No 27 | September 2008ec.europa.eu/.../panorama/pdf/mag27/mag27_en.pdf · at €27 million and €18 million respectively. Investment aid in candidate countries is only a fraction

$Page 1: No 27 | September 2008ec.europa.eu/.../panorama/pdf/mag27/mag27_en.pdf · at €27 million and €18 million respectively. Investment aid in candidate countries is only a fraction$
inforegio

Regional Policy and enlargement

Moving up a gear through pre-accession funding

en

panorama| No 27 | September 2008 |

Contents

Enabling candidate countries to develop through the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance 4 the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance 4

As European Enlargement continues apace, assistance given to candidate countries is becoming increasingly sophisticated. An overview of how original

pre-accession assistance has taken on new dimensions.

Regional development: an important step towards EU membership for the Western Balkans 7 EU membership for the Western Balkans 7

December 2005: an important milestone for the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia on its path to becoming a member of the European Union.

The cross-border component of the Instrument for Pre-Accession 8 The cross-border component of the Instrument for Pre-Accession 8Over recent years, the importance of supporting and encouraging

cross-border co-operation for Europe’s regions has been recognised more and more widely.

Report: Building a cleaner future 10 Report: Building a cleaner future 10As Bulgaria reaches towards its future within the EU, funding under the structural policy

for pre-accession is helping one town modernise its environmentally contaminating waste disposal and water systems. Panorama travels to Ruse, Bulgaria's largest port on the Danube.

From the ground: Championing economic growth in Croatia 15 From the ground: Championing economic growth in Croatia 15

From the ground: Forging ahead in Turkey – a new approach to regional competitiveness 17 a new approach to regional competitiveness 17

ISPA in action: Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria 20 ISPA in action: Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria 20

From the ground: Getting ready for IPA – the accreditation process of the management and control systems in Croatia 21 21

Neighbourhood programmes in action: Hungary, Romania, Serbia, CADSES, Adriatic New Neighbourhood Programme 22 CADSES, Adriatic New Neighbourhood Programme 22

From the ground: Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia – leading the way in cross-border co-operation 23 of Macedonia – leading the way in cross-border co-operation 23

Event: Communicating Cohesion Policy together – inaugural meeting of the INFORM network 25 inaugural meeting of the INFORM network 25

REGIO & Networks 27 REGIO & Networks 27

Online 28 Online 28

Photographs (pages): European Commission (3, 4, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 22, 24, 25), EAR (7), Ministry of Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship, Croatia (15), Croatian National Tourist

Board/Josip Madračević (16), Ministry of Industry and Trade, Turkey (17, 18), Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, Croatia (20), Bertrand Gardel/Hemis/Corbis (21), Reporters (23).

Cover: Trogir, Croatia. Photo: Serdar Yagci/iStockphoto Other contributors: Tipik S.A.

Editor: Raphaël Goulet, European Commission, Regional Policy DG.

� is magazine is printed in English, French, German, Croat, Macedonian and Turkishon recycled paper and is available in 22 languages of the European Union at:

http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/index_en.htm

� e opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author and do notnecessarily refl ect the views of the European Commission.

Regional Policy and enlargement, moving up a gear through pre-accession funding

gis0 300 km

| inforegio | panorama | No 27 | p. 3 |

Preparing (potential) candidate countries for tomorrow

Developing close relationships with countries seeking to join the European Union is of the utmost importance. � e Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) is a new facility aimed at assisting candidate countries and potential candidate countries in their eff orts to better understand how the Union works and adapt national policies, rules and regulations in preparation for membership.

� e IPA combines, under one umbrella, EU programmes and pre-accession fi nancial instruments, and provides more fl exibility to benefi ciary countries to tailor assistance to their needs while allowing for improved coordination with stakeholders, Member States and international fi nancial institutions.

In this issue of Panorama, the spotlight is on two IPA components managed by the Directorate-General for Regional Policy: cross-border co-operation and regional development. � e former seeks to promote co-operation between the authorities on each side of the borders shared by EU Member States and candidate/potential candidate countries. � e latter is designed to support investment in fi elds such as infrastructure development in the same way that regions within the Union are supported under the European Regional Development Fund and Cohesion Fund. For the fi rst time, pre-accession assistance has been planned and implemented in a more strategic way over several years, thereby ensuring a continuous and uninterrupted fl ow of funds for core investment projects. IPA thus allows benefi ciary countries to become acquainted with how such actions are implemented in the Union for the day when, as full members, they would benefi t from the EU's Cohesion Policy.

In this edition of the Inforegio Panorama magazine, we highlight the diff erent ways that benefi ciary countries are managing and implementing projects fi nanced by IPA and its predecessor ISPA, as seen through the eyes of the representatives of the countries themselves as well as experts from the Commission. I believe that this is an important mutual learning exercise both for existing Member States and the Union's future members.

Danuta HübnerCommissioner for Regional Policy

| p. 4 | inforegio | panorama | No 27 |

Regional Policy and enlargement, moving up a gear through pre-accession funding Regional Policy and enlargement, Regional Policy and enlargement,

Enabling candidate countries to develop through the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance As European Enlargement continues apace, assistance given to Candidate Countries is becoming

increasingly sophisticated. In this article we look at how the original pre-accession assistance has taken

on new dimensions.

Assistance to candidate countries through pre-accession funding moved up a gear from 1 January 2007, when all the related EU programmes and finance initiatives were replaced by a single measure – the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA)1. The programmes covered previously by Phare, Phare CBC, ISPA, SAPARD, CARDS and the financial instrument for Turkey delivered important benefits, but the process of managing them and keeping each initiative in step with the others has become simpler for all concerned. Not only this, but national authorities are much more closely involved and with a greater degree of responsibility for strategic planning and

programming. IPA includes many new concepts, like multi-annual programming, strategic planning, or the empowerment of regional authorities and local bodies. This broader framework gives candidate countries much more scope to develop their own economies and institutions and therefore the skills of their entrepreneurs and administrators.

Pushing the boundaries further

Pre-accession assistance has previously focused on institutional building and investment in key areas of Community policies. Investment was implemented through the Instrument for

(1) � e legal basis for this assistance is Council Regulation (EC) No 1085/2006, adopted on 17 July 2006. More detailed implementing rules are laid down in Commission Regulation (EC) No 718/2007 of 12 June 2007.

Croatia, like all candidate countries, can use EU assistance for environmental projects.

CrnaGora

ΕλλαδαElláda

Italia

ΚυπροςKyprosKıbrıs

Türkiye

БългарияBulgaria

PoranešnaJugoslovenska

RepublikaMakedonija

Hrvatska

Shqipëria

România

Bosna IHercegovina

Slovenija

Srbija

Magyarország

hland

MoldovaSlovensko

Česká Repu lb ika

Kosovounder UNSCR 1244/99

0 400 Km

REG IOgis



candidate countries will benefit for the first time from financing to cover activities that are similar to activities financed in EU Member States and regions under Cohesion Policy instruments. A significant share of IPA funds managed by the DGs for Regional Policy and Employment are allocated to Lisbon-type expenditure (roughly 15 to 20 % of the overall programme allocation, depending on the country).

A good example is the Regional Competitiveness Operational Programme in Turkey, where the bulk of the funding is dedicated to Lisbon-type programme, (programme budget for 2007-09 €187 million with a 75 % Community contribution). Projects which will be financed under the programme include the creation and upgrading of industrial infrastructure, facilitating access to finance, promoting R&D usage, developing innovation and technology, demand-driven consultancy services and networking.

Seeing the benefi ts of IPA

So far, perhaps the most impressive results of IPA were achieved during the preparation of the Operational Programmes. While the Strategic Coherence Frameworks (which are similar to the National Strategic Reference Frameworks prepared by Member States) were developed under the leadership of central government authorities, the programmes were drawn up by the competent line ministries in close consultation with regional authorities and stakeholders and civil society representatives. Alongside these

Structural Policies for Pre-Accession (ISPA), a project-oriented instrument focusing mainly on investments in the areas of trans-European networks and the environment. With IPA, conventional boundaries have been crossed, so that infrastructure investments are combined with measures to enhance competitiveness, innovation and employment creation.

� e fi ve components of IPA

Funds are allocated through five components: I Transition Assistance and Institution Building; II Cross-Border Co-operation; III Regional Development (transport, environment and economic development); IV Human Resources Development (strengthening human capital and combating exclusion); V Rural Development (rural development-type measures).

Components I and II are open to all beneficiary countries of the Western Balkans and Turkey. Components III, IV and V are open to candidate countries only (namely the Republic of Croatia, the Republic of Turkey and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia). Their design mirrors closely the management and programming principles of structural, cohesion and rural development funds. Thus, IPA allows beneficiary countries to participate at an early stage in managing these Community Cohesion Policy instruments. By gaining first-hand experience at running these programmes, they will be well placed to absorb future structural, cohesion and rural development funds once they become available to them.

IPA

© EuroGeographics Association for the administrative boundaries© EuroGeographics Association for the administrative boundaries© EuroGeographics Association for the administrative boundaries© EuroGeographics Association for the administrative boundaries

Potential candidate countries Candidate countries



core programming tasks, IPA also enabled national bodies to develop skills in fi nancial management and control.

