during the reporting period. The supply tender for IT 
equipment  was  launched  in  November  2009  and  contracts  for  the  two  lots  were  due  to  be 
signed after the reporting period.  

By the end of 2009, the preparation of tender documents for IPA 2008 projects was finalised, 
following  signature  of  the  Financing  Agreement  in  February  2009.  Preparations  of  tender 
documents for IPA 2009 began in December 2009 in order to assure a smooth transition from 

- 57 - 

 
 
centralised to decentralised implementation. The EU Delegation was monitoring preparatory 
activities, participating in working groups with national authorities and providing advice and 
hands-on assistance during the preparation of tender documents.  

Referring to other Institution Building instruments such as TAIEX, in the course of 2009 there 
were  2246  participants  from  line  ministries  and  other  relevant  institutions  to  104  single-
country  and  105  multi-country  events  in  the  areas  of  agriculture,  infrastructure,  internal 
market, justice and home affairs, mobilising 1190 experts.  

As for participation in EU Programmes, in the course of 2009 reimbursement of the following 
entry tickets were allocated to be paid at a later stage: Culture 2008; PROGRESS 2007, 2008, 
2009; Europe for Citizens 2009; CIP55 – ICT 2009, Fiscalis 2009, Customs 2009.  

Following  savings  under  the  IPA  2007  project  fiche  for  EU  Programmes  and  Agencies,  a 
request for additional allocation was approved on mid December 2009 and the entry tickets 
for the FP7 2009 and CIP – EIP 2009 EU Programmes were reimbursed. 

4.2.4.2  

Component II: Cross-border Cooperation 

Tables 6: Status of implementation of IPA financial assistance (Component II) as at 31st 
December  2009  (in  million  EUR)  per  annual  programme  and  distribution  of  total 
committed funds (2007-2009 allocations) by priority axes 

IPA 2007  
IPA 2008  
IPA 2009  
TOTAL 

Committed  Contracted 
0.13 
0.00 
0.00 
0.13 

4.16 
 4.08 
 4.37 
 12.61 

RAC  % Contracted 
3.12% 
0.00% 
0.00% 
1.03% 

4.03 
4.08 
4.37 
12.48 

Paid  

RAL  

%Paid 

0.00 
0.00 
0.00 
0.00 

4.16 
4.08 
4.37 
 12.61 

0.00% 
0.00% 
0.00% 
0.00% 

Priority Axes 

% of 2007-2009 allocations 

CBC with Member States 
CBC within Western Balkans 
Participation to ERDF Transnational Programmes 
TOTAL 

54.64% 
33.31% 
12.05% 
100.00% 

2009 was the starting year for implementation of IPA-CBC programmes with the involvement 
of  the  former  Yugoslav  Republic  of  Macedonia.  Fully  fledged  cross–border  programmes  in 
the Western Balkans countries had never been implemented before. The national authorities 
of all countries concerned required time to set up joint management structures in compliance 
with the IPA regulatory framework (Operating Structures, Joint Monitoring Committee, Joint 
Technical Secretariat - JTS), to prepare and launch the joint calls for proposals and to perform 
the evaluation of applications received.  

Joint  structures  were  established  in  209:  the  JTS  in  Struga,  for  the  CBC  programme  with 
Albania, and the JTS Antenna in Strumica, for the CBC programme with Bulgaria. The first 
call for proposals under the CBC programme with Albania, for projects covering a wide range 
of issues (from tourism and sustainable environmental development to people-to-people and 
institution-to-institution  -  such  as  schools,  universities,  research  centres-  operations),  was 
finally  launched  in  June  2009.  Funds  requested  under  the  60  applications  were  three  times 
higher than funds available, a clear indication of the interest generated by the programme.  

55 

 CIP has three sub-programmes: 1. Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (EIP), 2. Information 
and Communication Technology Programme (ICT) and 3. Intelligent Energy Europe Programme (IEE). 
Participation in EIP in 2007 and 2008 was co-financed with CARDS funds, whereas participation in the 
other two sub-programmes was co-financed with IPA funds. 

- 58 - 

 
 
 
 
                                                 
The  first  call  for  proposals  for  the  CBC  programme  with  Bulgaria  was  published  in 
September  2009.  Contracts  with  successful  applicants  were  due  to  be  signed  after  the 
reporting period.  

The  CBC  programme  with  Greece  did  not  start  in  2009,  but  procedures  were  on-going  to 
establish  the  JTS  in  Thessalonica  and  its  antenna  in  Bitola,  and  agree  on  the  application 
package for the first call for proposals to be launched in 2010. Finally, within the South-East 
Europe transnational programme, after successful completion of the first call with 2007 funds, 
40  projects  were  selected  out  of  which  6  were  from  the  former  Yugoslav  Republic  of 
Macedonia.  Two  contracts  were  already  signed  during  the  summer  2009  (one  on  drought-
related  damages  and  the  other  on  co-operation  of  innovation  and  finance  agencies).  The 
remaining  contracts  were  under  preparation  by  the  end  of  the  reporting  period.  The  second 
call for proposal, with 2008 and 2009 financial allocations, was published in November 2009 
and the great interest previously shown for this programme was expected to be repeated.  

4.2.4.3. 

 Component III: Regional Development 

Tables  7:  Status  of  implementation  of  IPA  financial  assistance  (Component  III)  as  at 
31st December 2009 (in million EUR) and distribution of total committed funds (2007-
2009 allocations) by priority axes 

IPA 2007-2008-2009 

40.50

12.15

28.35 

30.00%

Committed 

Paid 

RAL 

% Paid 

Priority Axes 

% of 2007-2009 allocations 

Transport 
Environment 
Competitiveness 
TOTAL 

78.20% 
21.80% 
0.00% 
100.00% 

The start of actual implementation of the operational programme became possible only after 
conferral  of  management  powers  was  granted  and  the  Financing  Agreement  entered  into 
force, in the second half of 2009. Preparation of the two major projects (“Corridor X”, with 
EUR 45 million of IPA contribution and “Waste water treatment project in Prilep”,  EUR 19 
million) and other planned operations under the programme (“Upgrading and modernisation 
of the transport infrastructure”; “Establishment of an integrated waste management system”; 
“Technical assistance for administration of Operational Programmes, information, evaluation, 
monitoring  and  control  activities”;  “Preparation  of  investment  projects  and  programmes”) 
were ongoing by the end of the reporting period. The pre-financing, amounting at to 30 % of 
the EU contribution for 2007-2009, was paid in October 2009.  

The fourth Sectoral Monitoring Committee was held on 24 June 2009 and the fifth one, the 
first official one after the entry into force of the Financing Agreement, on 26 November 2009. 
The work plan of the Operating Structure, the state of play of preparation of major projects 
and other operations and the proposal for a modification of the Operational Programme were 
discussed at the two meetings, among other issues.  

The efficiency of the technical expertise of line ministries as part of the Operating Structure is 
still  far  from  sufficient  and  Programme  implementation  is  delayed.    A  strong  message  was 
repeatedly  passed  to  the  national  authorities  for  taking  immediate  actions  that  should  result 
with tangible progress at the earliest time. 

- 59 - 

 
 
 
 
In order to facilitate the preparation of the Waste water treatment project in Prilep, a technical 
assistance contract was signed under Component I of IPA 2007 to allow proper scope of the 
investment project and prepare tender documents.  

4.2.4.4  

Component IV: Human Resources Development 

Tables  8:  Status  of  implementation  of  IPA  financial  assistance  (Component  IV)  as  at 
31st December 2009 (in million EUR) and distribution of total committed funds (2007-
2009 allocations) by priority axes 

IPA 2007-2008-2009 

16.30

4.89

11.41 

30.00%

Committed 

Paid 

RAL 

% Paid 

Priority Axes 

Employment 
Education and training 
Social inclusion 
Administrative capacity 
TOTAL 

% of overall 2007-2009 allocations 
42.00% 
30.00% 
20.00% 
8.00% 
100.00% 

Following  consultations  and  preparatory  work,  a  first  draft  of  the  Operation  Identification 
Sheets (OIS) was submitted to the EU Delegation for comments in May 2009. By the end of 
the reporting period, 4 out of 15 OIS were approved. Comments on the pending OIS were sent 
to the Operating Structure. 

In the meantime, in June 2009 the need for reallocation of funds between measures became 
evident.  The  reallocation  was  approved  at  the  first  SMC  meeting  held  in  December  2009 
triggering,  together  with  other  specific  implementation  risks,  the  need  for  further 
improvements to some OIS.  

As of July 2009 the Operating Structure started to  develop  tender documentation (Terms of 
References  and  twinning  fiches).  By  the  end  of  the  reporting  period,  10  sets  of  tender 
documents where under preparation. 

The  first  and  second  twinning  fiches  were  sent  for  circulation  in,  respectively,  October  and 
December 2009.  

4.2.4.5.  

Component V: Rural Development 

Tables 9: Status of implementation of IPA financial assistance (Component V) as at 31st 
December 2009 (in million EUR) and distribution of total committed funds (2007-2009 
allocations) by priority axes 

IPA 2007-2008-2009 

19.00

0.00

19.00 

0.00%

Committed 

Paid 

RAL 

% Paid 

Priority Axes 

Improving market efficiency 
Preparation of agri-environmental measures and 
local rural development strategies 
Development of rural economy 
Technical assistance 
TOTAL 

% of overall 2007-2009 allocations 
78.00% 
0.00% 

18.00% 
4.00% 
100.00% 

- 60 - 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
In  2009  the  IPA  Rural  Development  management  and  control  system  was  finally  set  up  in 
accordance  with  the  requirements  of  the  Framework  and  Sectoral  Agreement  and  national 
accreditation was granted by the National Authorized Officer (NAO) in March 2009. In view 
of the preparation for conferral of management without ex-ante controls, the audit team from 
the  DG  AGRI  completed  two  fact-finding  missions  to  the  former  Yugoslav  Republic  of 
Macedonia  and  one  Conferral  Mission  on  verification  of  the  IPA  Rural  Development 
structures  was  held  in  September  2009.  As  already  mentioned,  conferral  of  management 
powers was granted by the Commission in December 200956.  

After  conferral  of  management  the  IPA  Rural  Development  operational  structure  -  the 
Managing  Authority  and  the  IPA  Rural  Development  Agency  -  implementation  of  the  IPA 
Rural  Development  Programme  started  in  December  2009.  The  Programme  contains  4 
measures  (out  of  9  available  under  IPA  Rural  Development),  of  which  by  the  end  of  the 
reporting period only three (M101"Investment in agricultural holding", M103"Investment in 
processing  and  marketing"  and  M302"Diversification  of  rural  economy")  were  subject  to 
conferral of management.  

IPA  2007-2009  allocations  under  the  programme  amounted  to  EUR  19  million  and  were 
covered  by  the  corresponding  Multi-annual  Financing  Agreement,  which  by  the  end  of  the 
reporting period was not yet into force.  

4.3. 

Coherence, compatibility and coordination of aid  

Coordination with donors was intensified as from December 2008 when the NIPAC decided 
to re-vitalize activities which had been left aside for about two years. Beyond the exchange of 
information among donors which continued at various steps of the programming process, the 
donor  community  and  the  beneficiary  embanked    on  discussions  on  the  preparation  of  a 
Programme Based Approach (PBA) with the analysis of sectors potentially suitable for testing 
this  concept.  With  a  view  to  increasing  the  impact  and  efficiency  of  assistance,  the  country 
took a much more prominent role in this process.  

Following the discussions in June 2009 held by participants to the High Level Working Group 
(Austria,  Sweden,  Switzerland,  the  Netherlands,  the  US,  the  World  Bank  and  the  EU),  the 
Programme Based Approach was accepted by the government in order to ensure greater aid 
increase  ownership  over 
effectiveness,  reflect  national  development  priorities  and 
development  goals  and  ongoing  reforms.  The  Conference  on  effective  support  for 
enlargement, organised by DG ELARG and the then Swedish EU Presidency, confirmed once 
again  the  new  direction  towards  a  programme  based  approach  in  programming  of 
Components I, III, IV and V of IPA.  

During the reporting period, concrete efforts towards the introduction of the new approach to 
programming  led  to  the  following  achievements: i)  the  institutional  set-up  was  in  place  and 
functional;  ii)  the  action  plans  and  guiding  documents  for  the  actual  work  of  the  five 
programme area working groups were developed and being followed; iii) assessments of the 
programme  areas  run  according  to  plans;  iv)  there  was  continuous  productive  dialogue 
between the Government and international partners. 

The programme area working groups were carrying the actual assessments and definition of 
proposals  on  priority  areas  for  the  introduction  of  a  Programme  Based  Approach.  Through 
coordination meetings with teams of focal points from these working groups, the High Level 

56 

Conferral  of  management  power  for  Component  V  was  granted  by  the  Commission  Decision 
C/2009/10123 on 18 December 2009. 

- 61 - 

 
 
                                                 
Government  -  International  Partners  Working  Group  ensured  that  programme-level  work 
remained  on  track.  At  the  end  of  September  2009,  the  five  working  groups  presented  their 
findings  and  final  proposals,  which  represented  the  basis  for  further  development  of  action 
plans for implementation of the concept in each area.  

The country continued to pursue the Programme Based Approach gradually in 2009 following 
the  activities  prescribed  within  the  Action  Plan  and  EU  recommendations  to  adopt  a  sector 
based  approach  in  the  relevant  planning  documents  for  IPA  assistance.  The  commitment 
demonstrated  by  donors  and  national  actors  is  a  prerequisite  for  success.  Meanwhile  the 
dialogue  and  learning  mechanism  will  continue:  the  working  groups  will  complete  the 
assessment  of  programme  areas  and  will  prepare  implementation  plans,  the  High  Level 
Government-International  Partners  Working  Group  will  ensure  oversight  of  the  process  and 
high level donor coordination meetings will be held to set the milestones on a higher policy 
level. 

The  Programme  Based  Approach  should  be  best  put  to  use  to  facilitate  the  EU  agenda  and 
improve  both  bilateral  and  multilateral  assistance  given  to  the  country.  Achieving  better 
results through better planning and implementation of financial assistance, by putting in use 
local systems for programme design and implementation, financial management, monitoring 
and evaluation, is a target of the EU Delegation.  

4.4.  Monitoring 

Regarding monitoring activities under centralised management, in addition to the creation of a 
‘shadow’57  Sectoral  Monitoring  Committee  for  Component  I  and  consequently  a  ‘shadow’ 
JMC,  the  Commission  may  undertake  any  actions  it  deems  necessary  to  monitor  the 
programmes concerned.  

During the reporting period, the EU Delegation conducted monitoring of the ongoing projects 
on  a  regular  quarterly  basis  in  the  form  of  Project  Review  meetings,  where  different 
operational  and  financial  issues  were  discussed.  Besides  the  monitoring  done  by  the 
competent sectoral sub-committees and the Joint Monitoring Committee, a number of projects 
under  Component  I  of  IPA  2007  stated  to  be  included  in  the  Result  Oriented  Monitoring 
(ROM)  which  operated  on  a  multi-country  basis.  This  tool  complemented  the  internal 
monitoring activities carried out by the EUD under various forms (regular reporting, steering 
committee meetings, project implementation reviews).  

In addition, following Articles 60, 83 and 84 of the IPA Implementing Regulation, progress 
with monitoring the IPA Operational Programmes was attained by larger involvement of the 
national structures. All sectoral monitoring sub-committees for all five IPA components were 
organised regularly, in addition to the IPA Joint Monitoring Committee held on 25 November 
2009.  Further  support  to  the  NIPAC  and  the  Central  Finance  and  Contract  Directorate 
(CFCD)  was  needed  to  produce  Annual  Implementation  Reports,  but  good  progress  in  this 
areas was achieved with help from the EU Delegation.  

57 

 Shadow  Sectoral  and  Joint  Monitoring  Committees  are  held  for  Component  I  of  IPA  because  the 
conferral of management powers for this component is not granted to the national authorities.   

- 62 - 

 
 
                                                 
5. 

KOSOVO (UNDER UNSCR 1244/99)58 

5.1. 

The year in review 

The  conclusions  of  the  2009  Progress  Report59  for  Kosovo60  confirmed  that  Kosovo  faced 
major challenges. By the end of the reporting period, Kosovo had to make further progress in 
establishing  and  consolidating  the  rule  of  law  and  needed  to  improve  the  functioning  and 
independence  of  its  judiciary.  It  needed  to  establish  a  track  record  in  the  fight  against 
corruption,  money  laundering  and  organised  crime,  demonstrating  concrete  results.  Kosovo 
also  needed  to  strengthen  the  capacity,  independence  and  professionalism  of  its  public 
administration  and  improve  its  business  environment,  including  regulation,  supervision  and 
corporate  governance.  It  had  to  ensure  full  transparency  in  senior  public  appointments  and 
make  sure  that  public  procurement  complied  with  criteria  of  independence,  objectivity  and 
transparency. In addition, it also needed to establish a sustainable macro-economic and fiscal 
policy. 

In October 2009, the Commission adopted a communication to the European Parliament and 
the  Council  entitled  "Kosovo  –  Fulfilling  its  European  Perspective"61.  The  purpose  of  the 
communication was to take stock of developments, identify the challenges on Kosovo's road 
to Europe, confirm the measures it should take to address those challenges and propose EU 
instruments  to  help  Kosovo  further  its  political  and  socio-economic  development.  The 
measures proposed by the Commission to take the EU-Kosovo relationship forward included 
starting to work towards visa liberalisation, preparing a trade agreement, enabling Kosovo to 
participate in EU programmes on Research, Culture and Europe for Citizens and associating it 
with  EU  initiatives  in  areas  such  as  employment,  enterprise  and  education.  It  also  proposed 
the  EU  to  upgrade  its  political  dialogue  with  Kosovo  and  widen  the  scope  of  EU  financial 
assistance to it, to include Cross-border Cooperation (CBC). In its conclusions of 8 December 
2009, the General Affairs Council invited the Commission 'to take the necessary measures to 
support Kosovo progress towards the EU in line with the European perspective of the region', 
attaching  particular  importance  to  'measures  related  to  trade  and  visa,  without  prejudice  to 
Member States' positions on status'. 

The  European  Union  Rule  of  Law  Mission  (EULEX)  is  part  of  the  overall  EU  efforts  in 
Kosovo and contributes to security and stability. IPA interventions, in particular in the areas 
of rule of law and law enforcement, are closely coordinated with EULEX. 

For  more  details  on  developments  in  2009  in  Kosovo’s  preparation  for  EU  membership, 
please refer to the Commission’s 2009 Progress Report. 

5.2. 

IPA programming and implementation in 2009 

5.2.1.  MIPD 2009-2011 

The  Multi-annual  Indicative  Planning  Document  2009-2011  for  Kosovo62,  which  identifies 
the  main  areas  and  priorities  of  the  Instrument  for  Pre-accession  Assistance  for  that  period, 
was  adopted  in  July  2009.  Over  EUR  103  million  were  allocated  in  the  IPA  Annual 
Programme  for  2009.  Following  the  overall  EU  strategy  and  priorities  for  Kosovo's  clear 

58 
59 

60 
61 
62 

Under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 of 10 June 1999. 
Kosovo under UNSCR 1244/99 2009 Progress Report, SEC (2009) 1340 of 14 October 2009, available 
at http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/pdf/key_documents/2009/ks_rapport_2009_en.pdf.  
Under UNSCR 1244/99. 
COM (2009) 5343 of 14 October 2009. 
C (2009) 5438 of 10 July 2009. 

- 63 - 

 
 
                                                 
European  perspective,  in  line  with  the  European  perspective  of  the  region,  the  Commission 
continued  to  support  the  strengthening  of  the  rule  of  law,  public  administration  reform, 
communities,  culture  and  youth,  wider  socio-economic  issues  including  trade  and  regional 
development,  education  and  employment,  agriculture  and  environment  as  well  as 
infrastructure. 

More specifically, in 2009 (and for the two subsequent years, subject to possible revisions in 
light  of  relevant  developments  in  Kosovo,  the  region,  the  EU  or  elsewhere)  IPA  assistance 
focused on transition assistance and institution building in the following priority areas:  

Political  criteria:  EU  assistance  complemented  the  comprehensive  EU  intervention  in 
Kosovo, including the objectives of the  European Union Special Representative (EUSR) and 
the  European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX). It focused in particular on 
the rule of law, public administration reform, the development of civil society, the protection 
of Serb and other minorities including their cultural heritage. 

Economic  criteria:  EU  assistance  furthermore  supported  the  development  of  Kosovo’s 
economy  and  the  socio-economic  environment  of  all  communities.  This  included  measures 
that catalyse investment by the international financial institutions (IFIs) and the private sector, 
notably  infrastructure  projects.  Assistance  supported  employment,  education  and  regional 
development. 

European standards: EU assistance continued to support Kosovo's European vocation and its 
integration into the Western Balkans region as a whole, focusing on a gradual approximation 
with  the  EU  acquis  in  sectors  including  internal  market,  customs,  agriculture  and  rural 
development, transport and energy. 

Table 1: MIFF63 allocations per component, in million EUR 

Component 
I. Transition Assistance and Institution Building 
II. Cross-Border Cooperation 
TOTAL 

200964 

2010 

2011 

103.3
2.8
106.1

64.5
2.8
67.3

65.8 
2.9 
68.7 

2009-2011 
 233.6
8.5
242.10

5.2.2.  Programming exercise 

The completed IPA 2009 package, for which programming had started in autumn 2008, was 
presented  to  the  Member  States  in  the  IPA  Committee  in  April  2009  and  the  annual 
programme for Kosovo was adopted by the Commission on 31 July 2009. 

The programming process for the 2010 Annual Programme was launched in September 2009 
when the Kosovo authorities communicated their initial project ideas. Initial workshops were 
organised  in  November  to  define  tentative  project  priorities.  Thereafter,  the  European 
Commission  Liaison  Office  in  Kosovo  held  a  series  of  bilateral  meetings  with  Kosovo 
authorities, Member States and other donors, including IFIs, and civil society. 

The  programming  process  was  carried  out  with  close  involvement  of  the  beneficiary 
institutions,  especially  the  Agency  for  Development  Coordination  and  European  Integration 
under  the  Office  of  the  Prime  Minister,  line  ministries  and  in  particular  the  Ministry  of 

63 

64 

Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament 'Instrument for Pre-
for  2010-2012', 
Accession  Assistance 
COM(2008)705 of 5 November 2008. 
Final allocations (shown in the main report and in table 2) differ from these indicative figures following 
transfers between components I and II during the course of 2009. 

Indicative  Financial  Framework 

(IPA)  Multi-Annual 

- 64 - 

 
 
                                                 
Finance. The preparation of the IPA programme, especially in the rule of law sector, was also 
undertaken  in  close  co-ordination  with  EULEX  and  EUSR/International  Civilian  Office 
(ICO),  to  ensure  complementarities  of  activities.  As  compared  to  previous  programming 
exercises, the Kosovo beneficiaries have shown an increased involvement. They presented a 
much greater number of project proposals, which showed higher interest. However, this also 
hinted at a lack of prioritisation and filtering of proposals. 

Project selection was primarily based on improved planning, prioritisation and sequencing in 
line  with  political  priorities  as  identified  in  the  strategic  documents,  including  the  Multi-
annual Indicative Planning Document, Progress Report 2009 and Kosovo communication, and 
better coordination with other donors.  

Lessons  learned  from  experience  with  CARDS  are  that  donor  coordination  should  be 
supported  and  links  to  the  budget  and  the  Medium-Term  Expenditure  Framework  (MTEF) 
should  be  ensured,  that  development  of  sectoral  strategies  in  key  sectors  will  help  identify 
needs  and  secure  relevance  of  projects,  and  that  careful  planning  and  sequencing  of  IPA 
assistance will be important to ensure sustainability and ownership. 

In  November  2009,  an  amendment  to  the  2007  Annual  Programme  was  adopted.  The  main 
purpose  of  this  amendment  was  to  re-allocate  EUR  5  million  of  unspent  funds  from  other 
activities  to  new  activities  to  facilitate  a  peaceful  and  sustainable  resettlement  and 
reintegration of displaced Roma families, which would subsequently contribute to the closure 
of the Osterode  and Cesmin Lug camps  in North Mitrovica, which  have  high levels of lead 
contamination. 

Table 2: Indicative financial allocations for the year per component, in million EUR 

KOSOVO 
I. Transition Assistance and Institution Building 

Of which:                                                                           

Annual Programme 
                                                                              Nuclear Safety Programme* 
                                                                                       Tempus Programme* 

II. Cross-Border Cooperation 
TOTAL 

2009
106.10

103.60
0.30
2.20
0.00
106.10

* The Nuclear Safety Programme and Tempus Programme are coordinated and implemented under the relevant 
Multi-beneficiary IPA 2009 programmes.  

5.2.2.1  

Component I: Transition Assistance and Institution Building 

The  total  annual  allocation  for  Kosovo  under  the  IPA  programme  in  2009  was  EUR  106.1 
million. This was divided into EUR103.6 million for the annual programme and another EUR 
2.5  million  in  contributions  for  two  multi-beneficiary  programmes  (TEMPUS  &  Nuclear 
Safety). The annual programme for Kosovo was adopted by the Commission on 31 July 2009.  

The 2009 IPA annual programme for Kosovo continued to address issues highlighted in the 
European Partnership and the Progress Report 2008. Priorities include the rule of law, public 
administration reform, communities, cultural heritage, civil society, rural development, socio-
economic development, employment and education and EU approximation in selected areas. 
Projects were selected on the basis of relevance, impact, sustainability and maturity. A limited 
number of contracts are foreseen. Projects build on and complement actions financed under 
IPA 2007 and 2008 by means of careful sequencing. The EUR 40 million that are added to the 

- 65 - 

 
 
original allocation of EUR 66 million were absorbed by a limited number of sizeable works 
projects so as to ensure a manageable workload for the Liaison Office. 

In line with the percentage ranges foreseen in the MIPD, 41% of the budget was allocated to 
political criteria, 30% to the economic criteria and 19% to European standards, the remainder 
to  cover  the  cost  of  preparatory  action  directly  necessary  to  implement  and  attain  the 
objectives of other action already defined in this programme. 

Table 3: Indicative financial allocations for the year 2009 under the Annual Programme, 
per priority axis and per project, in million EUR 

Priority Axis 
Political criteria 

Projects 

Strengthening the rule of law 
Strengthening the human resources and the institutional capacity of 
the Kosovo local public administration 
Support to communities 
Support to the cultural sector 
Support to the media sector 
Support to culture, youth and sport 

Economic criteria 

Trade and regional development 
Support to employment and education 
Improvement of IT system in the taxation administration 
Further support to the agriculture sector 

European standards 

Support to the environment sector 
Support to transport and energy 

Support measures 

  Support measures and technical assistance facility 

TOTAL 

5.2.2.2  

Component II: Cross-border Cooperation 

Budget 

42.68
12.05

6.50
3.13
3.00
4.00
14.00
30.80
7.80
10.30
5.00
7.70
19.80
4.80
15.00
10.32
10.32
103.60

Just as in 2007 and 2008, the conditions for programmes under Component II in Kosovo were 
not  met  for  the  2009  programming  exercise.  The  funds  for  Component  II  were  therefore 
transferred to Component I. 

5.2.3. 

Implementation Modalities and Structures  

is 

in  Kosovo 

implemented  under  centralised  deconcentrated 
The  IPA  programme 
management by the European Commission Liaison Office (ECLO) in Kosovo. Some projects 
are  implemented  by  joint  management  with  international  organisations.  As  any  other  IPA 
beneficiary, Kosovo needs to establish a roadmap for the decentralisation of management of 
EU  funds, initially with ex ante controls by the Commission. In 2009 Kosovo was still at a 
very early stage of this process. In April 2009, the government appointed the chief executive 
of  the  Agency  for  the  Coordination  of  Development  and  European  Integration  as  Kosovo's 
IPA coordinator. The European Commission encourages and supports the Kosovo authorities 
to take more ownership of the IPA programming process. 

5.2.4.  Overview of IPA projects/contracts implemented in 2009 

Under  direct  management  by  the  European  Commission  Liaison  Office  in  Pristina,  in  2009 
Kosovo  made  good  progress  in  IPA  implementation.  The  Liaison  Office  took  appropriate 

- 66 - 

 
 
 
 
 
action to ensure an effective implementation of IPA 2007 and 2008 and met its very ambitious 
contracting target for 2009 (for contracting and disbursement details, see the table below).  

External monitoring has generally rated impact, or impact prospects of projects where impact 
to  date  could  not  yet  be  measured,  as  'good'.  Kosovo  needs  to  build  on  this.  IPA  assistance 
needs to be targeted on a limited number of key priorities, which need to be closely aligned 
with Kosovo's European reform agenda and reflect costed sector strategies. Project selection 
should reflect improved planning, prioritisation and sequencing, and better coordination with 
other  donors.  The  possibility  to  associate  other  donors  to  IPA  management  in  areas  where 
these  have  a  comparative  advantage  will  be  explored.  Following  the  donors'  conference  in 
Brussels  in  July  2008,  Kosovo's  ownership  of  IPA  projects  should  continue  to  be 
strengthened.  

5.2.4.1  

Component I: Transition Assistance and Institution Building 

Tables 4: Status of implementation of IPA financial assistance (Component I) as at 31st 
December  2009  (in  million  EUR)  per  annual  programme  and  distribution  of  total 
committed funds (2007-2009 allocations) by priority axes 

Committed  Contracted  RAC65 %Contracted Paid 

IPA 2007 
IPA 2008 
IPA 2009 
TOTAL 

62.00 
182.70 
103.60 
348.30 

53.53
96.42
0.00
149.95

8.47
86.28
103.60
198.35

86.34% 22.96 
52.78% 36.06 
0.00 
0.00%
43.05% 59.02 

RAL66  %Paid 
37.03%
19.74%
0.00%
16.95%

39.04 
146.64 
103.6 
289.28 

Priority Axes 

% of 2007-2009 allocations 

Political criteria 

Economic criteria 
European standards 
Support activities 
TOTAL 

(of which civil society)

34.63% 
(4.67%) 
47.72% 
10.38% 
7.27% 
100.00% 

2009 was the second year of IPA implementation in Kosovo. In addition to projects that were 
launched, a number of other projects already showed positive results, as outlined below: 

(cid:190)  In December 2009 the European Commission Liaison Office launched a EUR 5.0 million 
project  ‘Mitrovica  RAE  Support  Initiative’  under  the  IPA  2007  annual  programme,  in 
support  of  the  Roma,  Ashkali  and  Egyptian  (RAE)  communities  living  in  lead 
contaminated  North  Mitrovica  camps,  Cesmin  Lug  and  Osterode.  The  project  aims  to 
facilitate  the  peaceful  and  sustainable  resettlement  and  reintegration  of  up  to  90  RAE 
families into Roma Mahalla or other locations, and contribute to the closure of Osterode 
and Cesmin Lug camps. The resettled families will be provided comprehensive assistance 
including  housing,  medical  screening  and  treatment,  economic  development  and 
livelihood  initiatives  to  support  a  more  durable  reintegration.  This  EU-funded  initiative 
will also improve access to basic social services such as education, civil registration and 
legal  assistance  and  community  development  activities  to  facilitate  sustained,  peaceful 
reintegration and reconciliation between returnees and the receiving community. 

65 
66 

Remains to be contracted (Reste à Contracter). 
Remains to be paid (Reste à Liquider). 

- 67 - 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
(cid:190)  In December 2009 in Istog/Istok the Liaison Office, together with the Deputy Minister of 
Communities and Return and the deputy mayor of Istog/Istok Haki Rugova, handed over 
the  keys  to  35  houses  in  the  Istog/Istok  municipality  to  minority  returnee  families. 
Foundation  stones  for  the  houses,  which  were  reconstructed  or  built  in  the  area  of 
Istog/Istok  were  laid  in  July  2009  as  part  of  the  project  ‘Return  and  Reintegration  in 
Kosovo’  (EUR  4.8  million),  which  is  being  implemented  in  four  municipalities: 
Gjilan/Gnjilane,  Istog/Istok,  Fushë  Kosovë/Kosovo  Polje,  and  Peja/Peć.  Its  aim  is  to 
support  the  sustainable  return  of  refugees  and  internally  displaced  persons,  with 
considerable  involvement  of  the  Ministry  for  Communities  and  Return  and  local 
municipal authorities in Kosovo. Altogether around 180 internally displaced and refugee 
families are expected to return to four selected municipalities.  

