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Issue № 7A newsletter published by “Support to the State Chancellery” (TTSIB) project EuropeAid/130480/C/SER/MD

Excellency, you have started your mission in Moldova back in 2009. How do you see with the eyes of an EU Ambassador the developments that took place during these years?Indeed, when I have been posted in Moldova a new democratic coalition came to power. The path towards European integration was declared as the main priority of the Government. Since then good progress was made in terms of negotiating the Association Agreement together with the Agreement on the establishment of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area. The European Union has been supporting continuously Moldova in its efforts to implement reforms that would have a direct impact on its citizens’ welfare and getting closer to the European model. This has materialized in both financial and technical support that has been growing once the country has been advancing in the reforms for deep democracy and respect of human rights. Back in 2012 the prospects of signing the Association

continuation on pag.5

H.E. Dirk SchuebelAmbassador of the European Union to Moldova:

‘A greater number of Twinning projects is possible and should be striven for’”

The Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation (Global Partnership) is a political forum which combines a wide range of countries and organizations throughout the world with the commitment to increase efficiency of development cooperation. It was established following the agreement of 160 countries, territories and organizations at the Fourth High-Level Forum in Busan, Korea, 2011.

The purpose of global monitoring includes: providing a snapshot of progress at the international level and thus supporting the accountability for the implementation of the Busan commitments and actions; stimulation of multi-stakeholder dialogue at both country and international levels on improvement of the effectiveness of development co-operation; and promotion of agreements on specific actions needed to enhance the successful implementation of the Busan Partnership agreement and support accountability at country level.

The Republic of Moldova is also taking part in the global monitoring exercise of the Global

The institution building instruments, Twinning, TAIEX and SIGMA, proving to be powerful tools for the reform and modernization processes that Moldova pursues, are regarded as important topics to be aware of by civil servants. In this respect, the State Chancellery in cooperation with the EU project ‘Support to the State Chancellery – TTSIB’, initiated training sessions for representatives of central public authorities. Thus, such trainings were held previously for the Ministry of Labour, Social Protection and Family, Court of Accounts and other, and the most recent ones were organized for the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Economy. These were moderated by the experts from the EU project ‘Support to the State Chancellery – TTSIB’, who dwelt upon the essence, contracting procedures and benefits of the institution-building instruments for the success of the reforms in the justice and economy sectors. During the trainings, participants learnt who are the actors involved in a Twinning project, which stages make up a project cycle, what is a Twinning Project Fiche, why the Programme Administration Office is important in promoting Twinning projects and what benefits do TAIEX and SIGMA bring.

Central publiC authorities learn more on european institution building instruments

moldova, taking part in the global monitoring exerCise

‘Even the less visible reforms will sure have an impact in future’ – interview with Mr Victor BODIU, Secretary General of the Government pg.2

‘A greater number of Twinning projects is pos-sible and should be striven for’ – introduction by Mr Dirk SCHUEBEL, Head of the European Union Delegation to Moldova pg.1,5

New platform for external assistance data storage and processing pg.3

Recent findings of the EU Neighbourhood Barometer pg.6

Europe Days celebrations in Chisinau and Tiraspol pg.7

According to TTSIB experts, the EU institution building instruments represent the form of assistance which has the full capacity to change attitudes and to strengthen the efforts and capacities of institutions.To be noted that, currently, 5 Twinning projects are implemented in Moldova (among which 2 at the Ministry of Economy), 113 TAIEX applications submitted by the Republic of Moldova were registered in 2012 and 3 SIGMA projects were implemented in our country in 2011 – 2012.

Partnership for Effective Development. In this respect, the State Chancellery, in its role of national coordinating authority, has initiated a complex consultation process of the Draft Guide to the Monitoring Framework of the Global Partnership, seeking to obtain the feedback of all external assistance stakeholders: development partners, line ministries, civil society. A comprehensive presentation on the purpose of the Global Monitoring exercise was delivered at the regular Donors Coordination Meeting.

The results of the monitoring data accumulated at national level will be soon presented to the joint UNDP/OECD group, which is coordinating the process at country level. The high-level ministerial meeting to assess the results at global level is scheduled for October 2013.