In this relatively short period (programme preparations and negotiations took less than a year), essential preconditions and principles for successful implementation were agreed. These include programme ownership, concentrating assistance on core sectors and disadvantaged regions, and ensuring that programmes complemented other funding instruments and promoted partnerships among stakeholders. Over time, the systems that are being set up under IPA will develop into invaluable assets for managing EU Cohesion Policy and its instruments later on.

A quick look at some of the projects financed under IPA Component III demonstrates their diversity as well as their strategic importance.

Supporting waste management in Turkey

Balikesir Solid Waste Management project aims at reducing the pollution of groundwater and environment in Balikesir and surrounding villages and to increase reuse and recycling by establishing a Regional Solid Waste Management System for Balikesir, Bigadiç, İvrindi, Kepsut, Pamukçu, Susurluk and Savaştepe, in accordance with the acquis and the Turkish Legislation. The project will serve a population of approximately 444 000 inhabitants

by the year 2035. The total estimated cost of the project is €14 million, including around €10 million of IPA support. � e project should be completed and in operation by 2011.

Croatian environmental projects

Major infrastructure projects are being financed under the Croatian Environmental Operational Programme. Here new facilities are being financed for solid waste and waste water that fully respect relevant EU environmental standards. For instance, modern solid waste management centres are planned for the town of Split (Lecevica) where a landfill site, transfer stations, recycling and a mechanical and biological treatment plant are to be constructed. The total project cost is estimated at €68 million. New waste water treatment plants and upgrading of sewerage networks are also programmed for the towns of Slavonski Brod, Knin and Drnis. The total project costs are estimated at €27 million and €18 million respectively.

Investment aid in candidate countries is only a fraction of the level of investment assistance available to Member States2, but it places a strong emphasis on building institutions and structures for the future. It gives business leaders and civil servants a crucial experience in devising and managing investment projects, preparing them for the time when they take on full control of Structural Fund programmes.

(2) Overall IPA allocation for the current fi nancial framework 2007-13: €11.5 billion 2007-09, for example, Croatia receives on average €34 per capita per year of Community funds under IPA, while Bulgaria receives €110 per capita from Structural Fund programmes.

IPA funds are also available to potential candidate countries in the Western Balkans such as Bosnia and Herzegovina.



Regional development: an important step towards EU membership for the Western Balkans December 2005 marked an important milestone for the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia on its path to becoming

a European Union (EU) member – the European Council awarded it the status of ‘candidate country’. This heralded

the progress made by the country and opened new doors, giving it access to the fi ve components of the instrument

for pre-accession assistance. This has enabled the country to take an active role since 2007 in building its future as

a stakeholder in regional policy.

Victor da Fonseca

As a result of the Regional Development component of pre-accession assistance, a precursor to the Structural and Cohesion Funds, a strategy document has been developed by the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. This comes in addition to an operational programme that defines the needs and priorities of the country, following the example of the current 27 EU Member States.

This strategic planning and sectoral programming has given national authorities the opportunity to take responsibility for social and economic development in co-operation with civil society.

One of the main objectives of the Regional Development operational programme is to contribute to sustainable development and the regional integration of the country into the Western Balkans. Community aid will be concentrated initially on the transport and environment sectors – regional competitiveness is not expected to be incorporated until 2010.

Aside from putting in place administrative structures for managing and monitoring European funds, the national authorities are currently managing two major projects fi nanced by the operational programme. � ese projects are a real test for the country as they involve the application of EU standards and practices on a large scale and in several domains – from environmental impact analyses to donor coordination.

The first major project concerns building a new motorway section between Demir Kapjia and Smokvica along the No 10 corridor. This will mean the completion of the trans-European network between Salzburg and Thessalonica, opening the country up further, which is a requirement for regional integration. The project has a total budget of €155 million which is made up of contributions from the EU, Greece (in the form of a bilateral donation), the European Investment Bank (via a loan) and the state.

� e second project involves giving the 75 000 inhabitants of Prilep a reliable sewerage system and a waste water treatment facility. Its resources in terms of soft water and biodiversity make the country one of the principal natural reservoirs of the region. Heavy pollution caused by non-treated waste water, as well as non-treated urban and industrial water, is however a real threat for sustainable development and the quality of life for the inhabitants. Considerable investments on the part of the public sector will be necessary to be able to cope effi ciently in the coming years. � e cost of the fi rst project is rising to nearly €20 million, co-fi nanced by the EU to a total of €6 million, the rest covered by a national contribution.

Considering the progress made by the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia over several years and despite the level of eff ort that needs to be maintained, this period of pre-accession gives rise to real prospects for the country’s future in the European family and more specifi cally in regional policy.

Road construction activities in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

KOSOVOunder UNSCR 1244/99

MALTA

UKRAINA

ROSSIJA

SHQIPËRIA

MOLDOVA

ROMÂNIA

CRNAGORA

SLOVENSKO

HRVATSKA

MAGYARORSZÁG

SRBIJA

DEUTSCHLAND

TÜRKIYE

ÖSTERREICH

BOSNAI\HERCEGOVINA

ΕΛΛΑΔΑELLÁDA

ITALIA

SLOVENIJA

БЪЛГАРИЯBULGARIA

ΚΥΠΡΟΣKYPROSKıBRıS

ČESKÁREPUBLIKA

PJRM

Slovenia- Croatia

Romania- Serbia

Hungary- SerbiaHungary

- Croatia

Greece - Turkey

Greece - The formerYugoslav Republic Of Macedonia

Greece- Albania

Cyprus - Turkey

Bulgaria- Turkey

Bulgaria- Serbia

Bulgaria - The formerYugoslav Republic Of Macedonia

Adriatic

REG IOgis0 300 km



Co-operation has long been a key component of EU Cohesion Policy, fi rstly through the INTERREG Community Initiative, and now via the European Territorial Co-operation Objective. One of the Instrument for Pre-Accession’s main roles is to help ready candidate countries for implementing Cohesion Policy, hence the logic behind the IPA also having a cross-border dimension. At the same time, using the IPA to deliver cross-border co-operation in the new programming period is also designed to resolve some of the administrative diffi culties that co-operation along the EU’s external borders has faced in the past.

Strictly speaking, the IPA cross-border component supports three types of co-operation. Firstly, it funds cross-border co-operation between Member States on the one hand and

candidate or potential candidate countries on the other. Secondly, it supports cross-border co-operation between candidate and potential candidate countries themselves. Finally, the component may also support the involvement of candidate and potential candidate countries in transnational co-operation programmes under the Territorial Co-operation Objective, in particular the south-east Europe and Mediterranean programmes.

� is article focuses on the fi rst of these elements, which will support up to 12 programmes between the Member States and (potential) candidate countries (see map). Most of these pro-grammes are already up and running, and the fi rst call for projects has already been completed for the Slovenia-Croatia programme (see(see www.interreg-slohucro.com for more details). www.interreg-slohucro.com for more details). www.interreg-slohucro.com

The cross-border component of the Instrument for Pre-Accession Over recent years, the importance of supporting and encouraging cross-border co-operation for Europe’s regions has been

recognised more and more widely. Border regions suff er from a number of specifi c disadvantages compared to more central

regions. They are usually less well developed and often face geographical or demographic challenges; moreover, their

economic sphere of infl uence and development potential very often run into legal, administrative, economic and cultural

barriers caused by the border itself. These factors are particularly acute along the European Union’s external borders.

Moray Gilland & Irina Nicolaescu

IPA cross-border co-operation programmes with EU Member State participation

© EuroGeographics Association for the administrative boundaries (NUTS regions)© EuroGeographics Association for the administrative boundaries (NUTS regions)© EuroGeographics Association for the administrative boundaries (NUTS regions)© EuroGeographics Association for the administrative boundaries (NUTS regions)© EuroGeographics Association for the administrative boundaries (NUTS regions)© EuroGeographics Association for the administrative boundaries (NUTS regions)© EuroGeographics Association for the administrative boundaries (NUTS regions)© EuroGeographics Association for the administrative boundaries (NUTS regions)Other administrative boundaries : Global Administrative Unit Layers (Gaul), FAOOther administrative boundaries : Global Administrative Unit Layers (Gaul), FAOOther administrative boundaries : Global Administrative Unit Layers (Gaul), FAO

Adriatic

Bulgaria - Turkey

Bulgaria - Serbia

Greece - Albania

Bulgaria - the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Greece - the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Cyprus - Turkey

Greece - Turkey

Hungary - Croatia

Hungary - Serbia

Romania - Serbia

Slovenia - Croatia



Most of the programmes are relatively small, land-based programmes owing to the political geography of the region. � e (major) exception is the Adriatic programme, which will receive over €200 million up to 2013 and involves eight countries.

A new, more radical approach to Cross-border Co-operation

It is diffi cult to underplay the radical nature of the cross-border component of the IPA. Firstly, the funds for each programme are allocated per programme, not per country. � is resolves one of the major disadvantages with EU external border co-operation programmes in the past – the diffi culties involved in coordinating diff erent sources of funds inside and outside the Union.

