Azerbaijan, Baku, March 2 / Trend , E.Ostapenko/
Over EUR 5.7 billion will be allocated in the next three years to reinforce political cooperation and promote economic integration between the EU and its neighbours. EUR 122.5 million will be allocated to Azerbaijan.
Funding will go to support political and economic reforms, regional and cross-border cooperation in the partner countries covered by the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI). It will also support projects in areas like climate change, transport, energy and environment.
"We want to engage further in cooperation with our neighbours proving that EU remains a solid and reliable partner in current hard times," said Baroness Catherine Ashton, Vice-President of the European Commission and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
She said the EU offers stronger links of political association and economic integration, adapted to our partners' wishes and capacities. Increased EU funding is an important tool to achieve these goals. "Increased EU funding is an important tool to achieve these goals," Ashton said.
EU neighbours will receive more than EUR 2 billion in 2013, compared with EUR 1.6 billion in 2010.
"If we want to make the neighbourhood policy a success, we must give ourselves the means to do so: greater mobility of people, more trade, more aid," said Stefan Füle, Commissioner for Enlargement and the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP).
''This all comes at a price. However, I believe it would cost us even more to deal with the consequences of poor economic performance, instability and conflicts in our own neighbourhood,'' he said.