[wzslider]The IPA Monitoring Committee meeting commenced in the EU House in Sarajevo this morning. The on-going and planned IPA projects (IPA 2008-2012) are being discussed.
Among other issues, the Committee will discuss whether to continue or terminate projects which were suspended earlier this year. Due to the failure of the authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina to agree on required implementation actions, in July, the European Union suspended 4.5 million Euros allocated for projects to support the tourism industry and the introduction of Quality Management Systems (QMS) for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). In June, five million Euros committed for projects in agriculture and rural development were suspended for the same reason. Overall, Bosnia and Herzegovina could lose 25 million Euro of IPA funds.
The Committee will not take any decisions regarding IPA II for the period 2014-2020. Initial discussion on IPA II will not take place before October.