Secondly, the cross-border component is available to all candidate and potential candidate countries – unlike the regional development, human resources and rural development components of IPA, which are only available to candidate countries. � is is especially signifi cant because of the high level of interest in cross-border co-operation across the region. � e relatively small size of the countries means that signifi cant numbers of their people live in border regions, and this can mean that border issues often feature high on the political agenda. Excluding them from cross-border co-operation would have been a very negative and counterproductive signal to send out. As a result, all the countries concerned will benefi t from being part of programmes implemented under a Structural Funds approach even before they become candidate countries for accession to the Union.

� is is the third main innovation of the cross-border component of the IPA. In line with the aim of using these programmes to prepare for future Structural Funds implementation, the IPA cross-border programmes will mirror Structural Funds rules as closely as possible. � is means fi rstly that the programmes are run on a multi-annual basis. A Monitoring Committee, comprising representatives

from the countries concerned, is responsible for running the programme, supported by a Secretariat staff ed from both sides of the border. Moreover, all projects must have partners from both sides of the border and will be selected jointly by the participating countries, not by the Commission.

In contrast to these fundamental changes to the organisation of cross-border co-operation, the content of the programmes may seem less radical since it builds on the successes of cross-border co-operation elsewhere in Europe. � e programmes off er support for economic and tourism development, social and cultural links, environmental protection, transport development, and small-scale infrastructure. On one level therefore, the benefi ts of these cross-border co-operation programmes seem obvious. Project partners from the border areas concerned will receive funds allowing them to work together with their neighbours and to run projects delivering results for the economic and social development of the local populations.

However, cross-border co-operation is not, and cannot be, simply about the local level. By working together in their common border regions, countries can address challenges that transcend political borders. Flood prevention is one such area, where fl ooding on one side of the border may have its root causes on the other side. In addition, some local-level projects may have links to national and European policy issues. In this context, projects related to the Roma people, or to shared river basins like the Danube and Tisza, could be developed in the IPA cross-border programmes and might have an infl uence far beyond the local, cross-border area.

Finally, there is another layer of benefi ts that should also be taken into account – these can be described as the institutional benefi ts for the (potential) candidate countries. By participating in these programmes, the national and local authorities in these countries can gain experience in the implementation of Structural Funds-type programmes, including participation in Monitoring Committees, project selection procedures and the establishment of fi nancial control and audit systems.

Conclusions

� e fi rst quarter of 2009 will be a key period for the IPA cross-border programmes. Most of the programmes will hold their offi cial launch events, along with Monitoring Committee meetings, in order to raise the profi les of the programmes in the border regions and begin the process of attracting project submissions. It will be important to maintain visibility for all the programmes at this crucial stage.

� e IPA cross-border programmes form a strategic dimension within EU pre-accession assistance by providing a learning framework for (potential) candidate countries in their preparations for implementing EU Cohesion Policy.

The IPA cross-border component thus represents an expansion, both geographically and fi nancially, of EU co-operation policy into south-east Europe. � is brings further potential benefi ts, but also an increased level of responsibility with a need for more ambition and proactive involvement from all actors in the programmes.

Two European zoos in Hungary and Serbia co-operate to enhance education and environmental protection.



Waste water and wasted water – twin problems

� e Danube fl ows past the Bulgarian town of Ruse, bringing with it trade, visitors and cultural exchange – much as it has done since the Romans fi rst settled here. When it fl ows away from Ruse it takes not only barges and cruise ships with it – but also the entire town's untreated sewerage. From the vantage point of one of the town's outfl ows, discharging around 240 000 litres a second, 'Blue Danube' seems to be a misnomer.

While untreated municipal and industrial sewerage gathers in collectors to be poured directly out into the river, 45 % of the town's clean water fl ows out of the town’s mains due to leaks in the obsolete pipes – making water supplies unreliable, expensive and dangerous, due to the risk of microbiological contamination.

When water does fl ow from the domestic tap, it will have travelled through approximately 447 km of fracturing, crumbling pipes, 64 % of which are constructed from asbestos cement. "Our key problem is that the whole system was built in the 1970s and has not been upgraded since – it is simply worn out," explains Sava Savov – the manager of ViK, the town's regional water company: Water Supply and Sewerage Ltd.

All this is set to change by the end of 2010, when the results of Bulgaria's most extensive water project take eff ect. Benefi ting from 75 % EU co-fi nancing, (€35.1 million) under the EU's Instrument for Structural Policies for Pre-accession (ISPA), Ruse's Integrated Water Project will allow the town to comply with two key EU water directives: those governing urban Waste Water Treatment and Drinking Water. It will deliver: new, more effi cient pumps; 10 replacement hydrophores ensuring constant supply to the town's high-rise buildings;

Building a cleaner future As Bulgaria reaches towards its future within the EU, funding under the structural policy for pre-accession

is helping one town modernise its environmentally contaminating waste disposal and water systems.

Panorama travels to Ruse, Bulgaria's largest port on the Danube (pop. 160 000), to look at how over

€40.5 million of support from the EU is helping the town comply with standards in water supply and

waste treatment and consign dangerous and obsolete infrastructure to the past.

Waste water from one of the town's outfl ows being discharged into the Danube in Ruse, Bulgaria.



20.5 km of replacement pipe for mains supply; renovation of the pipes most prone to leaking; an extended distribution network and a completely new sewerage system and treatment plant.

Turning waste into power

Now manager of ViK, fi ve years ago Savov was the head of a technical unit trying to keep the town's failing sewerage system going: "I remember we had a blockage and I went down into the collector to clear it. It took two days of intensive work to clean it out and I was sick for a week – headaches, stomach ache – the lot. � e fumes from the untreated waste water are so toxic", he said, as we watched one of the town's 11 collectors turn the Danube's waters brown as it discharged its contents.

� is continual fl ow of untreated domestic and industrial sewerage will cause the town to fall foul of the EU's Directive on Urban Waste Water Treatment, which comes into force in 2010. To address this, one of the key elements of Ruse's Integrated Water Project will be the complete overhaul of the sewerage system. Eleven collectors will be rationalised into one central collector which will direct the waste into a state of the art treatment plant, putting an end to a centuries old practice of uncontrolled discharge.

� e town's new waste water treatment plant, spread over 42 000m2, with a further 100 000m2 set aside for future use, will have the capacity to process the pollution load for a population equivalent to 240 000. � is is a unit of measurement calculated on the basis of the waste water produced, on average, by one person per day and takes into account the projected population growth for 2030.

� e plant is designed to meet EU standards in accordance with modern best practice and the current design is for an aeration plant with an anaerobic sludge digestion system.

Eight steps separate out the sewerage into treated water and sludge – these include mechanical processes, such as varying levels of fi ltration and biological treatments involving the balance between aeration, the use of anaerobic micro-organisms and the use of settling tanks. Ammonium will have been oxidised to form nitrate which will then be reduced into elementary nitrogen and the phosphorus precipitated out. By the time the process is complete, carbon, phosphates and nitrates will have been eliminated and clear, processed effl uent will fl ow into the river while the remaining sludge will be collected and subjected to further treatment. Once air dried and subjected to four phases of anaerobic treatment, the sludge ends up in a digester tank where the resulting methane produced will be collected and stored in a 900 m2 gas holder. From there it will fuel a biogas power plant and heater off ering combined heat and power.

� e Integrated Water Project runs from 2005-10, and the funds being invested will turn the waste that is currently degrading the Danube into an alternative power source.

Drinking water – uninterrupted supply of cleaner water

But it is not only the environment which is set to benefi t from the scope of the project – the population's health will be improved, drinking water resources preserved, jobs created and the fl ood risk minimised.

Safe disposal – a domestic waste cell being fi lled.



While 71 % of the fi nancing will go to modernising the sewerage system and building the treatment plant, the rest will be set aside for improving the supply of clean water. Outside the town, work has begun on replacing the 20.5 km of mains pipes leading from the town's water source to its second pumping station – previously two trunk water supply pipelines, one part constructed in the mid 50s and made from asbestos cement and the other made from reinforced concrete built in the late 60s. � ese are in very poor condition, a factor worsened by lower water levels caused by leaks and inadequate pumps – the pipes are exposed to more friction when the levels of water inside them are low.

Out in the fi eld, the contractor's resident engineer responsible for the construction of the new pipeline is Adam Harazim, who explained that the replacement pipes, double the diameter and made of glass reinforced plastic, need to be handled with respect. "� e pipe's fragility increases with its diameter so we excavate for one pipe at a time, and stabilise it immediately with backfi ll. � e pipes’ quality is checked both at the factory, at delivery to the site and then twice after installation. � ere are inevitably minor irregularities and design mistakes which are rectifi ed on site”, Harazim said.

� e contract was awarded at the end of 2007 and 5 km out of 20 have already been laid. "� e pipes are of diff ering lengths and each stretch is computer modelled to make sure the fi t is perfect", explained Mr Harazim.

Alongside the pipeline will be around 60 concrete chambers for control valves, branch and outfl ow connections. � e line will need to be cased for four crossings under railway lines and roads – all this to be done using the most up-to-date

technology. � e whole programme of construction works was laid out considering the weather conditions and the water table under the Danube, as well as the agricultural needs of the community since most of the pipeline is laid out in the fi elds around Ruse.