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– The State Chancellery has recently gone through a reorganization process and employed new experts in the Department for Coordination of Policies, External Assistance and Central Public Administration Reform. Could you tell us in detail what was the purpose of such reorganization and whether the new staff already integrated in the team?– The purpose of the reorganization of the State Chancellery was to bring together the responsibilities related to policy coordination and foreign aid coordination in one single unit. In our view, it makes sense that a person responsible for specific policies should be familiar with the resources provided by our country’s development partners for their implementation. To staff our team working in this area we advertised the job opportunities as requested in the relevant regulatory framework. I was pleased to see that the number of applicants to the advertised 11 job vacancies was impressive – about 60 people expressed interest in this critical area. The applicants had to go through two selection stages – the test and the interview. I can assure you that the 11 winners are well qualified and managed to impress the competition panel with their knowledge in this area. Naturally, to fully integrate into their new jobs the junior civil servants receive relevant training. – Transparency of foreign aid has been an issue raised quite often and, as far as we know, the State Chancellery has taken a series of steps to increase it. What are the new initiatives in this sense? – I should mention here the piloting of new foreign aid data management software – Aid Management Program – used in more than 20 countries worldwide and facilitating the access to the data about the aid provided by donors. It should also be noted that before starting the pilot stage, the AMP platform was subjected to wide consultations – with relevant ministries, development partners and civil society.The experts who designed the software considered the feedback of the direct users and also the possibilities to update this database. We expect that the platform will be fully operational by autumn.– Besides transparency, the efficiency of external assistance is also critical. Has anything been done in Moldova in this sense? – Yes, Moldova will take part in the global monitoring exercise of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation. The Global Partnership is a political forum which brings together a large number of countries and organizations worldwide committed to improve the development cooperation. It was established

by 160 countries, regions and organizations at the fourth High Level Forum in Busan, Korea, in 2011. The purpose of the global monitoring is to support the accountability in the implementation of the commitments made in Busan by informing the progress at international level, boost the dialogue by involving different national and international players on effective development cooperation, promote the agreed specific actions required to enhance the successful implementation of the Busan Partnership Agreement and support the accountability process at country level. I would like to add that the Guide to the Monitoring Framework of the Global Partnership was subjected to a complex consultative process. To this end, the State Chancellery, in its capacity of the national coordinating authority, has subjected the preliminary draft of this Guidebook to consultations in order to get feedback from all the stakeholders in foreign aid – development partners, ministries, civil society. The indicators of the global monitoring are, as follows: Development co-operation is focused on

results that meet developing countries’ priorities;

Civil society operates within an environment that maximizes its engagement in and contribution to development;

Engagement and contribution of the private sector to development;

Transparency: information on development co-operation is publicly available;

Development co-operation is more predictable (annual and medium-term);

Aid is on budgets which are subject to parliamentary scrutiny;

Mutual accountability strengthened through inclusive reviews;

Quality of developing country PFM systems; Aid is untied.

The findings of the monitoring at national level will be delivered to the UNDP/OCDE joint team very soon, while the high level ministerial meeting meant to evaluate the global findings is expected to be held in October 2013.– The EU resources provided to our country are on the rise. How efficiently does Moldova use this support?– Indeed, the support of our European partners is hard to overestimate in the context of the multiple reforms started in various sectors. This support reveals, above all, the trust of the European Community to our commitments and the willingness to help develop our country in accordance with the best European practices. When we speak about the European Union support we should, first of all, mention the institutional building instruments – Twinning, TAIEX and SIGMA.

Currently we have 5 on-going Twinning projects – implemented by the Ministry of Finance, Ministry

interviewVictor BODIU, Secretary General of the Government:

of Regional Development and Constructions, Consumer Protection Agency, Food Safety Agency, Centre of Accreditation in the Field of Products Conformity Assessment – in most of the key sectors of the Association Agreement and, implicitly, Agreement on the creation of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area, covered by such assistance. Another 7 Twinning projects are in the pipeline. We certainly don’t intend to stop here, because Twinning is, both in our view and in the view of the European Community, the most efficient institutional building instrument used for the regulatory approximation to the European standards.

On the other hand, TAIEX is useful to quickly respond to an institution’s needs. It can be used to hold a workshop, an evaluation mission or a study visit. Moldova is one of the countries that is most active in using this instrument and hopefully this trend will continue.SIGMA is another efficient way to build the institutional capacities. In 2011-2012 we had only three SIGMA projects, but in early 2013 a mission of SIGMA officials to Chisinau confirmed the willingness to expand the scope of this instrument and, implicitly, the number of projects.– The donors are encouraged to align their cooperation priorities with the „Moldova 2020” Strategy. What can you say about these developments?– Regarding the National Development Strategy „Moldova 2020”, it was for the first time that we developed a long-term policy document, which focuses on priorities, instead of sectors, so as finally these priorities to lead to one single goal – sustainable economic growth, more income to the budget that will further be allocated to sectors like culture, science, social sector. It is particularly important to be aware that the Government is the one that defines its development priorities

and the donors should align their assistance to them. I should also mention „Rethink Moldova”, a medium-term planning document covering the period of 2010 – 2013. It was very actively supported by the development partners and Moldova received assistance amounting to about 1.8 billion Euros as grants and preferential loans to support the development programs. The largest part of this money was allocated to the road infrastructure – over 300 million Euros, agriculture – over 200 million Euros and water supply and sanitation – over 150 million Euros. All these programs are underway and, although not all of them are visible, - because one thing is to restore a school or rehabilitate a road, and it is something different to reform the judiciary or other sectors that are less visible, - they will sure have an impact in future.

