IPA

The Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance is the sole pre-accession instrument developed in order to provide financial assistance to beneficiary countries, both potential candidate and candidate countries and support them in their transition from potential candidate to candidate country status and through to membership of the European Union.

The overall objectives of IPA are strengthening of democratic institutions and the rule of law, enforcement and protection of human and minority rights, gender equality and anti-discrimination, public administration reform, implementation of a decentralised management of EU funds, implementation of economic reform, and development of civil society, reconciliation and cooperation in the region.

Pursuant to the European Commission Decision on the Conferral of Management Powers, the relevant bodies in the Republic of Serbia satisfying the set requirements have been granted the powers for managing EU pre-accession assistance programmes.

Setting up the system for Decentralized Management of EU funds is an important step towards the Republic of Serbia’s accession to the European Union. Through this process the Serbian public administration is preparing for the usage of Structural and Cohesion Funds of EU.

So far, the European Union has provided financial assistance through the IPA instrument under three program perspectives.

IPA I (financed from Multiannual Financial Framework 2007 – 2013)

Component I: Transition Assistance and Institution Building

The Transition Assistance and Institution Building component (TAIB) is designed to support the administrative and judicial capacity building of the public institutions, support economic development and social cohesion and ability to assume obligations of the accession process.

The assistance provided under the TAIB component may take the form of:

• training and information exchange in particular through twinning, twinning light and TAIEX;
• technical assistance;
• investments;
• grant schemes;
• project preparation facilities;
• implementation of finance facilities in cooperation with financial institutions;
• budgetary support;
• participation in the Community programmes.

Component II: Cross-Border Co-operation

Operating on the local level in the border areas, the Cross-Border Co-operation (CBC) programmes support the population on both sides of the border to promote sustainable economic and social development, working together to address common challenges (e.g. environment, natural and cultural heritage, public health, prevention of and fight against organised crime, etc.), ensure efficient and secure borders and promote joint small scale actions involving local participants from the border regions.

Actions funded under this component are generally implemented through grant schemes.

IPA II

IPA II is a program of the European Union that provides financial and technical assistance as part of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2014-2020. The Framework Agreement on Financial Partnership between the Republic of Serbia and the European Union was signed in 2014.

Thematic priorities are:

• compliance with the principle of good public administration and economic governance;
• establishing and promoting from an early stage the proper functioning of the institutions necessary in order to secure the rule of law;
• strengthening the capacities of civil society organisations and social partners’ organisations, including professional associations;
• investment in education, skills and lifelong learning;
• fostering employment and supporting labour mobility;
• promoting social inclusion and combating poverty;
• promoting sustainable transport and removing bottlenecks in key network infrastructures;
• improving the private-sector environment and competitiveness of enterprises, including smart specialisation, as key drivers of growth, job creation and cohesion;
• strengthening research, technological development and innovation;
• contributing to the security and safety of food supply and the maintenance of diversified and viable farming systems in vibrant rural communities and the countryside;
• increasing the ability of the agri-food sector to cope with competitive pressure and market forces as well as to progressively align with the Union rules and standards, while pursuing economic, social and environmental goals in balanced territorial development of rural areas;
• protecting and improving the quality of the environment, contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, increasing resilience to climate change and promoting climate action governance and information;
• promoting reconciliation, peace-building and confidence-building measures.

Thematic priorities for assistance for territorial cooperation are:

• promoting employment, labour mobility and social and cultural inclusion across borders;
• protecting the environment and promoting climate change adaptation and mitigation, risk prevention and management through;
• promoting sustainable transport and improving public infrastructures;
• encouraging tourism and cultural and natural heritage;
• investing in youth, education and skills;
• promoting local and regional governance and enhancing the planning and administrative capacity of local and regional authorities;
• enhancing competitiveness, the business environment and the development of small and medium-sized enterprises, trade and investment;
• strengthening research, technological development, innovation and information and communication technologies.

IPA III

IPA III is a program of the European Union that provides financial and technical assistance as part of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027. The Framework Agreement on Financial Partnership between the Republic of Serbia and the European Union was signed in 2022.

IPA III shall have the following specific objectives:

• to strengthen the rule of law, democracy, the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including through promoting an independent judiciary, reinforced security and the fight against corruption and organised crime, compliance with international law, freedom of media and academic freedom and an enabling environment for civil society, to promote non-discrimination and tolerance, to ensure respect for the rights of persons belonging to minorities and the promotion of gender equality and to improve migration management, including border management and tackling irregular migration, as well as addressing forced displacement;
• to reinforce the effectiveness of public administration and to support transparency, structural reforms and good governance at all levels, including in the areas of public procurement and State aid;
• to strengthen economic and social development and cohesion, with particular attention to youth, including through quality education and employment policies, through supporting investment and private sector development, with a focus on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as on agriculture and rural development;
• to reinforce environmental protection, to increase resilience to climate change, to accelerate the shift towards a low- carbon economy;
• to support territorial cohesion and cross-border cooperation across land and maritime borders, including transnational and interregional cooperation.

Thematic priorities are:

• establishing and promoting from an early stage the proper functioning of the institutions necessary to secure the rule of law and further consolidating democratic institutions;
• strengthening capacities to face migration challenges at regional and international levels;
• enhancing capacities for strategic communication, including communicating to the public about necessary reforms for meeting the Union’s membership criteria;
• enhancing good governance and reforming public administration in line with the principles of public administration;
• strengthening all aspects of good neighbourly relations, regional stability and mutual cooperation;
• promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls;
• strengthening access to and the quality of education, training and lifelong learning at all levels, and offering support to cultural and creative sectors and sport;
• fostering quality employment and access to the labour market;
• promoting social protection and inclusion and combating poverty;
• promoting smart, sustainable, inclusive and safe transport, removing bottlenecks in key network infrastructures, and enhancing energy security and diversification;
• improving the private-sector environment and competitiveness of enterprises, in particular of SMEs;
• improving access to digital technologies and services and strengthening research, technological development and innovation;
• contributing to the security and safety of the supply of food and water;
• protecting the environment and improving the quality of the environment.