What is IPA?
IPA stands for Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance.
Pre-accession assistance is meant to provide support for the accession process by providing financial support to the Candidate Countries to prepare for accession and to benefit from Community funds. Specifically, it provides support for implementation of the accession partnership concluded with each applicant country. (Source: DG Enlargement Website)

This new Instrument, part of the European External Aid Policies, replaces a series of existing instruments, all with different names, application fields and rules: Phare, ISPA, SAPARD, CARDS, Turkey pre-accession instrument.
This simplification was already prepared for during the transition period 2004-2006 with the New Neighbourhood Instrument. This transition phase is now coming to an end, and the new programming period 2007-2013, with a unique instrument, will enable better and easier management of the assistance programmes for Candidate and Potential Candidate Countries.

The IPA Instrument, created by Council Regulation (EC) No 1085/2006 of 12 July 2006, has been complemented by a Commission Implementation Regulation.

Legal basis of the IPA Regulation
Article 181(3) of the Treaty establishing the European Community.

List of Beneficiary Countries (as of June 2007)
The IPA Instrument is targeted at Candidate and Potential Candidate Countries, as well as to their cooperation with EU Member States.

The Cross-border Component of IPA
The IPA Instrument is composed of 5 Components:

• Transition assistance and institution building
• Cross-border cooperation
• Regional development
• Human resources development
• Rural development

The objective of the Cross-border Component is "promoting good neighbourly relations, fostering stability, security and prosperity in the mutual interest of all countries concerned, and encouraging their harmonious, balanced and sustainable development" (Regulation (EC) No 1085/2006, article 9(2)).

It covers two types of cross-border cooperation programmes:

• Programmes between IPA Beneficiary Countries (so called IPA-IPA programmes): e.g. Croatia - Bosnia and Herzegovina.
• Programmes between EU Member States and IPA countries (so-called MS-IPA programmes): e.g. Romania - Serbia. The IPA Regulation applies on both sides of the EU-non EU border.

European Territorial Cooperation Transnational and Interregional cooperation programmes may also be supported by IPA, provided eligible areas of IPA countries are included in these programmes.

Key principles for programme management:

• Partnership
• Responsibility
• Multi-annual programming
• Shared management
• Single budget and set of rules
• Joint structures and projects

"Integrated approach" (shared management) versus "transitional approach"
For CBC programmes between Member States and IPA countries, 2 management modes are possible:

• The integrated approach : if and when all participating countries are ready to run the programme jointly. The programme is then run jointly, by a single Managing Authority (to be located on the EU side of the border), with a single budget and no national breakdowns, and a single contracting authority (the MA) for joint projects. DG Regional Policy is in charge of the integrated programmes. The model and rules to be applied come from the Structural Funds programmes. The rationale behind this arrangement is to prepare future and potential Member States (Candidate and Potential Candidate Countries) to use Structural Funds and get acquainted with the rules and procedures.

Joint management structures:

• Managing Authority (to be located in a Member State)
• Certifying Authority
• Audit Authority
• Monitoring Committee
• Joint Technical Secretariat

• The transitional approach : if and when the participating countries are not fully ready to run the programme jointly, management structures are also set up in the IPA countries to run the programme in their country, including contracting with IPA project Lead Partners, financial agreements with the European Commission (DG Enlargement), etc. Even under this arrangement, the participating Member States will apply the Structural Funds rules for the EU side of the border.

Financial management
Article 13(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1085/2006 specifies that "Actions under this Regulation shall be managed, monitored, evaluated and reported on in accordance with Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002".
Both ERDF and IPA funds can be spent inside and outside the EU, in the programme eligible area.

Public procurement rules
Article 121 of the IPA Implementing Regulation provides (EC No 2499/2007) that "For the award of service, supply and work contracts, the procurement procedures shall follow the provisions of Chapter 3 of Part 2, Title IV of Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 and Chapter 3 of Part 2, Title III of Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2342/2002, as well as Commission Decision C (2006) 117 of 24 January 2006 (repealed and replaced by Commission Decision C(2007) 2034) on the rules and procedures applicable to service, supply and work contracts financed by the general budget of the European Communities for the purposes of co-operation with third countries. Those provisions shall apply in the whole area of the cross-border programme, both on Member States and on beneficiary countries' territory".

More details can be found in the FAQ developed by INTERACT Point Vienna/Turku, kindly supported and reviewed by the European Commission – DG Regional Policy and DG Enlargement. The questions and answers in the FAQ were raised during the INTERACT IPA Seminars in L´Aquila, Belgrade and Sofia, January-February 2007.

To the FAQ (soon available)
To the Glossary
Links
Downloads

Please contact Mauro Novello or Elise Blais at INTERACT Point Vienna/Turku
(email: name.surname@interact-eu.net)

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