TAIEX the Technical Assistance and Information Exchange Instrument

TAIEX the Technical Assistance and Information Exchange Instrument of the European Commission MIHAI KELLER Project Officer, Institution Building Unit (IBU) Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR) Kiev, 17 May 2018

TAIEX Mission Statement • TAIEX supports beneficiaries in: ü understanding, ü implementing, ü enforcing: EU policies, legislation, rules – the Acquis • Also an instrument for exchange of best practice EU POLICIES , LEGISLATION, RULES – THE ACQUIS

Beneficiaries and Partner Countries IPA Albania Bosnia and Herzegovina Kosovo the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Montenegro Serbia Turkey ENI EAST Armenia Azerbaijan Belarus Georgia Moldova Ukraine SOUTH Algeria Egypt Israel Jordan Lebanon Libya Morocco Palestine Syria Tunisia

TAIEX assistance • Demand-driven (TAIEX Classic) or TAIEX Strategic • Gap filling – complementary to other EU assistance • Simple application process and fast delivery • Peer to peer • Short term assistance with a long term effect

Who can apply? • Civil servants working in central public administrations; • Judiciary and law enforcement authorities; • Parliaments and civil servants working in Parliaments and Legislative Councils; • Representatives of social partners, trade unions and employers' associations. Direct support to civil society, private citizens or to individual companies is NOT provided

Main forms of TAIEX Assistance • Workshops (single- or multi-beneficiary) 1 -2 days, usually in a hotel in Kiev Up to 80 participants • Expert missions 2 -5 days, in the headquarters of the beneficiary institution Up to 20 participants • Study visits 2 -5 days, in the headquarters of an EU Member State institution Up to 3 participants

Main areas covered by TAIEX assistance • Justice and Home Affairs (anti-corruption, judiciary, human rights, border guard, migration…) • Internal Market (competition, finance, standardisation, customs, taxation…) • Agriculture and Food Safety • Environment, Energy, Transport and Telecommunications

Who implements TAIEX assistance at the European Commission? • Institution Building Unit (TAIEX and Twinning) in DG NEAR • Head of Unit, Deputy Head of Unit • 4 Team Leaders • 20 Case Handlers • Financial and administrative staff

The TAIEX cycle 1. Request from a beneficiary institution (or an internal request) 2. Consultation within EU services 3. Approval and assignment to a case handler 4. Preparation and identification of experts/host institution 5. Logistics (with the help of a contractor) 6. Implementation 7. Evaluation

How does TAIEX select experts/hosts from EU Member States? • Database of over 3, 000 public sector experts • Network of national contact points in EU Member States • Nominations from European Commission services • Taking into account feedback from participants

What does TAIEX provide to participants in study visits and multi-beneficiary workshops abroad? • Flights • Accommodation • Per diem: € 80 per night away

What does TAIEX provide to non-local participants in workshops in Kiev? • Flights or lump sums for transport, if they live more than 400 km away from Kiev • Accommodation, if they live outside Kiev • No per diem…

What is expected from the partner institution in Ukraine? • Provide as much useful information as possible (preferred EU Member States, topics to be discussed) • Nominate a pro-active contact person • Respect deadlines • Provide feedback once the activity is finished • For study visits, coordinate a good quality report

Funding for TAIEX 2017 (m€ budget) 2018 (m€ forecast) IPA ENI East ENI South 23. 7 6. 5 6. 8 36 9. 8 10. 1 The assistance comes under the category of Direct Management by the European Commission

TAIEX assistance in 2017 • Number of activities: 1, 125 • Number of participants: 21, 199 • Number of experts mobilised: 2, 624

TAIEX assistance for Ukraine in 2017 59* TAIEX activities were organised: • 21 workshops • 20 expert missions • 18 study visits *Additionally, Ukrainian participants attended 14 multi-country events. Areas covered by TAIEX assistance: • 25 activities on Justice and Home Affairs • 20 activities on Internal Market • 9 activities on Environment, Energy, Transport and • Telecommunications 5 activities on Agriculture and Food Safety

New TAIEX applications from Ukraine in 2017 • 149 new applications received, 87 were approved • Approval rate for Ukraine: 58% Average approval rate for the European Neighbourhood: 70% • Main reason for rejection: overlapping with other assistance • Applications requesting an inadequate format are not rejected

Additional Information • TAIEX website: https: //ec. europa. eu/taiex • e-mail: mihai. keller@ec. europa. eu