„even less visible reforms will sure have an impaCt in future”

“ Twinning is the most efficient institutional building instrument used for the regulatory approximation to the European standards.”

“...it was for the first time that we developed a long-term policy document, which focuses on priorities, instead of sectors, so as finally these priorities to lead to one single goal – sustainable economic growth... ”

“ The support of our European partners is hard to overestimate in the context of the multiple reforms started in various sectors. This support reveals, above all, the trust of the European Community to our commitments and the willingness to help develop our country in accordance with the best European practices.”



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New data about the projects funded by the development partners have been generated recently in the foreign assistance database IDEA. According to it, from 2009 to 2013 over 400 projects were implemented in Moldova amounting to 1 billion 633 million Euros. One quarter of them were funded by the European Union.

The 441 projects with external funding were implemented in particular in the governmental and civil society sectors (26,3%), social infrastructure (13,3%) and education (9,29%). The most active

The external assistance data storage and processing platform AMP (Aid Management Program) is now being tested by the Moldovan central government. AMP is a complex foreign assistance data storage platform expected to replace the database in place - IDEA.

To secure the smooth operation of the new external assistance data system, the State Chancellery, with the support of the platform design team, has recently delivered the first training cycle for the pilot team that will test the new system, made of the civil

over 440 externally funded projeCts were implemented in moldova from 2009 to 2013

the Central government will soon have a new platform for external assistanCe data storage and proCessing

donors were the European Union that funded 153 projects with a total budget of 473.8 million Euros, i.e. 29% of the total external assistance budget in the reported period, the United Nations Organization that funded 54 projects and the United States of America that funded 49 projects. One hundred four projects were launched in Moldova in 2012.

The database also contains data about the on-going projects, with a focus on the sectors of these projects and the funding donors. As of April 1,

2013 246 projects were on-going in Moldova, 84 of which were funded by the European Union.

The foreign assistance data storage mechanism is now under large scale revision. IDEA is expected to be replaced with the AMP platform (Aid Management Program).

The recent foreign assistance data generated by IDEA are available on the website http://www.ncu.moldova.md in the „External assistance data” section.

servants designated by the authorities which will pilot the system. In this respect, the users of the pilot phase of the program will become users of the new platform and over the next 2 months will help improve the AMP system.

Besides training, a number of other actions related to the technical issues and AMP maintenance will be taken and the State Chancellery will provide support in the development of the Data Management Plan. The AMP platform is expected to become fully operational by this autumn.

For more details about AMP implemented in more than 20 countries, see http://www.developmentgateway.org/.

AMP has been conceived to improve the access to the data about the development assistance and respond to the challenges stated in the Paris Declaration (2005) on aid effectiveness and reiterated at the fourth High Level Forum in 2011 (Busan).

Projects launched per donors 2009-2013 (as of 1st of April 2013)

2010

2010

2011

2012

2013

2009-2013

Main Finance Provider

No. of projects

Budget No. of projects




Budget Total no. of projects

Total Budget

AUSTRIA 4 1 524 116 4 3 977 959 3 925 094 11 6 427 169 CEB 1 13 400 000 1 13 400 000 CEH 1 99 855 5 1 732 611 6 1 832 466 CHINA 1 2 308 000 2 4 739 024 3 7 047 024 DENMARK 1 197 625 1 197 625 EBRD 6 230 752 800 3 1 589 977 5 23 320 074 14 255 662 851 EIB 1 75 000 000 1 40 600 000 2 115 600 000 EJM 1 59 812 1 59 812 EU 30 123 915 384 34 208 451 611 40 90 919 130 38 43 199 660 11 7 401 495 153 473 887 280 FAO 1 327 589 1 327 589 GEF trust 1 549 920 1 549 920 GERMANY 1 650 000 5 10 852 756 1 50 779 1 1 500 000 8 13 053 535 GFATM 1 7 434 590 1 7 434 590 IT 1 79 710 1 79 710 JAPAN 2 4 505 381 3 161 654 3 246 102 4 289 905 12 5 203 042 LIECHTENSTEIN

