The Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) aims to facilitate progress in key areas of needed reforms required by the enlargement countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey) to comply with the EU values, and their alignment with the EU rules, standards and practices in the relevant areas. IPA’s main goal is to strengthen democratic institutions and the rule of law, reform public administration, further economic reforms, promote respect for human as well as minority rights and gender equality, support the development of civil society and advance regional cooperation, as well as to contribute to sustainable development and poverty reduction. IPA III sets a new framework for providing pre-accession assistance for the period 2021-2027. In this context, the European Commission (EC) will organise four Coordination Meetings involving Beneficiaries, Commission staff and other stakeholders.

The logistics for the first event of a series of four IPA Coordination Meetings during the period 2023-2024 were arranged by C&M. The meeting, organised by EC DG NEAR, took place in Brussels, Belgium in June 2023, bringing together about 72 different participants from the Western Balkans and Turkey, as well as from the EU institutions in Brussels.

C&M arranged all the required services for the event, including travel, accommodation, and insurance for the sponsored participants, daily allowance payment, badges and conference kits’ production, hiring of a venue and catering, technical equipment, including web-streaming conference equipment, local transportation, prints, as well as hiring of an experienced hostess and a team of technicians.