In close coordination with the European Commission, CBIB has organised the12th Regional IPA CBC Coordination Meeting in Sarajevo on 19-21 October 2011. The event gathered 85 representatives of the EC, EU Delegations and programme structures. It was officially opened by Ms. Nevenka Savic, Director of the Directorate for European Integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina and National IPA Coordinator, and Mr. Renzo Daviddi, Deputy Head of EU Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The main objective of the meeting was to take stock of the situation with the programme/project implementation, the ongoing 2nd round of Calls for Proposals, as well as to present main lessons learned and constraints encountered in the implementation so far.

This was followed by the presentation of the Interim Evaluation of the IPA CBC programmes at ‘intra’ WB borders by Ms. Bettina Rafaelsen, EC Evaluators Team Leader and the presentation of the third part of the Assessment of the 1st round of CfPs carried out by CBIB II, given by Ms. Natasa Gospodjinacki, CBIB Team Leader.

In her presentation Ms. Rafaelsen emphasised the outcomes of the Interim Evaluation and recommendations for the future of IPA CBC in the Western Balkans, mainly concerning the programming, programme structures, implementation of grant schemes, their results, impact and sustainability, as well as the progress towards achieving the programme objectives.

Presentation by Ms. Gospodjinacki focused on the outcomes of an extensive on-line survey carried out among 1200 respondents – Potential Applicants and Grant Beneficiaries from the Region and their feedback on the IPA CBC programmes, structures and results of the first projects, as well as their capacity building needs and suggestions for improving the process and procedures.

The Regional meeting was preceeded by a coordination meeting between the EC, EU Delegations and CBIB II.

All presentations from the meeting are listed below.