1 316 840 2 688 111 3 1 004 951

NETHERLANDS 1 1 015 000 1 1 015 000 NORWAY 1 860 000 1 1 582 154 2 2 442 154 POLAND 10 15 477 169 10 15 477 169 ROMANIA 9 101 993 052 10 898 000 2 478 169 21 103 369 221 SLOVACIA 4 403 002 1 107 289 5 510 291 SSM 1 35 553 1 82 759 2 118 312 SWEDEN 7 11 190 364 9 6 928 148 3 4 005 250 1 3 649 964 20 25 773 726 SWITZERLAND 1 175 000 1 139 220 4 2 071 817 4 1 191 496 10 3 577 533 TURKEY 5 180 691 9 846 036 9 555 374 23 1 582 101 UK 1 1 485 480 2 6 771 150 3 8 256 630 UN 17 23 116 545 8 9 965 884 14 17 503 709 10 5 777 694 5 8 351 745 54 64 715 577 USA 6 10 773 174 14 225 802 230 10 10 894 055 17 37 038 162 2 184 837 49 284 692 458 WB 10 52 142 654 4 45 522 807 4 48 704 473 2 42 635 286 2 31 644 436 22 220 649 656 Grand Total 83 229 509 138 125 943 914 635 98 183 190 075 104 218 793 925 58 539 619 441 1 633 947 392



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The European Commission has recently announced a new call for proposals for Twinning projects, according to which three Twinning Fiches have been shared with the national contact points of the

member states, the relevant administrations being expected to formulate written suggestions within 8 weeks in this sense. The call for proposals is a key component of the Twinning project cycle, covering a number of stages which define the implementation logic of a Twinning project. Once developed and approved by the relevant authority, the Twinning Fiches are shared with all the member states expected to deliver suggestions on project implementation. For a better outreach and sharing, the fiches are posted on the official website of the National Coordination Units. A Twinning Project Fiche describes the background, on-going reform process, the immediate and long term objectives, and the outcomes/outputs requiring assistance to enable the interested Member States to prepare a detailed proposal. Following this process, 3 new Twinning projects are expected to be launched in the Moldovan central governments, in particular the Transplant Agency, Court of Accounts and Public Procurement Agency.

It goes without saying that before starting any new thing (be it a business, a project, or a marriage), one should first ask him/her-self – am I prepared to do this? Do I have the necessary skills and abilities to cope with the new tasks? What can I do in order to get prepared? And these are the ques-tions being answered by Moldovan institu-tions who are in the preparatory phase of Twinning projects. Which are the possibili-ties for them to acquire the necessary skills in order to implement successfully the fu-ture Twinning projects, let’s see below:

Twinning English/Pro-fessional Skills Training – or-ganized on re-quest of insti-

tutions, these are individually-designed for the needs of a given institution courses, focused on both English language capacities combined with professional skills. Among the institutions in the Call for Proposals for Twinning Fiche

The Twinning project conceived by the Transplant Agency, ‘Strengthening the Transplant Agency of Moldova and support for legal approximation in quality and safety of substances of human origin’ has a 1 200 000 Euro budget and a 27 month implementation term. The main goal of the project is to develop the transplant system in Moldova and the institutional capacity of the Transplant Agency by improving the legal and institutional frameworks, and by building the capacities, knowledge and practical skills of the human resources engaged in the Moldovan transplant system.

The Twinning project ‘Consolidation and strengthening of the external public audit’ to be implemented in the Court of Accounts is expected to improve the accountability for and management of the public money in Moldova by developing the external audit capacity according to the recognized audit international standards and the best European practices. This Twinning project has been conceived in a moment when Moldova is getting ready for the negotiations on the association status and its future course, which requires a systematic alignment of the legal and regulatory framework with the EU acquis. Therefore, the Twinning project of the Court of Accounts is seen as a step forward to a closer and more efficient cooperation between Moldova and the European Union. This project is expected to be launched in October 2013 for a 24 months term and will have a total budget of 1 600 000 Euros.

The Twinning project of the Public Property Agency, entitled ‘Strengthening public-private partnerships in Moldova’, aims to improve the public-private partnership system (PPP) in Moldova through transparent and efficient use of resources in the public-private partnership projects. New methodologies on harmonization of the legislation and the institutional framework on PPP system with the European standards, developed skills of civil servants for efficient management of PPP projects in the public sector, and creation of a concession and PPP management network in Moldova are just a few of the results expected by the project initiators. The project budget is expected to amount to 1 100 000 Euros and the implementation is expected to start by the end of 2013 and last 24 months.

new twinning projeCts to be implemented soon in moldova

phase, the Court of Accounts benefitted of such type of trainings.