Further up stream, at the town's water source, the fi rst pumping station already has a new pump up and running. With a capacity of 500 litres a second and 25 % more energy effi cient, the pump is run on 6 000 volts – 75 % of the company's monthly €153 640 electricity bill is spent on supplying Ruse and the 100 000 households that make up the urban conurbation.

"No one body could have taken on an operation of this size", said Savov, "what you are seeing here is the result of co-operation between the Ministry of Regional Development who have a directorate handling the ISPA funding process, the three consultancies helping the Municipality manage the project and then there's ViK itself – the water company. Once this is completed, the town will be free of supply problems and the dangers of contamination", he added.

It is clear that having witnessed decades of underinvestment and the resulting struggle to hold the whole system together, Savov is personally touched by the developments and the help the town is getting: "You want to know how I feel at seeing all this change, such large-scale investment coming in? I feel, for the fi rst time, truly European."

One, well constructed landfi ll replaces random fl y-tips

As the water project gets fully underway, another major infrastructure project is being signed off . Where before there were no landfi ll sites that complied with EC regulations in the area, the new landfi ll site that covers Ruse and four other municipalities in the region, is now up and running. � e project received just over €5.5 million from ISPA and resulted in the closure of 18 tipping sites and subsequent improvement in the management and control of the area’s waste, specifi cally: improved reuse and recycle ratios; more organised collections and transportation; environmentally aware disposal, preventing the leaching of contaminants into the water table and the Danube, and improved monitoring.

With a total capacity of 2 337 000 m³ and a lifespan of 22 years, the site, 3 km outside Ruse, has three cells for non-hazardous, domestic waste giving a total capacity of 1 819 726 m³ (and room for the construction of another two).� ere are two more for inert waste, typically coming from the construction industry, with a total capacity of 121 955 m³. Two further cells have been especially constructed for the stor-age of hazardous waste and have a total capacity of 1 500 m³.

� e hazardous waste cells stand empty and will do so for the foreseeable future, having been constructed with an eye on their potential use. � ey are covered over and surrounded by a high, secure barrier and those set aside for other cells benefi t from a complex drainage system which collects and neutralises liquid that comes from the rotting waste. In fl y- tips, this environmentally dangerous liquid seeps straight into the ground, contaminating the land around and getting

A new mains transmission pipeline will improve the supply of clean water once installed.



into the water supply. At a well constructed landfi ll site, such as Ruse’s, what ultimately comes out of the system are cleaner solids, which then go back into the landfi ll, and harmless water which is discharged into the sewerage system.

"But it’s not just about neutralising, it’s about utilising as well," said landfi ll manager Plamen Kanazizov, "We are setting up a full-scale recycling section to extract metal, glass, plastic and paper with two diff erent systems to deal with domestic and construction waste." His advice to towns planning their waste disposal systems and landfi lls is clear: "It’s all about the lifespan of the site, eventually it will fi ll, the battle is about doing everything possible to extend the site's use as far as you can through recycling the waste wherever possible."

Ruse – EU funding buys enough time for the town to put itself back on its feet

Ruse, proud of its record for using EU funds transparently, is fi nally enjoying economic growth, a turn around for a town which suff ered from mass emigration in the mid 1980s due to nearby chloride emissions from Romania. "Everybody was leaving", said the town's mayor, Bojiday Yotov. "When the democratic changes came about in 1989, we inherited an economic mess. Almost everything in the city was dying and we suff ered from one of the highest unemployment rates in Bulgaria."

As one walks around Ruse, placards announcing projects that have been partially funded by earlier pre-accession instruments are in evidence – Phare money has gone into the small business sector and regional development and ISPA has been fundamental in getting the two, key infrastructure projects discussed, off the ground.

Although starting up while Bulgaria was still a candidate for accession, the projects continued as planned, after the country had become a member of the EU. It was not only the status of the country in its relation to the EU that underwent a change – the funding instrument changed its name, becoming the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA). And with the name change came a diff erent focus; it now combines infrastructure investment with measures to enhance competitiveness, innovation and job creation.

It is certainly clear that EU funding has stopped Ruse's continued slide into economic stagnation, and emigration caused by a lack of hope – driven home by a crumbling infrastructure. � e boost to morale such projects have bought the city have inspired the municipality to reconsider the future – for the mayor the source of prosperity is clear, “Our great strength has always been our location,” Yotov explains. A port and a major axis of communication, Ruse gradually attracted foreign and domestic investment and turned itself around. Now its unemployment rate is 3.15 % which is even lower than the capital, Sofi a.

"In 2006 as members of the Strasbourg club, I was impressed by the Mayor of Strasbourg who said that Ruse was set to be one of the fastest developing towns in Bulgaria and he was quite right," Yotov adds. � e town of 60 ships, as the Romans referred to

it, saw 450 cruise ships dock at its port last year bringing with them a boom in tourism and oxygenating the economy.

Whereas once Ruse was an industrial town, transport and logistics are currently the town's main focus: it is building the biggest industrial park in Bulgaria. Foreign investment is pouring in; a French hypermarket chain is set to open a branch in the town by the end of next year. A 5 000 seater sports and entertainment venue, a new fi ve star hotel and trade centre are all under construction, fruits of Bulgaria's biggest Public Private Partnership project.

� e new sense of optimism can be seen on the streets. When asked about her feelings on the town’s future, 26 year-old interpreter Lachezara Raykova says: "I went to Veliko Tarnovo University to study English and interpretation in 2005 and I thought I'd come back for a few months after graduation, just to decide where to go next. I thought I'd have to move to Sofi a to get a job and develop personally." But, when she came back, she was pleasantly surprised, the town off ered far more than she had expected: "Here I am still. I have work, there is tourism, there are visitors. I have no intention of moving, I am happy here."

And is there one thing she feels is still holding the country back? She replies without hesitation, she believes there needs to be more respect for the law. If enough bright young professionals of her generation feel the same way, it will not just be Ruse's future that will fl ourish.

Dripping column used to extract ammonia from landfi ll liquid.



Facts and fi gures

Instrument for Structural Policies for Pre-Accession (ISPA)

Ran between 2000 and 2006 with a budget of more • than €1 billion per year.

300 infrastructure projects (environment and trans-• port) for 10 benefi ciary countries between 2000 and 2003: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.

2004-06: Bulgaria and Romania are beneficiary • countries of ISPA, Croatia since 1 January 2005.

Based on the same principles as the Cohesion Fund.•

Aimed to familiarise candidate countries with the EU • as regards procedures, policies and funding principles.

Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA)

Providing fi nancial aid to candidate countries (Croatia, • Turkey and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) and to potential candidate countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo under UN Security Council Resolution 1244) since 1 January 2007.

Finances Transition Assistance, Institution Building • and Cross-border Co-operation in candidate countries and potential candidate countries. Also supports Re-gional Development, Human Resources Development and Rural Development in candidate countries.

Replaces the 2000-06 programmes Phare, ISPA, Sapard, • CARDS and the pre-accession fi nancial assistance for Turkey.

Budget in 2008 of more than €1 billion.•

Completion of pre-2007 programmes and projects by 2010.•

EU money is improving life for the residents of Ruse.



From 1990 onwards, Croatia took major steps to adapt to a functioning market economy. � is was a great starting point, but there was still a long way to go to meet EU economic targets. Income levels lagged too far below the EU average and growth rates were variable. Socio-economic diffi culties remain an issue, along with new environmental standards to meet. To tackle these issues and other challenges, Croatia is benefi tting from the fi nancial assistance provided under the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA). � e IPA programme, available since the beginning of 2007, consists of fi ve components. For Croatia, it is the third component (IIIC) covering regional development and competitiveness which is particularly crucial and projects worth €35.35 million are scheduled for 2007-09.

At the heart of this regional investment is the Regional Competitiveness Operational Programme (RCOP) 2007-09. � e aim of the RCOP is to build social and economic cohesion within the country, and develop institutions that can cope with multi-annual investment programmes and the future management of the Structural Funds. � ree divisions within the Croatian Ministry of Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship are responsible for implementing the programme.

A closer look at the Regional Competitiveness Programme

� ree priorities govern the RCOP. Two of them relate to investment and horizontal measures to bring the

Championing economic growth in Croatia

Update on the Croatian Regional Competitiveness Operational Programme 2007-09 Many challenges and discoveries lie on the road to EU Accession. The economic and structural

developments that accession economies have to achieve put them all on a steep learning curve, but

this process generates economic strengths that stand the test of time. The Republic of Croatia is a good

example of a candidate country facing up to the challenges of accession. Croatia started the accession

negotiations in October 2005 and, providing all pre-accession criteria are met, is hoping to complete

the process by the end of 2009.

Sanja Fišer, Head of Section & Ivana Goricki, Adviser Department for Preparation and Implementation of EU Programmes and Projects Ministry of Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship, Croatia

Business Innovation Support Centre during the construction phase in the city of Nova Gradiška, Croatia, fi nanced by the CARDS programme.



Croatian economy more into line with the EU and the third covers project management issues.

� e legacy of the 1990s

� e war in the 1990s inevitably caused severe infrastructure damage and, on top of this, the 1990s saw the downfall of the large state-owned enterprises. � e legacy of this enormous upheaval has been that many parts of the country are lagging behind the economic standard they need to achieve, with poor growth among SMEs. � ese areas need much better business support systems, such as business zones, incubators, technology transfer centres and other targeted services, to stimulate business growth and foreign investment. � ere is also great potential for tourism-related infrastructure in these regions. Some of these measures have already started under previous EU assistance, when the CARDS programme fi nanced a series of projects and paved the way for a grant scheme for business related infrastructure under Phare in 2005.

