Nezavisne novine: SARAJEVO – BiH will receive from the European Commission by 2011 440 million Euros from the pre-accession funds, so it could implement the necessary reforms in different areas for association with the European integrations.
This was pointed out yesterday, after signing the Framework agreement on the rules of cooperation within the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA).
Framework was signed by Nikola Špirić , Chairman of the Council of Ministers of BiH, and Pierre Mirel, director for western Balkans of the Directorate General for enlargement of the European Commission.
"Besides the criticism, which justifiably come from Brussels because of the reforms in BiH, we have still made progress and came into phase when we can start using benefits from the pre-accession funds", said Špirić.
Mirel added that Brussels will continue to send criticism, until the given reforms are fulfilled, stressing that the money provided within the IPA is no loan, but an assistance for BiH so it could more easily reach the candidate status for EU accession.
Osman Topčagić, director of the Directorate for European Integrations of BiH, explained that before the money is operational, financial agreements will be signed for every year, ant that the framework agreement established an exact plan of usage of the money from the pre-accession funds.
"Currently we are drafting a plan for 2008, because both we and the European Commission had smaller delays. In September U September, a plan for 2009 will be drafted, and we expect before that a signing of the financial agreement for payment of money according to the plan for 2007", said Topčagić.
Mirel explained that pre-accession assistance is based on three elements, i.e. political dialog, the Stabilization and Association Agreement and financial assistance for implementation of the reforms.