The main difference between the national and multi-beneficiary IPA program (Multi-country IPA – MC IPA) is that one project from the MC IPA program is implemented simultaneously in several countries that accede to the EU, while the national IPA program provides direct support to a specific country.
The beneficiary countries of the multi-user IPA program are: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, Serbia, Kosovo and Turkey.
The multi-beneficiary IPA program refers to the common needs of the beneficiary countries and strives to achieve economy and efficiency in the implementation of the program. Activities within this program focus on support that requires regional cooperation among beneficiaries, such as regional structures, organizations or initiatives, networks of experts or administrative officials or related to cross-border cooperation problems.
Projects from the MC IPA program are prepared centrally, i.e. by the European Commission, with the aim of promoting regional cooperation. Programming of the MC IPA program is based on the preparation of project proposals and financial proposals by the European Commission. The European Commission initiates and prepares a draft of project ideas, based on the needs of the countries of the region and the priorities contained in the multi-user, multi-year indicative planning document. The prepared proposals are submitted to the beneficiary countries for comments, followed by intersectoral consultations within the general directorates of the European Commission. The final decision on approving project proposals is made by the IPA Committee, which includes representatives of member countries.
For the period 2007-2013, the European Commission allocated a total of 1.426 billion euros of support through this program, while for the period 2014-2020 the amount of allocated funds is 2.980 billion euros. Furthermore, the program for 2024 includes a set of actions for several countries, which are divided into three separate financial decisions of the European Commission, in the total amount of 432.67 million euros.
More information about the program can be found on the website.