Increased support to institutional and sector reforms in the Eastern European partner countries is the main aim of the €130 million Eastern Partnership Integration and Cooperation (EaPIC) programme, adopted today.

A press release said the ENPI-funded programme would help accelerate partner countries’ political association and economic integration with the EU, contributing further to the implementation of the Eastern Partnership as part of the renewed EU policy in the region.

The EaPIC programme will back initiatives tailored to the needs of each country, “based on assessment of the country's progress towards deep democracy”. They will complement on-going activities in partner countries, supported at EU level or bilaterally by EU Member States, as well as by other donors.

The programme will focus on the two key areas:

• democratic transformation and institution building;
• sustainable and inclusive growth and economic development.

All Eastern Neighbourhood partner countries may benefit from the EaPIC, the press release said, “but only countries that make progress in reforms for democracy, respect of human rights and the rule of law will access the new programme”.

Depending on the pace of reform in each country, the programme will seek further to boost the role and capacities of national democratic institutions and build up support “for sector reforms that are conducive to deep democracy and sustainable and inclusive development”.

EaPIC will also provide increased support for institution building activities, including Comprehensive Institution Building (CIB), and relevant sector-wide reforms (for instance in rural development, justice, anticorruption), as well as for activities related to the peaceful settlement of conflicts, the press release said.

The programme will cover the period 2012-2013 “subject to the adoption of the 2013 budget by the budgetary authority”. (EU Neighbourhood Info)