Twinning Project Guidelines for Benefi-ciary Administrations in Moldova is the title of a comprehensive publi-cation prepared by the EU Project ‘Support to the State Chancellery – TTSIB’ specifically de-signed for the better un-

derstanding of future and current beneficiaries of Twinning of the peculiarities of such projects, the roles and responsibilities of the actors involved in them, the potential challenges of Twinning projects, but also the benefits they may bring. The Guidelines can be found on the www.ncu.moldova.md web-site, ON-LINE LIBRARY Section, ‘Twinning’ Sub-section.

Workshops and seminars for fu-ture beneficiaries of Twinning are an-other possibility to

learn in details all the specifics of Twinning projects. They provide the chance not only to acquire information, but also to address questions and clarify any challenging parts. To read more about such events, please vis-it www.ncu.moldova.md ‘NEWS’ Section.

Complementarity is an aspect connect-ed to EU institution building instruments mentioned frequently in order to stress its importance in covering all needs of an in-stitution. Among the institutions in the Call for Proposals phase of Twinning Fiches, the Transplant Agency used TAIEX instrument to respond to some of the institution’s needs while waiting for the Twinning pro-ject to start.The conclusion is clear: institutions don’t waste the time left before their Twinning projects start, they make use of it and get prepared in order to be able to contribute to their successful implementation.

ready, set, go!or how do institutions prepare to start a Twinning project

Today there are 5 on-going Twinning projects in Moldova. Their total budget is 5 million 856 thousand Euros. Other five Twinning projects have been successfully completed. It should be noted that Twinning was designed to serve as an administrative cooperation instrument to support the European Union candidate and neighbourhood countries.



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Agreement in Vilnius were quite realistic. However, because of the downfall of the Government in early 2013, the political uncertainty slowed down the good pace of reforms that started back in 2009. This does not mean that the process will be stopped. It only means that the Moldovan leaders should take actions to put the EU integration agenda back on track and ensure they fulfil the commitments. What expectations do you have for the current year, but also the years to come, in terms of EU – Moldova cooperation?In order to see how this cooperation has been developing, I would like to give you a few figures: if in 2006 Moldova received 25 million Euro of EU funds, in 2012 this support was estimated at 152 million Euro. We have reached a level without precedents in our bilateral cooperation, and, of course, we would like this trend to continue. The financial perspectives for this year are encouraging. In 2013, the assistance is expected to be amounted to 100 million Euros. This support is a good sign of trust in your country. As regards the EU budget for 2014 and 2015, discussions are still ongoing and it is difficult now to make certain estimations. But one area that is most likely to receive more funds is the Partnership area. Which are the steps Moldova should take in order to strengthen this relation?There are a lot of commitments to be respected in order for Moldova to get closer to the EU family. The first step that should be taken in this regard is the

proof from the Moldovan side, not just in words, but also in deeds, that the country has reached political, economic and social maturity and is prepared to sign the Association Agreement with the European Union, which will also include the Agreement on the establishment of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area. This will mean a big step forward on the European Agenda. I would like to stress here that particularly the political stability is a pre-condition to the success of all reforms’ implementation. While a series of reforms were managed quite well, the internal situation did not contribute to the success of certain other fields. According to the opinion of the Moldovan institutions good progress was achieved in the coordination and programming of EU assistance to Moldova. What is expected from the Moldovan Government in order to make it more efficient and what in turn the EU should do?I would agree to this statement. I feel that the ownership of the development priorities have been fortified substantially in Moldova in the last few years. This has been proved through the development strategies approved by the Government, namely ‘Moldova 2020’ and also the Strategic Development Programmes approved by most of the central public authorities. The regular coordination meetings between the State Chancellery and the EU Delegation served as a good platform to plan, discuss and agree on the future and ongoing projects. I believe that such meetings should continue in order to ensure a smooth coordination process. Another positive development to be noted is that substantive efforts were made by the Government to increase the transparency of the external assistance provided by various donors in Moldova, including European Union. This is also a priority for the European Commission, which in 2011 started to publish its aid information through the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI). It increases the accountability towards both Moldovan and European citizens. I expect that a more intense dialogue should take place in order to deepen commitments and strengthen the effectiveness of the assistance. This should take place also by enhancing the capacities at the level of State Chancellery and central public institutions to become a stronger partner of dialogue