Investment Priorities

� e fi rst investment priority therefore focuses on building infrastructure in 10 of the least developed counties, combined with human resources investments to strengthen the underlying business environment.

In this last phase of pre-accession, Croatian SMEs are generally still fi nding it diffi cult to maintain competitiveness. Unless this is dealt with now, such weaknesses could repeatedly crop up in the brave new world of the Single European Market. So, the second priority under the RCOP is all about ensuring eff ective business support at all levels, creating a positive

investment climate. � ese goals will be met more easily and quickly by improving national administrative effi ciency at the same time, encouraging cluster development and establishing e-business centres throughout the country.

A further dimension of this priority is focusing on technology transfer and creating the right infrastructure and services to bring new products to the marketplace. Here public institutions are having to get to grips with entrepreneurial skills and managing intellectual property issues. One such project is the creation of a Biosciences technology commercialisation and incubation centre (BioCenter). � is exciting development will provide wide-ranging infrastructure for technology and knowledge-based products and SMEs. BioCenter, which will be located on Zagreb university campus, will also play an important role in bringing the University closer to the market. It will act as a direct facilitator of university/industry co-operation and prepare scientists and students for careers as entrepreneurs or in industry.

� e End Game

Once implementation on the ground takes off , the RCOP will provide overall coordination for many projects that continue to transform the Croatian economy and its integration into the EU Single Market. Every part of the economy has to pull together to achieve this if fi nancing through IPA is to be eff ective. Ultimately, these goals can only be achieved through a combination of national and EU initiatives, where all available sources of funding are used to maximum eff ect.

Croatia's natural beauty is a potential source of economic riches.



EU accession is a big step to take, requiring numerous economic and structural changes. � e Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance aims to support candidate and potential candidate countries in their preparations for accession, including creating a framework for managing programmes fi nanced by the Structural and Cohesion Funds. � ere are fi ve components within the IPA and as a candidate country, Turkey will benefi t from all of them. � e Regional Competitiveness Operational Programme (RCOP) is one of the basic documents for implementing the IPA in Turkey.

Keeping the big picture in mind

� e aim of the support within the framework of the RCOP is to increase the competitiveness of the Turkish economy to converge with the economy of the EU and to reduce regional socio-economic disparities. � e principle is clear, but the task is huge, so limited resources have to be very specifi cally targeted for maximum impact. A limited number of sectors, regions and priorities are selected and all programmes are set up on closely defi ned parameters with ongoing monitoring of results.

� e key sectors and regions

� e programme focuses on developing SMEs operating in manufacturing and tourism, the information society, research and development and innovation. Geographically, the Programme concentrates on the regions where income per capita is below 75 % of the Turkish national

average (12 NUTS1 II Regions). Within these regions, there is a strong focus on the 15 Growth Centres which have been identifi ed in the Strategic Coherence Framework. A map of the Programme area is given below.

Regions supported under the RCOP

� ree key priorities apply to every programme:

Priority 1: Improving the business environment

Projects under this priority involve creating a better business environment, to increasing the number of new enterprises, enhancing the productivity and competitiveness of the existing enterprises increasing employment opportunities.

Priority 2: Building business capacity and entrepreneurship

� e aim here is to improve company effi ciency and value-added, while enhancing their entrepreneurial capacity and increasing employment and overall regional competitiveness. � is will encourage SMEs to adopt a more entrepreneurial culture and help them to take advantage of external support for sound ventures, with planning that addresses present and future business needs.

Forging ahead in Turkey

A new approach to regional competitiveness Assoc. Prof. Dr Yavuz CABBAR, Head of Operating Structure at the Turkish Ministry of Industry and Trade,

explains how the economy is developing through the 2007-2010 Operational Programme of the IPA.

Assoc. Prof. Dr Yavuz Cabbar, Head of Operating Structure at the Turkish Ministry of Industry and Trade.

^^

^ ^

^

^

^^

^

^^

^

^^

^

TR72

TR52

TR33TRB2

TRA1

TR83

TR61

TR90

TRB1

TRC2TR32

TR71

TR62

TR41

TRA2

TR82

TR51

TRC3TR63

TR22

TR42

TR21

TRC1

TR31

TR81TR10

NUTS II regions having an income per capita above 75 % of the Turkish average

NUTS II regions having an income per capita below 75 % of the Turkish average

15 Growth Centres

© EuroGeographics Association for the administrative boundaries

(1) Final decisions on the NUTS regions are only taken upon accession of each individual candidate country.



TR72

TR52

TR33TRB2

TRA1

TR83

TR61

TR90

TRB1

TRC2TR32

TR71

TR62

TR41

TRA2

TR82

TR51

TRC3TR63

TR22

TR42

TR21

TRC1

TR31

TR81TR10

Priority 3: Technical Assistance

Technical Assistance is provided to ensure effective implementation of the programme and effi cient use of the IPA resources. � is means improving the administrative capacity of the Operating Structure and the other institutions involved in implementing the RCOP. � e total budget of the RCOP is €187 million with a 75 % EU contribution.

Concentration Strategy of the RCOP: Competitiveness Map

An econometric model was used to show how competitiveness varies between regions and, from this, the Competitiveness Map of Turkey was developed.

Within the NUTS II level, the econometric model uses 42 diff erent indicators classifi ed under 10 main themes (demographic, employment, education, health, industry, agriculture, fi nancial, infrastructure, tourism, and other prosperity indicators). It then attributes a competitiveness index for each region by applying a coeffi cient to each one. � e result is a map showing diff ering levels of competitiveness between regions. � is is then colour coded into fi ve groups, where the lightest shade represents the lowest level of competitiveness.

� e programmes themselves have been developed for specifi c groups of regions, through further analysis of this map and

its components, which revealed regional economic and social characteristics and the potential for growth.

Competitiveness Map of Turkey

Modernised industrial zone in Arsin, a coastal town east of Trabzon, Turkey.

Basic infrastructure, entrepreneurship and start-up consultancy and fi nancial supports, interregional and interinstitutional partnership, tourism

Basic infrastructure, entrepreneurship and start-up supports and consultancy, diversifi ed fi nancial support mechanism, interregional and regional partnership, inter-sectoral synergy, tourism

Training on export, productivity and product development, institutionalisation and ICT usage, technology transfer and upgrading, certifi cation and standardisation, credit guarantee system, tourism

Clustering, new technologies, venture capital and credit guarantee system, certifi cation and standardisation R&D and ICT usage, IPR

R&D, Innovation, ICT infrastructure, international and interregional synergy and partnership and IPR


Sivas

Van

Erzurum

Ağrı

Kayseri

Kars

Şanlıurfa

Yozgat

Muş

ÇorumTokat

Malatya Bitlis

Diyarbakır Siirt

Elazığ

Erzincan

Bingöl

Artvin

Mardin

Ordu

Kastamonu

Samsun

Şırnak

Tunceli

Çankırı

Sinop

Hakkari

RizeGiresun

Iğdır

Hatay

Kahramanmaraş

Amasya

Adıyaman

Gaziantep

Batman

Ardahan

Trabzon

GümüşhaneBayburt

Kilis

Osmaniye



On the next graphic, the Competitiveness Map has been modifi ed to show solely the target regions of the RCOP and three groups of regions with a similar level of competitiveness. Specifi c measures can then be clearly targeted to each group.

� e Right Approach For � e Right Region

Where competitiveness is low, projects will concentrate heavily on promoting basic infrastructure, entrepreneurship and start-up, consultancy and fi nancial support, together with interregional and interinstitutional partnership activities. Tourism projects will be a further tool for boosting businesses.

� ese areas will also benefi t from better networking between projects and businesses, to share common marketing strategies or production processes, for example.

In regions with medium levels of competitiveness, projects will focus on building institutional structures, business consultancy services, product development and creating partnerships within regions and between them. Where partnerships between sectors show potential for business growth, these will be encouraged if they are not anti-competitive. Tourism projects will again be a tool for business development.

In regions with high competitiveness, the measures are targeted at increasing added value, and coping with

international competition. Added to this, there will be consultancy services available for increasing productivity and export capacity, improving R&D, innovation and ICT infrastructure.

A vast amount of detailed preparation has gone into drafting the RCOP and its implementation. It has been diffi cult, but all the pieces are now in place for some exciting economic developments, as well as providing the tools for evaluating future projects under the IPA.

More information:http://ipa.stb.gov.tr

Group of Target Regions in terms of Intervention

Low

High

Medium




ISPA in Croatia

Vinkovci to Tovarnik to State Border Railway Rehabilitation

Total cost: €90 913 000EU contribution: €28 789 180

� e Croatian Railway Rehabilitation project is upgrading 38 km of railway from Vinkovci to Tovarnik and the state border with Serbia. � e railway track is part of Corridor X of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), which runs from Salzburg in Austria to � essalonica in Greece. � e investments will rehabilitate and improve the double track railway infrastructure, electrifi cation, signalling, level crossings, telecommunications and stations along the way. After the estimated work completion date of December 2009, the railway section will see an increased line speed (from 120 km/h to 160 km/h) and be fully compliant with international technical standards. In addition to the extra line capacity, the upgrading will result in increased passenger and freight rail traffi c in Corridor X and reduce journey times, accident risks, operating costs and maintenance costs.

