Twinning projects

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Twinning Projects are the main tool to provide assistance to the Countries candidate to accession and to the new Member States (MS) in the field of institution building. Through Twinning Projects the EU aims to help the administrations of the Countries to adopt the Acquis and supplies financial assistance to help them faster adapt to EU best practices.

They have so far played a leading role in institution building, enabling the beneficiary administrations to enhance their professional skills and better perform their tasks. Carrying out Twinning Projects requires the close cooperation of national and EU institutions. It involves experts from the Member States’ administrations who share their experience and skills with the beneficiaries (civil servants of the Candidate Countries) in the specific field of each project.

The projects stem from the beneficiary’s true need to enhance its institutional capability in a specific area of the Acquis. On the basis of these needs (expressed in project fiches approved by the European Commission) project proposals are drafted by the MS administrations and evaluated and assigned by the beneficiary (with the endorsement of the EU).

The key team-members of a Twinning Project are:
• the Resident Twinning Advisor (RTA), an expert from a public body, seconded to the beneficiary administration for the entire duration of the project to coordinate all the project activities;
• the Short and Medium Term Experts (STEs), entrusted with the task of developing specific activities within the project (legal advice, draft of regulations, training and seminars) aiming to provide specific assistance in the adoption of the EU Acquis and best practices.

In evidence

New Twinning Project with Bulgaria on Financial Markets

The Treasury Department was selected for a Transaction Facility project with Bulgaria called “Further strengthening of the administrative capacity of the Financial Supervision Commission aiming at the efficient implementation of the acquis communautaire” (budget: 0.495 Meur; duration 12 months). The project is supposed to start by the end of the current year.

• New Twinning Project with Bulgaria on Financial Markets
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