With the aim of better familiarization with the implementation of Twinning projects and the exchange of experiences and practices, a Twinning Forum was successfully held, organized by the Central Finance and Contracting Agency (CFCA). The Forum brought together representatives of Croatian state and public administration bodies, who had the opportunity to hear first-hand experiences of experts.
At the very beginning of the event the director of the CFCA, Mr. Dragan Jelić, welcomed the participants and emphasized the importance of Twinning as a key instrument of the EU for strengthening institutional and international cooperation. He also emphasized the role of CFCA as an administrative body in implementation of Twinning projects.
After the opening speech, a video on Twinning was premiered. The video served as an introduction to a panel discussion, in which experts from various institutions shared their experiences and challenges of participating in Twinning projects.
Moderated by Ms. Željka Perić from the CFCA, the panel discussion was opened by the Head of the CFCA Twinning Service Ms. Nirvana Sokolovski, who shared valuable practical experiences and presented key activities and achievements of the CFCA in administering Twinning projects.
The panel was also attended by Ms. Iva Jantolek from the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, who introduced the participants to the role of the National Contact Point for Twinning, explaining its function and Croatia’s previous experience in these projects. She particularly emphasized the importance of quality cooperation between institutions and partners during projects’ implementation.
From the perspective of the Project Leader, Mr. Davor Kozina from the Ministry of Finance shared his experiences of managing the Twinning project in North Macedonia, which was implemented in a consortium of four EU Member States. He emphasized challenges of coordination and adaptation in an international environment and the successful transfer of knowledge and practices.
Component Leader and Short-Term Expert in the Twinning project in Jordan, Mr. Tomislav Mičetić from the Ministry of Justice, Administration and Digital Transformation, highlighted specific challenges they faced during the project implementation and shared the valuable conclusion that Twinning is primarily a tool for exporting knowledge to countries that seek support through this instrument.
Ms. Andreja Hašček from the Croatian Financial Services Supervisory Agency referred to new opportunities and potential challenges in the Twinning light project in Montenegro, but also highlighted the importance of providing assistance to beneficiary countries of this instrument, emphasizing that Croatia was once in this position as a beneficiary country.
In order to encourage other institutions to participate, the panellists pointed out that Twinning projects are an excellent tool for professional development of experts and strengthening of international relations. They particularly praised the expert support of the CFCA during all phases of project implementation, concluding that more Croatian institutions should apply for such projects, which contribute to development of the country through international cooperation.
