Regulation 2021/1529 - Instrument for Pre-Accession assistance (IPA III) - Main contents

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 330/1

Regulation (EU) No 231/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council (4) expired on 31 December 2020. In order to maintain the Union’s effectiveness in external action, a framework for planning and delivering external assistance should be maintained for the period between 2021 and 2027.

The objective of an instrument for pre-accession assistance is to prepare beneficiaries for future membership of the Union and to support their accession process. It is therefore essential to have a dedicated instrument for pre-accession assistance to the beneficiaries listed in Annex I for the 2021-2027 period (IPA III) in support of enlargement, while ensuring that its objectives and functioning are consistent with, and complementary to, the general objectives of Union external action as laid down in Article 21 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU), including respect for fundamental rights and principles as well as the protection and promotion of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. This instrument should also be complementary with the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe (NDICI) established under Regulation (EU) 2021/947 of the European Parliament and of the Council (5).

Article 49 TEU provides that any European State which respects the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities, and is committed to promoting those values may apply to become a member of the Union. Those values are common to Member States in a society in which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality between women and men prevail.

A European State which has applied to join the Union can become a member of the Union only where it has been confirmed that it fully meets the accession criteria established at the Copenhagen European Council in June 1993 (the ‘Copenhagen criteria’) and provided that the Union has the capacity to integrate the new member. The Copenhagen criteria relate to the stability of institutions which guarantee democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for and protection of minorities, the existence of a functioning market economy as well as the capacity to cope with competitive pressure and market forces within the Union, and the ability to assume not only the rights but also the obligations under the Treaties, including the pursuit of the aims of political, economic and monetary union.

The enlargement policy of the Union is a strategic investment in peace, security, stability and prosperity in Europe and allows the Union to be better positioned to address global challenges. It also provides increased economic and trade opportunities to the mutual benefit of the Union and the aspiring Member States, while ensuring a gradual transformation of the beneficiaries. The prospect of Union membership has a powerful transformative effect, embedding positive democratic, political, economic and societal...