(cid:190)  In July 2009 the EUR 3.4 million project "Support to Local Government" started with the 
signature of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the European Commission 
Liaison  Office  to  Kosovo,  the  Ministry  of  Local  Governance  and  10  municipalities: 
Gjakovë/Đakovica, 
Obiliq/Obilić, 
Podujevë/Podujevo,  Skenderaj/Srbica,  Viti/Vitina,  Junik,  Han  i  Elezit/Ðeneral  Janković, 
and Mamushë/Mamuša. This project aims to advance reform and capacity building in the 
context of the ongoing decentralisation process, including the improvement of managerial 
competencies,  service  delivery  and  dialogue  with  citizens  at  the  local  level,  in  line  with 
European standards. 

Mitrovicë/Mitrovica, 

Gjilan/Gnjilane, 

(cid:190)  In  order  to  increase  efforts  to  support  public  administration  in  Kosovo,  the  European 
Commission  supported  another  group  of  44  Kosovo  students  to  pursue  postgraduate 
studies at  selected EU universities. The 2009 Young Cell Scheme  scholarship  recipients 
will be trained in sector-specific topics such as agriculture, environment, statistics, energy 
and  corporate  government.  This  scholarship  scheme  has  been  successfully  implemented 
since  its  establishment  in  2004.  Approximately  140  students  and  civil  servants  have 
benefited  from  the  programme.  After  completion  of  their  post-graduate  studies,  students 
return to work in Kosovo’s public service bringing back their expertise. 

(cid:190)  In  June  2009  the  European  Commission  Liaison  Office  signed  operating  grant  contracts 
with  five  Regional  Development  Agencies  (RDAs)  in  support  of  their  operational  and 
running costs over a one year period. The grants are part of a EUR 6 million project under 
the IPA 2009 "Regional Economic Development". The five RDAs are located in Pristina, 
Mitrovica,  Prizren,  Gjilan/Gnjilane  and  Peja/Pec.  The  main  tasks  of  the  RDAs  are  to 
support  local  institutions  in  their  socio-economic  development  efforts,  bring  Kosovo 
closer  to  Europe  and  facilitate  ethnic  reconciliation  by  creating  more  cooperation 
opportunities for citizens and businesses of different communities in Kosovo. 

(cid:190)  In  September 2009,  EU-funded sports and playground facilities were opened  in  the four 
municipalities  of  Mitrovica,  Pristina,  Peja/Pec,  and  Prizren.  The  facilities  include 
playgrounds,  football,  basketball  and  tennis  courts  which  will  provide  opportunities  for 
socialising  and  promote  social  cohesion  among  the  resident  population  and  notably  the 
youth. The sports activities will furthermore have a positive impact on the well-being of 
the local population, as well as generate income for the local business and create jobs for 
the operation and maintenance of the facilities. 

There  is  no  framework  agreement  concerning  participation  of  Kosovo  in  EU  programmes. 
Kosovo did not participate in EU Programmes in 2009.  

Generally, IPA implementation in 2009 was advancing very well. 

- 68 - 

 
 
5.2.4.2  

Component II: Cross-border Cooperation 

N/A 

5.3. 

Coherence, compatibility and coordination of aid 

In an effort to address aid effectiveness and donor coordination following the Tirana Donor 
Coordination  Conference  organised  by  the  European  Commission  in  April  2009,  an  "Aid 
Management Platform" has been put into operation in Kosovo. This platform, which is being 
funded  by  the  EU  and  United  States  Agency  for  International  Development,  has  the  full 
support  of  the  Kosovo  authorities  and  the  donor  community.  This  initiative  will  ease  the 
sharing  of  information  on  ongoing  and  planned  projects  across  the  donor  community. 
Furthermore, five donor sector groups have been established. These share plans and priorities, 
and agree a common line vis-à-vis the Kosovo authorities. They cover the following sectors: 
(1) Public Administration Reform (led by Department for International Development and the 
European  Commission),  (2)  Local/Municipality  Capacity  Building  (led  by  the  USA),  (3) 
Water  sector  (led  by  Switzerland),  (4)  Education  (led  by  Sweden)  and  (5)  Health  (led  by 
Luxembourg).  The  main  problems  experienced  in  donor  coordination  relate  to  the  large 
number of donors present in Kosovo, lack of resources at government level, as well as lack of 
a comprehensive system for sharing tentative plans and priorities. The development of an Aid 
Development Platform addresses these issues. 

As  regards  progress  towards  developing  sector  strategies,  the  Medium-Term  Expenditure 
Framework  has  been  strengthened.  A  sector  strategy  for  agriculture  has  been  developed. 
Strategic  planning  at  sectoral  level  supported  by  donors  and  by  the  country  has  become 
visible inter alia in the education and health sectors. The Kosovo authorities have established 
government  coordination  meetings  and  have  embarked  on  a  more  structured  approach  to 
donor coordination and sectoral approach to planning assistance. 

The  European  Commission  Liaison  Office  in  Kosovo  plays  an  important  role  in  ensuring 
donor  coordination  and  aid  effectiveness  on  the  ground.  It  organises  and  chairs  monthly 
meetings  of  the  main  donors  at  which  the  Kosovo  authorities  participate.  The  European 
Commission  supports  Kosovo's  ownership  of  donor  coordination  and  works  towards  a 
programme  based  approach  by  funding  the  development  of  an  "Aid  Management  Platform" 
which  will  enable  the  Kosovo  authorities,  notably  the  Agency  for  the  Coordination  of 
Development  and  European  Integration  (ACDEI),  and  donors  to  track  development 
assistance. Furthermore, it aims at providing a complete picture of Kosovo's aid portfolio. The 
project contains a substantial training component to ensure the full use of the system foreseen 
and its sustainability. 

5.4.  Monitoring 

Kosovo  is  included  in  the  target  area  of  the  Results  Oriented  Monitoring  (ROM)  project 
managed  centrally  by  the  European  Commission's  Directorate  General  for  Enlargement 
(Regional  Programmes  unit).  All  contracts  with  a  value  of  more  than  EUR  1  million  are 
subject  to  ROM,  which  enables  the  Commission  to  gather  an  independent  opinion  on  the 
efficiency of project implementation, sustainability and impact or impact prospects. The ROM 
contractor  has  worked  closely  with  the  Commission's  Liaison  Office  during  2009  to  ensure 
that the planned monitoring missions would be implemented as per the monitoring plan. The 
decision to open a local office of the ROM contractor in Kosovo was taken in May 2009 and 
this  office  has  been  fully  operational  since  November  2009.  In  2009  a  total  of  50  projects 
were  monitored  of  which  36  implemented  under  the  Kosovo  IPA  envelope  and  14 

- 69 - 

 
 
components  of  regional  projects.  The  total  EU  budget  covered  by  ROM  in  2009  was  EUR 
93.3 million, of which EUR 53 million out of the Kosovo envelope. 

Furthermore,  the  Commission  decided  to  establish  regular  IPA  Monitoring  Meetings  in 
Kosovo  to  monitor  and  review  the  ongoing  financial  assistance,  fulfill  its  supervising 
obligations  in  the  context  of  the  regular  management  report  and  prepare  the  ground  for  the 
future  setting-up  of  IPA  Monitoring  Committees.  On  15-16  June  2009,  the  first  such  Joint 
Monitoring Committee (JMC) meeting was held in Kosovo. The main issues discussed were 
the  implementation  and  programming  of  IPA  assistance.  The  external  JMC  meeting  which 
was held together with the Kosovo authorities on 16 June 2009 allowed for an exchange of 
views  between  the  Commission  and  Kosovo  authorities,  namely  the  Agency  for  the 
Coordination  of  Development  and  European  Integration  and  the  line  ministries,  represented 
by  the  Senior  Programming  Officers  (SPOs).  Their  role  in  the  context  of  EU  financial 
assistance was the focus of the meeting, notably as regarded the next round of programming 
the  IPA  2010  funds.  The  Commission's  main  messages  to  the  beneficiary  was  that  Kosovo 
needs to be an active implementing partner who appreciates the ownership of assistance, and 
needs  to  step  up  its  capacity  and  involvement  in  the  processes.  This  increasing  role  of  the 
Agency, with the coordinating function over the line ministries, is to be seen in the framework 
of early preparation of the eventual conferral of management. 

- 70 - 

 
 
6. 

MONTENEGRO 

6.1. 

The year in review 

Montenegro submitted its application for EU membership on 15 December 2008. On 23 April 
2009 the Council decided to invite the Commission to prepare an Opinion on Montenegro's 
application.  The  Commission's  Questionnaire  was  handed  over  to  the  Montenegrin 
government  in  July  2009  in  Podgorica,  and  Montenegro's  replies  to  the  questionnaire  were 
delivered on 9 December 2009 in Brussels. In addition, and in light of the country's progress 
in  meeting  the  relevant  benchmarks,  visa  liberalisation  entered  into  force  on  19  December 
2009. 

Montenegro  is  participating  in  the  Stabilisation  and  Association  Process  (SAP)  and 
implementation of the Interim Agreement (IA) continued during 2009. The EU is providing 
guidance  to  the  Montenegrin  authorities  on  reform  priorities  as  part  of  the  European 
Partnership67. Dialogue on European integration issues also continued in 2009 in the enhanced 
permanent dialogue and in the bodies provided for by the Interim Agreement. 

In 2009 Montenegro made progress in aligning with European standards, specifically in areas 
such as the internal market, research, justice, freedom and security. The last Progress Report 
on  Montenegro68  took  note  of  the  progress  made,  but  noted  also  that  strengthening  the 
administrative  capacity  and  consolidating  the  rule  of  law  remained  major  challenges.  The 
capacity  to  implement  EU  acquis  related  legislation  remained  weak  and  needed  to  be 
enhanced.  Despite  some  progress,  greater  political  will  was  still  needed  in  the  fight  against 
corruption  and  organised  crime,  which  remained  big  challenges.  As  regards  freedom  of 
expression,  disproportionate  fines  in  defamation  cases  and  some  intimidations  reported 
against investigative journalists continued to be a concern. Shortcomings in the rule of law as 
well  as  inadequate  infrastructure  persisted  as  key  challenges  for  Montenegro's  economic 
development.  

For more details on developments in 2009 in Montenegro’s preparation for EU membership, 
please refer to the Commission’s 2009 Progress Report, abovementioned.  

6.2. 

IPA programming and implementation in 2009 

6.2.1.  MIPD 2009-2011 

From early 2007, the Montenegrin national authorities have shown interest in participating to 
the preparation of the Multi-Annual Indicative Planning Document (MIPD). They have, each 
year, circulated the draft document within the government and provided comments. In 2009, 
for  the  MIPD  2009-2011,  as  well  as  for  its  review,  consultations  in  the  country  took  place 
with on-going and potential beneficiaries, with the NGOs as well as with EU Member States 
and  other  donors.  Due  to  frequent  consultations  and  contacts  with  stakeholders,  these 
documents did not raise many comments nor requested extensive changes.  

IPA  national  programmes  always  focus  on  the  objectives  set  out  in  the  Multi-Annual 
Indicative  Planning  Document  (MIPD)  2009-2011,  which  reflects  the  key  priorities  of  the 
European  Partnership  and  the  next  steps  in  the  Stabilisation  and  Association  Process.  The 
2009-2011  MIPD  was  prepared  taking  into  account  what  was  financed  under  CARDS  and 

67 
68 

Council Decision 2007/49/EC. 
Montenegro 
http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/pdf/key_documents/2009/mn_rapport_2009_en.pdf. 

2009  Progress  Report,  SEC(2009) 

1336 

14/10/2009, 

of 

available 

at 

- 71 - 

 
 
                                                 
IPA, on-going and planned 2007 and 2008 projects, as well as future priorities coming up in 
the overall European integration process (including the “Enhanced Permanent Dialogue” and 
sub-Committees), in addition to the recommendations of the Montenegro Progress Report for 
2008. It also considered the National Programme for Integration (NPI) 2008-2012.  

The  MIPD  set  clear  indicators  of  results  which  are  to  be  measured  at  a  later  stage,  when 
projects  are  finalised.  Growing  importance  was  given  to  cross-cutting  issues,  namely: 
involvement  of  civil  society;  environmental  considerations;  equal  opportunities  and  non-
discrimination, which are considered as from the early stage of programming and throughout 
the  process;  human  rights,  with  special  attention  to  minorities,  vulnerable  groups  and  good 
governance. Attention was also given to the underdeveloped mountainous areas in the north 
of Montenegro.  

For 2009 until 2011, the MIPD foresees that assistance under Component I should focus on 
the following strategic priorities:  

(cid:190)  Consolidation  of  democratic  institutions,  reform  of  the  judiciary,  public  administration 
reform,  fight  against  corruption  and  organised  crime,  human  rights  and  protection  of 
minorities,  anti-discrimination,  as  well  as  the  media.  Civil  society  development  and 
promotion of dialogue are being given special attention. Small grants are foreseen to assist 
NGOs  dealing  with  the  environment,  good  governance,  anti-discrimination,  gender 
equality,  social  inclusion,  health,  and  business  advocacy  and  consumer  protection69 
(‘political criteria’ axis). 

(cid:190)  Pursuing  economic  reforms,  strengthening  competitiveness,  developing  an  appropriate 
business  environment  and  social  dialogue;  increasing  research  capacity  and  fostering 
human  resources  development,  employment,  education;  culture;  promoting  social 
inclusion; promoting health and providing access to health care; improving infrastructure 
in areas such as transport, energy, and environment (‘economic criteria’ axis).  

(cid:190)  Continuing the alignment with the acquis i.e. transposition and enforcement of legislation 
including  internal  market,  rural  development  and  food  safety,  environment,  transport, 
energy,  statistics,  security  (integrated  border  management,  visa  and  migration  policy); 
introducing a decentralised implementation system to manage EU funds, including for the 
future components III and IV (‘ability to assume the obligations of membership’ axis).  

(cid:190)  Allowing Montenegro to participate in EU programmes and access the Project Preparation 
and Technical Assistance facility, as well as facilitating the financing of special measures 
needed in the course of the implementation of the programmes (support programmes). 

Due  to  the  early  stage  of  IPA  implementation  on  the  ground,  no  evaluation  took  place  yet. 
However, most of the lessons learned from the evaluation of CARDS projects were taken into 
account.  They  consisted  in  strategic  and  operational  recommendations  such  as:  the  need  to 
better  target  project  objectives;  improve  the  sequenced  planning  of  operations;  increase 
awareness  on  sustainability;  conduct  functional  needs  assessments; 
improve  donor 
coordination;  improve  project  design;  involve  civil  society,  not  only  for  social  matters; 
increase monitoring; ensure cross-cutting issues are a reality.  

As  regards  IPA  Component  II,  the  MIPD  2009-2011  supports  cross-border  cooperation 
activities  between  Montenegro  and  EU  Member  States  as  well  as  with  adjacent  candidate 
countries and potential candidates, in complementarily with the above priority axes, along the 

69 

It will be complementary to the EIDHR programme dealing with democracy and human rights. 

- 72 - 

 
 
                                                 
programmes  already  approved  for  2007-2011.  Montenegro  benefits  from  (i)  four  Cross 
Border  Cooperation  (CBC)  programmes  within  the  Western  Balkans  (Albania-Montenegro; 
Bosnia  and  Herzegovina-Montenegro;  Croatia-Montenegro,  Serbia-Montenegro);  (ii)  an 
ERDF CBC (including "Mediterranean" and "South East Europe" transnational programmes), 
as well as (iii) participation in the Adriatic regional programme. The two latter are managed 
by DG REGIO.  

Table 1: MIFF70 allocations per component, in million EUR 

Component 
I. Transition Assistance and Institution Building 
II. Cross-Border Cooperation 
TOTAL 

2009 

2010 

2011 

2009-2011 

28.63
4.67
33.30

29.24
4.76
34.00

29.84 
4.86 
34.70 

87.71
14.29
102.00

6.2.2.  Programming exercise  

Assistance to EU accession should be seen and analysed in a long time frame, and not solely 
based  on  individual  annual  programme.  Year  after  year,  programmes  reflect  the  needs 
towards accession and represent ‘additional pieces of a large puzzle’. For example, IPA 2008 
focused  on  local  government,  developing  sustainable  solutions  for  refugees  and  displaced 
persons  and  support  to  the  media;  improving  the  environment  and  enabling  private  sector 
development; rural development and food safety, animal disease control, financial market and 
customs,  integrated  border  management  and  migration.  Implementation  of  this  programme 
will continue well into 2010/2011. Therefore, the IPA 2009 national programme represented 
the ‘next phase’ of the MIPD implementation. During 2009, the programme was finalised and 
adopted  in  August  2009,  and  the  IPA  2010  national  programme  was  prepared  in  the  same 
spirit. 

The  programming  exercise  for  IPA  2009  consisted  of  a  series  of  missions  from  the 
Commission’s headquarters to Montenegro, which started in 2008, to (i) agree on a first list of 
needs,  selected  with  in  mind  the  lessons  learned  from  evaluations  of  past  assistance, 
abovementioned; (ii) discuss in more detail the content of future projects, also through a series 
of  individual  meetings  with  potential  final  beneficiaries;  (iii)  consult  donors,  EU  Member 
States  and  NGOs.  In  between  these  missions,  beneficiaries  prepared  the  project  fiches  with 
the assistance of training and workshops funded by IPA. Important progress was seen in the 
quality  of  the  draft  project  fiches.  An  important  step  during  the  programming  process  was 
ensuring complementarily and collaboration with donors present in the country and discussing 
possible  joint  management,  contribution  agreements  or  direct  grants.  Conditionalities  were 
also  discussed,  consisting  mainly  on  co-financing  to  be  secured,  land  ownership  and 
acquisition for infrastructure projects.  

Unlike  usual  development  assistance,  which  is  based  on  sector  strategies,  for  potential 
candidates  needs  are  identified  throughout  the  year  as  an  outcome  of  the  political  meetings 
and  sub-committees  of  the  Stabilisation  and  Association  process.  Beneficiaries,  who 
participate actively in those meetings, are aware of their needs towards fulfilling the required 
Copenhagen  criteria.  Therefore  projects  are  proposed  and  selected  within  a  given  accession 
framework,  depending  on  line  ministries.  For  example,  Commission  DGs  advise  line 
ministries on their duties to implement the acquis, on secondary legislation, on the timeframe 
to achieve precise needs. An example among many others is the need to eradicate rabies and 
swine fever throughout Europe, following which DG SANCO required vaccination campaigns 

70 

Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament 'Instrument for Pre-
Accession  Assistance 
for  2010-2012', 
COM(2008)705 of 5 November 2008. 

Indicative  Financial  Framework 

(IPA)  Multi-Annual 

- 73 - 

 
 
                                                 
which  had  to  be  in  line  with  the  rest  of  Europe.  Referring  to  the  consultation  exercise,  it  is 
worth mentioning the example with civil society and NGOs: the EU Delegation organised a 
workshop with representatives of all civil society sectors to elaborate the logical framework of 
the project fiche, which was eventually prepared by participants. This fiche included the needs 
identified  by  the  NGOs  themselves,  as  reported  in  the  questionnaire  provided  by  the  EU 
Delegation.  

Globally,  the  main  focus  areas  of  the  2009  National  Programme  stem  from  the  weaknesses 
identified  in  the  2008  progress  report:  "Montenegro  still  needs  to  enhance  its  efforts  to 
implement  reforms.  Particular  efforts  are  needed  to  complete  the  judicial  reform.  Despite 
some progress, the fight against corruption and organised crime remains a major challenge. 
Political consensus remains strong on EU-related issues, but needs to be broadened on other 
areas of state-building. Administrative capacity needs to be enhanced." Therefore, the main 
project areas selected for 2009 were support to the rule of law and administrative capacity. In 
addition,  and  due  to  the  financial  crisis,  infrastructure  projects  were  selected  to  support 
employment.  Another  urgent  need  for  improvement  was  the  environmental  context  for 
tourism development, the second source of income for the country.  

Related  to  Component  II  programming,  not  much  had  to  be  done,  as  the  multi-annual 
programme  adopted  in  2007  covered  also  2009.  Only  limited  revisions  were  needed  in 
addition to earmarking the new financial allocation.  

Table 2: Indicative financial allocation for the year 2009 per component, in million EUR 

MONTENEGRO 
I. Transition Assistance and Institution Building 
Of which:  

National Programme 
                 Nuclear Safety Programme* 
                 Tempus Programme* 

I. Part II (out of OBNOVA funds) 

II. Cross-Border Cooperation 
Of which:  

CBC with Adriatic Programme 
CBC with Albania 
CBC with Croatia 
CBC with Bosnia and Herzegovina 
CBC with Serbia 
Participation in ERDF transnational programmes (SEE and MED) 

TOTAL Part I  
TOTAL Part I and Part II 

2009 

28.63

27.23
0.20
1.20
1.20

4.67

1.36
0.60
0.50
0.60
0.60
1.01

33.30
34.50

* The Nuclear Safety Programme and Tempus Programme are coordinated and implemented under the relevant 
Multi-beneficiary IPA 2009 programmes.  

As  mentioned  above,  the  programming  exercise  for  IPA  2010  started  in  2009.  It  is  worth 
noting  that  the  Ministry  of  European  Affairs  integrated  the  process  and  was  proactively 
organising this exercise. While in the first years of IPA the focus was on the political criteria, 
also  due  to  the  financial  crisis  it  is  progressively  shifting,  in  terms  of  financial  allocation, 
towards the economic criteria. As the country approaches accession, in the coming years the 
focus  of  IPA  assistance  will  continue  to  evolve  towards  adoption  and  enforcement  of  the 
acquis. The next sub-chapter describes the IPA 2009 National Programme in more details.  

- 74 - 

 
 
 
 
6.2.2.1  

Component I: Transition Assistance and Institution Building 

The  objectives  of  IPA,  as  stated  in  its  Regulation,  are  continuously  and  progressively  been 
achieved,  year  after  year.  Indeed,  a  careful  assessment  is  carried  out  annually  during  the 
programming phase, in order to (i) ensure continuity between projects in the same areas; (ii) 
ensure  complementarity  between  donors;  (iii)  avoid  duplication  of  projects  for  the  same 
beneficiary;  (iv)  ensure  consistency  with  the  National  Plan  for  Integration  2007-2011,  the 
European  Partnership  and  the  SAA,  as  well  as  with  the  MIPD;  (v)  identify  "new"  areas  for 
support stemming from the political dialogue.  

In 2009, the size of projects in Montenegro was given special attention. The administration is 
proportional  to  the  size  of  the  country  and  its  absorption  capacity  is  limited.  Therefore 
projects should be adjusted to the size of the administration, i.e. small institution building (IB) 
projects,  not  highly  demanding  in  human  resources.  Large  infrastructure  projects  allow  for 
easier  and  faster  absorption  of  funds,  as  they  require  less  human  resources.  However  they 
cannot replace institution-building projects which are highly needed for the implementation of 
the acquis. 

Under  the  political  criteria  (axis  1),  especially  in  the  rule  of  law  area,  three  projects  were 
approved  as  a  follow-up  of  twinning  projects  funded  under  the  IPA  2007  National 
Programme: (i) support to the implementation of the new criminal procedural code (CPC); (ii) 
strengthening  the  capacity  of  the  police  administration;  (iii)  implementation  of  a  data 
protection strategy. In addition, a large project was earmarked for civil society.  

Under the economic criteria (axis 2), in addition to some assistance to prepare for the National 
Development Plan and Strategy of Montenegro (2010-2015), two highly needed infrastructure 
projects  were  approved:  (i)  a  major  rehabilitation  of  the  main  rail  line  Bar-Vrbnica  (at  the 
border with Serbia) and (ii) for environmental alignment and solid waste management.  

In order to assist the country in developing its ability to assume membership obligations (axis 
3), the programme included several projects aimed at strengthening management and control 
systems for EU financial assistance; the state audit institution; labour inspection and safety at 
work; marine fisheries; digitalisation of the public broadcasting; access to the internal market. 

Under  the  last  priority  axis,  the  programme  foresaw  projects  aimed  at  supporting 
Montenegro's  participation  in  EU  programmes,  inter  alia  Culture,  Entrepreneurship  and 
Innovation (CIP), the 7th Framework Programme for Research as well as support measures for 
project preparation, technical assistance, and other support activities. 

After  approval  of  Component  I  of  the  2009  National  Programme,  an  additional  Financing 
Decision  was  adopted  on  24  November  2009  for  an  equivalent  amount  of  the  OBNOVA 
funds remaining from CARDS, i.e. EUR 1.2 million, which were earmarked for a rural roads 
maintenance  project.  The  types  of  assistance  selected  (e.g.  procurement  contracts,  grants, 
etc.), among those foreseen by the IPA Implementing Regulation, are adapted to each type of 
activity and carefully selected together with the beneficiaries in order to match needs.  

The following table summarises the projects that make up the IPA 2009 National Programme:  

- 75 - 

 
 
 
 
Table  3:  Indicative  financial  allocations  for  the  year  2009  under  the  National 
Programme, per priority axis and per project, in million EUR 

Priority axis 
Political Criteria 

Projects  

Economic Criteria 

Support  to  Implementation  of  the  new  Criminal  Procedure  Code 
(CPC) 

Strengthening the capacities of police administration 
Support to the Reception Centre for Asylum Seekers 
Implementation of Personal Data Protection strategy 
Civil society development 

Development  Strategy  of  Montenegro  (2010-2015)  and  National 
Development Plan 
Major rehabilitation of the main rail line Bar-Vrbnica (border with 
Serbia) 
Environmental Alignment and Solid Waste Management 

Ability to assume the obligations of membership 

Strengthening the management and control systems for EU financial 
assistance in Montenegro 
Strengthening the State Audit Institution 
Harmonization  and  implementation  of  the  regulations  on  Labour 
Inspection and Safety at work 
Sustainable Management of Marine Fisheries 
Support 
to 
Broadcasting 
Accession to Internal Market 

the  Montenegrin  Public 

the  Digitalisation  of 

EU Programmes and support activities 

Support for participation in EU programmes 
Technical Assistance and Project Preparation Facility (TA&PPF) 
Support Measures Facility (SMF) 

TOTAL 
Economic Criteria  
(Part II) 
TOTAL (I + II) 

Rural Roads projects  

Budget 
6.35 

1.00 

2.00 
0.45 
0.70 
2.20 
10.80 

1.00 

5.00 

     4.80 
7.78 

2.00 

0.80 

1.18 

1.00 

1.60 

1.20 
2.30 
0.15 
1.53 
0.62 
27.23 

1.20 

28.43 

In terms of distribution by priority axis, the economic criteria was allocated the highest share 
(39.7%) of assistance under the 2009 National Programme (Part I), followed by the ability to 
assume membership obligations (28.6%) and the political criteria (23.3%). Support activities 
and EU Programmes were allocated, respectively, 7.9% and 0.5%. The additional assistance 
under Part II of the programme was 100% allocated to the economic criterion.  

6.2.2.2  

Component II: Cross-border Cooperation 

CBC  programmes  make  a  valuable  contribution  to  reconciliation  and  good  neighbourly 
relations  and  beneficiaries  have  shown  great  expectations  with  regards  to  the  results  of  the 
programmes  of  this  component,  also  in  light  of  the  fact  that  CBCs  'learning-by-doing' 
approach  will  significantly  contribute  to  local  capacity-building.  These  great  expectations 
were reflected in the large number of applications submitted to the calls for proposals, despite 
the low amount of available funds. 

- 76 - 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The  expected  results  of  the  CBC  programmes  between  Western  Balkans  countries  are  to 
foster:  (1)  tourism,  agriculture,  SMEs,  networks  in  business,  research  and  education;  (2) 
natural resources; awareness raising campaigns in environment; (3) networks between people 
in education, health care, culture and sports.  

The IPA Adriatic cross border cooperation focuses on: (1) networks between entrepreneurial, 
academic, training and research sectors; competitiveness and innovative capacity; (2) natural 
and cultural resources, risk prevention of the sea and coastal environment ; renewable energy; 
quality  of  tourism;  (3)  accessibility  and  networks:  port  and  airport;  transport  services; 
communication and information. 

Cooperation  within  the  ERDF  "South  East  Europe"  and  "Mediterranean"  programmes  is 
concentrating  on  (1)  innovation:  scientific  and  technological  networks;  (2)  environment: 
water management, energy efficiency, risk prevention for fire, droughts and floods; maritime 
security;  natural  heritage  protection;  (3)  accessibility:  transport  and  telecommunication 
services;  investments  in  trans-European  networks;  interoperability;  (4)  urban  development: 
networks  and  urban-rural  links;  cultural  heritage;  integration  of  development  zones  on  a 
transnational basis. 

6.2.3. 

Implementation Modalities and Structures  

2009,  IPA  assistance  to  Montenegro  (Components  I  and  II)  was  managed  by  the  EU 
Delegation on behalf of the Montenegrin authorities (centralised management).  

During  the  reporting  period,  progress  towards  decentralised  management  of  IPA  assistance 
was under way for Components I and II, with the ‘gap assessment’ mission being conducted 
at the end of 2009. On the other hand, the process was at the initial stage for Components III, 
IV and V. The main implementing bodies for these components were identified by the end of 
the  reporting  period  (including  those  that  will  be  responsible  for  strategic  coordinator  for 
Components III and IV), but other key challenges were still not met, namely the definition of 
roadmaps for each component, strong coordination at government level, regular reporting to 
the Commission and donors coordination.  

One  remaining  question  is  whether  the  Montenegrin  government  will  be  able  to  achieve 
sufficient and necessary progress to be able to  benefit  from  IPA  Components  III,  IV  and  V 
under  the  current  EU  financial  perspective 2007-2013.  However,  regular  reporting  from  the 
Montenegrin  authorities  as  of  2010  will  allow  the  European  Commission  to  provide  the 
necessary responses and adjustments. 

Overall,  at  the  end  of  2009  the  administrative  capacity  of  the  Montenegrin  authorities 
remained weak (both in terms of number and skills of available staff), representing a major 
constraint not only for conferral of management, but also for the daily implementation of IPA 
programmes under centralised management (low absorption capacity). Quarterly reports from 
the  EU  Delegation  on  programme  and  projects  implementation  highlight  the  shortcomings 
and addressing them is part of the very programme itself. However, low wages of public staff, 
impacting on ‘brain-drain’, can not be addressed under IPA projects. The monitoring capacity 
shown by Montenegro is also insufficient to guarantee an effective delivery of aid.   

With  regard  to  Component  II,  for  cross-border-cooperation  programmes  within  the  Western 
Balkans  it  took  about  one  year  from  the  signature  of  the  first  financing  agreements 
(March/April 2008) for national authorities to set up the programme management structures 
and  prepare  the  first  calls  for  proposals.  This  timing  is  comparable  to  that  of  EU  Member 
States for CBC at intra–EU borders. 

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6.2.4.  Overview of IPA projects/contracts implemented in 2009 

Most  of  IPA  2007  Component  I  projects  were  contracted  by  the  end  of  2009.  The  same 
applied to almost half of IPA 2008 Component I funds, while tenders were under way for the 
remaining part.  

In 2009, 60 tender evaluations were carried out. 47 contracts were concluded under IPA 2007 
and  2008  national  programmes  and  CBCs.  Works  represented  the  highest  share  in  value 
(38.7%) and services the second highest (31.7%).  

6.2.4.1  

Component I: Transition Assistance and Institution Building 

Tables 4: Status of implementation of IPA financial assistance (Component I) as at 31st 
December  2009  (in  million  EUR)  per  annual  programme  and  distribution  of  total 
committed funds (2007-2009 allocations) by priority axes 

Committed 

RAC71  %Contracted 

Contracted 
19.82
12.92
0.00
32.74

23.87 
26.80 
28.43 
79.10 

4.05
13.88
28.43
46.36

Paid  RAL72  %Paid 
18.06 
23.87 
28.43 
70.36 

24.34%
10.93%
0.00%
11.05%

83.03% 5.81 
48.21% 2.93 
0.00% 0.00 
41.39% 8.74 

Priority Axes 

% of 2007-2009 allocations 

IPA 2007 
IPA 2008 
IPA 2009* 
TOTAL 

* Including Part II 

Political criteria 

(of which civil society)

Economic criteria 
Ability to assume membership obligations 
Support programmes 
TOTAL 

24.53% 
(4.05%) 
36.28% 
32.72% 
6.48% 
100.00% 

The  IPA  2007  projects  still  ongoing  in  2009  that  were  most  significant  in  value  terms  and 
with regard to the political criteria were the following: 

• 
 "Fighting  against  organised  crime  and  corruption",  with  a  total  budget  of  EUR  3.0 
million  and  implemented  through  a  twinning  contract  with  the  UK  police  administration,  a 
supply and works contract. The project includes training, elaboration of procedures, definition 
of  a  strategy  for  anti-corruption  and  money  laundering,  construction  of  the  police  academy 
and supply of specialised equipment for police investigations. 

