With new financial perspective period started in 2007, a new era has begun for pre-accession financial assistances. Pre-accession financial aids formerly provided as PHARE, ISPA, CARDS, SAPARD, are unified under the heading Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA). (IPA Legislative Framework) (IPA Actors)

The IPA is made up of five components for member and potential countries, which are:

1. Support for Transition and Institution-Building,

2. Cross-Border Cooperation,

3. Regional Development,

4, Human Resources Development,

5. Rural Development.

Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance brings new approach of programming for using financial assistance. The importance of this approach lies behind preparing EU member countries to use structural funds. Components of Regional Development, Human Resources Development and Rural Development for which programming approach is valid, are designed in order to correspond structural funds such as European Regional Development Fund, European Social Fund and European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.

1st COMPONENT: SUPPORT FOR TRANSITION AND INSTITUTION-BUILDING

Under Support for Transition and Institution-Building Component, activities for complying with Copenhagen Criteria and Acquis Communautaire are supported. By means of this assistance, Turkey, as a candidate country, is expected to build her institutional capacity in order to comply with Acquis Communautaire via project-based activities.

It can be seen that in the first years of Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance, allocation for this field is the highest amount with 750 million Euros with respect to other components for the period of 2007-2009. The purpose of allocating highest amount to this component is obtaining quick results for compliance of national legislation with Acquis Communautaire which underlies accession negotiations. For 2007-2013 period, the responsibility of this component belongs to Secretariat General for EU Affairs.

2nd COMPONENT: CROSS-BORDER COOPERATION

Assistances under this component aims to enhance cross-border cooperation between candidate/potential candidate countries and EU countries; to provide stable and sustainable economic and social development in border zones; to cooperate against dangers on environment, public health and organized crime syndicates; to form effective and secure boundaries. For aforesaid activities, an assistance of 25 million Euros will be provided for the period of 2007-2009. The responsible body for this component is Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency.

3rd COMPONENT: REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Only candidate countries can benefit from Regional Development Component. This component supports activities related with the European Regional Development Fund and the Cohesion Fund and in general, it is used for the candidate countries' preparations in order to benefit from structural funds. The aim of this component is making candidate countries prepared for using these funds, stimulating development of transportation, energy and environment projects which comply with EU’s and national priorities.

In order to benefit from the financial assistance that is allocated to Turkey in the Component, a new understanding for programming, compliant with the logic of the structural fund, has been introduced. Moreover, preparation of Operational Programs about transportation, environment and regional competitiveness for 3 year-periods, has been imposed as a precondition.

In this framework, the responsibility of preparing and performing of the Operational Programs related with this area is given to:

A. Environment Operational Program - Ministry of Environment and Forestry;

B. Transport Operational Program - Ministry of Transport;

C. Regional Competitiveness Operational Program - Ministry of Industry and Trade.

4th COMPONENT: HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT

Detailed information about this component which is under our Ministry’s responsibility can be found at HRD OP part of the website.

5th COMPONENT: RURAL DEVELOPMENT

With respect to this component, there is a IPARD Plan prepared by each candidate country to be implemented between 2007 and 2013. Ministry of Agriculture, which is the responsible body for this component, determined its primary objective as "contributing to implement Acquis Communautaire related with EU Common Agricultural Policy and solving primary problems of candidate countries concerned with agricultural sector and sustainable development of rural regions".