Central Finance and Contracting Unit, Ministry of Finance, Zagrebcfcu@mfi n.hr

ISPA in Romania

Road network: construction of a ring road to bypass the town of Sibiu


� e construction of a 14.8 km ring road around the town of Sibiu will remove the traffi c bottleneck on the 55 km road section between Sebes and Sibiu on highway No 7. � is highway constitutes the northern branch of Corridor IV of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) running from the Hungarian border to Sibiu then on to to Bucharest, connecting with national highway No 1 at the exit from Sibiu. � e ring road is compliant with Trans-European Motorway standards, will enable speeds of up to 100 km/h, and will reduce journey times for transit by around 50 % by 2020. � e investments will also improve traffi c safety and reduce air and noise pollution. In addition, savings on carriageway maintenance and reductions in operating costs of user vehicles could result in an economic return rate of around 20 %.

National road network administration, [email protected]

ISPA in Romania

Integrated Waste Management in Bacău Municipality and Surrounding Areas


Improvements to public health and safety conditions and reductions in air, water and soil pollution are some of the benefi ts to be gained from the construction of an integrated waste management system in the Romanian municipality of Bačau and 18 surrounding communes. � e investments notably concern solid waste collection and disposal of waste. � e plans include the development of a new landfi ll site above the existing ground level covering a total area of 32 ha, as well as the selective collection of dry recyclable waste, organic waste for composting and waste residuals. � e existing municipality landfi ll and village dumpsites will be closed. The integrated waste management system – estimated completion date December 2010 – will fully comply with the relevant requirements of EU and national waste management legislation.

Central Finance and Contracting Unit, Ministry for Public Finance, [email protected]

.ro ISPA in Bulgaria

Construction of Cross-border, Road/Rail Bridge over the Danube River at Vidin-Calafat


� is project involves the construction of a new combined road and rail bridge over the Danube River between Vidin in Bulgaria and Calafat in Romania, located on Corridor IV of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). With a span of 180 m and total length up to 1 440 m in the case of the road (2 480 m in the case of the railway), the cross-border bridge will contribute to the growth in road and rail traffi c in Romania and Bulgaria and the integration of the Bulgarian road and rail networks with the TEN-T. � e link will also facilitate further increases in traffi c and trade between south-eastern Europe and Turkey and central Europe. In addition, the investments will help to generate economic growth, employment and time savings for long distance road traffi c, and also reduce operating costs.

Ministry of Transport and Communications, Sofi ahttp://www.mtc.government.bg/

ISPA in action in Croatia: upgrading 38 km of railway from Vinkovci to Tovarnik.



During 2007, all IPA-related activities in Croatia were intensifi ed. � e fi rst step to be completed by the Croatian authorities towards decentralised management, where implementation tasks are delegated by the Commission to third countries, was the accreditation process. � e accreditation process was aimed at verifying that the designated institutions had set up their management and control systems in accordance with the established rules. � e accreditation package was submitted to the Commission services in April 2008.

� e main challenges that the Croatian authorities had to face in their progress towards accreditation were the following:

procedures for accreditation and conferral of • management of EU funds under decentralised sys-tems are new,the EU’s strict requirements in relation to designing • and implementing sound fi nancial management systems,

assigning responsibilities at institutional and indiv-• idual level taking into account the need for adequate segregation of duties (in particular as regards internal audit and external audit functions).

Overall, these challenges have been successfully tackled.

� e Commission services reviewed the accreditation package and carried out a verifi cation audit on the spot at the end of May 2008 in order to reach a fi nal decision on the conferral of management powers. � e objective was to obtain assurance on the preparedness of various key players (departments in six diff erent ministries and several implementing agencies). � e verifi cation audit confi rmed that good progress had been made.

� e conclusion of the verifi cation audit is that the overall system for the management and control of IPA program is compliant with the requirements. When compared to the situation at the time of the advisory missions in 2007, signifi cant improvements have been made in the areas of staff planning and recruitment, establishment of legal framework at all levels, preparation of detailed internal rules of procedures and verifi cation procedures.

However, there is still a need for improvement as regards the set up and functioning of the internal audit and external audit functions. � e national authorities are fully aware of these remaining shortcomings and have shown a clear commitment to take the necessary action in this respect. � e Commission services have closely monitored the implementation of this action.

In November, the Commission granted the conferral of management powers for IPA component III (Regional Development) to the Croatian authorities. � e IPA regional development programmes in Croatia can now really get started.

Getting ready for IPA – the accreditation process of the management and control systems in CroatiaNicola Aimi, DG Regional Policy

In 2005 Croatia was informed of the intention of the EU to launch IPA and thus replace the existing

pre-accession assistance programmes from 2007. Since then, Croatia has been actively preparing for

management and implementation of funds within IPA. Throughout the whole process, intensive and

close co-operation was established with the relevant services of the European Commission. Advisory

missions were carried out to provide assistance to the Croatian authorities in building up the necessary

institutional, management and control capacities.

Croatia is no stranger to the euro and soon Zagreb will be managing its own IPA funds.



Neighbourhood Programme Hungary – Serbia 2004-06

Improvement in digital literacy of pre-service and in-service teachersTotal cost: €68 266EU contribution: €61 439

� is project has established a Centre for Research on New Technologies in Education (CeRNeT) that is operational in both the Faculty of Education, University of Novi Sad in Sombor (Serbia) and Eötvös Jószef College in Baja (Hungary). � e CeRNetT seeks to improve knowledge of digital literacy among teachers, thereby contributing to the use of new technologies in primary and higher education as well as the development of the Information Society in both Serbia and Hungary. Cross-border partnership and co-operation activities include the organisation of online and offl ine training courses on digital literacy for teachers and the development of an Educational Web Portal. � ese co-operation initiatives will boost both research activities and staff and student mobility across the border.

Adriatic New Neighbourhood Programme 2004-06

ASVILOC – Integration actions of local economic development agencies to promote the region and Adriatic cross-border SMEsBridge over the Danube River at Vidin-Calafat

Total cost: €88 733 EU contribution: €79 859

In the context of the INTERREG III A cross-border Adriatic New Neighbourhood Programme (2000-06), the ASVILOC project brought together local economic development agencies, local public bodies and SMEs from Italy, Albania, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia. � e project aimed at creating and supporting co-operation between SMEs and their syndicates, thereby fostering socio-economic renewal and stimulating the integration of cross-border regions in terms of innovation, co-operation, internationalisation, company modernisation and staff turnover. In addition, the cross-border co-operation sought to increase the role and capacity building of the local economic development agencies in the countries taking part.

CADSES Neighbourhood Programme

EMBRACE II – Embracing socio-economic development in disadvantageous areas through information and knowledge society


A virtual network for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) was initially created under the EMBRACE project. Under the CADSES INTERREG III B Neighbourhood Programme (2000-06), the EMBRACE II project has sought to expand the scope of EMBRACE by adding eight local contact points to the existing network’s organisation. It has also introduced tailor made services for SMEs to increase awareness of the benefi ts of using ICT tools and applications. In addition, a virtual SME Pilot Observatory has been created to collect, process and produce data on local entrepreneurship and socio-economic development. � ese data will be used to formulate future policy proposals and recommendations and to demonstrate the link between ICT use and socio-economic development. � e CADSES area encompasses regions belonging to 18 EU Member States, candidate countries and potential candidate countries and was one of the largest transnational co-operation areas in the 2000-06 period.

Neighbourhood Programme Romania – Serbia 2004-06

Creating conditions for expanding tourism in the region of Homolje


� e region of Homolje (municipalities of Žagubica, Petrovac na Mlavi and Malo Crniće) is cooperating with partners from Romania (municipalities of Sokolovac and Karas Severin County) to improve and expand tourism on both sides of the Serbian-Romanian border. � e cross-border co-operation project is primarily focused on developing and using common tourist promotion activities in rural and ecotourism. Other potentially attractive tourist destinations include cultural monuments such as the diff erent monasteries located in Homolje. Organising events with its Romanian counterparts provides Homolje with an opportunity to boost its tourist potential, generate economic growth and gain knowledge on how to eff ectively promote tourist activities in the region.

Neighbourhood programmes help improve digital literacy.



evidence of a new stage in maintaining closer links between the two countries.

CBC projects are based on a big vision for building wider European co-operation and integration which will in turn achieve sustainable development in border regions. � e main priorities are economic development, social cohesion and improving the quality of life. By reducing regional imbalances people benefi t on both sides of a border and the regions become stronger overall.

Key facts and fi gures

� is big vision is backed by a programme budget of €7 756 038 including €6 592 632 EU funding and €1 163 406 national co-fi nancing from both countries.

Cross-border co-operation (CBC) projects have proved their worth over a long period and a new generation of projects is now taking shape under the provisions of the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) 2007-13.

� e fi rst programme to be approved by the European Commission on 14 December 2007 was between Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Its proactive approach refl ects the joint work of the teams in the partnering countries, excellent coordination and the determination to overcome all the challenges along the way.