The  following  results  were  notably  achieved  by  the  twinning  project:  i)  improved  inter-
agency  cooperation  against  organised  crime,  corruption  and  money  laundering;  ii) 
surveillance  system  established  and  surveillance  operations  being  implemented  to  obtain 
evidence against organised crime organisations; iii) intelligence-led policing model developed 
and  under  implementation  to  enhance  policing  efficiency  and  effectiveness  in  the 
investigation  of  crimes;  development  of  an  anti-corruption  campaign  in  close  cooperation 
with Universities.  

• 
 "Justice  reform",  with  a  budget  of  EUR  2.0  million.  Through  a  twinning  with  the 
Austrian  Federal  Ministry  of  Justice  and  the  Austrian  Centre  of  Legal  Competence,  the 
project provides know how and facilitates reforms along the path towards a more independent 
judiciary.  Introduction  of  a  juvenile  justice  code  is  also  supported  through  a  direct  grant 

71 
72 

Remains to be contracted (Reste à Contracter). 
Remains to be paid (Reste à Liquider). 

- 78 - 

 
 
 
                                                 
agreement  with  UNICEF.  The  following  results  were  achieved  by  the  twinning  project:  i) 
enhanced  independence  of  the  judiciary;  ii)  enhanced  efficiency  of  the  judiciary;  iii) 
strengthened international judicial cooperation.  

• 
The action grant 'Juvenile Justice System Reform', with a budget of EUR 0.5 million 
implemented by UNICEF. The main results achieved are the following: i) juvenile justice law 
in line with EU and international standards prepared and under implementation and juvenile 
justice  database  improved;  ii)  baseline  assessment  report  of  the  juvenile  justice  system 
prepared;  iii)  administrative  capacity  of  social  workers  and  psychologists  to  work  with 
families  and  children  at  risk  enhanced;  iv)  increased  awareness  of  the  rights  of  children  in 
conflict with the law; v) awareness-raising play on domestic violence and youth delinquency 
matters prepared by children placed at the Centre for Children and Youth “Ljubovic”. 

• 
 "National  Qualification  Framework  and  Quality  Assurance  in  Education",  with  a 
budget  of  EUR  1.5  million,  introduces  policy  and  institutional  reforms  in  education  and 
training as part of Montenegro's efforts to engage with the wider education developments in 
the EU. 

• 
 "Development  of  the  transport  sector",  with  a  total  budget  of  EUR  6.2  million, 
includes  the  construction  of  the  Podgorica  mini  by-pass,  preparation  of  a  detail  design  for 
railway infrastructure investments as well as technical assistance for the transport sector. The 
aim of the technical assistance is legal harmonisation of relevant transport legislation with the 
acquis and to improve the capacity of the beneficiary country’s administrations to implement 
legislative, institutional and budgetary reforms that will improve standards in the field of rail 
and civil aviation. The relevant laws and bylaws which will be approximated during project 
implementation shall be defined in accordance with the work plan of the government for 2010 
and 2011. 

Other  important  actions  that  started  during  the  reporting  period,  also  funded  by  IPA  2007, 
included: the harmonisation of the public procurement system (EUR 1.25 million); a twinning 
with  the  Slovenian  Government  Office  of  European  Affair  (GOEA)  for  supporting  the 
Montenegrin  efforts  in  legal  harmonisation  (EUR  1.1  million);  an  animal  identification  and 
registration project (EUR 1.4 million); continuing the approximation of the statistical system 
(EUR 0.8 million); strengthening of the tax administration (EUR 0.9 million). 

Within the framework of the IPA 2007 Civil Society Programme (with financial resources of 
more than EUR 1 million) the EU Delegation published a call for proposals in early March 
2009.  The  8  projects  selected  under  the  programme  deal  with  Roma  issues,  social  care  for 
elderly  people  and  social  policy  at  national  and  local  levels,  tourism  development  and 
traditional  architecture.  These  projects  were  implemented  according  to  schedule  and  by  the 
end of the reporting period most of them were promising in terms of achievements. 

During 2009, implementation started also for important projects under IPA 2008 component I. 
The following are worth mentioning: 

• 
 "Durable  solutions  for  refugees  and  displaced  persons  in  Montenegro",  a  EUR  1.5 
million grant to the German NGO ‘HELP’ (HILFE ZUR SELBSTHILFE EV) for supporting 
refugees and internally displaced persons with housing, self-employment measures and return 
when possible. 

• 
 "Support to the transformation of radio television of Montenegro into a public service 
broadcaster",  with  a  budget  of  EUR  1.25  million.  The  project  aims  at  improving  the 

- 79 - 

 
 
production  of  the  national  TV  ‘RTCG’  and  supplying  quality  news  and  other  programs  to 
better serve public interest by providing a modern computerised newsroom and enhancing the 
knowledge and skills of RTCG staff to effectively use the new digital workflow technology in 
television programmes production. 

In addition, EUR 146.500 were allocated in 2009 to support Montenegro’s participation to EU 
Programmes  by  means  of  reimbursing  parts  of  the  annual  contribution  to  be  paid  by  the 
country  as  entry  ticket  in  the  following  programmes:  i)  the  7th  Framework  Programme  for 
Research;  ii)  the  Entrepreneurship  and  Innovation  specific  Programme  (EIP)  of  the 
Competitiveness  and  Innovation  Framework  Programme  (2007  to  2013);  iii)  the  Culture 
programme  (2007  to  2013).  Commission  services  in  charge  of  the  above  mentioned 
programmes are closely following Montenegro’s implementation of these programmes.  

Finally,  in  2009  Montenegro  benefited  from  several  IPA  Multi-beneficiary  programmes 
including  TAIEX,  with  144  events  organised  in  2009  and  60  NGOs  participating  to  15 
seminars, most of them in Brussels.  

SIGMA  activities  in  2009  revolved  around  the  following  topics:  public  service  and 
administrative  framework,  with  focus  on  the  law  on  administrative  procedures  and  civil 
service reform, public expenditure management and anti-corruption.  

As for Twinning, altogether  five  such contracts were under implementation  during 2009, as 
follows:  

Justice  Reform  (CLC)  -  Specific  objectives:  (1)  support  the  development  and 
(cid:137) 
implementation  of  the  judiciary  reform  strategy/action  plan,  including  the  drafting  of 
legislation  and  Code  of  Ethics  for  magistrates;  (2)  strengthen  the  independence  of  the 
judiciary by revising the laws and regulations for the appointment and career development of 
judges and prosecutors, length of their mandate; (3) strengthen the courts budgeting process, 
thus enhancing efficiency.  The Judiciary in the beneficiary. 

Fight  against  organised  crime  and  corruption  (NICO)  (see  above,  paragraph  on 
(cid:137) 
Justice reform) - Specific objectives: (1) strengthen the intelligence and investigation service 
of  the  Criminal  Police  Directorate  and  enhance  undercover  investigation;  (2)  improve  the 
operational  capacity  of  the  Administration  for  the  prevention  of  money  laundering;  (3) 
strengthen  the  operational  capacity  of  the  Directorate  for  Anticorruption  Initiative.  The 
beneficiaries  are  the  Police  Directorate,  the  Police  Academy,  the  Ministry  of  Interior,  the 
Administration  for  the  prevention  of  Money  Laundering  and  the  Directorate  for  the 
Anticorruption Initiative. 

Legal  harmonisation  (Republika  Slovenia)  -  The  general  objective  of  the  Twinning 
(cid:137) 
Project  is  to  assist  Montenegro  in  strengthening  the  institutional  capacity  for  approximating 
and  harmonizing  with  the  acquis  and  in  particular  to  strengthen  the  efficiency  of  the  legal 
approximation process as well as the capacity of the administration and Parliament to operate 
more  closely  to  the  EU  standards,  thus  allowing  smoother  implementation,  increased 
democratic control, citizens’ confidence in the overall system as well as improved cooperation 
with EU.  

Strengthening  the  regulatory  and  supervisory  capacity  of  financial  regulators 
(cid:137) 
(Bulgaria  National  Bank)  –  The  overall  objective  of  this  twinning  project  is  to  create 
conditions  for  long  term  economic  stability  and  growth  by  strengthening  the  regulatory  and 
supervisory framework of the capital and financial markets. The project purpose is to improve 

- 80 - 

 
 
institutional  and  regulatory  capacity  of  the  financial  sector  regulators  to  supervise  financial 
markets and institutions in line with the EU acquis.  

Labour  Market  Reform  and  Workforce  Development  (EURO-MEDITERRANEAN 
(cid:137) 
NETWORKS  SPRL)  -  The  overall  objective  relates  to  Montenegro’s  policy  and  institutional 
readiness  to  meet  EU  employment  and  life-long  learning  policies  as  part  of  its  wider 
preparations  for  EU  accession.    The  specific  objective  relates  to  supporting  institution  and 
capacity  building  of  the  labour  and  education  administration  (the  MLSW  and  EAM)  for 
developing active labour market measures (especially community based partnerships) and  a 
framework for life-long career guidance and counselling services in Montenegro. 

6.2.4.2  

Component II: Cross-border Cooperation 

Tables 5: Status of implementation of IPA financial assistance (Component II) as at 31st 
December  2009  (in  million  EUR)  per  annual  programme  and  distribution  of  total 
committed funds (2007-2009 allocations) by priority axes 

IPA 2007 
IPA 2008 
IPA 2009 
TOTAL 

Committed 

3.91 
4.49 
4.67 
13.07 

Contracted 
0.58
0,00
0,00
0.58

3.33
4.49
4.67
12.49

14.83% 0.25 
0.00% 0,00 
0.00% 0.00 
4.44% 0.25 

Paid  RAL  %Paid 
3.66 
4.49 
4.67 
12.82 

6.39%
0.00%
0.00%
1.91%

RAC  %Contracted 

Priority Axes 

% of 2007-2009 allocations 

CBC with Member States 
CBC within Western Balkans 
Participation to ERDF Transnational Programmes 
TOTAL 

25.42% 
52.81% 
21.76% 
100.00% 

For  programmes  at  borders  with  candidate  countries  and  potential  candidates,  for  which 
Financing  Agreements  were  signed  in  March  2008,  during  the  reporting  period  the 
Montenegrin  Operating  Structures  focused  on  setting  up  the  programme  management 
structures  and  discussed  the  application  packages  for  the  first  four  calls  for  proposals 
(Albania-Montenegro,  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina-Montenegro,  Croatia-Montenegro  and  
Serbia-Montenegro). These calls were finally published between June and August 2009. With 
the exception of the programme with Albania, which encompassed 2007 funds only, the other 
three calls were launched including 2007 and 2008 allocations. The calls were closed between 
September  and  November  2009.  The  evaluation  and  the  resulting  contract  signature  were 
expected to be concluded after the reporting period. It is worth mentioning that, out of the first 
call, a remarkable number of high quality applications will not be funded due to the shortage 
of funds allocated to these programmes.  

In terms of objectives, the above CBC programmes seek to achieve the following:  

•  Albania  –  Montenegro:  the  programme  seeks  to  promote  cooperation  between  people, 
communities and institutions on the bordering areas, aiming at sustainable development, 
stability and prosperity in the mutual interest of the citizens of the two countries. It targets 
specifically the promotion of economic development through the improvement of tourism 
and  cultural  potentials;  advancement  in  the  protection,  promotion  and  management  of 
sensitive  ecosystems  and  sustainable  environmental  development;  furthering  of  citizens’ 
cooperation and partnership building across the border.    

•  Bosnia  &  Herzegovina  –  Montenegro:  the  main  priority  of  this  programme  consists  of 
fostering  the  sustainable  development  of  the  cross-border  area  as  well  as  its  economic, 

- 81 - 

 
 
 
 
cultural, natural and human resources potentials by strengthening the local capacities and 
create common institutional networks among local communities and other relevant actors. 

•  Croatia – Montenegro: The overall objective of this programme is to improve the quality 
of  life  in  the  cross-border  area  by  (a)  establishing  cooperation  between  institutions  in 
charge  of  environment  and  cultural  heritage  protection;  (b)  creating  recognizable  tourist 
products  based  on  the  natural  and  cultural  assets  of  the  programme  area  and  re-
establishing  social  and  cultural  connections;  (c)  enhancing  cooperation  between 
institutions, citizens and civic organizations in order to boost community development and 
improve neighbourhood relations. 

•  Serbia – Montenegro: This programme revolves around five main priorities, namely: (a) 
strengthening  the  incentives  for  SME  development  in  the  border  areas;  (b)  developing 
tourism  as  a  key  sector  of  the  border  economy;  (c)  promoting  cross-border  business 
cooperation and accessibility to markets; (d) preserving the high quality of the border area 
environment  as  an  economic  resource;  (e)  strengthening  cross-border  ‘people-to-people’ 
interaction to reinforce ethnic, educational, cultural and sporting links. 

• 

IPA Adriatic Cross-border programme: This programme includes maritime areas in three 
EU Member States (Spain, Italy and Slovenia) and several IPA countries (Croatia, Bosnia 
and  Herzegovina,  Montenegro  and  Albania)  and  seeks  to  strengthen  the  sustainable 
development  capabilities  of  the  Adriatic  region  through  a  concerted  strategy  of  action 
between  the  partners  of  the  eligible  territories  emphasising  research  and  innovation, 
promotion  and  protection  of  natural  and  cultural  resources,  and  the  integration  and 
extension of the existing infrastructure networks. 

•  ERDFS  “South  East  Europe”  and  “Mediterranean”:  these  two  transnational  programmes 
enable  the  participation  of  Montenegrin  partners  with  partners  from  many  EU  Member 
States  in  joint  transnational  cooperation  activities.  The  main  areas  of  cooperation  are 
innovation, environment, accessibility and sustainable urban/rural development. 

6.3. 

Coherence, compatibility and coordination of aid 

Overall donor coordination meetings are led by the Prime Minister and the first and only such 
meeting was held in December 2008. A second meeting was expected to be arranged after the 
reporting  period.  In  the  last  quarter  of  2009  responsibility  for  donor  coordination  was 
assigned  to  the  Deputy-Prime  Minister  in  charge  of  international  and  economic  cooperation 
and Minister of Finance. From the beginning of 2009 sectoral coordination meetings with the 
relevant sector Ministries, donors, IFI's and agencies were organized by the EU Delegation on 
a  quarterly  basis.  Coordination  was  working  well  in  areas  such  as  the  environment,  justice, 
anti-corruption, education and police. Overall coordination was also gradually improving, due 
to  the  size  of  the  country  which  facilitated  donors’  contacts  and  information  sharing  and 
allowed for efficient coordination meetings. Nevertheless, by the end of the reporting period 
donor  coordination  in  the  country  was  still  in  need  of  strong  support  from  senior  level 
officials, as well as leadership and ownership of coordination activities by the government.  

Coordination efforts in 2009 have led donors to exchange information on respective projects 
and understand respective leadership in given fields (e.g. KfW with energy). However, there 
was still room for improvement, to avoid situations where large seminars may be organized 
by a donor without informing or inviting the EU in spite of it having projects closely linked or 
very  similar  to  the  subject  of  the  event.  Ideally,  donor  coordination  should  lead  to  a  donor 

- 82 - 

 
 
stepping out of a planned project if another donor has developed a more advanced project in 
the same field.  

By  adopting  a  sector  approach  in  planning  and  programming  of  future  IPA  assistance, 
coordination efforts should be more easily facilitated. This is crucial for the development of 
best  proposals,  the  adoption  of  suitable  aid-delivery  methods  and  to  help  avoid  duplicating 
efforts in key sectors.  

6.4.  Monitoring   

Monitoring of IPA funded projects in Montenegro started in 2009. Monitoring conducted by 
the  EU  Delegation  as  the  Contracting  Authority  included  on-the-spot  checks,  site  visits, 
steering committee meetings and ad hoc meetings with beneficiaries and contractors.  

14  national  projects  (9  IPA  and  5  CARDS)  were  subject  to  external  Result  Oriented 
Monitoring  (ROM)  during  the  last  part  of  2009.  The  overall  performance  score  (2.99)  was 
above the minimum target of 2.50 and above the average performance in the Western Balkans 
and  Turkey  (2.85).  The  average  project  size  was  smaller  than  in  the  Western  Balkans  and 
Turkey  (EUR  1.2  million  versus  EUR  1.6  million).  86%  of  the  projects  were  assessed  as 
performing well, while problems were identified in 2 projects (14%).  

A  success  story  worth  mentioning  is  the  IPA  2007  "National  Qualification  Framework  and 
Quality Assurance in Education in Montenegro", monitored at the end of its inception phase. 
This  project  showed  an  appropriate  design,  high  level  of  stakeholders'  involvement,  well 
calibrated  inputs  and  time  span  for  implementation,  timely  provision  of  inputs,  recognised 
quality of first outputs and excellent communication among all stakeholders.  

- 83 - 

 
 
 
7. 

SERBIA 

7.1. 

The year in review  

Serbia  made  progress  in  meeting  the  political  criteria  and  addressing  key  European 
Partnership priorities. The government demonstrated its commitment to bringing the country 
closer  to  the  EU  by  undertaking  a  number  of  initiatives  including  the  unilateral 
implementation  of  the  provisions  of  the  Interim  Agreement  in  February  2009  and  the  EU 
membership application on December 22, 2009. By the end of 2009 Serbia achieved visa free 
travel  for  its  citizens  and  unblocking  of  the  Interim  Agreement  by  the  European  Union. 
Cooperation  with  the  International  Criminal  Tribunal  for  the  former  Yugoslavia  (ICTY) 
improved  further  and  in  his  report  to  the  UNSC  in  December  2009  Chief  Prosecutor 
Brammertz assessed Serbia's cooperation as "satisfactory". However, ICTY indictees Mladić 
and Hadžić still remained at large.  

For more details on developments in 2009 in Serbia’s preparation for EU membership, please 
refer to the Commission’s 2009 Progress Report on Serbia73.  

7.2. 

IPA programming and implementation in 2009 

7.2.1.  MIPD 2009-2011  

From  early  2007,  the  Serbian  national  authorities  have  been  actively  participating  in  the 
preparation  of  the  Multi-Annual  Indicative  Planning  Document  (MIPD).  They  have,  each 
year, circulated the draft document within the government and provided comments. In 2009, 
for  the  2009-2011  MIPD,  as  well  as  for  its  review,  consultations  in  the  country  took  place 
with on-going and potential beneficiaries, with the NGOs as well as with Member States and 
other donors. Due to frequent consultations and contacts with stakeholders, these documents 
did not raise many comments nor required extensive changes.  

The  Multi-Annual  Indicative  Planning  Document  (MIPD)  2009-2011  reflected  the  key 
priorities of the European Partnership and the next steps in the Stabilisation and Association 
Process.  It  was  prepared  taking  into  account  previous  and  ongoing  pre-accession  assistance  
as well as future priorities coming up in the overall European integration process (including 
the  “Enhanced  Permanent  Dialogue”  and 
the 
recommendations  of  the  Serbia  Progress  Report  for  2008.  It  also  considered  the  Serbian 
National Programme for Integration (NPI).  

sub-committees), 

in  addition 

to 

The  MIPD  set  clear  indicators  of  results  which  are  to  be  measured  at  a  later  stage,  when 
projects are finalised. As it was the case also for other IPA beneficiaries, growing importance 
was  given  to  cross-cutting  issues,  namely:  involvement  of  civil  society;  environmental 
considerations; equal opportunities and non-discrimination, to be considered as from the early 
stages  of  programming  and  throughout  the  process;  human  rights,  with  special  attention  to 
minorities,  vulnerable  groups;  good  governance,  as  a  way  to  contribute  to  the  fight  against 
corruption and to enhance civic responsibility. 

Also in Serbia’s case, no evaluation of IPA projects took place in 2009 due to the early stage 
of IPA implementation on the ground. However, also in this case the 2009-2011 MIPD took 
into  account  the  lessons  learned  from  the  evaluation  of  previous  pre-accession  assistance 

73 

 Serbia  2009  Progress  Report,  SEC(2009)  1339  of  14  October  2009,  available  at  
http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/pdf/key_documents/2009/sr_rapport_2009_en.pdf. 

- 84 - 

 
 
 
                                                 
(CARDS)  in  the  fields  of  institutional  strengthening  of  local/  municipal  government, 
economic development and justice and home affairs. As already mentioned in other  sections 
of this background document, strategic and operational recommendations resulting form such 
evaluations  included  the  need  to  better  target  project  objectives;  improve  the  sequenced 
planning  of  operations;  increase  the  awareness  on  sustainability;  conduct  functional  needs 
assessments;  improve  donor  coordination;  improve  project  design;  involve  civil  society,  not 
only for social matters; increase the monitoring; ensure that cross-cutting are a reality. 

Table 1: MIFF74 allocations per component, in million EUR 

Component 
I - Transition Assistance and Institution Building 
II - Cross-border Co-operation  
TOTAL 

2009 
182.55
12.25
194.80

2010 
186.21
12.49
198.70

2011 
189.96 
12.74 
202.70 

2009-2011 
558.72
37.48
596.20

7.2.2.  Programming exercise  

The IPA 2009 National Programme for Serbia focused on the objectives set out in the Multi-
Annual  Indicative  Planning  Document  (MIPD)  2009-2011.  In  the  first  half  of  2009  the  EU 
Delegation held a series of bilateral meetings with the Serbian authorities, in particular with 
the National IPA Coordinator's (NIPAC) Technical Secretariat and the line ministries, while 
EU Member States and other donors, including IFIs, as well as civil society were consulted in 
May. During these consultations, which were organized either through meetings or by written 
procedure,  all  actors  involved  provided  constructive  comments  which  were  taken  into 
consideration  while  revising  the  programming  documents.  In  July  2009  the  draft  Project 
Fiches, prepared by the Commission in close coordination with the Serbian beneficiaries and 
in  consultation  with  civil  society,  were  discussed  within  the  Commission  (inter-service 
consultation). The completed IPA 2009 package was presented to EU Member States in the 
IPA Management Committee in September 2009 and the 2009 annual programme for Serbia 
was adopted by the Commission on 12 November 2009. 

The  programming  process  was  carried  out  with  close  involvement  of  the  beneficiary 
institutions,  especially  the  Sector  for  Programming  and  Management  of  EU  funds  and 
Development  Assistance  (DACU),  the  line  ministries  and  in  particular  the  Ministry  of 
Finance. DACU has been a reliable partner throughout the process, with high commitment to 
the production of good quality programming documents.  

Similarly  to  the  strategic  planning  of  IPA  2009-2011  assistance,  also  programming  of  IPA 
2009  funds  took  into  account  relevant  lessons  learned  from  previous  CARDS  and  PHARE 
assistance,  as  well  as  from  the  IPA  2007  and  2008  programming  exercises.  Those  lessons 
included the need for the following:  

(cid:121) 
increased ownership of national bodies responsible for the EU programming process. 
In  this  respect,  the  NIPAC  and  its  technical  secretariat  DACU  demonstrated  high 
commitment; 

(cid:121) 
increased  coordination  between  central  and  local  government  bodies  and  stronger 
absorption  capacity  on  their  side.  This  was  addressed  particularly  in  the  projects  related  to 
regional development the development of the municipal infrastructure; 

74 

Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament 'Instrument for Pre-
Accession  Assistance 
for  2010-2012', 
COM(2008)705 of 5 November 2008. 

Indicative  Financial  Framework 

(IPA)  Multi-Annual 

- 85 - 

 
 
                                                 
 
(cid:121) 
projects  readiness  and  maturity  as  relevant  criteria  for  their  selection.  As  a  result, 
projects were assessed by both national authorities and Commission services in order to avoid 
implementation  delays  due  to  issues  such  as  lack  of  feasibility  or  prefeasibility  studies, 
untimely  establishment  of  beneficiary 
implementation 
arrangements; 

institutions  or  complicated 

(cid:121) 
select  projects  also  in  light  of  the  beneficiary  organisation’s  absorption  capacity  and 
record of past achievements. In this respect, previous performance and workload of on-going 
CARDS  and  IPA  projects  of  beneficiary  institutions  was  assessed  in  order  to  avoid  having 
low or late absorption of future assistance. 

Concerning  IPA  Component  II,  the  first  multiannual  Cross  Border  Cooperation  (CBC) 
programmes covering 2007-2009 were adopted in 2007. These multiannual CBC programmes 
were revised in the second half 2009 in order to cover the years 2010 and 2011. The revision 
entailed only an update of the financial tables while the priorities of the programmes remained 
the  same.  A  possible  adjustment  of  priorities  and  measures  will  be  considered  in  the 
framework  of  the  last  revision  of  the  CBC  programmes  covering  2012-2013,  based  on  the 
experience and lessons learned in implementation during the previous years.  

During  the  programming  exercise  an  effort  was  made  to  ensure  complementarity  and  avoid 
overlaps between the on going projects under the two components. 

Table 2: Indicative financial allocations for the year per component, in million EUR: 

SERBIA 

I. Transition Assistance and Institution Building 
Of which:  

II. Cross-Border Cooperation 
Of which:                     

National Programme 
Budget support 
Nuclear Safety Programme* 
Tempus Programme* 

2009

182.55

70.55
100.00
5.00
7.00

12.25

CBC Serbia and Bulgaria 
CBC Serbia and Romania 
CBC Serbia and Hungary 
CBC Adriatic Programme 
CBC Serbia and Croatia 
CBC Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina  
CBC Serbia and Montenegro 
CBC Participation in ERDF South East Europe Programme  

2.36
2.94
2.49
0.60
1.00
1.10
0.50
1.26
194.80 

TOTAL 
* The Nuclear Safety Programme and Tempus Programme are coordinated and implemented under the relevant 
Multi-beneficiary IPA 2009 programmes.  

7.2.2.1  

Component I: Transition Assistance and Institution Building  

Component I of the IPA 2009 National Programme was split in two parts in order to take into 
account  the  ongoing  economic  and  financial  crisis.  The  first  part  included  a  general  budget 
support  programme  with  an  amount  of  EUR  100  million,  in  order  to  avoid  that  during  the 
crisis  relevant  structural  reforms  would  be  postponed  to  a  later  date.  According  to  the 
Financing Agreement, disbursement of budget support funds was conditional on satisfactory 

- 86 - 

 
 
 
 
 
progress  towards  achieving  the  intended  objectives  in  terms  of  impact  and  results.  More 
concretely, this implied the following: i) a sustainable macroeconomic and fiscal framework 
supported by the IFIs, notably through a disbursing IMF programme (general condition); ii) 
administrative  and  financial  circuits  establishing  a  sound  fiduciary  environment  (general 
condition);  iii)  elaboration  of  disbursement  conditions  in  the  areas  of  public  finance 
management and on enlargement reform priorities (specific conditions).  

Other  conditions  for  disbursement  included  sound  public  financial  management  and 
strengthening of the administrative capacity, i.e. a commitment to maintain and develop the 
administrative capacity of relevant institutions and bodies and to exclude personnel working 
with  priority  areas  for  EU  integration  from  the  recruitment  restrictions  introduced  in  March 
2009, in accordance with the human resources plan of the Government of Serbia for 2009.  

Up  to  the  end  of  the  reporting  period,  when  the  first  tranche  was  disbursed,  the  following 
results were achieved: i) submission of the new budget system Law to Parliament; ii) adoption 
by the Government of the public internal financial control strategy paper.  

Apart  from  the  EUR  100  million  allocated  as  budget  support,  the  National  Programme 
provided  EUR  70.55  million  for  specific projects for Transition Assistance and Institutional 
Building. 

Under the political criteria priority axis, more than EUR 17 million were allocated to address 
political aspects of Serbia’s  European integration by i)  providing  assistance to civil society, 
mainly  NGOs,  encouraging  active  intercultural  dialogue  and  exchange  of  ideas  between 
NGOs  in  Serbia  and  the  EU  and  helping  to  build  greater  tolerance  and  cultural  diversity 
across  Serbia;  ii)  by  supporting  the  access  of  refugees  and  internally  displaced  persons  to 
rights,  employment  and  livelihood  enhancement;  iii)  by  supporting  capacity  building  of  the 
Directorate for confiscated property and improving the system of criminal assets confiscation, 
a very important issue to address reforms in the justice sector.  

To  support  the  socio-economic  criteria  priority  axis,  more  than  EUR  40  million  were 
allocated to i) co-finance the rebuilding of the Žeželj bridge, a project of major importance for 
the  city  of  Novi  Sad,  but  also  for  the  whole  of  Serbia,  given  its  importance  for  the  future 
economic development of the country and for connections with other European countries, as 
part  of    corridor  X;  ii)  implement  the  national  screening  programme  for  colorectal,  cervical 
and breast cancer (by implementing this project, Serbia’s health care system will develop an 
organised  system  for  early  detection  of  cancer,  accessible  to  all  citizens,  thereby  reducing 
inequalities  in  this  field);  iii)  improve  preschool  education  conditions,  especially    for 
vulnerable  groups,  through  improvements  in  the  quality  of  preschool  programmes  and 
expansion of the capacities of preschool institutions. Among other things, this will contribute 
to fulfilling the national Millennium Development Goals adopted by the Government of the 
Republic of Serbia in 2006. 

Concerning  the  ability  to  assume  EU  membership  obligations,  over  EUR  11  million  were  
allocated  for  supporting  reforms  aimed  at  approximating  the  Serbian  legal  system  and 
standards  with  those  of  the  EU,  for  example  in  the  areas  of  consumer  protection 
(strengthening of their  rights), hazardous waste management (providing technical assistance 
for the analysis, planning and preparation for the construction of a national hazardous waste 
management  facility  in  Serbia)  and  animal  health    (control  and  eradication  of    rabies  and 
swine fever).  

- 87 - 

 
 
Part  II  of  the  2009  IPA  Programme,  which  consists  of  24  tenders  (7  for  services,  5  for 
supplies and 2 for works), 3 calls of proposals and 1 contribution agreement, is less complex 
than previous years IPA programmes due to its limited budget. 

Finally,  Serbia’s  participation  to  EU  funded  programmes,  in  particular  the  7th  Framework 
programme  for  Research  and  the  Culture  programme,  was  supported  in  2009  by  allocations 
under IPA 2007 (EUR 2 million) and IPA 2008 (EUR 5 million) national programmes.  

Table 3: Indicative financial allocations for the year 2009 under the  National Programme, per 
priority axis and per project, in million EUR 

Priority Axis 
Political criteria 

Projects 

1- Capacity building of the Directorate for confiscated property and 
improving the system of criminal asset confiscation 
2 - Supporting access to rights, employment and livelihood enhancement 
of refugees and IDPs 
3 - Support to civil society  

Economic criteria 

4 - Žeželj bridge – Rebuilding Serbian infrastructure 
5 - Implementation of the National screening programme for colorectal, 
cervical and breast cancer 
6 - Improvement of the preschool education in Serbia (IMPRES project) 

European standards 

7 - Support for the control/eradication of classical swine fever and rabies 
in Serbia 
8 - Technical assistance to hazardous waste treatment facility 
9 - Strengthening consumer protection in Serbia 

Support measures 

10 - Project preparation facility  

TOTAL 

7.2.2.2  

Component II: Cross-border Cooperation  

Budget 

17.15

2.50

12.65
2.00
40.35
30.00

6.60
3.75
11.50

6.00
3.00
2.50
1.55
1.55
70.55

Serbia  benefits  from  3  Cross  Border  Cooperation  (CBC)  programmes  with  Member  States 
(Bulgaria,  Hungary  and  Romania)  as  well  as  3  CBCs  at  "internal  borders"  within  Western 
Balkans (Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro). 

Under  this  component,  the  priorities  remain:  cross-border  infrastructure,  flood  prevention, 
economic  co-operation,  environmental  problems,  administrative  cooperation,  cultural 
exchanges  and  people-to-people  actions,  activities  in  education,  research,  job  creation, 
security  and  crime  prevention,  among  others.  Implementation  is  done  mainly  through 
activities involving local communities. 

Although  not  being  territorially  eligible  for  the  Programme  (lack  of  costal  area),  but  taking 
into  account  its  previous  eligibility  in  the  2004–2006  Italy–Adriatic  Programme,  Serbia  has 
been  granted  a  phasing-out  participation  in  the  IPA  Adriatic  Cross-Border  Cooperation 
Programme until 2012 included. This transitional and specific support allows the participation 
of  Serbian  partners  in  institutional  co–operation  activities  between  universities,  cultural 
institutions and research institutes.  

