The EU's external aid programmes are organised on a geographical basis. On 1 January 2007 the new external aid instruments were launched. These new programmes are:

• the European Development Fund (EDF) for Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific countries. The Fund provides grants for investment and technical assistance in social infrastructure, poverty alleviation, agriculture and rural development, road construction and private sector development.
  
• the Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA) covers candidate countries (Croatia, Turkey and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) and potential candidate countries (Serbia including Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Albania). IPA focuses on transition assistance and institution building, regional and cross border co-operation, regional development, human resources development and rural development. IPA supersedes the previous pre-accession instruments - Phare, ISPA, SAPARD, the Turkey Instrument and CARDS.
  
• the European Neighbourhood Policy Instrument (ENPI) provides assistance to the neighbouring countries of the enlarged EU to the south and to the east. ENPI aims at supporting public administration reform, economic reform, private sector development, management of water, energy and other environmental resources, telecommunications and transport infrastructure, research and innovation and cross-border co-operation. ENPI replaces the two previous instruments for the Mediterranean region (MEDA) and for the Commonwealth of Independent States (TACIS).
  
• the Development Co-operation Instrument (DCI) is the EU’s assistance programme to countries in Latin America, Asia, Central Asia and South Africa. Its aim is to provide development assistance supporting poverty reduction, sustainable economic and social development, and integration into the world's economy. It also supports work on promoting respect for human rights and democratic principles. DCI replaces the previous ALA programme of the EU.

Please note that outstanding projects approved for financing under the previous financing instruments (eg Phare, CARDS, ALA, MEDA, TACIS) are continuing with many still being put out to tender during 2007 and 2008, in parallel with projects financed under the new instruments.