with the EU. It is already a reality that more and more joint programming (Commission/Member States) will take place to reduce aid fragmentation and promote harmonization. In the last report of the European Commission on the “Implementation of the European Neighbourhood Policy in Republic of Moldova Progress in 2012 and recommendations for action” was stated that Moldova made efforts to continue the reforms including the regulatory approximation to the EU acquis. In this regard, the institution building instruments – Twinning, TAIEX and SIGMA – seem to be instrumental. How would you assess their developments in Moldova? Do you believe that Moldova is benefitting of them to their full capacity? The European institution building instruments, specifically Twinning, TAIEX and SIGMA, are about sharing experience between institutions; they help reach new levels, exchange ideas, in order to better implement the reforms and improve the situation with the support of the external assistance. I would especially like to point out Twinning, which is the only and unique tool to change attitudes and culture at an institution in a reasonably short time, and this is what we need in Moldova. In this respect, I appreciate all the Moldovan institutions which were brave enough to start and successfully complete their projects: for their leadership spirit, motivation and the intention to adapt to new circumstances and new requirements. The EU institution building instruments became much more known in Moldova lately, and the number of such projects is, although slowly, but growing.There is strong evidence that the interest of institutions for Twinning and other institution building instruments is increasing. I expect that once the date of the signature of the Association Agreement gets closer, the need for such instruments, and especially Twinning, will significantly grow in Moldova. But at the same time, I would say that one should not wait for the Association Agreement. Preparations should be intensified in all directions already now. I believe that a greater number of Twinning projects in the key sectors that are crucial for the implementation of the Association Agreement, is possible and should be striven for, not diminishing, undoubtedly, the importance of the quality of their implementation.

Beginning on page 1

introduCing jordi rodríguez ruiz, twinning, taiex, sigma, Cib foCal point at the european union delegation in moldova

Currently, there are five Twinning projects run-ning and there will be, hopefully, three more pro-jects that will start before the end of this year 2013. Twinning has to produce real and enduring cultural changes in the beneficiary administration. Twinning is not only about technical advice in the sector; Twinning has also to improve the conditions of the institution where it is working. To sum up, Twinning has to deliver also inputs that could lead to a more efficient and reliable public administra-tion.

Thanks to my previous experience in the West-ern Balkans and Turkey, I have seen many good practices and some which were not so recom-mendable. As soon as I have more experience here,

Mr Rodriguez Ruiz has a degree in Political Sciences and Administration with further specializations in Political Communication and Cooperation for Development. He worked for three years in the Institution Building Unit of the DG Enlargement in the European Commission as a member of the Twinning and SIGMA Co-ordination team for all projects for Instrument for Pre-Accession beneficiaries, the Institution Building Unit of DG Enlargement being also in charge of the implementation of TAIEX instrument for IPA and ENPI beneficiaries. Jordi Rodriguez Ruiz was the member of the core team that prepared the revision 2012 of the Twinning Manual.

I will try to bring good suggestions for the different stages of the Twinning project cycle. One recom-mendation that is always good to bear in mind is that Twinning is a joint exercise between two ad-ministrations; therefore it should be running on the basis of a consensus for the achievement of the mandatory results. The engagement from Member State and Beneficiary has to be continuous and genuine.

TAIEX is a very precise and efficient instrument that lets any public institution to receive public expertise from Member States. Used wisely, TAIEX can be a very good ally for the implementation of the strategic plans of the institutions in a com-plementary synergy with other instruments, like Twinning. I hope that this wise use of TAIEX will

follow and that we will keep the pace in terms of relevance and effectiveness of the events in the dif-ferent areas.

SIGMA is working in three fields of the Mol-dovan Public Administration: Public Procurement, Public Finance Management and Civil Service. This instrument is very well perceived because of its very accurate analysis and comprehensive ap-proach to the issues. SIGMA remains a strategic tool for giving an appropriate support to the au-thorities and also on establishing good synergies with the other instruments, namely Twinning and TAIEX.



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Most Moldovans feel that the European Union is an important partner, bringing peace and stability in the region. This is one of the key findings of the recently released EU Neighbourhood Barometer for Moldova, conducted in the ENPI East countries in the framework of an EU-funded opinion polling pro-ject for the Neighbourhood. The EU Neighbourhood Barometer (opinion polling and media monitoring) is part of the EU-funded Regional Communication Programme and aims at assessing knowledge and perception of the EU Neighbourhood Policy and its cooperation activities and programmes.

The survey, based on 1,006 interviews conducted in November-December 2012, finds that 67% of Mol-dovans feel the EU is an important partner, with 56% believing the EU and Moldova share sufficient common values to be able to cooperate. Reforms initiated and carried out successfully during 2012 in the different areas of cooperation between the EU and the Republic of Moldova are described in the ENP Country Progress Report 2012. On the other hand, almost two-thirds (61%) feel the EU brings peace and stability in the region. Also, sixty-two per cent of respondents felt the EU had good rela-tions with Moldova, while just 18% felt they were bad. Fifty-eight per cent of those asked agreed enough information was available about the EU, while the majority (52%) agreed it was easy to un-derstand (against 33% who disagreed).

