A new focus to EU assistance for enlargement: The crux of the matter in the EU’s enlargement process is that the political, economic and institutional reforms lead to results on the ground, in each and every country. They have to deliver in this challenging process. But they are not alone. The EU stands by their side with politicalsupport, technical advice and substantial financial assistance to help them carry out these reforms. IPA provides assistance in different forms to countries undertaking political and economic reforms on their path to EU membership:

• investment, procurement contracts or subsidies;
• Member State experts to build administrative cooperation;
• action to support the beneficiary countries;
• aid in implementing and managing programmes;
• in exceptional cases, budget support.

The assistance provided will be used in the following areas: strengthening of democratic institutions, as well as the rule of law, including its enforcement; the promotion and the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms and enhanced respect for minority rights, the promotion of gender equality and non-discrimination; public administration reform; economic reform; the development of civil society; social inclusion; reconciliation, con fidence-building measures and reconstruction; regional and cross-border cooperation. The first IPA project launched in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia was to provide assistance in police development – demonstrating the importance the EU attaches to police reform in the country. This project, with continuous advice to the police at central, regional and local level, as well as to the Ministry of Interior, is the latest phase of longstanding support for justice and home affairs reform. Another recent project provided new communications for the police through the provision of new radio facilities. IPA will complement the € 50 million the EU has spent on rehabilitating transport infrastructure in Kosovo since 1999 – including this new bridge on the Pristina-Skopje highway. The EU’s assistance in creating a regional strategy for disaster risk reduction in the Western Balkans and Turkey will help combat natural disasters such as fires, floods and earthquakes, and provide better coordination for coping with the aftermath too.

Respective website of the EU.