Budget support in the Eastern Partnership: all the answers in new EU brochure
06-11-2013
Did you know that budget support is the main form of EU assistance in the Eastern Partnership (EaP) region? Involving dialogue, financial transfers to the partner country, performance assessment and capacity development, budget support is used to support reforms in mutually agreed sectors, as well as in macroeconomic and public finance policy.
Five countries benefit from EU budget support in the EaP region: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. A new brochure released by the EU ahead of this month’s Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius explains what is budget support, how it works, what are the criteria attached, and why the EU uses budget support for assistance to its Eastern partners.
Once eligibility criteria and mutually agreed conditions are met, budget support sees EU funds transferred to the national treasury of the partner country. Budget support payments are tied to performance, with a strong focus on the results of reform.
The brochure gives full details of the budget support programmes implemented in the five eligible partner countries:
Armenia
- EU support of justice reform (2009-12); EU funding: €18 million
- EU support of vocational education and training (2010-15); EU funding: €21 million
Azerbaijan
- EU support of the energy reform programme (2008-12); EU funding: €14 million
- EU support of justice reform (2009-14); EU funding: €16 million
Georgia
- EU support of public finance management reform (2011-2014); EU funding: €11 million
- EU support of criminal justice system reform (2012-16); EU funding: €24 million
- EU support of regional development (2011-16); EU funding: €19 million
Moldova
- EU support of health sector reforms (2009-13); EU funding: €53 million
- EU support of economic stimulation in rural areas (2010-16); EU funding: €59 million
- EU support of energy sector reform (2011-14); EU funding: €43 million
Ukraine
- EU support of the implementation of Ukraine’s energy policy (2008-12); EU funding: €87 million
- EU support of the promotion of mutual trade by removing technical barriers to trade between Ukraine and the EU (2009-13); EU funding: €45 million
The third Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius will be held on 28-29 November, 2013, bringing together the highest representatives from the EU institutions, 28 EU member states and the six Eastern European partners. (EU Neighbourhood Info)
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Eastern Partnership budget support brochure
The Eastern Partnership: key facts and figures explained in new leaflet
07-11-2013
What is the Eastern Partnership about, what are the key milestones and figures, what has it achieved? What exactly is the ‘more for more’ principle? And Comprehensive Institution Building? What is the EU doing for civil society? And what does the Eastern Partnership mean in your country? These questions and more are all answered in a new leaflet on the Eastern Partnership, published by the EU ahead of the Vilnius EaP Summit later this month.
The Eastern Partnership (EaP) is a joint initiative of the EU and Eastern European partner countries that brings the eastern neighbours closer to the EU. Six countries participate in the EaP – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine – with €2.5 billion available from the EU Budget over the period 2010-13, and a further €4.1 billion leveraged from European Financial Institutions through the Neighbourhood Investment Facility (NIF).
Explaining the context, main objectives and results of the Eastern Partnership, the leaflet casts a spotlight on key actions in each country, as well as regional programmes and flagship initiatives. It ends by looking to the future, and the EU’s continued support for reforms in partner countries.
The third Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius will be held on 28-29 November, 2013, bringing together the highest representatives from the EU institutions, 28 EU member states and the six Eastern European partners. (EU Neighbourhood Info)
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