Just over three quarters of those asked (77%) want-ed a greater EU role in economic development, 60% in trade, 60% in human rights, and 52% in democra-cy. More than half of those asked (55%) saw the EU in a positive light, compared to just 12% for whom it conjured up a negative image.

Factsheets summarising the findings of the EU Neighbourhood Barometer were published to coincide with the publication of the European

european union: an important partner, bringing peaCe and stability in moldova, recent findings of the EU Neighbourhood Barometer

Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) package of 2012 progress reports of countries covered by the ENP, including Mol-dova.

The EU-Moldova politi-cal dialogue continued to deepen in 2012 and negotiations of an EU-Moldova Association Agreement, including a Deep and Comprehen-sive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) made signifi-cant progress, accord-ing to the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) package, pub-lished in March 2013.

The Report represents a joint communication making an assessment of the ENP implemen-tation in 2012 in 12 countries, including Moldova.

Thus, in 2012, Mol-dova addressed most

of the key recommendations contained in previ-ous year’s ENP Progress Report and made good progress in almost all areas of the Action Plan: it continued reforms in the areas of justice, social as-sistance, health and education, energy, competition and state aid, as well as regulatory approximation to the EU acquis and, it finalised the remaining steps under the first phase of the visa liberalisation action plan. According to the country Report, in 2012, Mol-dova continued the reform of the public administra-tion with the adoption of a decentralisation strategy in particular, the DCFTA negotiations were launched and the implementation of the EU-Moldova Visa Facilitation and Read-mission Agreements continued. With regard to the Transnistrian region, the Moldovan authorities significantly stepped up their con-tacts with the new leadership in Tiraspol, against the background of a re-vitalised ‘5+2’ settlement process.

Also, an increasing number of Moldovan students and research-ers benefited from dif-ferent European pro-grammes in the edu-cation area. However, there are fields that need improvements, as areas of fighting cor-ruption and the law en-forcement systems.

On the basis of this year’s report and with a view to sustained implementation of the EU-Moldova Ac-tion Plan and its successor instrument in 2013 (the ‘Association Agenda’), Moldova is invited to: − intensify the fight against corruption; − improve and further simplify customs proce-

dures; − prevent the resurgence of institutional dead-

locks; − step up the reform of the public administra-

tion;− ensure the implementation of the National

Human Rights Action Plan; − advance dynamically the implementation of

the second phase of the visa liberalisation ac-tion plan;

− engage pro-actively with the Transnistrian side;

− ensure the full and effective independence of the Audiovisual Coordination Council;

− continue with sector reforms and regulatory approximation to the EU acquis in trade and trade-related areas;

− continue the privatisation process, in particu-lar for remaining large state-owned enterpris-es;

− take steps to strengthen shareholder transpar-ency in the banking sector;

− take further steps to improve the business en-vironment.

The European Neighbourhood Policy governs the relations between the EU and the Republic of Mol-dova. Since 2009, the EU implements the Eastern Partnership, the Eastern dimension of the ENP framework, aiming at substantially upgrading en-gagement with the EU’s six Eastern neighbours. This approach allows for gradual political associa-tion and deeper economic integration.



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From May 18 to 26 Moldova celebrated the Europe Days. The events held on this occasion were a unique opportunity to promote the European values, cultural diversity and the assistance the European Union provides to Moldova. This year the Europe Day was also celebrated in Tiraspol.The celebrations culminated on Saturday, May 18, in the square of the Opera and Ballet Theatre, where the visitors to the European Village got familiar with the national culture of the European countries and with about 30 projects funded by the European Union, tasted the traditional meals of the European cuisine, learned and spoke in the most widespread European languages and danced European dances. Also in the European Village the young people learned more about the European educational programs, and the children became for a day actors of a colourful play. To mark the Europe Day, public debates were also held, where people had the chance to address questions to the ambassadors of the EU member states and the Moldovan high level officials. The team of the EU project „Support to the State Chancellery - TTSIB” also took part in the event, providing information about the project, its achievements and the key expertise areas, and distributing multiple outreach materials.

