Moldova, Georgia and Armenia will benefit from €87 million additional funds under the Eastern Partnership integration and cooperation (EaPIC) programme, announced by the European Commission today. The new funds (€35 million for Moldova, €27 million for Georgia and €25 million for Armenia) will go towards projects to boost economic opportunities in rural areas, advance reforms in the energy sector, improve job market management, offer vocational education and training and others, a press release said.
“This year, three Eastern partners were rewarded for their efforts in democratic transition and their commitment to fundamental values,” Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Füle said. “We hope that this group will grow bigger in the future. Additional funding means more support for national reforms and joint projects that bring concrete benefits to citizens' lives,” he added.
The EaPIC programme provides additional funding to countries in the Eastern Partnership (EaP) that make progress in reforms for deep democracy and human rights. It complements the annual bilateral support for the three countries concerned, either through new projects, or by expanding the scope and duration of existing projects.
In Georgia, new funds will be used for improving management of the job market, with better linkage between education, skills and market needs. In Moldova, new funds will contribute to boosting economic opportunities in rural areas. In Armenia, additional funding will help bring forward the national agenda for fight against corruption and reform of the civil service. In addition to EaPIC funding, direct support for civil society has also been increased in Armenia, the press release said.
Launched in 2012, the EaPIC programme provides additional financial assistance to EaP countries that deliver on reforms for deep democracy and respect of human rights. In practice, the programme functions as a positive incentive for continued efforts in democratic transformation. Additional funds are used for new projects or for scaling-up existing projects.
The 2013 EaPIC allocations are based on the key findings and recommendations of the latest progress reports on the implementation of the Neighbourhood Policy ('ENP package' of March 2013).
This rewarding mechanism is in line with the ‘more for more’ principle introduced in the 2011 review of the European Neighbourhood Policy: “Increased EU support to its neighbours is conditional. It will depend on progress in building and consolidating democracy and respect for the rule of law. The more and the faster a country progresses in its internal reforms, the more support it will get from the EU.”
The 'more for more' principle is not limited to financial assistance. In the Eastern Partnership, partners most engaged in reforms benefit more from their relationship with the EU, including closer political association, deeper gradual economic integration in the EU internal market and increased EU assistance.(EU Neighbourhood Info)