� e programme is partly a logical continuation of existing relations developed through the EU External Border Initiative in 2003 and continued through the Neighbourhood Programme. At the same time, it is

Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia – leading the way in cross-border co-operation

Co-operation in the remote mountain regions near the Bulgarian-FYROM border has already been successful.



� e programme aims to improve living standards through wider participation in economic and social activities and increase incomes in areas that are often very remote. � e programme will also be supporting projects in cross-border economies, where new investment holds the key to growth in priority sectors that benefi t all the local communities. In a nutshell, the partner countries expect their collaborative projects to generate new economic activities and diversifi cation in the whole economic area. � e area covered by the CBC programme is 18 736 km2, with a population of 1 065 605 inhabitants along both sides of the border.

� e potential benefi ciaries are districts, municipalities, education and research institutions, chambers of commerce, central administrations, and all those associated with these bodies. � e funding available will allow established partnerships and permanent networks to be strengthened, new ones created and more emphasis given to joint initiatives. Aside from the formality of the measures, it’s encouraging to think of real people coming together from diff erent organisations and communities with common goals to achieve.

No future without sustainability

Economic gains by themselves would be hollow if they did not also ensure sustainable growth and the preservation and development of natural and cultural resources, which constitute key assets in this border region. Sustainable projects have a particularly bright future in the tourism sector, where new business opportunities can also off er sound green credentials.

All set for the future

On 13 March 2008 in Kyustendil, Bulgaria the fi rst Joint Monitoring Committee meeting was held. Fifty-three participants attended the event, ranging from local to national authorities involved in the programme to socio-economic partners and potential project applicants.

� e real start of the programme – the fi rst call for proposals – will be launched during the last quarter of 2008, when applicants will be able to send their project proposals to the programme secretariat in Kyustendil.

� e success of the projects, and ultimately of the programme, is in the hands of local people and depends greatly on the will of professionals to do things together and have a joint vision of their future.

A snapshot of the Neighbourhood Programme

A wide variety of projects were successfully implemented under the Neighbourhood Programme. Here are just a couple of examples among many.

An integrated project ‘No Borders Required’ ran between the municipalities of Simitly and Karbintsi. Joint activities were introduced in the sphere of health protection and improving the quality of life of young people in the cross-border region. It is a lasting example of integrated work carried out by both local authorities.

Another project called ‘The Mountains Are Joining Hands’ delivered sustainable benefits through new ways of managing and developing natural, cultural and historic resources. It ran between the municipalities of Dupnitsa and Kriva Palanka and upgraded the complementary project of RILA and Kochani.

Economic development, social cohesion and improving the quality of life are the main priorities of cross-border co-operation projects.



� e network’s composition is twofold: the core group comprises one representative per Member State, usually from the central body responsible for coordinating ERDF/Cohesion Policy. � e core group’s key tasks will involve conveying information about publicity and communication activities in the Member States as well as sharing the latest communication tools and exchanging information gathered from meetings held with the national networks of communication offi cers in each country. INFORM’s core members will also be invited to attend networking groups addressing specifi c topics.

Less formally, the network may also be expanded to include all communication offi cers who are responsible for developing and implementing communication plans and interested in sharing their experiences. In total, the network is expected to have over 300 participants. Representatives from other network platforms (e.g. INTERACT, INTERREG IV C, EPSON, URBACT II) are also being invited to play an active part. To facilitate everyday communication between INFORM’s members, an internet forum has been set up2.

Communicating Cohesion Policy together – inaugural meeting of the INFORM networkOn 17 June 2008, 120 communication offi cers from each Member State and several Territorial

Co-operation and networking programmes met for the fi rst time in the context of the INFORM network1

coordinated by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Regional Policy. The network,

open to communication offi cers responsible for information and publicity on the ERDF and Cohesion

Fund, aims to foster the exchange of good ideas, learning from the experiences of others and creating

common tools, where needed.

One hundred and twenty communication offi cers from the 27 Member States met on 17 June 2008 in Brussels of the fi rst meeting of the INFORM network.

(1) Plans to set up the INFORM network were announced in Panorama 21:http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docgener/panorama/pdf/mag21/mag21_en.pdf

(2) � e forum is for people involved in communication actions on Cohesion Policy. To register, please visit:http://forums.ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/inform/



� e meeting’s purpose was for members to get to know each other and discuss current and future actions. One representative per Member State – a member of the INFORM core group – presented the latest accomplishments in one of the following fi elds: current eff orts to publish data on the fi nal benefi ciaries of projects; organisation of launch events for new Regional Policy programmes; new publicity products, e.g. TV advertisements. David Yormesor (DG Regional Policy) told participants about the setting up of a specifi c network for UK communication offi cers under the initiative of the Commission Representation to the UK. All presentations, testifying to the broad variety of actions undertaken and the prevailing atmosphere of enthusiasm and ideas, are available online3.

Ronald Hall (Director, Directorate-General for Regional Policy) stressed how conveying the benefi ts and impacts of EU Cohesion Policy should not be viewed as a supplementary activity, but rather as an integral part of programme delivery. He added that improving communications in the current climate of a disconnection between Europe and its citizens is both a political and legal necessity. Since Cohesion Policy accounts for nearly one third of EU budget expenditure, it is crucial to highlight its achievements and the value it generates for ordinary Europeans.

Mr Hall highlighted the new requirement to publish a list of project benefi ciaries showing the amount of EU and other public funding allocated. � is ties in with the ongoing drive to improve transparency in the Union and, critically, to raise the profi le of EU-funded projects. A new tool was also unveiled: a clickable map leading to national or regional websites providing lists of benefi ciaries. Currently most EU countries are marked in grey, which means they have yet to disclose benefi ciaries. Mr Hall stressed that our aim should be to have all countries coloured green on the map by the end of 20084.

In the afternoon INFORM members had the opportunity to scrutinise and discuss selected aspects of communication during three parallel workshops.

1. Production of a communication guide by DG REGIO and INFORM members

� e workshop aimed to kick-start preparations for a new version of the communication guide or handbook. � e tool, to be ready by the end of 2008, will provide practical advice on interpreting regulatory requirements plus a selection of information products illustrating various elements relating to communication. Although communication offi cers within programmes are its main target group, project promoters might also fi nd parts of it useful. Each chapter in the guide will combine a theoretical introduction with a practical selection of existing practices compiled from INFORM members. Each chapter will also have a leading author, who may then select co-authors.

2. How to measure the impact of your actions?

� e aim of this workshop was to share experiences and discuss evaluation issues, e.g. opinion surveys. Two presentations – French experience, presented by Marie Gariazzo (IFOP Study Director), Yves-Marie Cann (IFOP poll expert), and Bertrand Millet (Communication Offi cer, national ERDF technical assistance programme), and Eurobarometer survey on the European citizens' perception of Regional Policy, presented by European citizens' perception of Regional Policy, presented by European citizens' perception of Regional PolicyWolfgang Petzold (DG Regional Policy) – were followed by a discussion. Participants agreed that measuring the impact of EU activities and also the eff ectiveness of publicity measures via public surveys is one of the most objective methods5. � e surveys, accompanied by analysis, also draw lessons for the more effi cient promotion of EU structural interventions.

3. Communicating projects – how to present them attractively to the media and the public

� e workshop set out to collect ideas and experiences on the most eff ective and interesting ways of presenting projects in order to generate media attention and public interest. It began with a presentation by Anna Bugalska (Ministry for Regional Development, Poland) of the campain "Poland Growing Beautiful! � e ‘Seven miracles of EU funds’ competition", which provided the basis for discussion and raised various questions. In conclusion, some members stressed that successful project promotion needs a ‘human face’ with a ‘human story’. Emotions (sentimental or humorous) also have a role to play. � e use of personalities in getting the message across is vital as they can convey a strong message more easily to the public.

Conclusions from the meeting

Raphael Goulet (Head of Unit, DG Regional Policy) thanked everyone present for their active involvement. He stressed that the format of the meeting had stemmed from the fact that it was the fi rst such event and the organisers’ belief that it should briefl y introduce all Member States and the networking programmes. Following the comments received during the day, future meetings will evolve towards a 1.5/2-day format, providing more time for networking and in-depth discussions among INFORM members. Greater prominence will be given to Territorial Co-operation programmes.

� e next meeting is scheduled for late November. As part of the Open Days6 (6-9 October 2008), there will also be two related seminars dedicated to information and communication, providing another opportunity to meet up for anyone interested in the topic.

(3) http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/country/commu/inform_meeting07062008_en.cfm(4) � e map is available here: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/country/commu/benefi ciaries/index_en.htm(5) � e full report, including detailed conclusions from the workshops, is available here:

http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/country/commu/docevent/17062008_meeting_report.pdf(6) Open Days website: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/conferences/od2008/index.cfm

Cohesion Policy 2007-2013Commentaries and O�cial Texts

• European Regional Development Fund• European Social Fund• Cohesion Fund• European Grouping of Territorial Co-operation• Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance

EN

Guide January 2007


REGIO & networksOPEN DAYS 2008Brussels played host to ‘OPEN DAYS 2008 – European Week of Regions and Cities’ from 6 to 9 October 2008, the sixth such annual event of its kind. Under the theme ‘Regions and cities in a challenging world’, around 5 000 delegates took part in 143 specialist seminars that focused on innovation, regional responses to climate change, exchange of best practices in regional development, and the future of EU Cohesion Policy. Aimed at EU and regional policymakers, experts and representatives of banking, business and civil society groups, a record 216 regions and 32 countries signed up as partners for the event. Under the heading ‘Europe in my region’, the 32 countries hosted 235 local Open Days events throughout October.

