Over time, the EU has developed a broad spectrum of external aid programmes, which resulted in a complex set of more than 30 different legal instruments. The need to facilitate coherence and improve consistency of the Union’s action, and achieve better results and a higher impact with the resources available, led the Commission to propose a simplified framework for external actions over the 2007-2013 period.

The Romania-Republic of Serbia IPA Cross-border Cooperation Programme targets selected border regions between Romania and Republic of Serbia. This Programme provides the opportunity for both countries to continue their cross-border cooperation under the new Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA).

The strategic goal of the Romania-Republic of Serbia IPA Cross-Border Cooperation Programme is to achieve a more balanced and sustainable socio-economic development of the Romanian-Serbian border area, on the basis of joint cross-border projects and common actions by Romanian and Serbian stakeholders.

Romania is the Managing Authority of the Programme, represented through the Romanian Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration whilst the Republic of Serbia is National Authority for the Programme, through the EU Integration Office.