The events held on May 18 brought together high level officials – President of Moldova Nicolae Timofti, Prime Minister Iurie Leanca, the mayor of Chisinau Dorin Chirtoaca, ambassadors of the European Union member states accredited in Chisinau and Štefan Füle, the European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy. „The European Union is a project to which all the countries contributed, a project which improves democracy and creates many opportunities.The politics should serve the people, we

should develop the democratic institutions, not undermine them. We can advance only through reforms. Democracy means progress, constant work. Yes, it is difficult to climb this mountain, but this is the responsibility of all of us. You are all responsible to guarantee these things. The European Union is able to transform the countries and enhance democracy”, Štefan Füle said at the opening event. Finally,

Štefan Füle officially opened the Europe Day celebrations and congratulated the Moldovan people in the state language „La mulți ani, Europa! La mulți ani, Moldova! La mulți ani, Chișinău!” (translator’s note – Happy Birthday, Europe! Congratulations, Moldova! Congratulations, Chisinau!).Iurie Leanca, in turn, said that the Europe Day is an event which is gaining more and

more ground every year. „We celebrate Europe Day because we are Europeans and because we see the future of our country and of our people near the European family. Our goal today is not to integrate in the European family, but to return to our values, traditions and principles”, he said.The Europe Day celebrated in Moldova in 2013 was marked by the third European Film Festival held in Chisinau and Tiraspol, during which movies from more than 17 European states were screened showing the traditions, values and the lifestyles of the European countries. The European Film Festival was a unique opportunity to address the historical and cultural diversity of the EU member states. The arrangements for the Europe Day were made by the Delegation of the European Union to Moldova. This is a unique opportunity to confirm the commitment to the shared European values, bring culture closer and contemplate our shared identity as Europeans, in its full diversity, and improve the awareness of the technical assistance provided by the European Union to Moldova. The Europe Day has been celebrated in Moldova since 2006.

happy birthday, europe! – the motto of the europe days celebrated in moldova from may 18 to 26



8

reCently…

very soon…

The bilateral development coopera-tion between Austria and Moldova

was the issue of the 11th Open Semi-nar held on May 30. The purpose of the event, moderated by Gerhard Schaum-berger, the Head of Coordination Office for Development Cooperation of the

Embassy of Austria in Chisinau, was to make a presentation of the relationship and the bilateral development cooperation between Austria and Moldova in the light of the objectives of Austria’s Devel-opment Cooperation Program for 2013-2015. The issues addressed at the seminar were the on-going projects in Moldova funded by Aus-tria, the sectors of cooperation between Austria and Moldova, and the future prospects of this relationship.

The members of the Steering Committee of the Twinning

project „Capacity building in re-gional development” implement-ed by the Ministry of Regional Development and Constructions gathered on May 28 in a joint meeting to discuss the fourth Pro-

gress Report of the project. According to the Steering Committee members, from February to April 2013 ten expert missions from France, Romania and Latvia came to Moldova; experts in regional development and constructions undertook a study trip to France to get familiar with its experience in regional development and local consultations were held in the Moldovan development regions to deliver and discuss the project proposals conceived in these regions.

Representatives of public authorities – current and future beneficiaries of

Twinning projects – came together on April 30 to tackle how to improve the implementation of Twinning projects by recapitulation of the duties and respon-sibilities of the Resident Twinning Ad-

visers Counterparts, exchanging experience and through discussions with government officials. The purpose of the event was to consolidate the network of the Resident Twinning Advisers Counterparts in Mol-dova by highlighting their critical role in the successful implementation of a Twinning project.

The sixth meeting of the Steering Committee of the Twinning Public

Financial Management project imple-mented by the Ministry of Finance was held on May 23. The members of the Steering Committee discussed the re-cent Progress Report for February – May 2013 and the activities planned for the

next quarter. The major achievements put forward in the report are the methodological and technical support provided to public authori-ties in the development of the financial management and control systems; delivery of internal audit trainings, audit sampling and the auditor’s role in cases of fraud and support provided to the internal audit units – actions which significantly contributed to the develop-ment of the financial management and control systems and, there-fore, to building the capacity of the internal audit function.

Resident Twinning Advisors (RTAs) who are working at the beneficiary administra-tions from Moldova will hold a meeting on 13 June. The aim of the meeting will be to consolidate the existing RTAs Network, as well as to discuss the lessons learned and share experience related to the implemen-tation of Twinning projects.

A TAIEX Workshop on Harmonization and Mutual Recognition of Health Profes-sionals’ Qualifications for the Ministry of Health will take place on 18 and 19 June in Chisinau.A complex training module is planned to be started for the specialists from the Minis-try of Internal Affairs. In this order, the first session will reflect the Project Cycle Man-agement and will be held on 18 June.The 12th Open Seminar will take place, as usually, on the last Thursday of the month – 27 June. Please follow www.ncu.mol dova.md for details and the subject of the next Seminar. A seminar on tasks, rights and obliga-tions of Twinning beneficiaries will be held

for one of the future Twinning beneficiary institutions, Public Property Agency, on 28 June.A Twinning seminar for the Inter-ministe-rial Public-Private Partnership Network will take place on 16 July.

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