Component II is also financing the participation of Serbia in the ERDF territorial co-operation 
transnational programme "South–East Europe".  

Both, the Adriatic Programme and the ERDF-SEE Programme are managed by DG REGIO. 

- 88 - 

 
 
 
 
 
 
The  first  multiannual  CBC  programmes  covering  2007-2009  were  adopted  in  2007.  They 
were revised in the second half 2009 in order to cover the years 2010 and 2011. The revision 
entailed only an update of the financial tables while the priorities of the programmes remained 
the  same.  A  possible  adjustment  of  priorities  and  measures  will  be  considered  in  the 
framework  of  the  last  revision  of  the  CBC  programmes  covering  2012-2013,  based  on  the 
experience and lessons learned in implementation during the previous years.  

7.2.3. 

Implementation modalities and structures  

The Serbian authorities adopted a roadmap for a Decentralised Implementation System (DIS) 
in  January  2008,  last  up-dated  in  March  2009,  while  a  strategy  for  the  preparation  of  DIS 
accreditation  was  submitted  to  the  Commission  in  April  of  that  same  year.  All  key  DIS 
stakeholders  on  the  side  of  the  Serbian  administration  were  appointed  by  the  end  of  the 
reporting  period.  Those  were  the  Competent  Authorizing  Officer  (CAO),  the  National 
Authorizing  Officer  (NAO),  the  Programme  Authorizing  Officer  (PAO),  the  head  of  the 
National  Fund  and  the  Senior  Programme  Officers  (SPO)  in  the  line  Ministries.  However, 
despite the commitment of the Serbian government to the programming and implementation 
of  IPA,  staff  numbers  in  the  public  administration,  especially  in  the  European  integration 
structures, remained an issue of concern, mainly due to budget restrictions in the context of 
the financial crisis.  

During  the  reporting  period,  the  EU  Delegation  in  Belgrade  continued  to  carry  out 
implementation  of  IPA  Component  I  as  the  contracting  authority  on  behalf  of  the  Serbian 
authorities.   

IPA Component II programmes in Serbia are implemented under two different management 
modes: centralised and shared management. CBC programmes at internal borders (those with 
Croatia,  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina  and  Montenegro)  are  implemented  on  a  centralised  basis, 
where the EU Delegation is the contracting authority. However, differently from other grant 
schemes  run  in  centralised  management  (where  selection  of  project  proposals  is  a  direct 
responsibility  of  the  EU  Delegation),  the  selection  of  applicants  is  carried  out  under  the 
responsibility of a joint body established by the operating structures in the two participating 
countries.  

The  programmes  with  Members  States  and  the  Adriatic  programme  are  implemented  under 
shared  management.  In  this  case  implementation  of  the  entire  programme  is  under  the 
responsibility of a single managing authority located in the participating Member State. 

7.2.4.  Overview of IPA projects/contracts implemented in 2009  

In 2009, about 190 contracts under IPA 2007, 2008 and 2009 (budget support) were signed, 
and several tenders under IPA 2008 and 2009 were prepared. As the Financing Agreement for 
Part II of the 2009 National programme could not be signed in 2009, due to procedural issues, 
contracting of IPA 2009 projects had not started by the end of the reporting period, except for 
the commitment and disbursement of budget support funds. 

7.2.4.1  

Component I: Transition Assistance and Institution Building  

In total, under Component I (National Programmes  2007, 2008 and  2009,  including Budget 
Support)  EUR  242.80  million  and  EUR  83.50  million  were  contracted  and  disbursed, 
respectively, by the end of the reporting period. The funds remaining to be contracted from 
IPA  2007  (allocation  EUR  164.84  million)  amounted  to  EUR  60.76  million,  while  for  IPA 
2008 (allocation EUR 168.64 million) the corresponding figure equalled EUR 129.92 million. 

- 89 - 

 
 
As for IPA 2009 Budget Support, EUR 100 million were contracted and EUR 50 million (1st 
tranche) disbursed by the end of 2009. 

Tables 4: Status of implementation of IPA financial assistance (Component I) as at 31st 
December  2009  (in  million  EUR)  per  annual  programme  and  distribution  of  total 
committed funds (2007-2009 allocations) by priority axes. 

Committed  Contracted 

RAC75 %Contracted 

Paid  RAL76  %Paid 

IPA 2007 
IPA 2008 
IPA 2009 
TOTAL 

164.84
168.64
170.55
504.83

104.08
38.72
100.00
242.80

60.76
129.92
70.55
261.23

63.14% 30.90  133.94 18.75%
1.54%
22.96%
58.63% 50.00  120.55 29.32%
48.17% 83.50  420.53 16.57%

2.60  166.04

Priority Axes 

% of 2007-2009 allocations  

Political criteria 

(of which civil society)

Economic criteria 
Ability to assume membership obligations 
Support programmes 
Budget Support 
TOTAL 

32.87% 
(1.29%) 
27.94% 
17.47% 
1.88% 
19.84% 
100.00% 

Below is an overview of IPA Component I implementation by sector:  

Health 

During  2009,  a  total  of  252  equipped  emergency  medical  vehicles  funded  by  the  IPA  2007 
programme  were  fully  delivered  to  health  institutions  throughout  Serbia.  The  value  of  this 
contract  was  EUR  8.7  million.  A  relevant  technical  assistance  project  was  implemented  in 
parallel,  providing  standardized  training  for  emergency  service  employees,  particularly 
drivers.  

The technical assistance project in support to the implementation of the National Strategy to 
fight against drugs (demand reduction component) assisted the Ministry of Health (MoH) in 
drafting the Law on psychoactive substances, which was then posted for public debate to enter 
parliamentary adoption procedure in 2010. A national campaign was supported by the project 
for awareness-raising to fight drug abuse in schools. 

The  IPA  2007  funded  project  to  support  the  “Establishment  of  the  public  agency  for 
accreditation  and  continuous  quality  improvement  of  healthcare  in  Serbia”  assisted  the 
Ministry of Health to draft the “bylaw on accreditation of healthcare institutions” which was 
published  in  the  Official  Gazette  of  the  Republic  of  Serbia  (no.112/2009).  The  project 
increased awareness amongst key stakeholders concerning quality and accreditation during a 
project conference and workshop attended by over 400 healthcare providers.  Additionally, 11 
courses  in  quality  and  accreditation  for  external  surveyors  were  developed  jointly  by  the 
project  with  the  agency  and  the  Belgrade  school  of  medicine/school  of  public  health  which 
subsequently received CME credits approved by the National health council. These activities 
are in full compliance with the National Strategy for quality assurance in health care. 

75 
76 

 Remains to be contracted (Reste à Contracter). 
 Remains to be paid (Reste à Liquider). 

- 90 - 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Municipal support programmes  

A  project  to  strengthening  local  self-government  in  Serbia  started  in  May  2009  through  a 
EUR 2 million direct grant to the Council of Europe. It aims at supporting Serbian efforts in 
developing  the  legal  framework  for  decentralisation  and  capacity  building  for  local 
government through the consolidation of the legal and institutional framework. A number of 
laws adopted in 2007 will need to be assessed after their first year of implementation and then 
amended if required. The project will build on the appraisal made by the Council of Europe of 
the  four  laws  adopted  in  December  2007  and  cooperate  with  the  Ministry  of  Public 
administration and local self-government with a view to drafting the amendments.  

In particular, regarding the Law on local elections, as suggested by the Venice Commission, a 
number of issues may be reviewed, including the role of the Republic Electoral Commission, 
the  allocations  of  all  seats  to  the  candidates  and  the  issue  of  “imperative  mandate”.  On  the 
Law on territorial organisation, the main issues concern the procedure  for the establishment 
(by splitting or merging) and abolishment of municipalities and the reshuffling of municipal 
boundaries.  Regarding  the  Law  on  local  self-government,  the  division  of  executive  and 
managerial power between several persons/bodies, the status of the administration, the issue 
of local budget and its implementation are areas which could be looked into. Lastly, regarding 
the  Law  on  the  capital  city,  an  important  issue  relates  to  the  regulation  of  the  relationship 
between the capital city and inner city municipalities. In addition, the drawing up of bylaws is 
indispensable for the implementation of laws currently under preparation and expected to be 
adopted. The bylaws, which are directly connected to the implementation of the Law on local 
self-government staff, will regulate the methodology of determination of the number of staff, 
the recruitment procedures, the classification of the positions and the training of staff. 

The  project  aims  also  at  strengthening  the  financial  arrangements  for  local  government  and 
supporting fiscal decentralisation. This component of the project will be addressed at a latter 
stage and therefore there were no concrete results achieved during 2009.  

Energy 

The Serbian Energy Agency was supported to implement the requirements of the roadmaps/ 
action  plans  for  the  Energy  Community  Treaty,77  including  favouring  wider  penetration  of 
producers  using  renewable  energy  sources.  Improved  electricity  and  market  monitoring  and 
enhanced price/tariff regulation should give proper incentives to improve the efficiency of the 
utilities  and  the  use  of  renewable  energy  sources.  In  2009  energy  projects  were  in  the 
inception phase, therefore no concrete results can be reported.  

Regional Socio-Economic Development Programme  

Two  new  operating  grants  were  awarded  through  a  direct  award  procedure  to  the  Regional 
Development  Agency  “Branicevo-Podunavlje”  in  the  Branicevo  and  Podunavlje  districts  in 
North-East  Serbia  and  to  the  Regional  Development  Agency  “Moravicki  and  Raski”  in  the 
Moravicki and Raski districts in South West Serbia, in order to cover the operating costs of 
these newly established regional development agencies and support them in developing into 
sustainable independent institutions that serve the needs of regional development.  

Also, a service contract for technical assistance to the regional development agencies with a 
budget  of  around  EUR  5  million  was  awarded  and  started  in  June  2009  and  will  have  a 

77 

The  Energy  Treaty  for  the  establishment  of  an  Energy  Community  comprises  countries  from  the  EU 
and South- East Europe. 

- 91 - 

 
 
                                                 
duration  of  36  months.  This  project  aims  at  improving  the  capacity  of  the  Regional 
Development  Agencies  (RDAs)  and  other  local  stakeholders  for  regional  development 
planning and implementation. The results expected are (i) an increased efficiency of RDAs in 
managing  local  development  resources;  (ii)  an  increased  participation/advocacy  of  RDAs  in 
the  national  regional  development  policy  planning;  (iii)  improved  skills  in  Project  Cycle 
Management and financial management; (iv) an efficient management of the grant scheme for 
regional development. During 2009, the project was in inception phase and no concrete results 
can be reported. 

Statistics  

The Serbian Statistical Office was supported by technical assistance in view of approximation 
of  the  Serbian  statistical  system  to  the  European  statistical  system’s  requirements.  The 
Serbian  Parliament  adopted  four  new  laws  important  to  statistics  development  in  late  2009. 
They were the Law on the 2011 population, households and dwellings census, the Law on the 
2011  agricultural  census,  the  Law  on  official  statistics  and  the  Law  on  the  new  NACE 
classification Rev. 2. The adoption of NACE Rev. 2, PRODCOM and CPA 2008 is ongoing. 
The new classifications will be in use as from 2011.  

The statistical office has produced pilot supply and use tables for 2007-2008 at current prices 
and  at  constant  prices  for  2008.  A  special  unit  was  established  which  is  responsible  for  the 
continuous development work. 

A pilot agricultural census was conducted in December 2009. The preparatory  work  for  the 
conduct of the full-scale agricultural census in 2011 was fully underway during the reporting 
period.  

Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons 

The Support for refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) project, with an IPA budget 
of EUR 6 million, addressed an issue of major importance for Serbia. One call for proposals 
supported  the  provision  of  housing  solutions  for  refugees,  enhancement  of  their  housing 
conditions and support to starting up or expanding income-generating activities. Six operating 
grants  were  awarded  to  different  implementing  agencies,  namely  UNHCR,  DRC,  IOM, 
European  Perspectives,  INTERSOS,  ASB,  in  order  to  support  their  efforts  to  support 
integration  of  refugees  and  IDPs  through  the  development  of  accommodation  solutions, 
employment and income generation activities. The Legal assistance programme under Cards 
2006 came to an end on December 2009 and the new legal aid project under IPA 2007 was 
also awarded on December 2009. The programme aims at providing legal aid/assistance and 
the  timely  and  accurate  information  necessary  for  enforcement  of  the  rights  of  IDPs  and 
refugees in Serbia. 

Trade 

By the end of the reporting period, an IPA 2007 project aiming to assist the Ministry of Trade 
and Services, Market Inspectorate in the area of market surveillance was close to completion. 
The  project  involved  a  study  on  the  status  in  the  area,  also  providing  recommendations  for 
future  development  in  order  to  facilitate  the  establishment  of  an  appropriate  market 
surveillance structure in line with EU legislation.  

The following findings and recommendations were being identified: there was more than one 
authority performing market surveillance in Serbia; stakeholders generally accepted that there 
was  an  acute  need  for  coordination  of  various  market  surveillance  authorities  and  that  the 

- 92 - 

 
 
Market Inspectorate should take over a leading role; the horizontal legal framework in place, 
regulating  “inspection  surveillance  authorities”,  “market  surveillance  authorities”  and  “state 
inspectors” status and powers, was outdated, fragmentary, non-transparent and non-coherent; 
a  “new”  horizontal  legal  framework  should  correct  the  existing  inadequacies  by  removing 
fragmentary  approaches/unnecessary  duplications  and  introducing  a  clear  division  between 
“inspection  surveillance”  and  “market  surveillance”  (as  a  sub-category);  new  “Quality 
Infrastructure” legislation was in place; by-laws were not renovated, the existing ones lacked 
detailed  provisions  needed  for  enforcement;  “Quality”  and  “Safety”  should    be  clearly 
delineated in the future legislation; there was a significant amount of experience concerning 
the  surveillance  of  safety  of  products.  The  EU  “post-market  approach”  was  a  novelty  that 
needed training. Competence for risk assessment was central.  

In  addition,  the  following  main  threats  to  the  system  were  being  identified:  prolonged 
economic crisis in the region, relegating safety to second class priority; insufficient resources; 
decreasing number of inspectors; inadequate location of competencies; inadequate educational 
profile of inspectors and unequal treatment of economic operators. 

Environment 

During 2009, significant progress was made with putting into operation the majority of IPA 
2007 and IPA 2008 projects in the environment sector. Both IPA 2007 environment twinnings 
on  air  quality  protection  and  nature  protection  were  signed  and  started  implementation. 
Assistance  started  also  for  the  design  of  a  Serbian  Environmental  Observation  and 
Information Network – EIONET (May 2009), the development on an approximation strategy 
for  environment  (signed  in  November  2009),  and  the  development  of  a  sewerage  and 
wastewater strategic master plan for the West Morava river basin (signed  in December 2009). 
The design of the Serbian Eionet IT infrastructure was developed and agreed with the 26 core 
and non core data providers. The system will largely automate data collection, validation and 
processing  and  once  procured  and  commissioned  significantly  enhance  reliability  and  speed 
of  environmental  reporting.  It  will  moreover  make  redundant  much  of  the  manual  work 
previously associated with the process and thus free scarce resources. 

Education 

The  project  on  modernisation  of  the  Vocational  Education  and  Training  (VET) system  in 
Serbia  (EUR  4  million) is  supporting  the  VET  reform  in  Serbia  through  further  capacity 
building  of  the  Ministry  of  Education  and  its  institutes.  The  project  started  in October 
2009 and by the end of 2009 was in its inception phase.      

Twinning projects and TAIEX activities 

In 2009, ten twinning fiches were circulated to the Member States, concerning projects in the 
following sectors: environment, agriculture and rural development, justice and home affairs, 
public finance and transport. More specifically, the twinning fiches concerned the following: 
strengthening administrative capacities of the Ministry of Environment for i) implementation 
of  an  air  quality  management  system  and  ii)  to  protect  natural  areas;  iii)  strengthening  the 
capacities of the Republic of Serbia for the absorption of EU rural development funds in the 
pre-accession period; iv) harmonisation of national legislation with EU legislation for placing 
on  the  market  and  control  of  plant  protection  products  and  implementation  of  new  legal 
provisions;  v)  strengthening  institutional  capacity  in  hazardous  waste  management;  vi) 
assistance  in  the  implementation  of  a  chemicals  management  system  in  Serbia;  vii)  police 
reform:  internal  affairs;  viii)  strengthening  the  Serbian  public  procurement  system;  ix) 

- 93 - 

 
 
harmonization of the Serbian customs enforcement division with the standards, organization 
and operational methodology of EU enforcement agencies: Component 3 – Risk analysis and 
risk  management  and  post  clearance  audit;  x)  harmonization  with  the  acquis  in  the  field  of 
transport – phase II. 

Furthermore,  three  contracts  for  IPA  twinning  projects  were  approved  by  the  Commission 
Steering Committee and notified in 2009 (notification of a twinning contract is related to the 
start  of  its  legal  duration).  The  three  approved  twinning  contracts  were  the  following: 
Implementation of IBM strategy (Austria and Hungary); Support to the establishment of the 
Ombudsman  office  (Greece  and  the  Netherlands);  Strengthening  of  the  administrative 
capacities  for  implementation  of  an  air  quality  management  system  (Czech  Republic  and 
Germany). 

The  absorption  capacity  of  the  Serbian  government  for  twinning  projects  seemed  to  have 
increased, but judging on the basis of only three IPA projects that started activities in 2009 
would  be  premature.  On  the  other  hand,  twinning  coordination  did  improve  much  on  all 
levels, especially between the EU Delegation and the Serbian NCP for twinning located in the 
Serbian  European  Integration  Office.  This  resulted  in  a  number  of  activities  to  promote 
twinning  among  potential  beneficiaries  as  well  as  to  explain  more  closely  twinning 
procedures. The improved quality could be already noticed at selection meetings. 

Requests  and  delivery  of  TAIEX  assistance  registered  significant  increases  in  2009.  The 
number of requests from the Serbian authorities went from 89 in 2008 (4.64 % of the total) to 
143 in 2009 (6.93 %). During 2009, 70 events were organised in Serbia (41 in 2008) and 188 
in  other  countries  with  Serbia  as  a  beneficiary  (141  in  2008).  Participation  of  Serbians 
increased from 1,915 in 2008 (5.44% of the total) to 3,241 in 2009 (8.57% of the total).78  

7.2.4.2  

Component II: Cross-border Cooperation 

Tables 5: Status of implementation of IPA financial assistance (Component II) as at 31st 
December  2009  (in  million  EUR)  per  annual  programme  and  distribution  of  total 
committed funds (2007-2009 allocations) by priority axes. 

IPA 2007 
IPA 2008 
IPA 2009 
TOTAL 

Committed  Contracted 
8.20
11.46
12.25
31.91

1.25
0.59
0.00
1.84

RAC  %Contracted 

Paid 

RAL  %Paid 

6.95
10.87
12.25
30.07

15.24%
5.15%
0.00%
5.77%

0.69 
0.19 
0.00 
0.88 

7.51
11.27
12.25
31.03

8.41%
1.66%
0.00%
2.76%

Priority Axes 

CBC with Member States 
CBC within Western Balkans 
Participation to ERDF Transnational Programmes 
TOTAL 

% of 2007-2009 
allocations 

65.01%
24.44%
10.55%
100.00%

The  first  calls  for  proposals  for  all  IPA  CBC  programmes  were  launched  during  2009.  The 
calls for the programmes with Bosnia and Herzegovina,  Croatia, Montenegro, Romania and 
Bulgaria covered the 2007 and 2008 IPA CBC allocations while the programme with Hungary 
and the IPA Adriatic programme covered the 2007, 2008 and 2009 allocations.  

78 

Further 
http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/taiex/publications/reports/index_en.htm. 

information 

available 

annual 

the 

in 

is 

TAIEX 

activity 

reports: 

- 94 - 

 
 
 
 
                                                 
By the end of 2009 the first calls under all the programmes, except the second call under the 
South-East  Europe  Programme  (SEE),  were  at  different  stages  of  the  evaluation  process. 
Applications  received  under  such  calls  varied  in  number  between  282  for  the  IPA  Adriatic 
Programme (for EUR 63.7 million available under the call), 170 for the CBC with Hungary 
(EUR  16.6  million  overall  available),  166  for  the  CBC  with  Romania  (worth  EUR  10.34 
million), 110 each for the CBCs with Croatia (EUR 3.24 million) and with Bulgaria (EUR 7.2 
million), 74 and 57 for the CBCs with Bosnia and Herzegovina (EUR 3.24 million) and with 
Montenegro (EUR 2.98 million), respectively.  

The first call for proposal of the ERDF-IPA funded South-East Europe Programme (SEE) was 
launched  in  2008  and  a  total  of  17  contracts  were  signed  in  the  last  quarter  of  2009.  The 
second call (worth EUR 1.26 million) was launched in November 2009. The first step of the 
call – submission of the Expression of interest – was closed on 21 December 2009, with more 
than 600 valid applications received.  

7.3. 

Coherence, compatibility and coordination of aid  

The  responsibility  for  donor  coordination  within  the  Serbian  administration  lies  with  the 
Sector for Programming and Management of EU funds and Development Assistance (DACU) 
and  the  Technical  Secretariat  of  the  National  IPA  Coordinator  (NIPAC)  at  the  Ministry  of 
Finance. Apart from being the EU’s and other donors’ main counterpart for the planning and 
programming  of  international  assistance,  DACU  is  in  charge  of  coordinating  the  annual 
preparation of a report on the “Needs of the Republic of Serbia for International Assistance” 
over the following three-year period. DACU has a leading role in this process by steering the 
IPA  programming  process  with  the  line  ministries.  Sectoral  working  groups  have  been 
established to discuss the needs in each sector with the active involvement of the beneficiary 
institutions.  DACU  is  also  presenting  the  report  of  the  needs  assessment  by  indicating 
possible involvement of bilateral donors with future projects.   

The  EU  Delegation  in  Belgrade  holds  regular  sector  donor  coordination  meetings  with  EU 
Member  States  representatives.  On  a  two-monthly  basis  it  also  co-chairs  (together  with  the 
World  Bank)  an  informal  donor  group  including  international  organisations  and  non-EU 
bilateral  donors.  Additionally,  representatives  of  the  Delegation  participate  in  sector 
coordination  groups  convened  at  the  initiative  of  line  ministries  and/or  other  donors.  Close 
working  relations  are  also  maintained  with  IFIs  (IMF,  EIB,  EBRD,  World  Bank,  KfW).  In 
general terms, donor coordination improved during 2009 and helped substantially to increase 
effectiveness  and  efficiency  of  external  assistance  by  avoiding  duplication  and  ensuring 
complementarity  between  IPA  and  bilateral  assistance.  Leading  donors  were  identified  in 
each sector groups to play the role of focal points with beneficiary institutions. Opportunities 
were  also  explored  for  combining  IPA  funds  and  funds  provided  by  IFIs  in  future 
programmes. 

7.4.  Monitoring   

In  2009  Serbia  was  already  included  in  the  target  area  of  the  Results  Oriented  Monitoring 
(ROM)  project  managed  centrally  by  the  European  Commission's  Directorate  General 
Enlargement  (Regional  Programmes  unit).  Accordingly  all  contracts  with  a  value  of  more 
than  EUR  1  million  were  subject  to  ROM,  which  enables  the  Commission  to  gather  an 
independent  opinion  on  the  efficiency  of  project  implementation,  the  sustainability  of  the 
actions funded and actual or prospective impact of IPA aid.  

- 95 - 

 
 
ROM  is  defined  as  the  systematic  collecting,  analysing  and  using  of  information  for  the 
purpose  of  management  and  decision-making.  Through  a  consistent  approach,  with 
standardised outputs, ROM highlights strengths and weaknesses in the implementation of EU 
external  assistance  projects,  by  assessing  their  relevance  and  quality  of  design,  efficiency, 
effectiveness, impact and sustainability.  

During 2009 the ROM contractor worked closely with the EU Delegation in order to ensure 
that  the  planned  monitoring  missions  would  be  implemented  as  per  the  monitoring  plan. 
According  to  this  plan,  11  operations  were  visited  and  12  reports  produced  in  the  areas  of 
economic  and  development  policy/planning,  health  policy  and  administrative  management, 
medical services, health education, water transport, business support services and institutions 
and  rural  development.  The  results  of  these  visits  could  be  summarized  as  follows: 
improvements  were  clearly  visible  in  the  performance  of  the  projects  in  relation  to  all  five 
ROM  criteria 
impact  and 
(relevance/quality  of  design,  efficiency, effectiveness, 
sustainability).  This  was  due,  on  one  hand,  to  the  fact  that,  as  the  projects’  implementation 
proceeded, activities were better stabilized and outputs and results started to be delivered and 
were accessed by the beneficiaries, thus increasing effectiveness and impact prospects. On the 
other hand, it was hoped that the ROM conclusions and recommendations had an added value 
and were adopted by the projects’ relevant stakeholders. 

Furthermore,  the  IPA  Monitoring  Committee  continued  its  regular  meetings,  with  a  second 
meeting during June 2009 in order to monitor and review the ongoing financial assistance, to 
fulfil  its  supervising  obligations  in  the  context  of  the  regular  management  report  and  to 
prepare  the  ground  for  the  future  set-up  of  IPA  Monitoring  Committees  after  DIS.  This 
meeting  allowed  for  an  exchange  of  views  between  the  Commission  and  the  Serbian 
authorities.  The  main  issues  discussed  were:  the  current  state  of  play  in  implementation  of 
CARDS/IPA (achievements and problems); a problem-oriented review of implementation of 
particular projects/sectors; DIS preparations; Serbian Needs Assessment 2009 – 2011. 

The main conclusions of the meeting were as follows: deadlines of the Serbian DIS Roadmap 
needed  to  be  respected  by  all  involved  parties  in  order  to  ensure  timely  conferral  of 
management powers. A high level working group for DIS should be organized by the end of 
2009;  IPA  procurement  should  be  strictly  monitored  and  NIPAC  committed  himself  to 
facilitate  solutions  in  case  problems  appeared.  In  this  respect,  regular  meetings  to  discuss 
bottlenecks should be organized between the EU Delegation and the Serbian authorities. 

Since no projects were contracted, no monitoring activity was carried out during 2009 for IPA 
Component II. 

- 96 - 

 
 
8. 

TURKEY 

8.1. 

The year in review 

As  addressed  in  the  Commission’s  2009  Progress  Report,  in  2009  Turkey  continued  to 
sufficiently  fulfil  the  political  criteria  and  continued  to  express  its  commitment  to  the  EU 
accession process.79 Free and fair local elections were held. Positive steps were taken in the 
areas  of  the  judiciary,  civil-military  relations  and  cultural  rights.  In  particular,  a  judiciary 
reform  strategy  and  action  plan  were  adopted;  Parliament  amended  legislation  to  allow 
civilian courts to try military personnel in peace time; the government opened a wide-ranging 
public  debate  with  a  view  to  addressing  the  Kurdish  issue  and  the  public  television  started 
operating a channel which broadcasts entirely in the Kurdish language. 

Turkey was affected by the economic crisis but its impact was mitigated by a resilient banking 
sector  and  anti-crisis  measures.  Regarding  accession  negotiations,  additional  chapters  were 
opened (chapters 16 and 27). Turkey adopted a National Programme for the Adoption of the 
acquis.  In  general,  the  EU  accession  process  continued  to  provide  a  strong  incentive  for 
Turkey to pursue reforms, strengthen democracy and human rights and further modernise the 
country.  Concerns  remained  in  a  number  of  areas,  including  freedom  of  expression,  press 
freedom,  freedom  of  religion,  trade  union  rights,  civilian  oversight  of  the  military  and 
women's rights and gender equality.  

For more details on developments in 2009 in Turkey’s preparation for EU membership, please 
refer to the Commission’s 2009 Progress Report, abovementioned.  

8.2. 

IPA programming and implementation in 2009 

8.2.1.  MIPD 2009-2011 

The  Multi-annual  Indicative  Planning  Document  (MIPD)  for  2009-2011  is  based  on  an 
indicative  financial  envelope  of  EUR  2002  million.  As  in  previous  years,  in  2009  Turkey 
continued to benefit from all five components of the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance 
(IPA).  In  particular,  Component  I  (Transition  Assistance  and  Institution  Building)  supports 
Turkey's  progress  towards  fully  meeting  the  Copenhagen  political  criteria,  efforts  to 
harmonise  legislation  with  the  EU  acquis  and  promotion  of  EU-Turkey  Civil  Society 
Dialogue; Component II (Cross-Border Cooperation) prepares Turkey for implementation of 
the  Territorial  Cooperation  objective  of  the  EU  Structural  Funds.  Supports  bilateral  cross-
border programmes with EU Member States as well as Turkey's participation in the European 
Neighbourhood  Policy  Instrument  (ENPI)  Black  Sea  Basins  programme;  Component  III 
(Regional Development) supports three Operational Programmes: environment, transport and 
regional competitiveness; Component IV (Human Resources) addresses three major areas of 
intervention under the Operational Programme: employment, education and social inclusion; 
Component V (Rural Development) sets out three priority axes: adaptation of the agricultural 
sector  and  implementation  of  EU  standards,  preparatory  actions  for  agri-environment 
measures and Leader-type of actions and development of the rural economy. 

The revised MIPD 2009-2011 that was adopted on 29 June 200980 built on experience with 
the  preparation  and  implementation  of  the  previous  MIPDs,  annual  programming  of 

79 

80 

2009 

Progress 

Turkey 
http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/pdf/key_documents/2009/tr_rapport_2009_en.pdf.  
 Commission 
2009 
http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/pdf/mipd_turkey_2009_2011_en.pdf. 

SEC(2009)1334 

C(2009)5041 

Decision 

Report, 

14/10/2009, 

June 

29 

of 

of 

available 

available 

at 

at 

- 97 - 

 
 
                                                 
Component I in 2007 and 2008 as well as multi-annual programming of Components II, III, 
IV  and  V  in  2007.  For  instance,  enhanced  focus/specification  was  introduced  on  reform  of 
judiciary  and  public  administration  under  the  Component  I  objectives,  to  take  account  of 
recent  legislative  developments  (Law  on  Foundations,  further  strengthened  gender  equality 
and civil society framework), as pointed out in the 2008 Progress Report.81 The draft revised 
MIPD was consulted with the Turkish authorities, EU Member States, international financial 
institutions  (IFIs),  bilateral  and  international  organisations  and  Turkish  civil  society 
organisations active in a variety of areas and comments received were taken into account.  

The  European  Court  of  Auditors  (ECA)  concluded  in  its  Special  Report  on  'The  European 
Commission's  management  of  pre-accession  assistance  to  Turkey'  that  there  had  been  an 
insufficient direction and lack of specific criteria to determine the priorities of EU assistance, 
an insufficient compliance of pre-accession assistance with accession criteria and insufficient 
measurability  of  achievements  of  assistance  given  to  Turkey  between  2002  and  2006  under 
the  Turkish  Pre-Accession  instrument.82  At  the  same  time  the  Court  found  that  projects 
audited had achieved their intended outputs and that results were likely to be sustained in the 
future.  

The  Commission  welcomed  the  ECA  Special  report  and  recognised  that  there  had  been  a 
number of weaknesses in the early phases of pre-accession support to Turkey. The provision 
of  EU  assistance  was  a  learning  process  for  both  sides  identifying  the  right  priorities  and 
delivery  mechanisms,  just  as  it  had  been  with  the  management  of  financial  assistance  for 
previous candidate countries that are now EU Member States. Since then a lot of progress was 
made,  for  instance  with  the  introduction  of  IPA  from  2007  onwards  and  with  the 
decentralisation of management of assistance to the Turkish authorities since 2008, which has 
gradually resulted in more ownership and improved project design. 

Under  IPA  the  intervention  logic  has  improved,  and  the  Multi-Annual  Indicative  Planning 
Document  (MIPD)  together  with  the  Accession  Partnerships  now  provide  strategic 
orientations  and  priorities  with  the  sole  aim  of  helping  Turkey  meet  the  accession  criteria. 
Further  improvements  already  under  way  (mostly  after  the  reporting  period)  include  the 
following:  

o  DG  Enlargement  is  aiming  to  complement  programming  with  a  more  sectoral  approach 
where appropriate, with sector strategies aiming at both improved ownership and impact;  

o  Steps will be taken to follow up the recommendations of the 2009 IPA conference and the 
December 2009 Council conclusions on IPA, to better link financial assistance to political 
priorities;  

o  Future  projects  will  have  clearer  objectives  that  will  result  in  an  improved  intervention 

logic through more relevant and measurable indicators and benchmarks; 

o  Clearly  defined  conditions  will  be  used  when  necessary  to  ensure  that  Turkish 
beneficiaries implement commitments necessary for financial assistance to achieve results 
and impacts; 

81 

82 

2699 

published 

 SEC(2008) 
http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/pdf/press_corner/key-
documents/reports_nov_2008/turkey_progress_report_en.pdf. 
Special Report No 16/2009 The European Commission’s management of pre-accession assistance to 
Turkey, published on published on 13 January 2010. Available at 
http://eca.europa.eu/portal/pls/portal/docs/1/3632589.PDF. 

