Over 60 participants from the region and the EU participated in the workshop
Whether and how the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) prepares candidate and potential candidates for EU regional policy and structural funds was the central topic of the online workshop " Candidate countries' progress in regional policy” within the 19th European Week of Regions and Cities for over 60 participants from the countries of the European Union and the Western Balkans. The meeting was organized by NALED in cooperation with the European Commission (DG REGIO - Directorate General for Regional and Urban Policy).
The panel was attended by Gilles Kittel, a representative of the General Directorate for Regional and Urban Policy, Aleksandar Andrija Pejović, a consultant and former Minister of European Affairs of Montenegro, National IPA Coordinator for pre-accession funds and Chief Negotiator for Montenegro's accession to the European Union, then Andrija Pejović, Consultant for strategic planning and programming, as well as Nataša Mikuš Žigman, State Secretary at the Croatian Ministry of Economy and former head of the working group for negotiating Chapter 22. The workshop was moderated by Ana Ilić, Director of Good Governance, NALED.
On this occasion, the preliminary results of the Analysis of the Progress of Candidate countries in progress in regional policy, which NALED is conducting for the needs of the EC (DG REGIO) since December 2020, were presented, and current challenges and possible solutions were discussed.
Lack of necessary knowledge, lack of coordination, inability to identify key key priorities within Chapter 22, inadequate capacities of potential beneficiaries of funds under EU cohesion policy are just some of the identified problems in this area.
According to the participants, the existing IPA funds are not enough to reduce the differences between the candidate countries and the member states, which is why it is necessary to take measures. First of all, greater harmonization of the IPA system with the needs and procedures of EU cohesion policy is needed, as well as appropriate investments in order to more successfully implement EU regional policy. In addition, it is recommended that roadmaps for administrative capacity building become mandatory for candidate and potential candidate countries and linked to the economic governance process.
The "learning through work" approach was also highlighted as a potential solution, through training of national actors who should be responsible for the management of IPA for the preparation of cohesion policy, and there were proposals related to a more pronounced socio-economic component of IPA and more consistent application of implementation and convergence mechanisms.
When it comes to financial challenges, the panelists pointed to the need to balance investments in line with the "convergence" approach and actions. Given the circumstances, the IPA instrument should be more innovative in mobilizing different sources of funding. In this regard, it is important to provide mechanisms for co-financing actions.
In addition to the above, the participants pointed out as possible solutions the direct participation of the relevant line directorates of the European Commission for clusters such as Competition and Inclusive Growth, as well as the Green Agenda and sustainable coherence in the implementation of the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA). In their opinion, the preparation for cohesion policy should be more interactive, primarily through direct cooperation with the relevant Directorates-General of the European Commission and with EU member states.
The workshop was interactive, and the speakers had the opportunity to answer the questions through the Slido platform. On this occasion, all interested parties could get more information from participants about how IPA works in reality, what are the priorities for funding under IPA III, what are the obligations of countries aspiring to membership and more.
