Chapter I, Article 3, Paragraph 2., Point (a) · Regulation (EU) 2024/1449

Contents

(a)further strengthen the fundamentals of the enlargement process, including the rule of law and fundamental rights, the functioning of democratic institutions, including at regional and local level and including de-polarisation, public administration and fulfil the economic criteria; this includes promoting an independent judiciary, reinforcing security and stability in the region, strengthening the fight against fraud and all forms of corruption, including high-level corruption and nepotism, organised crime, cross-border crime and money laundering as well as terrorism financing, tax evasion and tax fraud, tax avoidance; increasing compliance with international law; strengthening freedom and independence of media and academic freedom; combating hate speech; enabling an environment for civil society, fostering social dialogue; promoting gender equality, gender mainstreaming and the empowerment of women and girls, non-discrimination and tolerance, to ensure and strengthen respect for the rights of persons belonging to minorities, including national minorities and Roma, as well as rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons;

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Defined terms · 10

Show every defined term

beneficiary
means any of the following: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia or Serbia.
blending operation
means an operation supported by the Union budget that combines non-repayable forms of support from the Union budget with repayable forms of support from development or other public financial institutions, including export credit agencies, or from commercial finance institutions and investors;
do no significant harm
means not supporting or carrying out economic activities that do significant harm to any environmental objective, where relevant, within the meaning of Article 17 of Regulation (EU) 2020/852.
enlargement policy framework
means the overall policy framework for the implementation of this Regulation as defined by the European Council and the Council, and includes the revised enlargement methodology, agreements that establish a legally binding relationship with the beneficiaries, the negotiating frameworks governing accession negotiations with candidates, where applicable, as well as resolutions of the European Parliament, relevant communications from the Commission, including, where applicable, on the rule of law, and joint communications from the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
Facility Agreement
means an arrangement concluded between the Commission and the beneficiary laying down the principles for the financial cooperation between the beneficiary and the Commission under this Regulation;
final recipient
means a person or entity receiving funding under the Facility;
loan agreement
means an arrangement concluded between the Commission and a beneficiary laying down the conditions applicable to the support of the Facility;
measures
means reforms and investments as set out in the Reform Agendas under Chapter III;
payment conditions
means conditions for the release of funds that take the form of observable and measurable qualitative or quantitative steps to be implemented by a beneficiary, as set out in the Reform Agenda under Chapter III;
Reform Agenda
means a comprehensive, coherent and prioritised set of targeted reforms and priority investment areas in each beneficiary, including payment conditions that indicate satisfactory progress or completion of related measures, and an indicative timetable for their implementation;