The Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance, or simply IPA, is the funding mechanism of the European Union set up to support accession and pre-accession countries through the process of adaptation to eventual EU membership.

 

First established in 2007, it replaced previous programmes, particularly PHARE programme and CARDS. IPA offers funds to both EU candidate countries (Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Turkey) and potential candidate countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Serbia including Kosovo as defined by the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244/1999). Exceptionally, other countries may benefit from measures financed by the IPA.

 

IPA has been designed to offer appropriate support to pre-accession beneficiary countries. Its main aim is to support institution-building and the rule of law, human rights, including the fundamental freedoms, minority rights, gender equality and non-discrimination, both administrative and economic reforms, economic and social development, reconciliation and reconstruction, and regional and crossborder cooperation.

 

The IPA programme is intended to be developed in line with the Stabilisation and Association Process (SAP), with the funding streams being available to support the process of institution building and alignment.

 

This course aims to offer an in-depth analysis of the IPA. It focuses on the individual components and the likely timelines that a country has to follow. It will highlight the fundamental objectives of key policy areas, namely the single market, agriculture, rural and regional development, as well as economic governance. Moreover, the course also pays specific reference to institutional adjustments to satisfy the EU’s objective of transparency and accountability. 

 

The course is mainly designed for people with a general understanding of the EU institutional structures. However, it does not require applicants to have extensive EU professional experience. The programme is also suitable for people wishing to update their knowledge of contemporary EU funding mechanisms.