November 

available 

2008 

5 

at 

- 98 - 

 
 
                                                 
o  Monitoring  systems  will  be  further  improved  together  with  the  Turkish  authorities,  to 

increase the focus on results and impact of projects under implementation; 

o  Further  action  will  be  taken  to  address  outstanding  recommendations  to  strengthen  the 
management  and  control  systems  for  DIS  (decentralised  implementation)  that  will 
improve the supervision and control of funds; 

o  Additional  specific  audits,  evaluations  and  close  monitoring  will  ensure 

that 

improvements are effective and further adjustments to the system are made if necessary. 

An evaluation on the intervention logic for programming pre-accession assistance to Turkey 
under  IPA  was  also  completed  in  September  2009:  Ad  Hoc  Evaluation  of  the  European 
Commission’s  intervention  logic  for  Financial  Assistance  in  candidate  countries  and  key 
lessons for MIPD 2010-2012 revision A case study – Turkey.83 The evaluation concluded that 
IPA  programming  under  Component  I  was  focused  too  much  at  project  level.  While  most 
projects  were  relevant,  a  comprehensive  multi-annual  programming  was  not  in  place.  The 
MIPDs  should  preferably  be  a  first  step  in  the  direction  of  establishing  a  more  strategic 
programming  framework  and  could  be  further  improved  to  allow  for  more  efficient  project 
selection  and  sequencing.  These  recommendations  constitute  useful  lessons  learned  and 
provide a good basis for the revised MIPD for 2011-2013, to be developed in 2010. 

Table 1: MIFF84 allocations per component, in million EUR 

Component 
I. Transition Assistance and Institution Building 
II. Cross-Border Cooperation 
III. Regional Development 
IV. Human Resources Development 
V. Rural Development 
TOTAL 

8.2.2.  Programming exercise  

200985 
233.2
9.4
182.7
55.6
85.5
566.4

2010 

211.3
9.6
238.1
63.4
131.3
653.7

2011 
230.6 
9.8 
291.4 
77.6 
172.5 
781.9 

2009-2011 
675.1
28.8
712.2
196.6
389.3
2002.0

Assistance  to  Turkey  is  provided  under  annual  programmes  (Component  I)  or  multi-annual 
Programmes  (Components  II-V).  Programming  under  Components  II-V  was  done  in  2007 
through negotiations between Turkey and the Commission on the objectives to be included in 
the  Operational  Programmes  covering  activities  funded  with  the  2007-2009  allocations 
(Components  II-IV)  or  for  the  period  2007-2013  (Component  V).  No  budget  support  was 
provided under IPA 2009 for Turkey.  

Table 2: Indicative financial allocations for the year per component, in million EUR 

TURKEY 
I. Transition Assistance and Institution Building 
Of which:                                                                                      

National Programme 
Energy Efficiency Multi-Beneficiary Crisis Response Facility – Turkey window 

II. Cross-Border Cooperation 
Of which:                     

2009
239.55

204.55
35.00
3.05

83 
84 

85 

Thematic Report No. R/ZZ/MIPD/0815 from 21 September 2009. 
Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament 'Instrument for Pre-
for  2010-2012', 
Accession  Assistance 
COM(2008)705 of 5 November 2008. 
Final allocations (shown in the main report and in table 2) differ from these indicative figures following 
transfers between components I and II during the course of 2009. 

Indicative  Financial  Framework 

(IPA)  Multi-Annual 

- 99 - 

 
 
                                                 
III. Regional Development 
Of which 

IV. Human Resources Development 
V. Rural Development 
TOTAL 

CBC programme Turkey-Bulgaria 
ENPI BLACK Sea Basin programme 

Regional Competitiveness Programme 
Transport Programme 
Environment Programme 

2.05
1.00
182.70

54.80
60.30
67.60
55.60
85.50
566.40

8.2.2.1  

Component I: Transition Assistance and Institution Building 

The  2009  programming  exercise  under  Component  I  started  in  the  summer  2008,  when  the 
Turkish National IPA Coordinator (NIPAC) invited potential beneficiaries to submit project 
ideas. The  programming  exercise was  based on a “Programming Process  Document”  (PPD) 
agreed between the Commission and the Turkish authorities which defined the different steps, 
criteria to be used and deadlines for the programming. Based on this PPD, a preliminary list 
of projects was screened during a programming discussion between the Commission and the 
Turkish authorities in November 2008. Approximately 60 of the total 115 proposals submitted 
were  accepted  for  further  development  into  fully-fledged  project  fiches,  according  to  the 
priorities identified in the Accession Partnership and accession negotiations,  a relatively low 
number compared to the 2008 programming round, when approximately 170 proposals were 
initially submitted. This caused a certain concern and the Commission encouraged NIPAC’s 
pro-active  involvement  and  support  to  project  development  efforts  by  less  experienced 
beneficiary Ministries.  

At this project identification stage, the focus for the selection of projects was to ensure that 
the  objectives  and  scope  of  the  proposed  projects  addressed  priorities  as  identified  in  the 
Accession Partnership, the Progress Report, the Multi-Annual Indicative Planning Document 
and  the  related  gap  assessment  with  regard  to  the  2007-2009  MIPD,  and  were  in  line  with 
existing  sector  strategies.  Moreover,  the  projects  needs  and  priorities  had  to  be  adequately 
identified  and  the  projects  had  to  directly  address  these  needs.  All  relevant  stakeholders  for 
project development and implementation had to be identified. 

At this stage the overall quality of the proposals received was still rather weak and the NIPAC 
services appeared to be influenced by legal and administrative uncertainty, as their legal status 
was  undergoing  clarification  during  the  preparation  of  the  adoption  of  the  law  on  the 
organisation and duties of the Secretariat General for the European Union (EUSG), completed 
in July 2009. In order to obtain the necessary improvements within a short timeframe, it was 
decided to set up working groups with the participation of EUSG and EC Delegation sector 
experts  to  assist  beneficiaries  in  their  drafting  efforts  and  to  finalise  the  required 
documentation.  

In fully designing and developing the projects for the IPA 2009 National Programme, careful 
account was taken of the results of projects programmed in previous years and lessons learned 
from  past  interventions.  First  and  foremost,  more  attention  was  paid  to  project  design. 
Moreover,  project  readiness  requirements  were  systematically  verified  for  project  selection 
and those lacking key elements (such as needs analyses, feasibility studies and market studies) 
were deferred to subsequent years. Other key elements for projects to be approved were the 
capacity of the beneficiary, the likely sustainability of results, adequate impact and visibility, 
coordination  with  other  linked  activities  as  well  as  underlying  risks,  assumptions  and 
commitments required for the project to go ahead.  

- 100 - 

 
 
As already mentioned, in future programming those criteria are going to be complemented by 
the gradual introduction of a more sectoral approach where appropriate, with sector strategies 
aiming at both improved ownership and impact and clearer links between financial assistance 
and political priorities. The intervention logic is going to be repeatedly reviewed in order to 
establish more relevant and measurable indicators and benchmarks, and efforts will be put to 
improving the monitoring systems together with the Turkish authorities, to increase the focus 
on results and impact of projects under implementation.  

After  intensive  discussions  and  several  rounds  of  corrections  and  quality  checks,  the  final 
project  fiches  were  transmitted  to  the  Commission  in  May  2009  by  the  NIPAC.  The  draft 
National  Programme  for  Turkey  2009  was  consulted  with  EU  Member  States,  international 
financing institutions (IFIs) and a selection of NGOs in Turkey in June 2009. The latter were 
selected  based  on  a  civil  society  survey  conducted  by  the  EU  Delegation  in  Ankara  and  a 
representative  sample  of  cooperation  partners  in  the  past,  however  no  substantial  comments 
were provided on the draft project fiches.  

On 25 September the programme was presented by the Commission to the IPA Management 
Committee, who gave its approval. After adoption by the Commission on 20 November 2009, 
a  first  Financing  Agreement  covering  Turkey's  participation  in  EU  Programmes  2010  was 
signed on 14 December 2009.  

In the context of the economic crisis, in May 2009 it was agreed with the Turkish authorities 
that EUR 35 million from the total 2009 allocation for this component would be transferred to 
an  energy  efficiency  facility  under  the  multi-beneficiary  crisis  response  package.  An 
exceptional  contribution  to  finance  Turkey's  participation  in  EU  Programmes  in  2010  was 
also made through a specific project within the National Programme, with a view to alleviate 
budgetary pressures (IPA support amounted to EUR 88 million, representing 58% of Turkey's 
participation fees for 2010, which totalled EUR 151 million). 

The 2009 National Programme for Turkey under Component I86 included in total 34 projects 
(see table below) selected in line with the strategic priorities set out in the 2009-2011 MIPD. 
The  total  number  of  contracts  foreseen  was  50,  a  slight  reduction  from  the  2008  National 
Programme,  which  contained  59  contracts  in  total,  but  a  notable  decrease  compared  to  the 
2007  National  Programme,  which  included  140  contracts.  Contracts  in  the  2009  National 
Programme were of the following types: 

o  12  twinning  contracts  (same  as  in  2008):  3  in  the  environment  sector,  2  in  customs,  2 
related  to  the  political  criteria,  1  in  the  field  of  free  movement  of  goods,  1  in  the 
agriculture  field,  1  in  transport,  1  in  justice,  freedom  and  security  and  1  in  the  field  of 
financial control; 

o  7 direct grant agreements (same as in 2008), 5 of which to be signed with the Council of 
Europe  (CoE),  due  to  its  broad  project  experience  in  sensitive  fields  related  to  human 
rights;.  

o  5  grant  schemes  (sale  as  in  2008);  15  service  contracts  (compared  to18  in  2008);  11 

supply contracts (compared to 14 in 2008). 

86 % of the IPA funding was given as institution building, 14 % as investments (where the 
respective figures in the National Programme 2008 were 63 % and 27 %).  

86 

C(2009)9135 of 20 November 2009.  

- 101 - 

 
 
                                                 
For example, the project "Improved efficiency of the Turkish Criminal Justice system" (EUR 
3.4 million of EU contribution), the implementation of which is planned to start in 2011, aims 
at improving the application of human rights standards and strengthen the efficiency of, and 
confidence  in,  the  criminal  justice  system  in  Turkey  by  strengthening  the  capacity  of  the 
judiciary  and  prosecution  service.  Through  a  comprehensive  training  programme  for  public 
prosecutors  and  penal  judges  by  the  Council  of  Europe,  the  project  envisages  to  reduce  the 
number  of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights against Turkey, decrease the 
average duration of prosecutions and strengthen the justice academy. As such, the project will 
contribute directly to the MIPD objectives for the judiciary under the political criteria priority 
axis,  formulated  as  "Comprehensive  training  for  the  consistent  interpretation  of  legal 
provisions  related 
the 
independence, impartiality and efficiency of the judiciary". 

freedoms;  Strengthening 

to  human  rights  and 

fundamental 

The  second  objective  in  the  2009-2011  MIPD  supports  adoption  and  implementation  of  the 
EU  acquis  and  identifies  agriculture,  environment,  justice,  freedom  and  security  as  well 
obligations  stemming  from  the  Customs  Union  as  key  priorities  for  IPA  Component  I 
funding. These priorities were supported through a number of projects in the 2009 National 
Programme,  such  as  "Extending  the  Pilot  Farm  Accountancy  Data  Network  Project  and 
Ensure Sustainability", "Strengthening Capacity against Cybercrime", "Capacity Building on 
Water  Quality  Monitoring",  and  "Modernisation  of  Turkish  Customs  Administration  VI" 
(enforcement  and  risk  assessment).  Implementation  of  these  projects  is  expected  to  start  in 
2011. 

The  final  percentage  distribution  within  IPA  2009  Component  I  by  priority  axis  was  the 
following:  15.1%  Political  criteria,  33.7%  acquis  harmonisation,  48.7%  Civil  Society 
Dialogue  and  2.5%  Supporting  activities.  Such  distribution  diverge  somewhat  from  the 
indicative allocations in the 2009-2011 MIPD (Political criteria 15-25%, acquis harmonisation 
45-65%,  Civil  Society  Dialogue  20-35%  and  Supporting  activities  3-5%).  However,  this 
approach  was  agreed  with  Turkey  and  approved  by  EU  Member  States,  as  it  was  found 
justified by the circumstances caused by the economic crisis. The deviation from the MIPD 
2009-2011 allocations stemmed from the additional contribution given to supporting Turkey's 
participation in EU Programmes.   

Table 3: Indicative financial allocations for the year 2009 under the annual National 
Programme, per priority axis and per project, in million EUR 

Priority Axis 
Progress towards fully meeting the Copenhagen political criteria 

Projects 

Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights Education 
Women's Shelters for Combating Domestic Violence 
Mental Health care and Drug Addiction treatment services in prisons 
Improved Efficiency of Turkish Criminal Justice System 
Consolidating Ethics in the Public Sector 
Strengthening Coordination of Anti-corruption policies and practices 
Implementation Capacity of Turkish Police to Prevent Disproportionate 
Use of Force 
Improved Capacity of Civil Enforcement Offices 
Improved Integration of Disabled Persons into Society 

Adoption and implementation of the acquis communautaire 

Quality Control Tests for Human Vaccines and Sera 
Supply of chemical metrology equipment to TUBITAK UME 
Extending the Pilot FADN Project and Ensure Sustainability 
Weight and Dimension Controls of Commercial Vehicles 
Strengthening Intermodal transport in Turkey 

- 102 - 

Budget 
30.92
7.65 
9.14 
1.35 
3.40 
1.20 
1.36 
1.90 

1.70 
3.22
68.90
3.26 
2.55 
1.38 
9.91 
0.95 

 
 
 
 
 
Structure and Capacity Improvement of Turkey Electricity Transmission 
Corporation (TEIAS) 
Upgrading Statistical System of Turkey Programme Phase III 
Strengthening Administrative Capacity of Ministry of Industry and Trade 
(MIT) in Industrial Strategy 
Capacity Improvement in the Economical and Social Cohesion (ESC) 
policy Phase II 
Strengthening Capacity against Cybercrime 
Aligning Higher Education with the European Higher Education Area 
(EHEA) 
Control of Industrial Volatile Organic Compound Emissions 
Capacity Building on Water Quality Monitoring 
Implementation Capacity of Environmental Noise Directive 
Implementation Capacity of Seveso II Directive 
Strengthening Institutional Capacity on CITES Implementations 
Alignment in Organ Donation (ALOD) 
Alignment in Human Tissues and Cells 
Modernisation of Turkish Customs Administration VI (enforcement) 
Modernisation of Turkish Customs Administration VI (risk management) 
Strengthening Institutional capacity of Inspection boards within Public 
Financial Management Control (PFMC) system 

Promotion of an EU-Turkey Civil Society Dialogue 

Continuation of the Jean Monnet Scholarship Programme 
Civil Society Dialogue – EU-Turkey Chamber Forum II 
Participation in EU Programmes 

Support Activities 

TR2009/0740.01 Support Activities to Strengthen the European 
Integration Process 

TOTAL 

1.80 

2.70 
1.12 

1.80 

1.33 
4.25 

2.63 
3.65 
5.56 
2.70 
1.32 
3.33 
2.70 
13.34 
0.95 
1.67 

99,60
6.88 
4.50 
88.22
5.13
5.13

204.55

During  the  spring  of  2009  the  Commission  and  the  EU  Delegation  in  Ankara  conducted  an 
internal  review  to  draw  lessons  from  the  programming  experiences  in  2007-2009.  These 
conclusions  were  introduced  in  the  revised  Programming  Process  Document  presented  for 
agreement to  the  Turkish  institutions involved in programming. The lack of coherent sector 
strategies to guide programming was raised, as well as the positive experiences with sectoral 
working  groups  to  convene  relevant  stakeholders  throughout  the  programming  cycle.  The 
importance  of  ownership  on  the  Turkish  side  was  also  underlined,  and  it  was  believed  this 
would  improve  as  soon  as  the  awaited  new  law  on  the  organisation  and  duties  of  the 
Secretariat  General  for  the  European  Union  (EUSG)  would  be  adopted  by  the  Turkish 
parliament.  

These  concerns  as  well  as  suggested  solutions  were  presented  to  the  Turkish  side  in  the 
summer of 2009, when the 2010 programming round took off. The need for early preparations 
was  a  shared  ambition  and  the  NIPAC  services  agreed  in  principle  with  the  idea  of  more 
regular  working  groups  to  steer  the  programming  process  when  needed.  The  project  ideas 
were submitted to the Commission in October 2009, and the first 2010 programming meeting 
took  place  in  Ankara  on  12  November.  Similar  to  the  previous  programming  round, 
approximately  60  out  of  the  110  proposals  were  retained  for  development  into  full  project 
fiches. Discussions on how to make programming more strategic and better linked to political 
priorities were held, but no concrete measures were agreed. The Turkish authorities pointed to 
the importance of keeping flexibility on sectors supported, based on upcoming needs, as well 
as  the  incitement  brought  to  the  different  Ministries  to  maintain  the  EU  reform  process 
through the annual project development phase.   

- 103 - 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
A  Country  Programme  Interim  Evaluation  of  EU  assistance  to  Turkey  between  2005  and 
2008  was  launched  in  September  2009.  The  preliminary  conclusions  presented  in  the  final 
phase of the field work in December 2009 supported previous analysis on the need for a more 
comprehensive  review  of  the  2009-2011  MIPD  and  of  the  Sectoral  Monitoring  Sub-
Committee  system,  as  well  as  for  reinforcing  the  capacity  of  the  key  Turkish  institutions 
involved in programming, implementation and monitoring of EU assistance. 

8.2.2.2  

Component II: Cross-border Cooperation (CBC) 

Turkey's  participation  in  the  European  Neighbourhood  Policy  Instrument  (ENPI)  Black  Sea 
Basin programme 2007-201387 for 2009 was funded with EUR 1 million, as in previous years. 
The  programme  supports  stronger  and  sustainable  economic  and  social  development  of  the 
regions  of  the  Black  Sea  basin  and  enhanced  mutual  understanding  through  regional 
partnerships.  Local,  people-to-people  type  actions  are  promoted,  by  supporting  cultural  and 
educational initiatives for the establishment of a common cultural environment in the basin. 
The  Commission  adopted  the  annual  programme  for  Turkey’s  participation  on  9  October 
2009.  

The 2007-2009 Turkey – Bulgaria CBC programme was adopted by the Commission on 21 
December  200788.  It  aimed  at  helping  the  border  region  between  Turkey  and  Bulgaria  to 
overcome  development  problems  resulting  from  its  relative  isolation  and  supporting  the 
development of co-operative networks on both sides of the border. 

8.2.2.3  

Components III, IV and V  

The  four  relevant  multi-annual  operational  programmes  (OPs)  under  Component  III  and  IV 
were  prepared  by  the  Turkish  authorities  and  adopted  by  the  Commission  in  2007.89  As 
regards  Component  V  a  multi-annual  rural  development  programme  for  2007-2013  was 
prepared  by  Turkey  and  adopted  by  the  Commission  in  2008.90  The  second  of  the  yearly 
modifications  of  the  Turkish  IPA  Rural  Development  Programme  was  approved  by  the 
Member States in the Rural Development Committee on 22 July 2009 and was subsequently 
adopted  by  the  Commission  on  29  October  2009.91  For  further  details,  see  the  IPA  Report 
2008.92  

8.2.3. 

Implementation Modalities and Structures  

Decentralised  implementation,  aimed  at  preparing  the  candidate  countries  for  managing  EU 
funds  as  future  Member  States,  is  the  standard  implementation  mode  for  the  Instrument  of 
Pre-Accession according to the IPA Regulation. Such implementation mode places ownership 
and responsibility for the management of funds into the hands of the national authorities. The 
system  is  accredited  ("conferral  of  management")  once  the  Commission  has  assured  itself 
through  audits  and  assessments  that  the  systems  set  up  by  the  beneficiary  country  are 

87 
88 
89 

90 
91 
92 

C(2008)7406 of 27 November 2008. 
C(2007)6477. The programme will be updated in 2010. 
The  Environment,  Transport,  Regional  Competitiveness  and  Human  Resources  Development 
operational  programmes  were  adopted,  respectively,  by  Commission  Decisions  C(2007)5758  of  29 
November  2007,  C(2007)6053  of  7  December  2007,  C(2007)5758  of  29  November  2007  and 
C(2007)6030 of 7 December 2007. These operational programmes will be updated in 2010. 
C(2008)691of 25 February 2008. 
C(2009)8022. 
Background  document  to  the  2008  annual  report  on  the  implementation  of  the  instrument  for  pre-
accession  COM(2009)699  final  available  at  http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/pdf/press_corner/key-
documents/financial_assistance/2008/annex_working_document_en.pdf. 

- 104 - 

 
 
                                                 
adequate  for  the  management  of  funds.  Following  the  conferral  of  management  to  the 
systems,  the  Commission  verifies  through  further  audits  and  supervision  that  these  systems 
function properly and where weaknesses are detected, corrective measures are taken to ensure 
the sound management of EU funds. 

In 2009, assistance under IPA component I-IV in Turkey was implemented primarily through 
decentralised management with ex-ante controls by the EU Delegation93. Exceptions related 
to  the  Turkey-Bulgaria  CBC  programme  under  Component  II,  which  was  implemented  by 
shared management with the participating EU Member State; one project under the National 
Programme  2008,  which  due  to  its  nature  was  implemented  by  centralised  management 
through  an  administrative  arrangement  between  the  EU  Delegation  and  the  Joint  Research 
Center  (the  Institute  for  Reference  Materials  and  Measurements);  the  multi-beneficiary 
Energy  Efficiency  Crisis  response  facility,  implemented  centralised  by  the  Regional 
Programmes  Unit  in  DG  Enlargement  through  contribution  agreements  with  the  European 
Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. 

Turkey  was  conferred  decentralised  management  powers  (with  ex-ante  controls)  for  the 
operational  programmes  under  Component  III  and  IV  in  July  and  August  2009.  Four 
Financing  Agreements  under  these  two  components  (one  per  operational  programme)  were 
subsequently signed between the Commission and Turkey between July and November 2009, 
thus  enabling  implementation  to  commence.  By  the  end  of  2009  Turkey  had  prepared 
roadmaps  for  full  decentralisation  of  management  of  EU  funds  without  ex-ante  controls. 
These  roadmaps  will  be  reviewed  in  2010  and  will  set  benchmarks  and  target  rates  for  full 
decentralisation. 

Following  some  difficulties  in  the  performance  of  the  EU  Secretariat  General  (EUSG)  in 
handling programming, monitoring and project management functions under Component I, a 
new  law  was  adopted  in  July  2009  providing  the  basis  for  strengthening  that  institution, 
including  staffing  levels.  During  the  reporting  period,  the  National  Authorising  Officer 
(NAO),  the  National  Fund  and  the  Central  Finance  and  Contracts  Unit  (CFCU)  all  made 
progress  in  establishing  adequate  procedures  and  organisational  structures  as  part  of  an 
improved  supervision  under  the  decentralised  implementation  system  (DIS),  even  though 
some weaknesses in the management and control systems remained to be addressed in 2010. 
The  Turkish  authorities  prepared  plans  to  address  them,  for  example,  through  a  substantial 
increase  of  staffing  at  the  CFCU  and  EUSG,  although  at  the  end  of  2009  this  had  not  yet 
materialised into recruitments being started in practice.   

During  a  transition  period  running  from  2007  to  2010,  the  operating  structures  for 
implementing  the  operational  programmes  under  Component  III  and  IV  (Ministry  of 
Environment  and  Forestry,  Ministry  of  Transport,  Ministry  of  Industry  and  Trade  and 
Ministry of Labour and Social Security) delegated certain functions related to tendering and 
contracting of projects to the CFCU, to give themselves time to prepare for these tasks. Since 
the  CFCU  had  previous  experience  from  tendering  and  contracting  under  the  Turkish  Pre-
Accession Instrument between 2002 and 2006, this was agreed to be the best solution while 
the relevant Ministries completed the necessary accreditation processes. At the same time this 
stretched  further  the  capacity  of  the  CFCU  in  handling  the  tendering  procedures  under 
Components I-IV, with a substantial number of contracts to be handled. 

93 

The Commission had transferred management powers to Turkey for Component I in 2008 and on that 
same  year  had  granted  Turkey's  participation  in  the  ENPI  Black  Sea  basin  programme  under 
Component II.  

- 105 - 

 
 
                                                 
The  year  2009  did  not  see  positive  developments  with  regard  to  implementation  of  IPA 
Component V. In all IPA beneficiary countries, the IPA Rural Development programme is to 
be  implemented  by  directly  conferring  decentralised  management  powers  without  ex-ante 
controls. Despite continued efforts of all IPA Rural Development-related structures in Turkey 
and  intensive  support  by  the  Commission  in  2009,  delays  in  the  timetable  for  national 
accreditation and consequently for the Commission decision to confer management powers to 
Turkey  continued  to  accumulate.  Reasons  for  this  included  the  complicated  and  lengthy 
procedures  necessary  to  put  the  legal  system  in  place  and  the  complex  structure  of  the  IPA 
Rural  Development  Programme,  with  many  measures  and  sub-measures  and  a  varied 
geographic scope, as preferred by the Turkish authorities. A high-level political commitment 
and  support  for  the  process  were  not  ensured,  which  could  have  possibly  mitigated  the 
problems encountered.  

A revised Action Plan was prepared in April 2009 and national accreditation was expected to 
be completed after the reporting period. Conferral of management by the Commission could 
then  be  expected  in  2011.  This  situation  delays  the  start  of  implementation  under  IPA 
Component V and puts at risk the funds allocated for 2007 and 2008.  

As  mentioned  above,  the  Bulgaria  –  Turkey  Cross-Border  cooperation  programme  under 
Component II is implemented under shared management and the Managing Authority is the 
Ministry  of  Regional  Development  and  Public  Works  in  Bulgaria.  There  was  only  slow 
progress  in  2009  in  developing  the  Management  and  Control  System  and  improving  the 
administrative capacity on the Turkish side.  

Turkey informed about its intention to transfer the management responsibility for Component 
II  from  the  Turkish  International  Cooperation  and  Development  Agency  (TIKA)  to  the 
EUSG.  

In  summary,  Turkey  has  made  progress  in  2009  in  setting  up  the  management  and  control 
systems for managing the five components of IPA. However, progress was uneven and there 
were frequent delays and capacity limitations. If not addressed decisively in 2010, this could 
threaten the full absorption of funds allocated. In addition, outstanding concerns were on-the-
spot  monitoring  of  projects,  management  and  follow-up  of  irregularities  and  the  still  high 
rejection  rates  of  dossiers  submitted  to  the  EU  Delegation  for  ex-ante  control.  These 
weaknesses were recognised by the Turkish administration and credible plans have been put 
in  place  to  address  them  in  2010.  The  actual  outcome  will  depend  on  plans  being 
implemented, which will be closely monitored by the Commission.  

8.2.4.  Overview of IPA projects/contracts implemented in 2009 

As  mentioned  in  the  background  document  to  the  2008  IPA  Annual  Report94  the 
implementation of IPA in Turkey could only start in 2009, due to the late ratification of the 
IPA  Framework  Agreement  (notified  to  the  European  Commission  on  24  December  2008). 
This  created  a  substantial  back-log  of  tendering  and  contracting  files  which  could  only  be 
tackled as from the beginning of 2009, inflicting a major administrative burden on the Turkish 
institutions  involved  in  the  implementation  of  IPA  funds.  Further  capacity  increases  of  key 
institutions have been agreed with the Turkish authorities to reduce  this back-log and move 
towards timelier implementation.    

94 

2008 Annual Report on the Implementation of Instrument of Pre-Accession COM(2009)699 final of 23 
December 2009. 

- 106 - 

 
 
                                                 
Table 4: Status of implementation of IPA financial assistance (Components I to V) as at 
31st December 2009 (in million EUR)   

IPA 2007-2008-2009 

1566.8

432.61

1134.19 

27.61%

Committed 

Paid 

RAL95 

% Paid 

8.2.4.1  

 Component I: Transition Assistance and Institution Building 

Tables 5: Status of implementation of IPA financial assistance (Component I) as at 31st 
December  2009  (in  million  EUR)  per  annual  programme  and  distribution  of  total 
committed funds (2007-2009 allocations) by priority axes 

IPA 2007  
IPA 2008  
IPA 2009  
TOTAL 

Committed  Contracted 
91.68 
67.99 
88.13 
247.80 

256.20 
256.13 
204.55 
716.88 

RAC96  % Contracted 
164.52 
35.78% 
188.14 
26.54% 
116.42 
43.08% 
34.57% 
469.08 

Paid  
72.90 
66.73 
88.13 
227.75 

RAL   %Paid 
183.31 
28.45% 
189.39 
26.05% 
116.42 
43.08% 
31.77% 
489.12 

Priority Axes 

% of 2007-2009 allocations 

Political criteria 
Civil society development 
Civil society dialogue 
Ability to assume membership obligations 
Support programmes 
TOTAL 

14.72% 
5.61% 
29.67% 
46.64% 
3.37% 
100.00% 

Two financing agreements (due to different management modes, decentralised/centralised) for 
implementation  of  the  2008  National  Programme  were  signed  in  March  and  April  2009 
amounting  to  a  total  of  EUR  256  million.  Twenty  contracts  were  signed  in  2009  under  the 
2007  National  Programme,  consisting  of:  i)  9  twinning  contracts  amounting  to  EUR  12.5 
million in total, with Germany (4), the United Kingdom (3), the Netherlands (1), and Austria 
(1) as lead partners, implementation periods of between 15 and 39 months and covering the 
acquis  fields  of  justice  and  home  affairs,  environment,  internal  market,  agriculture  and 
fisheries; ii) 8 supply contracts amounting to EUR 0.7 million in total and 3 direct agreements 
totalling EUR 10 million (IPA contributions only).  

The remaining funds contracted in the year refer to Turkey's participation in EU Programmes 
and Agencies, a number of small framework contracts under Support Activities to Strengthen 
the European Integration Process project and individual grants given under the Continuation 
of  the  Jean  Monnet  Scholarship  Programme.      As  the  implementation  of  most  of  the  2007 
projects  only  started  in  late  2009,  concrete  results  were  not  yet  available  by  the  end  of  the 
reporting period.  

The first twinning contract from the 2007 programme to be concluded was for Development 
of Work with Juveniles and Victims by the Turkish Probation Service with a total budget of 
EUR 1.79 million, where the beneficiary is the Ministry of Justice. The contract was signed 
with the United Kingdom in January 2009 and has an implementation period of 24 months. 
Experts from the Netherlands and Hungary are also taking part and in total there will be over 
900  days  of  EU  Member  States  expert  time  spent  on  the  project.  The  objective  is  to 
rehabilitate  victims  of  crime  and  prevent  re-offending  of  children  through  improving  the 
institutional capacity of probation services in connection with victims of crime and juvenile 

95 
96 

Remains to be paid (Reste à Liquider). 
Remains to be contracted (Reste à Contracter). 

- 107 - 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
studies. The project has therefore two main components: work with juveniles and work with 
victims,  with  an  additional  component  on  communication  and  publicity.  Study  visits  have 
been  made  by  the  Turkish  probation  teams  to  England,  Northern  Ireland,  Austria,  Hungary, 
France  and  Germany  to  study  best  practices  in  these  fields.  A  wide  range  of  experts  from 
Member States have now visited Turkey on working missions, taking place practically every 
week,  making  a  variety  of  presentations  on  juveniles  and  victims  work  and  undertaking 
missions to prepare project materials.  

Project  implementation  has  proceeded  smoothly,  all  planned  activities  have  taken  place  and 
the mandatory results of increasing victim referrals and reducing re-offending of juveniles are 
on  target.  More  than  20  strategic  reference  documents  including  programme  and  training 
manuals, policies, inter-agency handbooks and national standards have been prepared, such as 
National standards for victims and juveniles and Policies for work with victims and juveniles. 
These  are  being  piloted  during  6  months  in  30  probation  service  branches  before  a  full 
country-wide  roll  out  of  the  training  programmes  is  planned.  Communication  experts  have 
also  advised  on  appropriate  materials  to  publicise  the  progress  of  the  project.  Other  key 
agencies  in  Turkey  working  with  juveniles  and  victims  are  closely  associated  to  the  project 
and  high  level  seminars  have  taken  place  with  judges,  prosecutors  and  chief  officers  from 
other  related  agencies,  as  well  as  inter-agency  meetings  across  Turkey,  in  Istanbul  and  25 
other cities.  

