Written by Velina Lilyanova and Martin Svášek (1st edition),

Concept of salvation. Image of the hands of two people at the time of rescue (help).
© svetazi / Fotolia

On 14 June 2018, the European Commission published a proposal for a regulation establishing the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) III as part of a set of external action instruments under the new 2021 to 2027 multiannual financial framework (MFF). The proposed financial envelope represents a 1.1 % decrease compared with current funding (€12.9 billion in 2018 prices). Beneficiaries include the Western Balkan countries and Turkey.

The IPA, set up for the 2007 to 2013 MFF, aims to prepare candidate and potential candidate countries for EU membership and supports them in adopting and implementing the necessary political, institutional, legal, administrative, social and economic reforms. IPA III is clearly positioned in the context of the new Western Balkan strategy, adopted in February 2018, and builds in flexibility via à vis the evolving situation in Turkey. It is also designed to complement the EU’s internal policies.

In Parliament, the file has been allocated to the Committee for Foreign Affairs (AFET), with José Ignacio Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra (EPP, Spain) and Knut Fleckenstein (S&D, Germany) as co-rapporteurs. The draft report presented by the rapporteurs on 30 October 2018 is now awaiting adoption by AFET.

Versions

Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA III)
Committee responsible: Foreign Affairs (AFET) COM(2018) 465
14.6.2018
Rapporteurs: José Ignacio Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra (EPP, Spain)
Knut Fleckenstein (S&D, Germany)		 2018/0247(COD)
Shadow rapporteurs:

 

 

 

 Charles Tannock (ECR, United Kingdom)
Urmas Paet (ALDE, Estonia)
Takis Hadjigeorgiou (GUE/NGL, Cyprus)
Jaromír Kohlíček (GUE/NGL, Czech Republic)
Igor Šoltes (Greens/EFA, Slovenia)
Fabio Massimo Castaldo (EFDD, Italy)		 Ordinary legislative procedure (COD) (Parliament and Council on equal footing – formerly ‘co-decision’)
Next steps expected: Vote in committee