DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE

The Danish assistance has in the past focused on reconstruction of housing, infrastructure and environmental projects. These programmes have now phased out.

In addition to above mentioned , the Danish government in 1999 established the FRESTA , which was a department under supervision of the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. FRESTA is a Danish abbreviation for peace and stability. The FRESTA initiatives provides support to democratic institutions and structures, endeavours to strengthen civil society, works specifically in support of concrete reconciliation activities, and promotes cross-border activities. During the last years special emphasis has been given to South East Europe, but the FRESTA concept/initiative is in principle global.

Since January 1^st, 2004 the East Development Department and the FRESTA department under the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs have merged into one department called the office for the Neighbourhood programme. Here the FRESTA continued under the name "The South East Europe Programme" (SEE Programme).

The overall objective of The SEE Programme is to contribute to peace and stability in the region through the strengthening of cross-border network cooperation between civil society organisations. The programme was initiated in 2000. During 2000-2004, a total of 159 mill. DKK was granted to the programme. The programme is phased out in 2008 with expiry of the Danish assistance. For the period 2005-2008, 89 mill. DKK is committed to the programme. Read more here:

SEE Programme

In 2004 the government initiated a new assistance programme for EU's neighbouring countries to the east and southeast, the Neighbourhood Programme.  For the period 2004-2007 a total of 850 mio. DKK have been allocated to the programme. 
The programme is conducted by three Ministries, the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Danish Ministry of Economic and business Affairs and the Danish Ministry of the Environment. The MFA share of the programme is 730 mio. DKK. For more information about the Neighbourhood Programme go to:

Neighbourhood Programme


Secondly, a new programme for local economic development (LEDIB) is scheduled to start in 2006. This programme will support small and medium sized enterprises in two specific areas: North Western Bosnia and the Nis-region in Serbia-Montenegro. Particular focus will be on strengthening of the economic and administrative infrastructure; i.e. the creation of a market providing services for small and medium sized businesses. The LEDIB-programme will support the two regions with a total of 150 million Danish crowns.