Projects

Client: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2018/03 – 2018/09

The aim of the project was to strengthen the capacity of civil servants working in the Ukrainian, Georgian and Moldovan institutions and responsible for coordinating the implementation of the Association Agreements (AA) at state level, in particular by harmonizing law and coordinating the implementation of the AA. Lithuanian experts advised Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova on the implementation of Association Agreements with the EU, addressing issues relevant to all three countries. In September 2018, a trilateral seminar was held in Kiev, where experts from Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine as well as international experts discussed and summarized the experiences of all three countries in the field of European integration. ESTEP experts have presented an Analysis of the Eastern Partnership countries’ relations with the EU and perspectives for its modernization.

The project contributed to a smoother implementation of the Association Agreements between Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova with the EU, more coherent planning, and strengthened cooperation between the three countries, thus creating better conditions for a permanent dialogue between the three associated countries. Project also actualised the academic experience in this field gained during the implementation of the project “EU-STRAT – The EU and Eastern Partnership Countries: an Inside-Out Analysis and Strategic Assessment“.

The project was funded by the Development Cooperation and Democracy Promotion Programme.

Client: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2016/06 – 2017/05

The project aimed to strengthen the capacities of Ukrainian, Georgian and Moldovan institutions and civil servants to better coordinate European integration processes, and discussed with EU institutions and EU representations in these countries how to make EU assistance to Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova more effective. During the project, Lithuanian experts with experience in European integration advised Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova on horizontal and sectoral issues related to better implementation of Association Agreements (AA) with the EU, including the Agreement on Close Cooperation and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA). The project strengthened the analytical and pedagogical skills of European, Georgian and Moldovan European Integration coordinators, sectoral experts and lawyers working in the civil service, expecting that civil servants from these countries who participated in research, training, thematic seminars and study visits to Lithuania will be able to train their colleagues. The project summarized good practice in European coordination and discussed how this experience could be used by countries to better implement Association Agreements with the EU.

This project not only contributed to the smoother implementation of the Association Agreements of Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova with the EU, but also strengthened cooperation between the countries at several levels – Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova’s relations with Lithuania and with each other, allowed to make contacts with Lithuanian civil servants working in similar fields. The project strengthened the links between the coordinating institutions (beneficiaries) and the EU Delegations, and led to a discussion and a better understanding of the link between the academic concept and practical implementation of European integration and its targeted use. At the same time, the project served to increase Lithuania’s prestige in the areas of Eastern Partnership policy and development cooperation.

The project was funded by the Development Cooperation and Democracy Promotion Programme.

Client: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2014/10 – 2015/05; 2015/09 – 2016/03

The project aimed to share Lithuanian experience and expertise and to assist Ukrainian government authorities in the creation of an efficient system of EU affairs and reform coordination for successful implementation of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement (AA), with particular emphasis on the necessary economic reforms. Project activities focused on technical assistance and high-level consultations of Lithuanian experts to Ukrainian institutions. Lithuanian long-term expert worked in Ukraine and provided advice and technical assistance on the creation of efficient system of EU affairs and reform coordination and implementation of EU – Ukraine AA, including Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA), and necessary economic reforms. According to the needs of Ukrainian institutions Lithuanian short term experts provided advice on general and sectorial issues of AA and DCFTA implementation.

High-level expert consultations helped to strengthen the capacities of Ukrainian authorities to effectively coordinate EU affairs, plan and implement the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, transpose and implement EU legislation, while undertaking the necessary economic reforms and speeding up the country’s political integration with the EU, which promotes the political, economic and social modernization of countries, ensures security and stability.

The project was funded by the Development Cooperation and Democracy Promotion Programme.

Client: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2014/09 – 2015/11

The project aimed at implementation of EU-Georgia and EU-Moldova Association Agreements (AA), through needs based high-level Lithuanian expert assistance to further develop Georgian and Moldovan institutional and procedural basis and to properly address substantive issues arising from implementation needs. Project activities focused on technical assistance and high-level consultations of Lithuanian experts based on real demand of Georgian and Moldovan authorities. ESTEP mobilised a group of Lithuanian high-level experts on EU coordination and sectorial issues who advised Georgia and Moldova on adaptation of institutional system of EU affairs coordination suitable for the implementation of the AA, planning of the implementation of the AA (setting priorities, planning of specific measures, its implementation, coordination and progress monitoring), specific sectorial issues related to implementation of Association Agreement, including planning of legal harmonization with the EU law. Study visits to Lithuania were organised for Georgian and Moldovan specialists in order to tackle concrete issues faced at home by discussing them with Lithuanian ministerial experts and studying Lithuanian experience gained during implementation of the Association (Europe) Agreements with the EU.

