The EU is to intensify the Twinning Programme

Last week, a meeting of all the member states of the EU plus Croatia (which will be incorporated as a full member on 1 July this year) was held in Vienna in order to discuss, together with the Directorate General for Enlargement of the European Commission, the current status of the Twinning and TAIEX programmes in the framework of the Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA). This meeting was attended by the FIIAPP and the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation.

The main conclusion was that the Twinning Programme remains highly appreciated and its use will be intensified in the upcomingMultiannual Framework 2014-2020 of the EU. It was noted that this programme is a win-win situation, from which both the beneficiary countries and the member states gain.

At the meetings, ideas were put forward to make the instrument more flexible and less bureaucratic at the same time as the beneficiaries advance in their process of accession to the EU. In addition, the EC presented the data of participation on the TAIEX Programme, on whichover 5,000 experts from the public administrations assist the candidates and potential candidates in their accession process, inviting more experts to register in its database.

The FIIAPPalso took advantage of the opportunity to hold meetings with its community counterparts, share experiences, establish alliances and define a strategy for future participation on the Twinning Programme.