Minister says Albania has not lost EU funds

TIRANA, Nov. 15 – The Integration Ministry says Albania has lost no financial assistance after failing to get the EU candidate country status. Speaking at a press conference last weekend, Integration Minister Majlinda Bregu dismissed as untrue media report saying that Albania had lost 400 million euros because of not getting the candidate status. She said that under the new regulation of the EU Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA), the distribution of assistance funds to regional countries for the 2010-2012 period will remain unchanged despite possible changes in their accession status.
According to Bregu, from 2007 to 2010 Albania benefited some 306 million euros of funds which has been disbursed or is being disbursed under respective contracts with project beneficiaries and companies implementing them.
European Commission statistics show Albania’s 2010 funds in the “Transition Assistance and Institution Building” and “Cross-border Co-operation” components climbed to 93.2 million euros in 2010, up from 81.2 million in 2009 and 61 million in 2007, when Albania started receiving financial assistance.
The 2011 assistance funds are projected at 95 million euros, compared with 96.9 million min 2012.
The EC has provided support to Albania under a variety of financial instruments, including Community Assistance for Reconstruction, Development and Stabilization (CARDS), macro-financial support and humanitarian aid. Since 2007 Albania has received EU financial aid under the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA). One part of the assistance (Component I) focuses on implementing the main priorities of the European partnership while the other (Component II) supports cross-border cooperation activities between Albania and EU member states as well as with adjacent candidate and potential candidate countries.
The purpose of support under the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) programme is to help candidate and potential candidate countries and territories – the beneficiaries – to progress towards fully meeting the Copenhagen political and economic criteria as well as adopting and implementing the EU acquis. The multi-beneficiary actions will complement and add value to the support given under the National Programmes.