Brussels, 11/12/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 11 December, the European Commission announced that it had adopted its 2015 package of pre-accession assistance programmes to support reforms and regional cooperation in countries wanting to join the EU. The package is for around €1 billion.
The aim of the funding is to support democratic and economic reforms, modernisation of the judiciary and public administration, and regional cooperation. The pre-accession funding for Turkey thus totals €255.1 million. Serbia benefits from €196.6 million, Albania from €89.9 million, Kosovo from €78 million, Bosnia-Herzegovina from €37.2 million and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) from €24.126 million. Montenegro will be able to take advantage of €25.135 million from pre-accession funds and of €15.3 million under the 2015-2017 multi-annual action programme.
The 2015 package also includes a €155.254 million programme for financing large regional infrastructure projects in the energy and transport sectors in the Western Balkans - four power interconnections, two road projects and two rail projects. A further €122.555 million will support sectoral reforms and policies horizontally, or transnationally - as well as regional structures and networks, and support to regional investment. An amount of €71.557 million has also been announced under support measures.
The 2014 package was for €2 billion, including more than €1 billion for Turkey (see EUROPE 11220). (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)