Overall  the  project  has  made  significant  progress  during  and  after  the  reporting  period  and 
will  constitute  an  important  contribution  to  protect  children’s  rights  in  line  with  EU  and 
international  standards  as  well  as  to  the  continued  efforts  to  tackle  the  problem  of  street 
children,  both  being  short-term  priorities  in  the  Accession  Partnership  for  Turkey  as  from 
2006.  The  project  also  responded  to  the  aim  of  establishing  new  national  institution  for 
supervising  offenders  and  overseeing  their  re-socialization,  as  outlined  in  Turkey's  National 
Programme for the Adoption of the Acquis from 2006.  

One  contract  was  concluded  in  2009  under  IPA  2008,  a  direct  agreement  signed  on  13 
November  with  the  Association  of  Civil  Society  Development  Center  (STGM)  worth  EUR 
2.2  million,  under  the  project  Civil  Society  Facility-Civil  Society  Development  for  Active 
Participation.  

Turkey's participation in EU Programmes and Agencies is supported through IPA Component 
I  funds  each  year,  this  cooperation  being  considered  an  important  building  block  in  EU-
Turkey  relations  by  enhancing  mutual  understanding  on  both  sides.  In  2009  Turkey's 
participation fees in the following programs/agencies for 2010 were partly supported through 
IPA (EU support in percentages within parenthesis): Lifelong Learning (62 %) and Youth in 
Action (62 %); Culture 2007 (75 %); European Environment Agency (35 %); PROGRESS (20 
%); Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (Entrepreneurship and Innovation as well as 
the Information and Communication Technologies Policy Support, both 30 %); Customs 2013 
(37 %) and Seventh EU Research Framework Programme (62 %).  

Turkey's participation in the Lifelong Learning and Youth in Action programmes in 2009 was 
successful, and the number of applications continued to increase. Turkey's entry ticket to the 
programmes in 2009 amounted to EUR 75.7 million in total (out of which IPA contributed to 
the  tune  of  EUR  47.7  million  from  the  2008  National  Programme).  In  addition,  Turkey 
provided  additional  funds  from  its  national  budget  (EUR  3.6  million)  as  a  supplement  to 
support  more  beneficiaries.  Overall  the  number  of  beneficiaries  in  2009  was  estimated  at 
around  35  000.  Participation  in  both  programmes  is  a  significant  factor  to  enhance  mutual 
knowledge and understanding between Turkey and the EU, encourage civil society networks, 

- 108 - 

 
 
and is of great importance for Turkey's overall accession process. Not the least, it gives many 
Turkish  beneficiaries  a  first  hand  experience  of  living  in  an  EU  country.  Erasmus  (part  of 
Lifelong  Learning  programme)  helps  also  to  create  a  ‘European  Higher  Education  Area’ 
through  supporting  higher  education  institutions  in  Turkey  to  work  together  with  similar 
institutions in the EU through intensive programmes, networks and multilateral projects. 

Turkey's participation in the Seventh EU Research Framework Programme (FP7) continued 
to increase and the possibility to engage in research cooperation between the EU and Turkey 
contributed  to  strengthening  Turkish  research  capacity.  Turkey's  entry  ticket  to  the 
programme  in  2009  amounted  to  EUR  45.5  million  in  total,  out  of  which  IPA  contributed 
with  EUR  13.1  million  from  the  2008  National  Programme.  Turkey  also  took  measures  to 
strengthen  its  research  capacity  at  national  level  in  line  with  EU  research  policy  and  has 
contributed towards the creation of the European Research Area. Through strengthening the 
research  capacity  and  cooperating  under  the  FP7,  Turkey's  compliance  with  EU  acquis  is 
facilitated and economic growth and sustainable employment are promoted. 

8.2.4.2  

Component II: Cross-border Cooperation 

Tables 6: Status of implementation of IPA financial assistance (Component II) as at 31st 
December  2009  (in  million  EUR)  per  annual  programme  and  distribution  of  total 
committed funds (2007-2009 allocations) by priority axes 

IPA 2007  
IPA 2008  
IPA 2009  
TOTAL 

Committed  Contracted 
0.06 
0.00 
0.00 
0.06 

2.10 
2.87 
3.05 
8.02 

RAC  % Contracted 
2.63% 
0.00% 
0.00% 
0.69% 

2.04 
2.87 
3.05 
7.96 

Paid  

0.04 
0.00 
0.00 
0.04 

RAL   %Paid 
2.11% 
0.00% 
0.00% 
0.55% 

2.05 
2.87 
3.05 
7.98 

Priority Axes 
CBC with Member States 
Participation to ENPI (Black Sea basin) 
Transnational Programme 
TOTAL 

% of 2007-2009 allocations 

62.60% 
37.40% 

100.00% 

In  2009,  implementation  of,  and  Turkey's  participation  in,  the  ENPI  Black  Sea  Basin 
programme was at an early stage. The Joint Management Authority of the programme, which 
is  based  in  Romania,  prepared  the  first  call  for  proposal  which  was  expected  to  result  in 
contracts to be concluded after the reporting period.  

The first call for proposals under the Bulgaria – Turkey cross-border cooperation programme 
was launched by the Bulgarian Managing Authority on 28 September 2009. 111 applications 
were received by the closing deadline of 28 December 2009, a higher number than expected, 
which  showed  wide  interest  in  this  type  of  actions.  The  assessment  of  the  applications  was 
delayed due to a belated assessor nomination process in Turkey. Overall, both sides showed 
good cooperation spirit, but start of implementation was delayed due to lengthy administrative 
procedures  and  decision  making  processes,  mainly  on  the  Turkish  side.  The  transfer  of 
competence in Turkey from TIKA to EUSG should help resolve many of the issues.  

- 109 - 

 
 
 
 
8.2.4.3  

Components III-V  

8.2.4.3.1 

Component III: Regional development 

Tables  7:  Status  of  implementation  of  IPA  financial  assistance  (Component  III)  as  at 
31st December 2009 (in million EUR) and distribution of total committed funds (2007-
2009 allocations) by priority axes 

IPA 2007-2008-2009 

524.00

157.20

366.80 

30.00%

Committed 

Paid 

RAL 

% Paid 

Priority Axes 

% of 2007-2009 allocations 

Transport 
Environment 
Regional Competitiveness 
TOTAL 

34.29% 
38.95% 
26.76% 
100.00% 

After  the  signature  of  the  financing  agreements  for  the  three  operational  programmes  in 
September  and  November  2009,  pre-financing  was  paid  and  implementation  could  formally 
take  off.  The  relevant  Ministries  designated  as  operating  structures  prepared  a  pipeline  of 
projects through launching calls for applications that were later approved by the Commission. 
The  response  in  all  three  operational  programmes  was  massive.  For  instance,  under  the 
Regional  competitiveness  operational  programme,  532  applications  amounting  to  EUR  1.3 
billion in total were received, compared to ‘only’ EUR 76 million allocated for this package 
(of which EUR 57 million from IPA). Subsequently 42 projects were selected to be prepared 
for EU assistance, however only few contracts could be signed before the end of 2009.  

Under  the  transport  operational  programme  a  first  major  rail  project  (Ankara  Istanbul  High 
Speed  train  –  Köseköy/Gebze  section  project)  of  EUR 160 million  was  approved  by  the 
Commission  in  December  2009  and  project  implementation  could  start  after  the  reporting 
period. Under the environment operational programme the Ordu wastewater treatment plant 
project  was  approved  by  the  Commission  in  April  2009  and  the  bilateral  project  agreement 
was signed in November 2009, with implementation starting thereafter. There was a growing 
concern about delays in preparation and publication of tender documents which was critical 
for a smooth implementation of projects and absorption of funds. 

8.2.4.3.2  

Component IV: Human Resources Development 

Tables  8:  Status  of  implementation  of  IPA  financial  assistance  (Component  IV)  as  at 
31st December 2009 (in million EUR) and distribution of total committed funds (2007-
2009 allocations) by priority axes 

IPA 2007-2008-2009 

158.70

47.61

111.09 

30.00%

Committed 

Paid 

RAL 

% Paid 

Priority Axes 

% of 2007-2009 allocations 

Employment 
Education 
Adaptability 
Social inclusion 
Technical assistance 
TOTAL 

44.00% 
19.29% 
10.71% 
20.00% 
6.00% 
100.00% 

The  Ministry  of  Labour  and  Social  Security,  appointed  as  the  operating  structure  for  the 
Human Resources Development operational programme, launched the first operations in early 

- 110 - 

 
 
 
 
 
 
2009, including the publication of three calls for proposals in February and two more in June. 
As  an  example,  one  call  for  proposals  launched  on  19  June  aimed  at  improving  access  for 
girls  to  secondary  education  and  Vocational  Education  and  Training  (VET),  and  increasing 
awareness about the importance of girls' education.  

A large number of applications, almost 3 600 for the five calls for proposals together, were 
received  by  the  corresponding  deadlines  (between  May  and  October  2009).  It  represented  a 
challenge  for  the  Turkish  authorities  to  accomplish  a  smooth  management  of  the  evaluation 
processes of the calls. No contracts were signed by the end of 2009. 

8.2.4.3.3  

Component V: Rural Development 

Tables 9: Status of implementation of IPA financial assistance (Component V) as at 31st 
December 2009 (in million EUR) and distribution of total committed funds (2007-2009 
allocations) by priority axes 

IPA 2007-2008-2009 

159.20

0.00

159.20 

0.00%

Committed 

Paid 

RAL 

% Paid 

Priority Axes 

% of overall 2007-2009 
allocations 

Improving market efficiency 
Preparation of agri-environmental measures and 
local rural development strategies 
Development of rural economy 
Technical Assistance 
TOTAL 

73.00% 
0.00% 

25.00% 
2.00% 
100.00% 

Programme  implementation  under  the  rural  development component could  not start  in  2009 
due  to  the  delays  in  national  accreditation  of  the  necessary  structures.  Therefore,  no  funds 
were spent under this component by the end of 2009. However, the Commission put a lot of 
effort  to  support  the  Turkish  authorities  through  a  number  of  counselling  and  clarification 
meetings  organised  on  various  levels  and  provision  of  financial  assistance  for  capacity 
building  projects  within  the  scope  of  IPA  component  I.  A  number  of  fact-finding  audit 
missions  were  also  organised  in  order  to  periodically  assess  the  level  of  preparation  of  the 
Turkish authorities. 

8.3. 

Coherence, compatibility and coordination of aid 

With  a  number  of  different  donors  present  in  Turkey,  efficient  donor  coordination  and 
cooperation  is  important  to  make  best  use  of  limited  resources,  create  synergies,  and  avoid 
overlapping  of  assistance.  There  are  good  examples  of  coordination  of  EU  pre-accession 
assistance  programmes  in  2009,  notably  with  various  United  Nations  organisations  and  the 
Council  of  Europe  that  are  currently  implementing  several  EU  funded  projects  in  Turkey 
through  direct  agreements.  As  regards  cooperation  with  IFIs  present  in  Turkey  (the  World 
Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, KfW, the EIB and, since recently, also the EBRD) and 
EU  Member  States,  there  was  a  high  level  of  information  sharing  between  donors,  but  few 
concrete examples of joint cooperation programmes/projects until the end of 2009. 

Since the introduction of IPA in 2007, consultation mechanisms of strategic documents (such 
as  the  MIPD)  and  programming  documents  (such  as  project  lists  and  national  programmes) 
have been strengthened and enhanced, among other things by including EU Member States, 
local  offices  of  IFIs  and  civil  society  representatives  in  consultations  conducted  by  the  EU 
Delegation.  However,  in  concrete  terms  by  the  end  of  the  reporting  period  there  were  only 

- 111 - 

 
 
 
 
limited  results,  with  few  substantial  comments  received  through  the  various  consultations 
conducted.  Further  efforts  are  needed  to  improve  the  ownership  on  the  Turkish  side,  where 
the key institutions have so far not shown sufficient commitment to take over the coordination 
initiatives launched by the EU Delegation. With additional initiatives in this area planned by 
the Commission, improvements in the cooperation mechanisms are expected for 2010.  

High-level conferences related to pre-accession assistance were held in Tirana in April 2009 
and  in  Brussels  in  October  2009,  where  the  Commission  and  EU  Member  States,  together 
with  IFIs  and  non-EU  donors,  agreed  on  an  active  and  affirmative  approach  concerning  the 
need  for  enhanced  donor  coordination  and  more  effective  management  of  funds.  For  the 
future, these initiatives will contribute to make aid and assistance to  Turkey  more coherent. 
This aim is also concretely followed up at the level of each project intervention programmed, 
where  compatibility  with  linked  activities  by  the  Commission,  other  donors  and  IFIs  is 
screened. 

8.4. 

Monitoring    

Due to IPA implementation having only just begun in 2009, monitoring was only gradually 
receiving a higher level of attention. Discussions in monitoring committees were still focused 
on  programming  related  issues  and  the  setting  up  of  adequate  management  and  control 
systems, with only limited scope for discussions on on-spot monitoring of ongoing projects. 
This is expected to change in the coming years as more projects get under way. 

The  IPA  Monitoring  Committee  for  all  five  components  took  place  on  16  October  2009  in 
Ankara,  discussing  progress  and  concerns  in  implementation.  The  Commission  raised  its 
concerns about the delayed accreditation process for the Rural Development programme and 
it  was  agreed  that  all  efforts  should  now  be  pooled  to  achieve  rapid  progress  and  possibly 
catch up with some of the delays. The Annual Implementation Report of the IPA assistance 
under  2008  submitted  by  Turkey  was  approved  by  the  Commission  on  that  occasion,  even 
though  it  was  recognised  that  it  was  still  rather  descriptive  and  not  yet  a  fully  appropriate 
monitoring tool identifying key weaknesses and proposing corrective actions.  

Sector  Monitoring  Sub-Committees  (SMSCs)  for  Component  I  were  held  in  2009  for  the 
following  sectors:  Civil  Society  Dialogue,  Public  Finance,  Statistics  &  Accession  Process 
Support,  Cross  Border  Cooperation,  Human  Resources  Development,  Internal  Market, 
Customs  Union,  Energy,  Rural  Development,  Regional  Development  &  Transport, 
Environment,  Justice,  Liberty  and  Security  and  Political  Criteria.  Plans  exist  for  future 
SMSCs  to  better  link  sector  policy  priorities  to  concrete  project  discussion,  thereby 
establishing  closer  linkages  between  the  progress  of  projects  and  higher-level  strategic 
considerations within a certain sector. Furthermore, a better and more active involvement of 
beneficiaries in the monitoring discussions remains desirable.  

Transition Assistance and Institutional Building Sectoral Committees were held on 28 January 
and  16  October  2009,  combined  with  the  meetings  concerning  the  programme  financing 
Turkey's  participation  to  the  ENPI  Black  Sea  basin  programme  under  Component  II.  The 
January  Committee  agreed  that  the  monitoring  system  should  be  strengthened  through  the 
introduction of results oriented monitoring (ROM)97 to assist in particular the EUSG, but also 
the  CFCU  in  carrying  out  monitoring  of  the  intensity  needed.  The  October  Committee 
referred positively to the new law on EUSG adopted in July 2009 as providing the basis for 

97 

ROM  is  based  on  regular  on-site  assessments  by  independent  experts  of  ongoing  projects  and 
programmes  which  are  methodologically  appraised  against  the  criteria:  relevance,  efficiency, 
effectiveness, potential impact and likely sustainability. 

- 112 - 

 
 
 
                                                 
increasing  its  staffing  levels,  and  the  Commission  expressed  its  optimism  for  improved 
performance both as regarded programming and monitoring under IPA Component I. A more 
strategic  programming  approach  through  the  establishment  of  sectoral  working  groups  was 
proposed  by  the  Commission.  Despite  signs  of  improvements,  the  Commission  underlined 
that  the  Turkish  institutions  should  step  up  their  monitoring  efforts.  This  could  partly  be 
achieved  through  increased  staffing  at  the  EUSG  as  planned  for  2010,  but  also  through 
simplified Monitoring Report templates to be provided by the Commission.  

No  IPA  Joint  Monitoring  Committee  on  Bulgaria-Turkey  IPA  CBC  Programme  under 
Component  II  was  held  in  2009,  but  a  technical  meeting  took  place  on  20  February  2009 
where the transfer of management responsibility from the Turkish International Cooperation 
and Development Agency (TIKA) to the EUSG was discussed.  

The  IPA  Regional  Development  (Component  III)  Sectoral  Committees  for  the  operational 
programmes were organised as follows for the three operational programmes: on Environment 
on 22 January and 20 November 2009, on Transport on 21 January and 20 November 2009, 
and on Regional Competitiveness on 22 January and 19 November 2009.  

As no actual implementation on the ground had taken place in 2009 the Sectoral Monitoring 
Committees (SMCs) under Component III discussed the state of play of the preparations for 
programme  implementation,  adoption  of  the  decision  on  conferral  of  management  powers, 
signature  of  Financing  Agreements  and  capacity  building  in  the  Operating  Structures. 
Furthermore, the SMCs discussed and approved the work plans, technical assistance plans and 
monitoring  tools,  as  well  as  the  Annual  Implementation  Report  for  2008  for  each  of  the 
programmes.  The  committees  were  informed  on  and  discussed  the  on-going  preparations  of 
projects  and  IPA  payment  forecasts,  as  well  as  the  “n+3”  risks98  associated  with  the  delays 
with the preparation and publication of tender documents under each operational programme.  

Human Resource Development (Component IV) Sectoral Committees were held on 29 June 
and  23  November  2009.  Among  other  things,  the  Committee  was  informed  about,  and 
commented upon, implementation issues and the completion of the legal requirements for the 
implementation of the operational programme, and approved the mandate for the evaluation 
sub-committee.  It  was  also  informed  about  other  issues  such  as  the  identification  of 
new operations implementing the programme and future actions envisaged for 2010, such as 
the revision of the operational programme and its mid-term (interim) evaluation. 

Rural  Development  Sectoral  Committees  (Component  V)  were  held  on  11  June  and  3 
December  2009.  The  Rules  of  procedure  for  the  work  of  the  Committee  were  officially 
approved in June. They were designed to ensure active involvement of Turkish NGOs in the 
process of monitoring programme implementation, by foreseeing that governmental and non-
governmental  members  of  the  Committee  are  equally  represented.  In  the  June  Monitoring 
Committee  meeting  the  second  proposal  for  a  modification  of  the  IPA  Rural  Development 
programme,  adding  another  financial  year  but  without  changing  the  programme  objectives, 
was also discussed and approved. In the December meeting a Communication and Publicity 
approved.
Action 

a  Technical  Assistance  Action 

Plan  were 

Plan 

and 

98  

That  is,  risks  associated  with  the  “n+3”  budgetary  rule,  as  foreseen  by  Art.  166  (3)(a)  of  Regulation 
(EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 of 25 June 2002. 

- 113 - 

 
 
                                                 
PART II: MULTI-BENEFICIARY AND REGIONAL PROGRAMMES  

9. 

MULTI-BENEFICIARY  

9.1. 

The year in review 

In  2009  the  Western  Balkans  have  moved  closer  to  EU  membership,  as  the  region  made 
progress, albeit unevenly, in reforms and in meeting established criteria and conditions.  

A thorough assessment of each Beneficiary's progress in implementing the obligations under 
the Stabilisation and Association Agreements, including trade-related provisions, remains part 
and  parcel  of  the  careful  steering  process  of  candidate  countries  and  potential  candidates 
towards  the  EU.  Each  beneficiary's  commitment  to  regional  cooperation  initiatives  and  its 
relations  with  other  enlargement  countries  is  also  being  assessed  in  the  regular  Progress 
Reports.  

During  the  reporting  period,  the  rule  of  law,  in  particular  the  fight  against  corruption  and 
organised crime, remained a problem throughout the region. Law enforcement agencies will 
have to become more effective and work together in order to tackle the problems caused by 
international criminal organisations operating cross-borders. In its Enlargement Strategy and 
Progress Reports for 2009 the Commission pinpointed these challenges and the needs that will 
have  to  be  addressed  in  the  near  future  and  the  Multi-beneficiary  programme  for  2010  was  
accordingly drafted to match these requirements. 

The global economic crisis has affected the economies of the Western Balkans and Turkey to 
a  different  degree  but  a  number  of  features  are  common  to  all:  economic  activity  has 
contracted;  unemployment  is  growing  and  the  fiscal  position  is  deteriorating  in  all 
beneficiaries. 

Regional cooperation in South–East Europe made important progress in 2009, in particular in 
the areas of energy and transport and cooperation in public administration reform. At the same 
time,  IPA  beneficiaries  have  assumed  greater  ownership  of  the  process  for  further 
development  of  regional  cooperation,  also  through  greater  involvement  in  the  planning  and 
programming of the IPA multi-beneficiary programmes.  

However,  more  efforts  are  needed  to  improve  the  efficiency  of  regional  structures  and 
initiatives  and  to  overcome  bilateral  disputes  and  disagreements,  inter  alia  relating  to 
Kosovo99.  The  Regional  Cooperation  Council  needs  further  strengthening  to  build  up  its 
strategic  role.  Regional  trade  should  strive  to  develop  its  full  potential  for  economic 
development  and  to  address  the  economic  crisis.  It  should  also  be  seen  as  a  means  for 
reconciliation in the Western Balkans.   

9.2. 

IPA programming and implementation in 2009 

9.2.1.  MIPD 2009-2011 

The  Multi-beneficiary  Multi-annual  Indicative  Planning  Document  (MIPD)  2009-2011100 
provides the strategic three-year plan for programming of the assistance to candidate countries 
and potential candidates through regional and horizontal projects: 

99 
100 

 Under UNSCR 1244/99. 
C(2009)4518, 16 June 2009. 

- 114 - 

 
 
                                                 
°  Regional  projects  aim  at  facilitating  regional  cooperation  between 

the  IPA 
beneficiaries. These projects endeavour to promote reconciliation, reconstruction and 
political cooperation.  

°  Horizontal projects address common needs across several IPA beneficiaries and seek 

to attain efficiencies and economies of scale in implementation. 

The strategic choices under the 2009-2011 Multi-Beneficiary MIPD are addressed under the 
following  five  axes:  1.)  Political  criteria,  where  assistance  focuses  on  Democracy  and  the 
Rule  of  Law,  Human  Rights  and  the  Protection  of  Minorities,  Regional  Issues  and 
International  Obligations,  Interim  Civilian  Administration  and  Civil  Society  Dialogue  and 
Development;  2.)  Economic  criteria,  where  assistance  focuses  on  Competitiveness  of  the 
Economies,  Cooperation  with  International  Financial  Institutions  and  Education  and  Youth; 
3.) Ability to assume  the obligations of EU membership, where assistance focuses on the Free 
movement of goods, Intellectual and Industrial Property rights, Veterinary policy, Transport 
policy,  Energy,  Customs  and  Taxation,  Statistics,  Environment,  TAIEX  and  Nuclear  Safety 
and Radiation Protection; 4.) Information and communication; 5.) Support Activities, such as 
Audit, Monitoring and Evaluation as well as Project Preparation.  

In particular the main new features in the Multi-Beneficiary MIPD 2009-2011 with regards to 
the  previous  adopted  Multi-Beneficiary  MIPD  2008-2010  are:  Public  finance  management 
and  public  procurement,  Regional  Cooperation  Initiatives,  Participation  of  the  relevant  IPA 
countries in the Barcelona Process-Mediterranean Union, Competitiveness of the economies, 
and  the  Regional  Environmental  Network  for  Accession  (RENA).  As  a  result  of  the 
consultations with the different stakeholders, the Beneficiaries in particular, Energy has also 
been chosen as a prominent priority area in the MIPD. 

The strategic choices within the scope of the 2009-2011 Multi-Beneficiary MIPD have been 
made based on the agreed principles of assistance under IPA, on guidance provided in the EU 
strategic documents, lessons learned from the programming and implementation of previous 
EU  assistance  and  findings  from  consultations  with,  amongst  others,  the  IPA  beneficiaries, 
International  Financial  Institutions,  the  Regional  Cooperation  Council  and  other  regional 
initiatives, Civil Society Organisations, EU Member States and  Commission services.  

The  preparatory  steps  for  the  adoption  of  the  Multi-beneficiary  MIPD  2009-2011  were 
initiated  long  before  2009,  when  extensive  written  consultations  and/or  discussions  at 
meetings with the different stakeholders took place.   

The  Multi-beneficiary  MIPD  2009-2011  was  approved  by  the  IPA  Committee  on  
26 May 2009 and adopted on 16 June 2009.  

Table 1: MIFF101 allocations (Component I only), in million EUR102 

Component 
I. Transition Assistance and Institution Building 
TOTAL 

2009 

2010 

2011 

160.0
160.0

157.7
157.7

160.8 
160.8 

2009-2011 
478.5
478.5

101 

102  

Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament 'Instrument for Pre-
for  2010-2012', 
Accession  Assistance 
COM(2008)705 of 5 November 2008. 
These  indicative  figures  from  the  2010-2012  MIFF  differ  from  those  in  the  main  report  following 
additional funds becoming available from the support expenditure envelope. See also footnote 105.   

Indicative  Financial  Framework 

(IPA)  Multi-Annual 

- 115 - 

 
 
 
                                                 
In  order  to  comply  with  the  annual  revision  of  the  multi-annual  indicative  planning 
documents,  an  assessment  of  the  Multi-beneficiary  MIPD  2009-2011  was  carried  out  at  the 
end of 2009 with the objective to check its validity in light of developments in the region and 
main  challenges  ahead.  It  was  concluded  that  the  scope,  overall  objectives  and  strategic 
choices of the 2009-2011 MIPD remained valid also for 2010. All stakeholders, including the 
donors' community were informed about the process and conclusions of this assessment and  
agreed that a revision of the MIPD was not required at this stage. 

The assessment of the 2009-2011 Multi-beneficiary MIPD constituted a stepping stone toward 
an  in-depth  and  comprehensive  revision  of  the  strategy  in  the  2011-2013  Multi-beneficiary 
MIPD  for  which  a  thorough  planning  and  participatory  consultation  process  with  all 
stakeholders started in 2009. To this end, a number of Working Groups were set up to provide 
a framework for discussions with beneficiaries, donors, civil society and other stakeholders, 
analysing in particular the needs for regional cooperation.  

Discussions in those Working Groups provided valuable contributions to the development of 
specific  sector  plans  that  will in  turn  feed  into  the  draft  MIPD  for  2011-2013.  This  process 
should allow better tailoring of the new Multi-beneficiary strategy according to the needs of 
the beneficiaries in the region while at the same time enhancing ownership of the programme 
and complementarity of regional and horizontal programmes with national strategies. 

9.2.2.  Programming exercise  

Table 2: Indicative financial allocation for the year (Component I only), in million EUR  

MULTI-BENEFICIARY 
I Transition Assistance and Institution Building 
Of which: 

Multi-Beneficiary Programme I
Multi-Beneficiary Programme II
Support to the operational budget of the Office of the High Representative 
(OHR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Tempus
Nuclear safety and radiation protection
Contribution to the Energy Community budget
TAIEX

Information and Communication  

Monitoring
Evaluation and Audit

TOTAL 

2009
247.92103

19.30
168.50
5.93

15.55
8.50
2.94
9.00
9.00
6.00
3.20
247.92

In  designing  the  2009  IPA  Multi-beneficiary  programme,  particular  note  was  taken  of  the 
results of projects programmed in previous years and lessons learned from experience in the 
implementation  of  previous  projects  in  the  specific  areas.  Among  them:  (i)  the  success  of  a 
programme/project depends to a large extent on its beneficiaries' sense of ownership over and 
involvement  in  it;  (ii)  a  needs-driven  approach is  essential  in  order  to  achieve  effectiveness 
for an action; (iii) in order to be secured for the "after implementation" stage, sustainability is 
to  be  thoroughly  considered  from  the  "planning"  stage;  (iv)  good  communication  and 
coordination  among  all  key  stakeholders  are  crucial  for  any  programme/project's  success; 
therefore proper communication "protocols"/"procedures" are to be established from the very 

103 

This amount includes national funds for Tempus, Nuclear safety and radiation protection and the crisis 
package for Turkey, as well as the use of carried over assigned revenues. This explains the difference 
between the figures here and those in the main report. Note that the amounts for Tempus and Nuclear 
Safety are also included in each country table 2. 

- 116 - 

 
 
 
                                                 
beginning  and  complied  with 
mechanisms/structures are to be in place. 

throughout 

the  process  and  proper  coordination 

An  IPA  Multi-beneficiary  Coordination  meeting  with  the  Beneficiaries  was  organised  in 
Brussels on 15-16 January 2009 with the objective to discuss the IPA Multi-Beneficiary 2009 
programming,  including  the  IPA  response  to  the  financial  crisis,  the  Civil  Society  Facility, 
and the Nuclear Safety Programme, as well as to discuss regional cooperation in general. The 
participants gave feedback on the proposed project ideas. 

Furthermore,  in  the  management  of  previous  and  ongoing  IPA  Multi-beneficiary,  CARDS 
Regional  and  PHARE  Multi-Country  projects  and  programmes,  a  number  of  lessons  have 
emerged  through  project  monitoring  and  evaluation  reports,  as  well  as  from  the  evaluation 
report  on  the  implementation  of  CARDS  assistance  to  the  Western  Balkans104,  which  are 
applicable  to  the  Multi-beneficiary  programme.  By  involving  the  beneficiaries  and  the 
Regional  Cooperation  Council  in  the  initial  project  conception  phase  of  the  programming 
cycle through – primarily - the IPA Multi-beneficiary coordination meetings, which are held 
approximately three times a year, as well as by informing them on the outcomes of each step 
in  the  programming  cycle,  ownership  of  the  Multi-beneficiary  programme  has  improved 
considerably  compared  to,  for  example,  the  CARDS  programme.  Such  involvement  affords 
beneficiaries the opportunity to judge their absorption capacity for each project as well as to 
evaluate how each project would fit into the national plans. 

In  order  to  avoid  duplications  and  ensure  complementarities,  close  coordination  with  other 
donors, in particular EU Member States, was undertaken during the programming phase of the 
2009  Multi-beneficiary  programme  through  early  consultation  on  the  first  project  ideas.  In 
addition, the IPA National Programmes were carefully assessed. 

The  2010  programming  exercise  was  initiated  by  mid  2009.  An  IPA  Multi-beneficiary 
Coordination meeting with the Beneficiaries was organised in Zagreb on 9-10 June 2009 with 
the  objective  to  discuss  the  preliminary  project  ideas  for  the  IPA  Multi-Beneficiary 
Programme  2010.  A  Multi-beneficiary  Donor  Coordination  Meeting  took  place  on  2  July 
2009  with  the  same  purpose,  in  order  to  ensure  synergies  and  avoid  overlaps.  Consultation 
with Civil Society Organisations and IFIs took place as well.  

Commitment  by  the  Beneficiaries  to  make  the  necessary  resources  available,  cooperate 
closely and share knowledge as well as experiences are essential to the success of the projects 
included under the Multi-beneficiary programme.  

TABLE  3:  Indicative  financial  allocations  for  the  year  2009  under  Multi-Beneficiary 
(regional and horizontal) programmes, per priority axis and per project, in million EUR 

Priority Axis  Projects 
Political Criteria 

Support to the operational budget of the Office of the High 
Representative (OHR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina 
MBP 1– PF1-Refugee return and provision of durable solutions for 
refugees and Internally Displaced Persons in the Western Balkans  
MBP1 -PF2 - Training in Public Procurement in the Western Balkans 

Budget  

33.33
5.93

1.00 

4.00

104 

Ad-hoc evaluation of the CARDS regional programmes in the Western Balkans, Final report, December 
2008. 

