June 15 (SeeNews) - EU enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn said the European Commission has decided to increase the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) budget for the Western Balkans to 14.5 billion euro ($16.8 billion) from 12 billion euro for the period between 2021 and 2027.
The IPA budget for the Western Balkans will be increased by 30% and the Commission intends to move to thematic from country-specific budgeting, Hahn said on Thursday, as seen in a video posted on the Commission's Audiovisual Services web portal.
"This will improve our effectiveness and the quality of our intervention," Hahn said during a news conference on the presentation of the Neighbourhood and the World heading of the Multi-annual Financial framework (2021-2027).
When it comes to enlargement, the main focus of the intervention for the 2021-2027 period will be the Western Balkans, Hahn said.
In February, the Commission adopted a strategy for supporting the EU integration of the countries of the Western Balkans, focusing on the need for fundamental reforms and good neighbourly relations.
The strategy includes six flagship initiatives which the EU will launch over the next years to support the transformation efforts of the Western Balkans in areas of mutual interest.
($ = 0.8652 euro)