The Final conference of the Twinning project “Strengthening budget planning, execution and internal control functions”, Twinning number: MK 18 IPA FI 01 19, was held on 3 July 2024, in Skopje. The project was successfully implemented by the National Academy of Finance and Economics of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, as a lead partner, in collaboration with Ministries of Finance of the Republic of Croatia, the Republic of Bulgaria, and the Republic of Latvia, as junior partners. The beneficiary institutions of the Republic of North Macedonia, namely the Ministry of Finance, Public Procurement Administration, and State Commission for Prevention of Corruption, provided substantial support to the project. The CFCA provided administrative support to Croatian institutions and experts that participated in the project implementation.
The project, valued at 3,700,000 EUR, began on 1 February 2020, and concluded after 54 months on 31 July 2024. It focused on four key components: budget management and controls, financial oversight and inspection, public procurement, and anti-fraud measures. The core purpose of the project was to enhance public spending efficiency through activities that support the implementation of the Public Financial Management (PFM) reform program.
Additionally, the Ministry of Finance of North Macedonia established the Public Financial Academy to educate key sector stakeholders. Despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and complexities during implementation, all project objectives were successfully achieved. It is important to emphasize that Croatia, as a junior partner in the project, contributed as much as 57% of the working days, confirming its significant role and importance for this project.