- 117 - 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
 
and Turkey 
MBP 1 - PF3 - Regional School of Public Administration 
MBP 1 - PF4 -  Civil Protection Cooperation 
MBP 2 - PF 1: Cooperation in Criminal Justice: Witness Protection in 
the Fight against Serious Crime and Terrorism (WINPRO) 
MBP 2 - PF 2: Civil Society Facility: Partnership Actions  

Economic Criteria 

MBP 2 - PF 3: Regional Entrepreneurial Learning Centre 
MBP 2 - PF 4: Regional Programme on Trade and Investment in the 
Western Balkans 
MBP 2 - PF 5: Crisis Response Package 
MBP 2 - PF 6: Erasmus Mundus Action 1: Western Balkans - Turkey 
Windows 
MBP 2 - PF 7: Erasmus Mundus Action 2: Partnerships Lot - Western 
Balkans 
MBP 2 - PF 8: Youth in Action 
Tempus 

Assumption of the obligations of membership 

MBP1 - PF5 - Regional Environmental Network for Accession  
MBP 2 -PF 9: Regional Blueprints Exercise on Customs and Taxation 
MBP 2 -PF 10: Taxation and Customs IT interconnectivity and 
operational capacity 
MBP 2 -PF 11: Statistical Cooperation 
MBP 2 -PF 12: Migration and socio-economic development in the 
Western Balkans 
Nuclear Safety 
Energy Community 
TAIEX 

Information and communication 

Information and Communication 

Support activities 

Monitoring 
MBP 2 - PF 13: Project Preparation Facility 
Audit and Evaluation 

TOTAL 

4.40
4.00
4.00 

10.00
159.70
1.70
0.50

120.45
8.00

12.00

1.50
15.55
35.69
5.90
1.45
0.50

5.40
2.00

8.50
2.94
9.00
9.00
9.00
10.20
6.00
1.00
3.20
247.92

The table above reflects consistency on the distribution of the Multi-beneficiary assistance by 
the  different  areas  of  intervention  as  indicated  in  the  Multi-beneficiary  MIPD  2009-2011, 
where  a  predominant  focus  was  given  to  the  area  of  “addressing  the  economic  criteria”. 
During  the  2009  programming  and  due  to  the  global  economic  crisis  affecting  also  the 
economies of the Western Balkans and Turkey, more emphasis was put to help Beneficiaries 
tackle its effects, notably through the adoption of a comprehensive crisis response package. In 
accordance with the 2008 Enlargement package, regional cooperation, the rule of law, as well 
as  actions  under  the  Civil  Society  Facility  have  also  been  addressed  under  the  2009 
programming.  

During  2009  discussions  took  place  on  the  need  to  revise  the  approach  to  planning  and 
programming of IPA assistance, i.e. to move from a project-based to a sector- or programme-
based  approach.  This  approach,  which  is  to  be  implemented  in  the  2011-13  MIPDs,  is  also 
applicable to the programming of IPA Multi-beneficiary assistance.  

- 118 - 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
9.2.3. 

Implementation Modalities and Structures  

Assistance under the IPA Multi-beneficiary programmes in 2009 was implemented: i) partly 
on  a  centralised  basis  by  the  Commission,  and  ii)  partly  in  joint  management  with 
International  Organisations  based  on  Article  53a  and  d  of  the  Financial  Regulation,  in 
accordance with the following distribution: 

i) Support to the operational budget of the Office of the High Representative (OHR) in Bosnia 
and  Herzegovina,  MBP  1  2009  (except  for  PF1-  refugee  return),  MBP  2  2009  (except  for 
some  components  of  PF  5-  Crisis  Response  Package),  Tempus  2009,  Nuclear  Safety  2009, 
Contribution  to  the  Energy  Community  budget  2009,  TAIEX  2009,  Information  and 
Communication 2009, Monitoring and Audit and Evaluation 2009; 

ii)  MBP  1  2009  for  PF1-  refugee  return  which  is  implemented  by  the  Commission  in  joint 
management  with  the  United  Nations  High  Commissioner  for  Refugees  (UNHCR);  MBP  2 
2009 for some components of PF 5- Crisis Response Package which are implemented by the 
Commission  in  joint  management  with  the  European  Bank  for  Reconstruction  and 
Development  (EBRD),  the  European  Investment  Bank  (EIB),  the  European  Central  Bank 
(ECB) and the OECD.  

9.2.4.  Overview of IPA projects/contracts implemented in 2009 

In 2009 special efforts were made to mitigate the impact of the economic crisis in the Western 
Balkans and Turkey by channelling a substantial amount of assistance to the real economy via 
fast  track  implementation.  As  regards  IPA  2009  allocations  an  important  part  of  the  funds, 
mostly  related  to  the  IPA  Crisis  Response  Package  and  Municipal  Investments,  including 
commitments to programming and implementing large components of annual  IPA allocations 
(e.g.  Albania,  Kosovo,  Turkey)  were  contracted  in  at  the  end  of  2009,  long  before  the 
contracting deadlines, in order to speed up implementation.  

The fact that the main part of the 2009 programming (in financial terms) was adopted already 
by mid 2009 has allowed for higher contracting rates than those achieved during 2008, as the 
programme was only adopted at the end of December. 

Tables 4: Status of implementation of IPA financial assistance (Component I) as at 31st 
December  2009  (in  million  EUR)  per  annual  programme  and  distribution  of  total 
committed funds (2007-2009 allocations) by priority axes 

Committed  Contracted RAC105  % Contracted Paid 

RAL106  %Paid 

IPA 2007 
IPA 2008 
IPA 2009 
TOTAL 

153.42 
196.54 
247.92 
597.88 

119.85
164.79
136.86
421.50

33.57
31.75
111.06
176.38

98.32 
78.12%
67.08 
83.85%
96.14 
55.20%
70.50% 261.54 

55.10 
129.46 
151.78 
336.34 

64.09%
34.13%
38.78%
43.74%

Priority Axes 

% of 2007-2009 allocations 

Political criteria 
Civil Society 
Support to interim civilian administration 

105 
106 

Remains to be contracted (Reste à Contracter). 
Remains to be paid (Reste à Liquider). 

- 119 - 

5.19% 
4.68% 
6.63% 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Economic criteria 
Ability to assume membership obligations 
Regional support programmes 
TAIEX/SIGMA 
TEMPUS/Education/Youth 
Communication 
Nuclear Safety 
Technical support, monitoring, audit and evaluation 
TOTAL 

36.55% 
7.99% 
3.14% 
6.97% 
17.11% 
3.90% 
3.94% 
3.90% 
100.00% 

Multi-beneficiary  programmes  provide  assistance  only  to  actions  under  Component  I  - 
Transition Assistance and Institution Building.  

Sectors/projects  with  positive  results  that  could  be  considered  as  “success  stories”  are  the 
following: 

Regional  Cooperation  Council  (RCC):  Over  the  past  two  years  the  RCC  has  become  the 
principal  institution  promoting  regional  co-operation  in  South  East  Europe,  taking  over 
successfully  from  the  Stability  Pact.  After  having  established  its  Secretariat  and  becoming 
fully  operational  it  is  now  working  towards  fulfilling  its  strategic  role  in  the  region,  by 
ensuring clear and tangible results. The RCC has concentrated its work on six priority areas: 
economic  and  social  development,  energy  and  infrastructure,  justice  and  home  affairs, 
security cooperation, building human capital and parliamentary cooperation as an overarching 
theme.  

The  Commission  is  a  member  of  the  RCC  and  its  Board,  provides  financial  support  for  the 
Secretariat and is continuing to finance some of the initiatives established under the Stability 
Pact. The RCC Secretariat was set up in January 2008 and was fully functioning in May 2008. 
The EU has been contributing to the operating costs of the RCC since its inception, by means 
of  two  contracts,  each  worth  EUR  1.5  million  for  the  first  three  years  of  operation,  up  to 
December 2010, and will continue to do so for three more years. 

During 2009, intensive consultations between the Commission and the Swedish Presidency of 
the Council took place to discuss the future strategic positioning of the RCC. As a result, the 
RCC, assisted by the Commission, has prepared its Strategic Programme for 2011-13. It will 
focus  on  analysing  needs  for  regional  cooperation  in  the  Western  Balkans,  identifying  gaps 
and overlaps and taking initiatives to address them effectively and efficiently. The RCC has 
also been involved during 2009 in the IPA Multi-beneficiary programming for both 2009 and 
2010,  to  ensure  that  IPA  priorities  correspond  to  regional  priorities  and  needs.  During  the 
RCC Financial Sub-Committee on 13 October 2009, Board Members discussed the issue of 
future financial support to the RCC Secretariat activities in the period 2011-2013. 

The  Regional  School  of  Public  Administration  (ReSPA):  The  signing  of  the  International 
Agreement  which  provides  for  the  establishment  of  the  Regional  School  of  Public 
Administration in Montenegro was initiated on 21 November 2008 in Podgorica. It shall enter 
into force when five of the seven signatories have deposited their instruments of ratification, 
acceptance or approval with the Depositary, in this case, the government of Montenegro. By 
the  end  of  2009,  four  of  the  ReSPA  members  had  ratified  the  International  Agreement, 
namely Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and 
Montenegro.  

The  Commission  cooperated  with  the  Organisation  for  Economic  Cooperation  and 
Development (OECD) on implementing the ReSPA project until the beginning of 2009 with a 

- 120 - 

 
 
view to strengthening the capacities of the institution and organising the training programme. 
At  the  beginning  of  2009,  this  role  of  technical  support  was  passed  on  to  the  European 
Institute  of  Public  Administration  (EIPA),  whose  mandate  is  to  ensure  the  delivery  of  2500 
training  participant  days  annually.  A  service  contract  was  signed  with  EIPA  on  December 
2008, starting implementation on January 2009 to this effect for a budget of EUR 2 million. 

ReSPA  remains  a  solid  example  of  action  towards  real  regional  cooperation  and  its  main 
impact so far was the determination and strong political commitment of all partners to push 
the project towards concretisation. Up to 2009 ReSPA has been working as a virtual school 
providing professional training in liaison with the National Schools and Agencies in order to 
develop  coherent  and  complementary  actions  for  upgrading  the  professionalism  of  the  civil 
service  and  promoting  European  integration  around  the  region  and  in  the  EU  for  an  ever 
growing number of beneficiaries. By the end of 2009 the project had reached a cruise speed, 
starting with around 700 participant days per year and providing at the end of 2009 up to no 
less  than  2  500  participant  days  annually.  Another  unplanned  positive  effect  was  the  direct 
leverage impact on the development of the town of Danilovgrad, where ReSPA is located: as 
such, ReSPA should also be highlighted as best practice of synergy between a project with a 
regional scope and the territorial development strategy of a local community. 

Fight  against  organized  crime:  The  IPA  2008  grant  contract  "Police  Cooperation:  Fight 
against  Organised  Crime,  in  particular  Illicit  Drug  Trafficking  and  the  Prevention  of 
Terrorism" was signed in December 2009, to start implementation in 2010. The project will 
not  only  contribute  to  foster  police  cooperation  in  the  Western  Balkans  and  strengthen  the 
established  International  Law  Enforcement  Coordination  Units,  but  will  also  assess  the 
requirements to set up an International Law Enforcement Coordination Units in Kosovo and 
Turkey.  

Civil  Society  Facility  (CSF):  The  CSF  was  established  in  2008  as  a  single  facility  for  the 
benefit of all candidate countries and potential candidates, financed both from the IPA Multi-
beneficiary programme and the national/annual IPA programmes. The objectives of the CSF 
are  to  strengthen  civil  society  bodies  and  their  role  in  the  political  process,  enhance  the 
capacity  of  local  Civil  Society  Organisations  (CSOs)  for  civic  mobilisation  and  encourage 
networking, promote cooperation and the transfer of know-how between business, trade union 
and professional organisations in partner countries and corresponding EU level organisations.  

Technical  assistance  under  the  Multi-beneficiary  IPA  programme  was  established  in  mid-
2009, organising training events and ad hoc advisory services to locally established technical 
assistance  desks in each country. Also known as TACSO, the project has developed a website 
(www.tacso.org)  which  acts  as  a  coordination  and  information-sharing  mechanism.  TACSO 
has  undertaken  needs  assessments  for  all  countries  and  at  regional  level  to  identify  the 
requirements of civil society and the local legal and financial environment. In addition, Local 
Advisory Groups have been established, consisting of representatives from EU Delegations, 
national government, civil society and other donors in order to discuss the needs and strategic 
issues  for  civil  society.  Since  they  are  in  a  better  position  to  give  CSF  support,  they  will 
identify and select projects at the local level. 

Also  under  the  CSF,  “People  to  People”  (P2P)  projects  started  in  2008,  initially  financed 
through TAIEX, 10 events being organised that year. In 2009, 714 CSO representatives and 
253 speakers participated in 19 P2P events. The response from participants at study tours has 
been overwhelmingly positive. Participants regularly stated that study tours helped them see 
the  human  face  of  the  EU  institutions.  They  also  gained  valuable  knowledge  about  policies 

- 121 - 

 
 
and  programmes  and  made  very  useful  contacts.  The  CSF  and  in  particular  TACSO  are 
presented at every P2P event. 

Extensive consultation with civil society and assistance to CSOs is also being provided for in 
many  of  the  national  programmes.  Civil  society  support  also  forms  part  of  local  donor 
coordination  agendas.  As  donors  (EU  Member  States  as  well  as  others)  are  progressively 
ending  their  support  to  the  IPA  countries,  they  are  anxious  to  ensure  that  civil  society 
continues to receive adequate and relevant support.  

Partnership  actions  carried  out  between  beneficiary  CSOs  and  the  EU  led  to  a  transfer  of 
knowledge  and  networks  as  well  as  trans-national  innovative  projects.  Under  IPA  2008 
support  for  these  activities  totaled  EUR  4.5  million  and  focused  on  i)  environment,  energy 
efficiency,  health  and  safety  at  work;  ii)  fight  against  corruption,  organised  crime  and 
trafficking.  Calls  for  proposals  for  both  i)  and  ii)  were  launched  during  2009  and  grant 
contracts were signed at the end of 2009. In addition, iii) EUR 0.3 million were transferred to 
DG Environment (by sub-delegation) to support the Environment Forum and ensure exchange 
of  good  practice  between  EU  and  environmental  NGOs  in  the  IPA  beneficiaries  and 
alignment  to  the  EU  acquis  in  the  sector.  Under  IPA  2009,  a  new  programme  was  adopted 
including  activities  focused  on  the  following  sector  priorities:  socio-economic  partners, 
minorities and vulnerable group organisations and cultural organisations.  

Western Balkan Investment Framework: An effective and well co-ordinated co-operation with 
International  Financial  Institutions  (IFIs)  is  politically  important  for  the  enlargement  region 
with  high  investment  needs  and  limited  grant  resources  from  the  IPA  budget.  The  main  IFI 
partners  of  the  Commission  (largest  programmes  co-financed)  are  the  European  Investment 
Bank  (EIB),  the  European  Bank  for  Reconstruction  and  Development  (EBRD)  and  the 
Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) (altogether "European IFIs"). Together with EU 
Member States and the Commission those European IFIs have joined forces to establish the 
"Western Balkans Investment Framework", a single entry point for countries of the Western 
Balkans for their funding requests in support of infrastructure investments. In this framework, 
grant sources from the Commission (IPA- EUR 110 million), European IFIs (EUR 30 million) 
and  EU  Member  States  (more  than  EUR  20  million)  are  pooled  to  co-finance  infrastructure 
investments along with loans from other IFIs (minimum EUR 2 billion expected). The main 
benefits  of  the  Western  Balkans  Investment  Framework  are:  (1)  increased  ownership  by 
beneficiaries,  due  to  the  endorsement  of  projects  requesting  a  grant  by  National  IPA  co-
ordinators,  ensuring  a  better  alignment  with  national/regional  priorities;  (2)  improved  donor 
co-ordination with multiple IFIs co-financing the same project, gradually aligning respective 
procedures;  (3)  leverage  of  grants  with  IFI  loans.  The  Western  Balkans  Investment 
Framework was officially launched on 8/9 December 2009.  

In addition to the success stories mentioned above, the core of activities under the IPA Multi-
beneficiary assistance which took place during 2009 are identified below, grouped by priority 
axis:  

9.2.4.1  

Addressing the Political Criteria 

Refugee return 

Actions in this field aim at facilitating voluntary repatriation and reintegration including local 
integration for the remaining persons in displacement.  Activities  are  implemented  under  the 
Regional  Programme  for  refugee  return  and  provision  of  durable  solutions  for  refugees  and 
Internally Displaced Persons in the Western Balkans:   

- 122 - 

 
 
-  IPA  2008:  a  contribution  agreement  with  the  UNHCR  for  EUR  1  million,  signed  on 
September 2008, was under implementation during 2009. From a cumulative and consolidated 
regional  perspective,  of  the  overall  target  group  in  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina,  Croatia, 
Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo, since the start of the project and up to 2009, 2339 refugees 
and  12560  returnees  were  provided  with  legal  counselling,  552  individuals  were  given 
repatriation  assistance  and  365  individuals  benefited  from  local  integration  assistance.  This 
programme ended on 30 June 2009.  

- IPA 2009: As a follow-up to the abovementioned agreement, another contribution agreement 
was signed with the UNHCR for EUR 1 million. Implementation of this agreement began on 
1  July  2009,  for  a  period  of  12  months.  During  the  reporting  period  the  project  was  being 
implemented as planned.  

Concrete results achieved during 2009 include the following:  

i) the UNHCR provided extensive support to the Government of Serbia in the planning of a 
regional  conference  on  durable  solutions,  which  had  been  proposed  by  the  Serbian 
Government during the High Commissioner visit in August 2009. In particular, the UNHCR 
supported the Serbian government in the organization of a regional expert-group meeting that 
took place in Belgrade in December 2009, with a view to prepare the grounds of the regional 
conference.  In  addition,  UNHCR  Representatives  in  all  countries  of  the  region  undertook 
several follow up meetings, with both the government and other international organizations as 
well  as  within  the  UNHCR,  in  order  to  ensure  an  effective  organization  of  the  regional 
conference; ii) in November 2009, President Mesic of Croatia visited four returnee families in 
the Sisak-Moslavina and Karlovac counties. The visit was a follow-up to the conference on 
“Refugee Protection and Humanitarian Work in Croatia in the past 18 years – Achievements 
and Challenges” which the UNHCR hosted to mark the 2009 World Refugee Day. A round 
table  with  the  President  and  his  advisors  was  organized  for  returnees,  local  officials  and 
NGOs  from  Croatia  and  neighbouring  countries  (NGOs  from  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina  and 
Serbia participated); iii) in December 2009, the UNHCR in Croatia organized a regional NGO 
roundtable for legal aid providers; iv) the UNHCR in Serbia participated, together with other 
governmental, non-governmental and international actors, to a Government organized retreat 
to revise the “National Strategy for Resolving Problems of Refugees and IDPs”; v) individual 
repatriation  assistance  or  preparation  for  repatriation  was  provided  on  a  needs-basis  to 
returnees  to  Croatia  and  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina  from  Montenegro,  Serbia  and  Bosnia  and 
Herzegovina and Croatia, respectively; vi) the production of new relevant TV documentaries 
in  collaboration  with  the  film-team  and  local  counterparts  in  Serbia,  Croatia  and  Kosovo 
continued, and regular broadcasting of these documentaries on public service televisions RTS 
and RTV took place on a weekly basis. 

Social Inclusion 

Under  IPA,  the  project  Regional  support  to  marginalised  communities  has  been  under 
implementation  since  1  August  2009,  as  a  follow-up  to  a  CARDS  project  completed  on  31 
July 2009. The overall project purpose is to contribute to increased legal and social inclusion 
of  marginalised  communities  and  facilitate  their  full  enjoyment  of  citizenship  rights  in  the 
Western Balkans. In 2009 the project was being implemented as planned. With respect to all 
the countries, issues of Roma inclusion, obstacles to civil registration, necessary amendments 
to laws and accession to relevant international instruments have been brought to the attention 
of  governmental  representatives and  other  counterparts,  in  regular  exchanges  and  at  various 
occasions,  including  through specific  letters  directed  to  responsible  policy  makers  in  these 
areas.  Continuous  provision  of  legal  advice  and  legal  assistance  to  individuals  has  been 

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provided  by  the  UNHCR’s  legal  aid  partners  in  all  project  countries,  facilitating  civil 
registration  and  the  acquisition  of  documents  necessary  for  access  to  basic  rights.  Several 
events and public information activities have been successfully developed during 2009.  

Social Security Coordination 

The  project  Regional  Programme  for  Social  Security  Coordination  and  Social  Security 
Reforms in South-East Europe has progressed according to schedule in 2009 in all the areas 
targeted. Its purpose is to tackle discrimination and the difficulties faced by vulnerable groups 
when  trying  to  access  the  labour  market  and  facilitate  economic  integration  in  the 
Beneficiaries.  Several  activities  have  taken  place,  including  national  training  events  and 
experts  meeting  and  study  visits.  Thanks  to  and  as  a  result  of  activities  under  the  project, 
some Beneficiary parties have also identified shortcomings, notably in their existing bilateral 
agreements  with  other  countries  of  the  region  and  have  requested  the  assistance  of  the 
Secretariat in order to draft new agreements. 

Participation of the Western Balkans and Turkey in the Union for the Mediterranean 

In  2009,  a  new  programme  was  set  up  to  support  the  involvement  of  Albania,  Bosnia  and 
Herzegovina,  Croatia,  Montenegro  and  Turkey  in  the  Union  for  the  Mediterranean,  and  in 
particular  in  Euro-Mediterranean  events  (institutional  dialogue)  as  well  as  in  a  number  of 
flagship  projects,  such  as:  the  Horizon  2020  initiative  (environmental  protection  of  the 
Mediterranean); the Programme of Prevention, Reduction and management of the Disasters of 
natural and human origin in the Mediterranean region (PPRD); the Regional Transport Action 
Plan (RTAP) and other transport-related initiatives, e.g. Safemed and Motorways of the Sea. 
A  budget  of  EUR  3.2  million  has  been  earmarked  for  this  programme,  the  management  of 
which has been cross-delegated to the EuropeAid Cooperation Office.   

Public Administration (The Regional School for Public Administration (ReSPA) – see details 
on success stories above. 

Public Administration (Training in Public Procurement) 

In 2009, a new project (part of the Multi-beneficiary Programme I 2009) was adopted, aiming 
to  develop  a  sustainable  procurement  training  strategy  at  regional  and  national  levels  in  the 
Western  Balkans  and  Turkey  that  is  in  compliance  with  EU  public  procurement  legislation 
and practices and with related national legislation in the Beneficiaries. This training initiative, 
for  which  an  IPA  allocation  of  EUR  4  million  has  been  agreed,  is  based  on  a  tailor-made 
module created by the OECD SIGMA Team. The project will be implemented as of 2010 via 
a service contract.  

Disaster Risk Reduction 

The  project  “Disaster  Risk  Reduction  in  South  East  Europe”,  under  implementation  during 
2009, aimed at building capacity and developing strategies for disaster risk reduction (contract 
signed  with  UNDP  in  March  2009),  as  well  as  fostering  regional  cooperation,  in  particular 
through better management and exchange of information on meteorological, hydrological and 
climate  data  (contract  signed  with  World  Meteorological  Organisation  (WMO)  in  April 
2009). The project has experienced some delays in implementation due to late mobilisation of 
resources which will most probably result in a cotnract amendment for project extension and 
other adjustments. 

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A call for tenders was launched during 2009 for the project “Civil Protection Cooperation”. 
The activities foreseen envisage to increase the IPA Beneficiaries’ capability to work with the 
EU Civil Protection Mechanism and contribute to the development of their capacities through 
specific trainings, workshops, exchange of experts and joint exercises.  

Justice, Freedom and Security 

The  project  “Regional  support  to  the  update,  implementation  and  monitoring  of  the 
Integrated Border Management (IBM) strategies and related Action Plans and development 
of regional and cross border initiatives” started implementation in June 2009. The objectives 
of  the  project  are  to:  ensure  a  regionally  harmonised  implementation  of  the  national  IBM 
strategies  and  the  associated  Action  Plans  (AP);  further  enhance  regional  co-operation 
through the sharing of best practices and lessons learned in implementing the IBM model, the 
establishment  of  common  standards  and  procedures,  the  improvement  of  operational 
cooperation,  and  the  intensification  of  communication  and  information  exchange;  support 
cross-border  inter-agency  cooperation;  and  further  support  the  development  of  compatible 
information systems. During the inception phase, an overall assessment of the state of play of 
IBM  strategies  in  the  Beneficiaries  was  carried  out,  and  Assessment  and  Monitoring  Team 
visits have started.  

For the project “Police Cooperation: Fight against organised crime, in particular illicit drug 
trafficking, and the prevention of terrorism”, see details on the “succes stories” above.  

A  call  for  proposals  was  launched  in  September  2009  under  the  project  “Cooperation  in 
Criminal  Justice:  Witness  Protection  in  the  Fight  against  Serious  Crime  and  Terrorism 
(WINPRO)”.    Assessment  of  full  applications  will  be  concluded  after  the  reporting  period. 
The  specific  objectives  of  the  project  are  to  promote  a  coordinated  and  harmonised  use  of 
witness  protection  procedural  and  non  procedural  measures  at  regional  and  European  level; 
facilitate  operational  cross-border,  regional  and  European  cooperation  and  coordination  on 
relocation of witnesses and change of identity. 

Support to the Regional Cooperation Council – see details on success stories above. 

Civil Society Development and Dialogue 

Civil  society  plays  a  fundamental  role  in  bringing  about  the  acceptance  and  the 
implementation  of  EU  values  in  aspiring  EU  Member  States.  Several  actions  were  under 
implementation:  

-  Under  IPA  2007,  the  Multi-beneficiary  Civil  Society  –  Media  Project  was  under 
implementation during 2009. The project aims at encouraging and accelerating media reform 
in  the  Beneficiaries,  consolidating  European  standards  and  bringing  more  media  protection, 
professionalism  and  independence  by  giving  grants  to  UNESCO,  Sense  News  Agency  and 
nine  public  broadcasters.  Most  of  the  contracts,  all  of  which  started  at  the  end  of  2008, 
continued  to  be  implemented  during  2009.  Regarding  the  Direct  Agreement  signed  with 
‘Sense New Agency’ in order to contribute to "Strengthening Regional News Exchange from 
the International  War Crimes Tribunal (ICTY),  the international Court of Justice  (ICJ) and 
the international Criminal Court (ICC)", the celebration of the 400th edition of TV Tribunal 
and 9 years of Sense production was organised with judges and prosecutors from the ICTY 
and ambassadors of the Western Balkans. The closing conference was held on 28 September 
2009 in Brussels. The project continues its implementation during 2010.  

- Civil Society Facility – see details on success stories above.  

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- Under IPA 2007, Regional programme on Civil Society – Media component in South-East 
Europe, the Commission invited the media stakeholders in the Western Balkans and Turkey to 
pursue their efforts to align their audiovisual legislation and practice with European standards 
on media and the European legal framework. The process was kick-started in December 2008 
by a conference on "The Audiovisual Media Services Directive in the context of digitalisation: 
a  new  era  for  Europe's  audiovisual  media  regulation"  organised  by  the  Commission  in 
Istanbul, Turkey.  

9.2.4.2  

Addressing the Economic Criteria 

IFI Cooperation and Competitiveness 

The Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF) – see details on success stories above – 
will  allow  IFIs  to  consolidate  financial  instruments  and  resources  available  and  invest  in  a 
coordinated  and  strategic  manner  for  the  benefit  of  the  Western  Balkans.  The  aim  of  the 
WBIF is to include the following facilities (up to 2009 only IPF) and funds under the same 
governance mechanism, and with the beneficiaries’ direct involvement with the IFIs, the EU 
and bilateral donors on the projects' requests: 

(i) Support to infrastructure investments, including Municipalities.  

-  Infrastructure  Projects  Facility  (IPF):  The  IPF  was  initially  set  up  under  CARDS  and 
continued its implementation with additional resources under IPA 2008. The IPF – Technical 
Assistance 2 was contracted in November 2009 and mobilization of the project team into the 
region was due to follow after the reporting period. The Municipal Window part of the IPF, 
contracted  at  the  end  of  2009,  provides  grant  co-financing  of  larger  financial  packages  of 
loans and grants from IFIs for municipal projects in the area of environment (water treatment 
and sanitation, water distribution, district heating), and transport (urban transport).  

During 2009, discussions took place on the transition of the IPF management structures – an 
operational Secretariat and a Steering Committee - into the WBIF structures. These structures 
have  now  become  the  Project  Financiers'  Group  and  the  Steering  Committee,  respectively 
carrying  out  the  technical  and  financial  analysis  of  projects  and  their  approval  for  grant 
funding.  

(ii) Promotion of energy efficiency investments 

- Energy Efficiency Finance Facility (EEFF): The aim is to financially assist the beneficiary 
countries  to  promote  investments  in  energy  efficiency  and  renewable  energy  generation  in 
order  to  improve  the  energy  performance  of  the  building  and  industry  sectors.  The 
Programme  on  Energy  Efficiency  Finance  Facility  under  IPA  2007,  for  which  Contribution 
agreements  with  the  EIB,  the  EBRD,  and  the  CEB  in  cooperation  with  Kreditanstalt  für 
Wiederaufbau (KfW) were signed in 2008, was under implementation during 2009. Under the 
Contribution  agreement  between  the  EBRD  and  the  Commission,  two project  agreements, 
one with  Banca  Intesa  in  Serbia  and  one  with Raffeisen  Bank in  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina, 
were  approved  for  funding  and  signed  in  March  and  April  2009  respectively.  The 
projects will help the beneficiary banks extend their portfolio of energy investments, improve 
their  capacity  to  manage  the  credit  lines,  prepare  energy  efficient  projects  and  assess 
investments  in  the  field. The  banks  will  also  benefit  from  tailored  technical  assistance  for 
project preparation and verification. 

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- Southeast Europe Energy Efficiency Fund under IPA 2009 (Crisis Response Package): The 
EIB, KfW and the Commission have agreed in December 2009 to create a Southeast Europe 
Energy  Efficiency  Fund  (SE4F).  The  SE4F  is  structured  as  an  investment  company  with 
variable  shared  capital  (“SICAV”).  Its  main  activities  consist  in  promoting  investments  in 
energy  efficiency  for  private  and  public  entities.  To  that  effect,  the  Commission  signed  a 
mandate with the European Investment Fund (EIF) in December 2009.  

(iii) Support to private investments  

-European  Fund  for  Southeast  Europe  (EFSE):  The  aim  is  to  foster  economic  development 
and prosperity in Southeast Europe through sustainable provision of additional development 
finance, notably to the small and micro enterprise sector and to private households via local 
financial institutions. EFSE is supported through all three IPA Programmes 2007- 2009.  

EFSE  is  built  as  a  Public  and  Private  Partnership  with  the  aim  of  attracting  private  sector 
capital and thereby leveraging public and donor funds into the region for the development of 
the  private  sector.  EFSE  is  a  regional  Fund  extending  loans  to  local  commercial  banks  and 
micro finance institutions in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic 
of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia, as well as Kosovo, Romania, Bulgaria and Moldova 
for on lending to micro and small enterprises and households. 

Following the financial crisis EFSE continued to monitor more closely its partners. By the end 
of  the  reporting  period  no  financial  intermediaries  benefiting  from  EFSE  had  defaulted  on 
their commitments, but portfolio quality decreased in some cases.  

- Private Sector Support Facility for the Western Balkans under IPA 2009 (Crisis Response 
Package): The purpose of the Facility is to provide loans, supported by grants and technical 
assistance to the region for (a) industrial investments necessary for SMEs to be in line with 
the  acquis  and  (b)  energy  efficiency  investments  in  the  private  sector.  The  Facility  shall 
comprise three independent windows: (i) the SME Competitiveness Support Window, (ii) the 
Energy  Efficiency  Window,  and  (iii)  the  EBRD  Turn  Around  Management  and  Business 
Advisory  Service  Programme  Window.  The  Contribution  Agreement  with  EBRD  for 
managing  the  Facility  was  signed  in  December  2009.  A  similar  Facility  was  set  up  in 
December 2009 for Turkey. 

- SME Recovery Support Loan (for Turkey) under IPA  2009  (Crisis Response  Package): To 
assist local banks expand their lending for the benefit of eligible investments carried out by 
SMEs. In the context of the action, EIB shall extend loans from its own resources with the EU 
contribution loans. The Contribution Agreement with the EIB was signed in December 2009. 

(iv) Competitiveness and Trade 

-  The  Regional  Entrepreneurial  Centre  project  under  IPA  2009  aims  at  contributing  to  the 
implementation  of  the  Small  Business  Act  for  Europe107  using  the  experience  and  the 
instruments  developed  in  the  application  of  the  European  Charter  for  Small  Enterprises,  in 
particular the elements of entrepreneurship and education and improved skills for enterprises. 
The  contract  with  the  South  East  European  Centre  for  Entrepreneurial  Learning  (SEECEL) 
for the implementation of the project was signed in December 2009.  

