Joint Assistance to Support Projects in the European Regions (JASPERS)

The European Union has allocated EUR 347 billion for the implementation of EU cohesion policy during the period 2007-2013. This is the largest support from the Structural Funds - the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Cohesion Fund and the European Social Fund (ESF) - in the EU's history, accounting for almost 36% of the Union's budget. JASPERS (Joint Assistance to Support Projects in European Regions) is a technical support facility for the twelve EU Member States that joined the EU in 2004 and 2007 (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia). It is designed to help them to better prepare projects that will be supported by EU funds. Through this joint initiative, the European Commission (DG REGIO) and the European Investment Bank, in cooperation with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), share their professional experience with the beneficiary Member States in order to help them to use EU Structural Funds more effectively. The four JASPERS partners have a long record of successful cooperation in preparing and financing projects in Central and Eastern Europe and JASPERS represents a further development of this fruitful cooperation.