High-level expert consultations have strengthened the capacities of Georgian and Moldovan authorities to properly plan and implement the Association Agreements with the EU and to monitor progress in the implementation of these agreements. Successful implementation of the Association Agreements with the EU ensures faster and closer integration of the countries with the EU, which in turn promotes political, economic and social modernization of the countries, sustainable growth, and contributes to security and stability in the region.

The project was funded by the Development Cooperation and Democracy Promotion Programme

Client: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2010/08 – 2010/11

The project aimed to strengthen the administrative capacities of the staff of the State Department for Legal Approximation (SDLA) under the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine to analyse EU legislation, plan its transposition and properly implement it. The SDLA was the coordinating body in Ukraine for the approximation of Ukrainian legislation to the EU acquis. Lithuanian experts shared best practices which helped Ukrainian state institutions in developing the system of transposition and implementation of EU law, as well as on individual specific issues of transposition and / or implementation of law. The project aimed to transfer know how accumulated in Lithuania, whose legal transposition and implementation system was labelled as a best practice for EU27 by the study of the World Bank in 2006) and shared experience with the Ukrainian colleagues both as regards internal and external organizational and process management as well as explanation of several selected substantive issues of legal approximation.

Lithuanian good practice and expert knowledge helped SDLA to better plan and properly coordinate the law harmonization program set up in the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement. Overall, the project has contributed to closer integration of Ukraine with the EU.

The project was funded by the Development Cooperation and Democracy Promotion Programme.

Client: European Commission, 2010/01 – 2012/01

The main objective of this project was to further strengthen the capacities of the Directorate for European Integration (DEI) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is the main coordinating and managing body of the EU integration process, and other Bosnia and Herzegovina institutions involved in the EU integration process.

The project provided technical assistance and consultations on horizontal and sectoral issues of transposition and implementation of EU law, administrative capacity building services, training for civil servants, studies on improving the governance of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s European integration coordination system, and recommendations on how to increase the efficiency of the European Integration Directorate. The project targeted capacity building of all DEI units – Strategic Division, Legal Approximation Division, EU Aid Coordination Division, Translation Division – and contributed to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s progress towards EU candidate country status.

The project, funded by European Commission, was implemented by ESTEP together with its partners East West Consulting (Belgium), EURECNA SPA (Italy), Lucid Link (Bosnia and Herzegovina).

Client: European Commission, 2005/10 – 2007/03; 2007/06 – 2009/08

The mission of the Georgian-European Policy and Legal Advice Center (GEPLAC) is to promote Georgia’s political, economic and social convergence with the EU. The GEPLAC V and VI projects aimed to provide policy advice and capacity building to Georgian European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Office, to Ministries, Parliament and NGOs of Georgia in order to facilitate the implementation of Partnership and Co-operation agreement (PCA) and activity plan of European Neighbouring Policy (ENP). One of the most important component of the project were consultations on the harmonization of national law with EU acquis and legal reforms. The project also provided training for civil servants to increase their knowledge of harmonization and EU integration.

The GEPLAC project, funded by the European Commission, is a continuous and ongoing process. ESTEP, together with partners Altair Asesores S.L. (Spain), the British Council (UK), the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies (Georgia), has implemented Phases V and VI of the GEPLAC project.

Client: European Commission, 2006/07 – 2009/06

The mission of the Ukrainian-European Policy and Legal Advice Center (UEPLAC) is to promote Ukraine’s political, economic and social convergence with the EU. The aim of the project was to deepen the knowledge and to build capacities of the staff of the Ukrainian authorities in aligning national law with EU principles and the provisions of the acquis in the areas covered by the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement and the European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan (ENP AP). Main project activities were focused on the harmonization of EU law: consultations on the preparation of the annual harmonization plan, adoption or amendment of relevant legislation, training on these issues. The project strengthened the capacities of the Ukrainian authorities to properly implement national harmonization activities and identify priority areas for harmonization.

The project provided technical assistance to the Ministries and Parliament of Ukraine, as well as to non-governmental organizations in the implementation of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement and the European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan (ENP AP). The UEPLAC project, funded by the European Commission, has been ongoing in separate phases since 1995. ESTEP, together with its partners European Consultants Organization (Belgium), Thales Services (France), STELLA Consulting (France) and European and Financial Consulting (Poland), has implemented Phase IV of the UEPLAC project.