On 6 October, the French Minister for Agriculture Michel Barnier addressed the opening session of the Open Days alongside European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, Regional Policy Commissioner Danuta Hübner and Committee of the Regions President Luc Van den Brande. � e offi cial website http://www.opendays.europa.eu/ contains the online programme of the conference, daily video highlights, as well as details regarding the broad range of seminars and workshops.

Green Paper on Territorial Cohesion On 6 October the European Commission presented a Green Paper on Territorial Cohesion. Territorial Cohesion is about the balanced and harmonious development of a territorially diversifi ed EU, achieved by transforming the inherent features of diversity into an asset to be used for ensuring sustainable economic growth. Entitled ‘Turning territorial diversity into strength’, the Green Paper seeks to launch a public debate on Territorial Cohesion and its implications for EU Regional Policy and for co-operation, coordination, networking, partnership and connections between Europe’s regions.http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/consultation/terco/consultation_en.htm

Guide to cost-benefi t analysisDG REGIO's Evaluation Unit has published a new version of the ‘Guide to cost-benefi t analysis of investment projects’. � e guide is particularly targeted at those working on ‘major projects’ co-fi nanced by EU funds. It provides useful methodological guidance to those promoting projects and also off ers a common appraisal language for practitioners in the many countries involved in EU Cohesion Policy. http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docoffi c/working/sf2000_en.htm

Conferences on the EU Baltic Sea Region StrategyIn December 2007 the European Council invited the Commission to present a strategy for the Baltic Sea region by June 2009, in view of the environmental challenges and other issues that the Baltic Sea faces. In September 2008 two conferences took place as part of the preparatory cycle of the EU Baltic Sea Region Strategy: a round-table on accessibility and attractiveness issues in the strategy (part of the annual conference of the Baltic Sea States Sub-regional Co-operation (BSSSC) network held from 18 to 19 September in Kaunas, Lithuania) and a stakeholder conference held in Stockholm, Sweden, on 30 September.http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/cooperation/baltic/index_en.htm http://www.bsssc.com/ http://www.balticseastrategy.se/

Latest publications

REGIO agendaDate Event Place24 October 2008 Committee of the Regions Subsidiarity Conference

http://subsidiarity.cor.europa.eu/ Paris (F)

30-31 October 2008 Conference on Territorial Cohesion and the future of Cohesion Policy; Committee of the Regions in co-operation with the French Presidency of the EU http://www.ue2008.fr/PFUE/lang/en/accueil

Paris (F)

13 November 2008 Round-table on environmental issues in the EU Baltic Sea Region Strategy

Gdansk (PL)

30 November- 2 December 2008

EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, stakeholder conference Copenhagen (DK) and Malmö (SE)

9 December 2008 Round-table on the safety and security issues in the EU Baltic Sea Region Strategy

Helsinki (FI)

� e complete text of EU laws, proposals and offi cial documents are available online at http://eur-lex.europa.eu/en/index.htm.

Working for the Regions – EU Regional Policy 2007-13

http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docgener/presenta/work-ing2008/work_en.pdf� e ins and outs of European Regional Policy. Available in 22 languages.

Country factsheets

An overview of the national investment priori-ties, fi nancial allocations and expected impacts of Cohesion Policy in the 27 Members States. Available in English, French, German and the language(s) of the Member State. http://ec.europa.eu/region-al_policy/sources/docge-ner/informat/info_en.htm

Fifth Interim Report on Economic and Social CohesionGrowing regions, growing Europe

http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docoffi c/offi cial/reports/interim5/com_2008_371_en.pdf Available in 22 languages.

Cohesion Policy 2007–13Commentaries and offi cial texts

http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docoffi c/offi cial/regulation/pdf/2007/public ations/guide2007_en.pdfAvailable in 19 languages.

DE

Kohäsionspolitik

The Netherlands

INTRODUCTIONIn the 2007-13 period, the main challen-ge for The Netherlands is to achieve a higher level of labour participation and productivity growth. Therefore, the Dutch National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) for 2007-13 is placing a strong emphasis on innovation, incre-ased labour supply, increased adaptabi-lity and investments in human capital. The negotiation process between the European Commission and the Dutch

on innovation, a reduction in the num-ber of programmes to reduce fragmen-

of more regional perspective into the

was also discussed and resulted in an

North region.

NSRF are being implemented through � ve Operational Programmes; one nati-

onal programme which is co-� nanced by the European Social Fund (ESF) and four regional programmes co-� nanced

Fund (ERDF). Under the European Terri-

try will participate in four cross-border

tional co-operation programmes and

mes among all Member States .

COHESION POLICY ADDRESSES TODAY’S PROBLEMS AND FUTURE CHALLENGES

The Dutch regional disparities are rela-tively minimal and even the poorer Dutch regions are good economic per-

countries. The resulting challenge for

orient the policy towards the growth potential of all regions, and not towards

In the 2007-13 programmes, this will be achieved by strengthening innovation and entrepreneurship, enhancing the attractiveness of regions and investing in the socio-economic viability of cities. One major change from the previous programming period is that the entire

whereas in the 2000-06 period the pro-gramming area was a patchwork of re-latively small areas. This is expected to lead to broader and more integrated

Results of the negotiations of Cohesion Policy strategies and programmes 2007–13

Fifth progress report on economic and social cohesion

Growing Regions,growing Europe

EN

Communication from the Commission June 2008

Unit B1 — Communication, Information, Relations with third countriesRaphaël GouletAvenue de Tervuren 41, B-1040 BrusselsFax (32-2) 29-66003E-mail: [email protected] Internet: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/index_en.htm

ISSN 1608-389X

© European Communities, 2008Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.

Printed in Belgium

OFFICE OF THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONSOF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIESL-2985 Luxembourg

KN-LR-08-027-EN

-Chttp://www.ccre.org/In its capacity of representing 50 national associations, towns, municipalities and regions from 37 countries, the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) regularly exchanges experience at local and regional level throughout Europe. On 9 September, the CEMR organised the ‘Local Governments Day’ with the participation of the United Cities and Local Government (UCLG), the International Water Association (IWA) and the International Association of Waterworks in the Danube Catchment Area (IWAD). � e one-day conference dealt with the challenges and changing circumstances local and regional governments must face in the organisation of water services, bringing together experts and speakers on the high-level management of water quality from a large number of countries and organisations.

http://www.interact-eu.net/ � e INTERACT Programme has recently launched a new website with updated and reorganised content. � e site contains a full overview of European Territorial Co-operation during the programming period of 2007-13 and is centred on the main themes covered by INTERACT. Together with the URBACT II Programme and the European Spatial Planning Observation Network (ESPON), the INTERACT Programme is one of the three network programmes part of the interregional co-operation component of the European Territorial Co-operation Objec-tive. Its main aim is to promote and support the proper management of the European Territorial Co-operation programmes of 2007-13.

http://www.growthcommission.org/ Developing countries can achieve sustainable and equitable growth if they are able to profi t fully by the world economy and they have committed leadership. � ese are some of the fi ndings of the ‘Growth Report’ published by the Commission on Growth and Development set up under the aegis of the World Bank. � e document analyses 13 post-war high-growth economies and outlines factors that may explain their success. � e Commission on Growth and Development, chaired by Nobel Laureate Michael Spence, was founded in 2006 and brings together 21 practitioners from government, business and poli-cymaking sectors, mostly from the developing world.

http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/international/index_en.htmThe Inforegio website contains a new section on international affairs, in view of the ever-growing interest in EU Regional Policy outside the European Union. In 2006 and 2007 the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional Policy signed Memoranda of Understanding with Brazil, China and the Russian Federation to set up Structured Dialogues on Regional Policy. The Structured Dialogues seek to promote mutual understanding, bilateral co-operation, information exchange and best practices regarding the setting up and implementation of Regional Policy. Features of EU Regional Policy that are of interest to third countries and international organisations such as MERCOSUR include the targeting of financial resources between Member States and regions, geographical and strategic objectives as well as the different dimensions of the implementation system.

‘Working for the Regions – EU Regional Policy 2007-13’� e brochure ‘Working for the Regions – EU Regional Policy 2007-13’ is available in all Community languages. � is 36-page publication explains how EU regional policy works and how it supports, for example, transport, innovation, environmental development and urban development in Europe's regions and cities. Co-operation between regions, the evaluation of programmes, as well as audit, control and publicity requirements are other aspects covered in the publication. Figures show how much money (from the EU funds) will be spent in the 27 EU Member States and on what in years to come. http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docgener/presenta/pres_en.htm

Documents

No 27 | September 2008ec.europa.eu/.../panorama/pdf/mag27/mag27_en.pdf · at €27 million and €18 million respectively. Investment aid in candidate countries is only a fraction