Recent years have seen a marked increase in cooperation between the public and private sectors for the development and operation of infrastructure for a wide range of economic activities. Such Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) arrangements were driven by limitations in public funds to cover investments needs but also by efforts to increase the quality and efficiency of public services.

The efforts of the Accession Countries and Member States alike to reform and upgrade infrastructure and services has in the past and could continue to potentially benefit from the PPP approach. However, PPPs should only be considered if it can be demonstrated that they will achieve additional value compared with other approaches, if there is an effective implementation structure and if the objectives of all parties can be met within the partnership.