The assistance provided by the EU through pre-accession funds to support countries in the process of preparing for EU accession was gathered under a single instrument and legal framework called Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) in 2007, and in this context, the “Component Approach” was adopted in the first period of IPA by making significant structural adjustments compared to the pre-IPA period.

Component 1 targets capacity building for alignment with and implementation of the acquis and Component 2 targets cooperation for economic and social development in the border regions.

Components 3, 4, and 5 aim to provide support to boost economic and social cohesion in the fields of environment, transport, regional competitiveness, human resources development, and rural development, respectively, and to prepare for the structural funds, cohesion funds, and rural development programs that the EU will make available after accession.

IPA I period, which supported 385 large-scale projects, ended in 2021.

Detailed information on the legal framework for the IPA I period can be found in the documents listed below.