EU 2011 budget provides 9.3 per cent increase for ENPI programmes

The 2011 EU budget, which was formally adopted by the European Parliament this week, provides for more funding for core European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI) programmes. 

Some €2.6 billion will be made available through the Development Cooperation Instrument (DCI), with €1.8 billion available through the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI). This represents an increase of 9.3% from the 2010 ENPI budget. 

During the final plenary session of the year in Strasbourg, MEPs also managed to secure additional funding worth €2.5 million for the Baltic Sea Strategy. An extra €100 million has also been allocated to Palestine and the peace process. 

The European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI) is the main financial mechanism through which assistance is given to the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) Partner Countries, as well as Russia. It is the cooperation instrument, managed by EuropeAid, through which decisions taken on a political level are turned into actions on the ground.