-  Trade:  The  aim  of  the  projects  under  this  area  is  to  support  the  monitoring  and 
implementation of the Central European Free Trade Agreement 2006 (CEFTA) and activities 

107 

 http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/small-business-act/. 

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of the South East European Investment Committee. During 2009, three programmes/projects 
were under implementation, Trade 2007, Trade 2008 and Trade 2009. In all the three, part of 
the  IPA  support  was  dedicated  to  co-financing  the  CEFTA  secretariat's  operational  costs. 
Other activities were aimed at strengthening the administration capacity of the beneficiaries to 
formulate  and  implement  policies  furthering  both  the  implementation  of  CEFTA  and 
promoting  trade  and  investment.  The  CEFTA  Joint  Committee  Meeting,  composed  of 
representatives of each Party to the Agreement (ministers responsible for trade) took place on 
29 October 2009 in Montenegro.  Inter alia, the representatives reaffirmed their commitment 
to exploit CEFTA as a forum for discussion and resolution of all the issues raised in mutual 
trade  and  cooperation  and  stressed  the  importance  of  enhanced  regional  cooperation  and 
successful implementation of the Agreement as complimentary processes on their ways to EU 
integration.  The  CEFTA  Secretariat  started  working  on  the  preparations  for  the  Serbian 
Chairmanship of CEFTA for the year 2010. 

Education  

The  aim  of  IPA  Multi-Beneficiary  assistance  in  this  field  is  to  support  the  modernisation, 
development and quality of higher education systems through balanced cooperation between 
local higher education institutions and those of the EU Member States. Multi-beneficiary IPA 
assistance is provided in Education via the following programmes:  

-Tempus IV: mainly implemented through calls for proposals. During 2009, the second call for 
proposals  was  completed.  Out  of  the  127  applications  received  from  Western  Balkans’ 
applicants,  24  were  recommended  for  funding.  84%  of  the  proposals  selected  for  funding 
were  Joint  Projects  which  are  based  on  multilateral  partnerships  between  higher  education 
institutions  in  the  EU  and  the  Beneficiaries.  16%  were  Structural  Projects  which  seek  to 
contribute  to  the  development  and  reform  of  education  institutions  and  systems  in 
Beneficiaries,  as  well  as  to  enhance  their  quality  and  increase  their  convergence  with  EU 
developments.  The  third  call  for  proposals  was  launched.  Also,  information  campaigns  and 
meetings with all national contact points in the EU and National Tempus Offices took place 
and a thematic study on university governance was completed. The study provided an outline 
of the measures and policies adopted to improve university governance in the Tempus partner 
countries,  mainly  through  Tempus  but  also  through  the  ongoing  education  policies  and 
reforms. It also highlighted the variety of governance models, for example in fundraising or 
decision-making  bodies  inside  institutions.  Finally  the  study  tried  to  identify  what  higher 
education organisations and governments define as being the principles of ‘good governance’. 

- Erasmus Mundus: As from the academic year 2009-2010 (IPA 2008), students from Turkey 
are  also  eligible  to  this  programme,  which  has  been  renamed  "Erasmus  Mundus  Western 
Balkans  -  Turkey  Window".  A  total  of  156  students  from  the  Western  Balkans  and  Turkey 
were selected for the academic year 2009/2010.  

Two projects for the Western Balkans Lot were selected in 2009, one coordinated by Ghent 
University,  the  other  by  the  University  of  Graz  under  the  former  External  Cooperation 
Window which was integrated at the end of 2008 as Action II "Partnerships" under the new 
Erasmus Mundus II programme. This action aims at promoting institutional cooperation and 
mobility activities.  

During  2009  a  new  project  under  IPA  2009  funds  (activities  starting  in  the  academic  year 
2010/2011)  of  EUR  20  million  was  earmarked  for  Erasmus  Mundus,  out  of  which  EUR  8 
million  are  foreseen  for  Erasmus  Mundus  Action  1  (approximatly  200  scholarships  for 
participation  in  Master  Courses  and  Joint  Doctorate  Programs)  and  EUR  12  million  for 

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Erasmus Mundus Action 2 (approximately 800 scholarships). The number of scholarships that 
can be delivered under this scheme is indicatively estimated at maximum 1000. 

Youth 

The  aim  of  IPA  Multi-Beneficiary  assistance  in  this  field  is  to  promote  the  sector  of  non-
formal education and youth in the region by (i) supporting projects with partner countries and 
territories, in particular exchanges of young people and those active in youth work and youth 
organisations  and  (ii)  support  initiatives  that  reinforce  mutual  understanding,  sense  of 
solidarity and tolerance among young people and/or develop cooperation in the field of youth 
and civil society in these countries and territories. 

The  Western  Balkans  window,  opened  in  2007,  provides  additional  support  for  projects 
submitted  by  young  people,  youth  organisations  and  civil  society  organisations  from  the 
Western Balkans under the Youth in Action programme. Activities include youth exchanges, 
European Voluntary Service projects, and training and networking projects for youth workers 
and  youth  organisations.  These  activities  have  a  strong  non-formal  learning  component  and 
are based on partnerships between organisations from the region and their counterparts from 
the EU. Over the period 2007-2009, 337 projects submitted by applicants from the Western 
Balkans were funded under the Youth in Action Programme. Out of these, 214 projects were 
funded by the Programme itself and an additional 123 projects by the complementary funds 
provided under IPA 2007 and IPA 2008 in the form of the Western Balkans Youth Window.  

Under  IPA  2007  support  amounted  to  EUR  1  million  and  additional  support  of  EUR  1.5 
million each year was provided for under IPA 2008 and 2009. The EUR 1.5 million allocated 
under IPA 2009 will allow co-financing projects in 2010.  

The Youth in Action Programme is implemented on basis of a permanent Call for Proposals, 
which  foresees  three  deadlines  (February,  June  and  September  every  year).  In  2009,  110 
projects were selected for funding submitted by Western Balkans applicants. Out of these,  72 
projects by the Youth Balkan Window. The geographic repartition of the successful projects 
submitted  by  Western  Balkan  applicants  were  the  following:  40  projects  presented  by 
promoters  from  the  former  Yugoslav  Republic  of  Macedonia,  35  projects  by  Serbian 
promoters,  21  projects  by  Bosnian  and  Herzegovina  promoters,  8  projects  by  Albanian 
promoters,  3  projects  by  Montenegrin  promoters,  2  projects  by  Croatian  promoters  and  1 
project by a Kosovan promoter. In terms of thematic repartition, 6 projects (5 from the former 
Yugoslav  Republic  of  Macedonia  and  1  from  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina)  were  granted  under 
the Action 2 of the Programme (European Voluntary Service) and 104 projects were selected 
under the Action 3.1 of the Programme (Cooperation with neighbouring partner countries in 
the field of youth exchanges, training and networking). The permanent priorities of Youth in 
Action  Programme  are  the  following:  European  citizenship,  participation  of  young  people, 
cultural diversity and inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities. 

9.2.4.3.  

European standards 

Quality Infrastructure 

The  project  Quality  infrastructure  in  the  Western  Balkans  and  Turkey  is  funded  under  IPA 
2008  and  was  under  implementation  during  2009.  The  aim  is  to  improve  the  capacity  of 
quality  infrastructure  bodies,  all  of  which  implement  strategies  to  comply  with  accession 
negotiations  Chapter  1  of  the  EU  acquis,  thereby  enabling  them  to  offer  better  services  to 
economic operators, to facilitate trade in the EU and EFTA market, as well as in the markets 
of the beneficiaries. By the end of the reporting period, assessment reports on the quality of 

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infrastructure  in  the  Western  Balkans  were  completed  and  approved.  Two  sectoral 
assessments  in  Turkey  were  conducted  and  reported  upon.  Almost  50  laboratories  and 
accreditation  bodies  from  all  beneficiaries  were  selected  to  participate  in  the  proficiency 
testing exercise, and planning for the pre-proficiency testing training activity was completed. 
The Cooperation Committee approved nine hands-on training subjects, for which a tender was 
launched and networking activity begun. The project website was also launched. 

Industrial and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) 

There was one regional project on IPR under implementation during 2009 funded under IPA 
2007. The aim was to provide technical assistance to the intellectual and industrial property 
rights'  authorities  in  order  to  harmonise  and  to  enforce  processes  and  systems.  The  contract 
with the European Patent Office (EPO) was signed in November 2008. During the inception 
phase  the  beneficiaries  submitted  their  request  for  technical  assistance  in  the  four  areas 
covered by the project: legal harmonisation, capacity building, enforcement and sustainability 
of IP institutions. Project progress was discussed at the steering committees held on 15 April 
and 26 October 2009. Activities were being implemented in accordance to schedule in all four 
components  of  the  project,  according  to  the  agreed  prioritisation  scheme.  Between  October 
and  December  2009,  12  activities  related  to  workshops,  training  and  drafting  of 
documentation started or were under implementation. 

Food safety, veterinary and phyto-sanitary policy 

The  project  “Support  for  the  control/eradication  of  animal  diseases”  under  IPA  2008  was 
under  implementation  during  2009.  The  aim  is  to  improve  regional  and  cross-border 
cooperation  in  the  Western  Balkans  and  thereby  ensure  that  the  control  and  eradication  of 
important  animal  diseases  is  harmonized  and  coordinated  at  a  regional  level.  At  the  end  of 
2009, the tender dossier was finalised and the contracting procedure initiated. 

Energy 

The aim of IPA Multi-Beneficiary assistance in this sector is to contribute to the budget of the 
Energy Community. In 2009 the budget of the Energy Community, established in accordance 
with Annex IV of the Treaty establishing the Energy Community108, amounted to almost EUR 
2  million,  out  of  which  98.10%  was  covered  by  IPA.  Regular  reporting  activities  on  the 
utilisation  of  the  budget  are  made  to  the  Budget  Committee  of  the  Energy  Community, 
chaired  by  the  Commission,  either  through  monthly,  quarterly  and  annual  reports  or  in  the 
course  of  the  Budget  Committee  meetings.  Budget  utilisation  is  dependent  on  the  Work 
Program  approved  by  the  Ministerial  Council,  the  decision  making  body  of  the  Energy 
Community.  Achievements  of  the  Work  Program  are  reported  on  a  regularly  basis  to  the 
parties  at  institutional  meetings  (Ministerial  Council,  Permanent  High  Level  Group,  Energy 
Community  Regulatory  Board).  Formal  negotiations  with  Turkey  for  the  accession  to  the 
Energy Community started during 2009.  

Customs and Taxation 

IPA  Multi-Beneficiary  assistance  in  this  field  aims  at  ensuring  that  systems  and 
documentation  in  the  area  of  taxation  and  customs  are  developed  in  accordance  with  EU 
requirements.  The  project  “Taxation  and  Customs  IT  interconnectivity  and  operational 
capacity”  under  IPA  2007  was  under  implementation  during  2009.    The  EU  contribution 

108 

http://www.energy-
community.org/portal/page/portal/ENC_HOME/ENERGY_COMMUNITY/Legal/Treaty. 

- 130 - 

 
 
                                                 
amounted  to  EUR  0.5  million.  The  project  includes  technical  assistance  (CIRCA, 
development  of  strategic  documents),  development  of  training  modules  on  IT  management, 
and field missions. Five field missions and one workshop were undertaken during 2009. An 
additional amount of EUR 0.5 million was allocated under IPA 2009.  

Statistics 

IPA Multi-Beneficiary assistance in this field supports the upgrade and strengthening of the 
statistical  systems  in  the  Western  Balkans,  in  particular  in  macro-economic,  price,  external 
trade,  agricultural,  demographic  and  social  and  business  statistics.  The  main  activities 
developed in 2009 included: expert missions, workshops and seminars together with experts 
from  the  beneficiaries,  financing  of  data  collection  as  well  as  general  statistical  assistance; 
study  visits  to  official  statistics  providers  in  Europe,  training,  consultation  visits  and 
traineeships.  Activities  under  three  consecutive  projects  in  this  field  proceeded  in  2009,  as 
follows:  

the  Western  Balkans  and  Turkey  under  IPA  2007   

-  Statistical  cooperation  for 
(EUR  3  million),  July  2008  –  March  2010.  Implementation  continued  as  scheduled  in  2009 
and four progress reports were received during the last quarter of the year and approved by 
Eurostat.  The  second  interim  report  under  IPA  2007  was  received  in  December  2009. 
Implementation  of  activities  continued  as  scheduled.  Positive  development  to  be  integrated 
into  the  European  Statistical  System  and  to  achieve  sufficient  alignment  with  the  statistical 
acquis was shown. Continued support is required.   

-  Statistical  cooperation  for 
the  Western  Balkans  and  Turkey  under  IPA  2008   
(EUR 4 million), December 2009 – November 2011. The project is implemented via a single 
service  contract,  which  was  signed  on  12  October  2009.  The  kick-off  meeting  was  held  in 
December 2009 and implementation started. 

-  Statistical  cooperation  for  the  Western  Balkans  and  Turkey  under  IPA  2009  (EUR  5.4 
million), December 2010 – November 2012. The project was in the design phase at the end of 
2009, namely preparation of the Terms of Reference and the Contract Forecast. 

Environment (including Climate Change) 

Multi-beneficiary  IPA  assistance  is  provided  in  Environment  via  the  following  programmes 
under implementation during 2009: 

- “Horizontal Programme on Environment” under IPA 2007 – EUR1.6 million - Support for 
investment  preparation  under  the  Danube-Black  Sea  (DABLAS)  Task  Force:  a  report  was 
submitted,  however  resolution  of  unforeseeable  local  complications  in  one  project  site 
(Serbia, Novi Sad) is pending; support to monitoring transposition and implementation of the 
EU environmental acquis: Final progress monitoring reports for all Beneficiaries were agreed; 
developing the capacity of environmental NGOs, through transfer of best practice from NGOs 
in the EU Member States.  

-  Multi-beneficiary  Programme  2a  -  ENV-  EUR  1.8  million:  Activities  aim  at  a)  improving 
integrated water management of the Sava river basin following the approach of the EU Water 
Framework  Directive  (2000/60/EC)  and  the  Floods  Directive  (2007/60/EC);  b)  improving 
investments in projects,  particularly relating to the protection of the water and water-related 
ecosystems in the Danube River and the Black Sea as well as facilitating stakeholder dialogue 
in  relation  to  project  financing  in  the  IPA  Beneficiaries  of  the  Danube  –  Black  Sea  region 
under the DABLAS Task Force. Contracts for all activities were signed at the end of 2009.  

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-  The  project  “Regional  Environmental  Network  for  Accession  (RENA)”  under  IPA  2009  – 
EUR  5.9  million  was  adopted  in  2009.  RENA  aims  at  establishing  tools  to  assist  IPA 
Beneficiaries in harmonising legal frameworks, improving capacity and designing appropriate 
intervention mechanisms in line with the EU environmental acquis. It will facilitate exchange 
of  experience  and  best  practices  in  the  field  of  environment  (including  climate  change)  and 
help  to  jointly  takle  the  environmental  challenges  (including  climate  change).  Procurement 
was carried out during 2009.  

Nuclear safety and radiation protection 

The  aim  of  IPA  Multi-Beneficiary  assistance  in  this  field  is  to  enhance  the  technical 
competence  and  administrative  capacity  of  national  radiation  safety  authorities  and  other 
relevant public organisations, contribute to aligning national legislation and regulations in the 
nuclear  field  with  the  acquis  and  support  construction,  fitting  out  and/or  upgrading  of 
facilities  involving  the  handling  and  management  of  radionuclides  according  to  best  EU 
practices.  

The IPA horizontal programme on nuclear safety and radiation protection started in 2007. The 
total budget allocated over the last three years amounts to about EUR 24 million. A total of 32 
projects were programmed so far under this programme, out of which 8 have been contracted 
up to 2009. 

The Contribution Agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency on support to the 
Vinča Nuclear Institute Decommissioning Project under IPA 2008 was amended in September 
2009 in order to accelerate funding for the repatriation of the spent nuclear fuel from Serbia to 
the Russian Federation and to cover some modifications brought to the work programme.  

Assessment of the regulatory infrastructure in the Western Balkan countries under IPA 2008 
came to an end in December 2009 following the organisation of a concluding seminar which 
took place in October 2009 in Ljubljana. As its main result, the project produced a detailed 
assessment  of  the  current  situation  regarding  the  nuclear  regulatory  bodies  in  the  Western 
Balkans and can be considered as very successful. The final report provides a number of very 
valuable  input  data  for  the  future  strategies  to  be  drawn  up  in  2010  on  national  plans  of 
actions to be implemented by the Western Balkans in order to comply with the acquis in the 
nuclear area until accession. 

The Contribution Agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency on the assessment 
of the management of sealed radioactive sources in the Western Balkan countries under IPA 
2007  –  regional  component  was  extended  until  after  the  reporting  period,  due  to  the  late 
signature  of  an  amendment  extending  the  project  to  Serbia  and  Kosovo.  Discussion  of  the 
final report took place in Vienna after the reporting period. 

Assistance  to  enhance  capabilities  of  the  Western  Balkans  to  develope  regulations  on 
Naturally  Occurring  Radioactive  Materials  and  Technologically  Enhanced  Naturally 
Occurring Radioactive Materials under IPA 2007 came to an end in December 2009 following 
a  concluding  seminar  that  was  held  in  Brussels.  This  assessment  showed  that  specific 
legislation and regulations on NORM and TENORM must be laid down by each Beneficiary. 
To a large extent, this project can be considered as successful, since the final report provided 
can been considered as a good reference point for future actions to be taken.  

Management  of  medical  radioactive  waste  in  Albania,  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina,  the  former 
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia as well as Kosovo under IPA 2007 
was  extended  until  after  the  reporting  period  to  better  finalise  reporting.  The  project  was 

- 132 - 

 
 
concluded  by  a  technical  seminar  that  was  held  in  December  2009  in  Brussels.  The  project 
highlighted the rather important number of gaps and deficiencies currently existing in each of 
the  Western  Balkans  in  terms  of  regulations  and  management  practices  for  radionuclides  in 
medical  establishments.  The  project,  by  evaluating  the  current  situation  in  the  Western 
Balkans,  has  managed  to  highlight  a  number  of  rather  important  gaps  and  deficiencies 
currently  existing  in  terms  of  regulations  and  management  practices  for  radionuclides  in 
medical establishments which can be proved as a good basis for future actions. Furthermore, 
the closing seminar was very well perceived by the Beneficiaries. Under these circumstances, 
this project can be characterised as a highly successful one.  

Contribution Agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency on the assessment of 
the prevention  and combat of  illicit  trafficking of nuclear materials and radiation sources in 
the Western Balkans under IPA 2007 has been extended until after the reporting period due to 
the late signature of an amendment extending the project to Serbia and Kosovo. Discussion of 
the final report took place in Vienna.after the reporting period. 

Monitoring  of  radioactivity  of  the  environment  in  the  Western  Balkans  under  IPA  2007  is 
about  to  come  to  an  end.  The  draft  final  report  showed  that  an  important  effort  must  be 
undertaken by each Beneficiary in order to comply with the acquis (Articles 35 and 36 of the 
Euratom Treaty). 

9.2.4.4  

Participation in EU Programmes and Agencies 

The Western Balkans can participate in EU agencies on a case-by-case basis and the ticket to 
participate in the programmes or agencies is financed through the national IPA programmes. 
As  was  the  case  with  previous  enlargements however,  the  EU  supports  the  EU  Agencies  to 
prepare  their  counterparts  in  the  beneficiaries  for  participation  in  the  activities  of  the  EU 
Agencies. 

During  2009,  several  grants  were  awarded  under  the  2008  IPA  programme  to  prepare 
Beneficiaries for future participation in the EU Agencies. The programme is implemented by 
the  following  agencies:  (i)  Community  Plant  Variety  Office;  (ii)  European  Aviation  Safety 
Agency; (iii) European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control; (iv) European Food Safety 
Authority;  (v)  European  Maritime  Safety  Agency;  (vi)  European  Agency  for  Safety  and 
Health  at  Work;  (vii)  European  Foundation  for  the  Improvement  of  Living  and  Working 
Conditions;  (viii)  European  Chemical  Agency;  (ix)  European  Environment  Agency;  (x) 
European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction; (xi) European Medicines Agency 
and (xii) European Railway Agency. 

Activities foreseen under the programme adopted in 2007 (as well as  under  CARDS 2005), 
have  ended  during  2009.  The  Agencies  presented  their  final  reports  under  the  CARDS  and 
IPA 2007 programmes to the Commission for assessment. As this assistance continues under 
the IPA 2008 programme, it is too soon to present final results, but it can be concluded that 
some beneficiaries are already knocking on the door of some Agencies, notably the EEA and 
the EMCDDA. Croatia planed to join the EMCDDA sometimes in 2010. 

A  conference  organised  by  the  EMCDDA  in  Sintra  (Lisbon,  Portugal)  in  November  2009 
allowed  beneficiaries  to  exchange  views  with  the  Agencies.  At  this  event  both  parties 
increased their mutual understanding on the needs, requirements and way forward.  

- 133 - 

 
 
9.3. 

Coherence, compatibility and coordination of aid 

For the programming of the Multi-beneficiary Programme, DG Enlargement has established a 
transparent consultation process with EU Member States and other donors, IFIs, Civil Society 
Organisations  and  the  Regional  Cooperation  Council.  This  process  aims  at  ensuring 
complementarities  and  avoiding  overlaps.  DG  Enlargement  staff  responsible  for  the 
implementation  of  the  Multi-beneficiary  programmes  also  participate  in  regional  networks 
and  structures  to  facilitate  coordination  amongst  the  stakeholders  and  donors  active  in  the 
region.  Special  importance  is  being  given  to  the  role  of  the  RCC  as  the  interlocutor  for  the 
Beneficiaries, especially for the regional cooperation process in the Western Balkans. 

The Commission  ensures  regular written consultation on programme/project  documentation, 
including  Project  Fiches,  to  EU  Member  States  and  other  donors,  IFIs,  Civil  Society 
Organisations and the RCC. Other Donors also communicate pertinent information regarding 
bilateral  projects  in  the  fields  covered  by  the  Multi-beneficiary  programme.  In  the  case  of 
projects  to  be  implemented  under  joint  management  with  International  Organisations  or  in 
cooperation with IFIs, close consultations are maintained in order to ensure coordination for 
projects jointly developed.   

Several IPA Multi-beneficiary Coordination meetings with the Beneficiaries  were  organised 
during 2009: in Brussels on 15-16 January 2009, where it was concluded that further efforts to 
inform and involve the EU Delegations and Beneficiaries in the implementation of the Multi-
beneficiary  Programmes  should  be  made;  in  Croatia  on  9-10  June  2009,  where  strategic 
discussions on the Multi-beneficiary programme 2011-2013  held in workshops took place; in 
Skopje  on  18-19  November  2009  where  the  preliminary  outcomes  of  the  various  Strategic 
Working Group meetings held in October 2009 in Brussels were exchanged.  

As already mentioned, a Multi-beneficiary Donor Coordination Meeting took place on 2 July 
2009  to  start  discussing  the  preliminary  project  ideas  for  the  Multi-beneficiary  Programme 
2010, in order to ensure synergies and avoid overlaps, as well as to explain the different steps 
for  the  programming  of  IPA  Multi-beneficiary  assistance  in  2011  -  2013.  IFIs  and 
implementing  agencies,  in  particular  from  the  UN  organisations  were  also  involved  in  the 
discussions  of  the  Sector  Working  Groups,  set  up  to  better  analyse  the  needs  for  regional 
cooperation and tailor accordingly the MIPD for the new programming cycle 2011 – 2013.  

In comparison  with previous years, participation from the Beneficiaries and other  donors in 
the exchange of information has considerably increased, in particular with regards to the new 
approach  to  2011-13  Multi-Beneficiary  IPA  programming,  focusing  on  long-term  strategic 
planning with Beneficiaries and other relevant donors from the initiation phase on, including 
project preparation. 

9.4.  Monitoring   

IPA  Multi-beneficiary  programmes  are  monitored  by  an  external  company  using  Results-
Oriented Monitoring (ROM). The purpose of ROM is to provide a clear, objective, consistent 
and  user-friendly  snapshot  on  projects  implementation  as  well  as  providing  information  on 
best  practices/common  mistakes  and  recommendations  for  improvement  to  the  Commission 
and the Beneficiaries.  

Through  a  consistent  approach,  with  standardised  outputs,  ROM  highlights  strengths  and 
weaknesses in the implementation of EU external assistance projects, by  assessing  projects’ 
relevance, quality of design, efficiency, impact and sustainability. The general principle and 

- 134 - 

 
 
 
aim is to monitor ongoing projects of at least EUR 1 million EU contribution and a minimum 
duration of 12 months. 

The average ratings for CARDS and IPA Regional and Multi-beneficiary projects monitored 
in 2009 in comparison to the ones monitored in 2008 show improvements in almost all criteria 
(see  balow),  and  a  better  performance  in  average.  During  the  reporting  period,  25  projects 
were  monitored  by  means  of  152  monitoring  missions.  The  majority  (68.8%)  of  regional 
projects monitored  in 2009 are in  the  area of good  performance. No reports  flagged  serious 
problems  in  project  implementation.  However  there  is  one  project,  “European  Investor 
Outreach  Program  (EIOP)  –  Phase  2”  which  has  shown  a  low  performance  in  terms  of 
sustainability,  i.e.  likelihood  of  a  continuation  in  the  stream  of  benefits  produced  by  the 
project after the period of external support has ended.  

Criterion 
Relevance/Quality of design 
Efficiency 

Effectiveness  

Impact 
Sustainability 
Average109 

2008 
2.81 
2.99 

2.82 

2.94 
2.91 
2.89 

2009 
2.89 
2.86 

3.00 

2.96 
3.06 
2.95 

In  general,  project  managers  carry  out  several  monitoring  missions  to  the  projects  they  are 
responsible for, participate in steering committees and meet regularly the project stakeholders. 
To  complement  the  day-to-day  project  management  and  missions  undertaken  to  verify  the 
progress of the projects, a system of Monitoring Maps per project has been put in place in late 
2009. These monitoring maps are a way of systematically monitor individual contracts based 
on an initial risk assessment of what type of controls are necessary for the contract followed 
by  the  identification  of  the  appropriate  means  of  control  (verification,  missions,  external 
monitoring, audits etc). 

109 

Explanation of ROM Ratings:  4 =Very Good; 3=Good; 2=Problems; 1=Serious deficiencies. 

- 135 - 

 
 
                                                 
PART III: FINANCIAL DATA  

BREAKDOWN OF IPA COMMITMENTS IN 2009 IN MILLION EUR 

1. COMPONENT I – TRANSITION ASSISTANCE AND INSTITUTION BUILDING PROGRAMMES 

COUNTRY ALLOCATIONS  

COUNTRY 

Albania 
Bosnia & Herzegovina 
Croatia 
former Yugoslav 
Republic of Macedonia 
Kosovo 
Montenegro 
Serbia 
Turkey 
TOTAL 

ANNUAL 
PROGRAMME
69.86
80.50
44.60
37.06

103.60
28.43
70.55
204.55
639.15

MULTI-BENEFICIARY ALLOCATIONS  

NUCLEAR 
SAFETY 

TEMPUS 

0.50
1.00
1.00
0.50

0.30
0.20
5.00
-
8.50

1.00
2.40
-
1.75

2.20
1.20
7.00
-
15.55

BUDGET 
SUPPORT 
- 
- 
- 
- 

- 
- 
100.00 
- 
100.00 

Programme 
Multi-beneficiary Programme I  
Multi-beneficiary Programme II  
Support to the operational budget of the Office of the High Representative (OHR) in 
Bosnia and Herzegovina 
Contribution to the Energy Community budget 
TAIEX 
Information and Communication 
Monitoring 
Evaluation and Audit 
TOTAL  
*Excluding Nuclear Safety and Tempus, which are presented under the country allocations table 

1.2 COMPONENT II – CROSS BORDER COOPERATION PROGRAMMES 

1.2.1 CROSS COUNTRY COOPERATION PROGRAMMES WITH MEMBER STATES  

TOTAL 

71.36
83.90
45.60
39.31

106.10
29.83
182.55
204.55
763.20

Total*
19.30
168.50
5.93

2.94
9.00
9.00
6.00
3.20
223.87

COUNTRY 

BULGARIA  GREECE  HUNGARY 

ROMANIA 

SLOVENIA 

Albania 
Bosnia & 
Herzegovina 
Croatia 
former Yugoslav 
Republic of 
Macedonia 
Kosovo 
Montenegro 
Serbia 
Turkey 
TOTAL 

- 
- 

- 
1.34 

- 
- 
2,36 
2.05 
5.75 

1.63
- 

- 
1.47

- 
- 
- 
- 
3.10

- 
- 

- 
- 

- 
- 
2,94
- 
2.94

- 
- 

3.21
- 

- 
- 
- 
- 
3.21

- 
- 

2.62
- 

- 
- 
2,49
- 
5.11

- 136 - 

ADRIATIC 
PROGRAMME  
5.90 
2.45 

7.31 

- 

- 

1.36 
0,60 

- 
17.62 

TOTAL 

7.53
2.45

13.14
2.81

0.00
1.36
8.39
2.05
37.73

 
 
 
1.2.2  CROSS  COUNTRY  COOPERATION  PROGRAMMES  BETWEEN  IPA  COUNTRIES  AND 
PARTICIPATION IN TRANSNATIONAL PROGRAMMES   

Country 

Albania 

Bosnia & 
Herzegovina 

Croatia 

fYR 
Macedonia 

Montenegro 

Serbia 

Albania 
Bosnia & 
Herzegovina 
Croatia 
former Yugoslav 
Republic of 
Macedonia 
Kosovo 
Montenegro 
Serbia 
Turkey 
TOTAL 

- 
- 

- 
1.00 

- 
0.60 
- 
- 
1.60 

- 
- 

- 

- 

- 

1.00 

0.60 
1.10 

2.70 

- 
1.00 

- 
- 

- 
0.50 
1.00 
- 
2.50 

0.85
- 

- 
- 

- 
- 
- 
- 
0.85

0.85
0.50

0.40

0.50

2.25

- 

- 
- 

- 

- 
0.70

0.80
- 

- 
0.60
- 
- 
2.10

1.3 COMPONENT III – REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES 

ERDF SE 
Europe / 
Med 

ENPI 
Black Sea 

Total 

0.60 
0.56 

0.56 
0.56 

- 
1.01 
1.26 
- 
4.55 

- 
- 

- 
- 

- 
- 
- 
1.00
1.00

2.30
2.76

2.76
1.56

0.00
3.31
3.86
1.00
17.55

COUNTRY 

Croatia 
former Yugoslav 
Republic of 
Macedonia 
Turkey 
TOTAL 

REGIONAL 
COMPETITIVENESS 
12.70 

- 

54.8 
67.50 

TRANSPORT  ENVIRONMENT 

18.50
15.70

60.3
94. 5

18.50
3.90

67.6
90.00

TECHNICAL 
ASSISTANCE 
- 

1.20 

TOTAL 

49.70
20.80

- 

1.20 

182.70
253.20

1.4 COMPONENT IV – HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES 

COUNTRY 

REDUCING 
UNEMPLOYMENT 

SOCIAL 
INCLUSION 

Croatia 
former Yugoslav 
Republic of 
Macedonia 
Turkey 
TOTAL 

2.85 

2.85 

8.56 
14.26 

4.00

2.13

17.00
23.13

EDUCATION AND 
TRAINING / 
HUMAN 
CAPITAL 
INVESTMENT 

TECHNICAL 
ASSISTANCE / 
ADMINISTRATIV
E CAPACITY 

TOTAL 

5.95

1.42

4.25
11.62

1.4 

14.20

0.70 

7.10

25.79 
27.89 

55.60
76.90

1.5 COMPONENT V – RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES 

COUNTRY 

EU STANDARDS 

DEVELOPMENT 
OF RURAL 
ECONOMY 

TECHNICAL 
ASSISTANCE 

TOTAL 

PREPARATORY 
ACTIONS FOR 
AGRI- 
ENVIRONMENTAL 
MEASURES AND 
LEADER 

Croatia 
former Yugoslav 
Republic of 
Macedonia 
Turkey 
TOTAL 

16.77 

7.96 

62.42 
87.15 

0.00

0.00

0.00
0.00

8.00

1.84

21.38
31.22

1.03 

0.41 

1.71 
3.15 

25.80

10.21

85.51
121.52

- 137 -