The purpose of EU pre-accession assistance is to help the Candidate Countries strengthen their administrative capacity in preparation for managing the larger amounts of EU funding available to them once they become Member States.

INVITATION - PRESS BRIEFING Special Report: Has EU assistance improved Croatia’s capacity to manage post-accession funding?

(Return tabled) Question No. 122 Mr. Davies (Vancouver Kingsway) : With respect to the federal funding for Child Advocacy Centres announced in October 2010: (a) does the funding for this initiative come from an existing fund or is it a new initiative with new funding; (b) what are the criteria by which applications to receive funding under this initiative will be evaluated; (c) how many applications for funding under this initiative have been received, broken down by month received, location of project and name of applicant; (d) how many applications for funding under this initiative have been approved, broken down by date approved, l ...[+++]ocation of project and name of applicant; (e) how many applications for funding under this initiative have been rejected, broken down by date rejected, location of project and name of applicant; (f) is there a prescribed limit to the amount of funds that can be disbursed under this initiative within a single fiscal year; (g) is there a prescribed limit to the amount of funds that can be disbursed to a single applicant or project; (h) what happens to this initiative once the $5.25 million has been fully assigned; (i) what will happen to the funding once the five year commitment comes to an end; (j) what factors or circumstances changed between the time of the requests made by former Victims Ombudsman Steve Sullivan to include funding for Child Advocacy Centres in Budget 2009 and Budget 2010 and the time the government announced funding in October 2010; (k) what existing programs or initiatives may have their funding or potential funding reduced or eliminated as a result of the announced funding for Child Advocacy Centres; (l) what specific branch, department or agency is responsible for administering the funding for Child Advocacy Centres; and (m) what is the legislative basis for this funding?

The same people who are providing these new forecasts, the Department of Finance, are the same ones who have to manage the government, have to manage the finances of the nation.

Decentralised management of aid programmes is also new, and raises the question of how well equipped the administrations in these countries are to handle and manage EU financing.

The three reserves appearing in heading 6 of the financial perspective make for flexibility in the management of the Union's finances.