Background document to the 2010 annual report on financial assistance for enlargement (IPA, PHARE, CARDS, Turkey pre-accession instrument, transition facility). Commission staff working document.

Abstract

EU financial assistance to Albania has played an important role during 2010 to further support the country on its way towards European integration. Ongoing CARDS and IPA projects in the areas of justice and home affairs, public administration reform and fight against corruption have been further advanced and have shown concrete results. Furthermore, there has been progress in infrastructure projects in the water and transport sectors. There have also been many technical assistance projects ongoing in different line Ministries or state institutions, and the support to the Ministry of European Integration has had a positive horizontal impact on programming of EU financial assistance. Compared to the previous year, further improvements in the programming exercise have been encountered as the Ministry was in a better position to play its coordination role. This has to be seen in the context of a more streamlined approach with the relevant line Ministries as the previously installed Senior Programming Officers became more and more operational. The amount contracted during the reporting period under the IPA programmes 2007, 2008 and 2009 is EUR 92.31 million, exceeding the new commitments (nearly EUR 87 million) under the 2010 IPA Programmes. This continued a positive trend which began in 2009. With a view to the preparation for the decentralised management of IPA funds further progress has been made with the help of an IPA 2007 technical assistance. Under IPA Component I, key structures have now been established and relevant staff hired and trained. Work has also started on IPA Components II-V.