Portfolio
Multiannual Framework Contracts with the EU
Since 2021, EIPA has managed the multiannual EU framework contract covering Learning and development services in European and international affairs, EU governance, law, policymaking, and strategy building. This is the fifth successive multiannual framework contract on EU governance that EIPA has won since 2003, previously in partnership with the College of Europe and Lattanzio Learning. These contracts cover almost all the EU institutions, bodies, and agencies. In 2022, we organised 474 activities with a total of 7693 participants.
EU Cohesion Policy Training for DG Regio
Since 2013 we have been the main provider of training on EU Cohesion Policy 2014–2020 and 2021–2027 to the staff of EU institutions, national managing authorities and civil society organisations. We have been implementing these activities under two consecutive Framework contracts for DG Regio, European Commission.
Presidency Training:
Preparing Slovenian Public Administration
EIPA has been assisting rotating presidencies for over 20 years by building up the knowledge of public officials and politicians on the practice of EU policy processes and the skills necessary for the successful management of the Presidency. We provide both comprehensive “à la carte” training (targeting essential competences) and tailor- made large-scale training programmes with a variety of modules, so that every official involved in the rotating presidency benefits directly and individually from a distinct and recognised active learning method.
EIPA won the project for the preparation of the 2021 Slovenian Presidency of the Council by the Slovenian Academy of the Ministry of Public Administration in 2019. Our role as the leading contracting partner for this project reflects our long-established reputation in presidency preparation for EU Member States, and our previous experience as a trusted partner in the preparation of Slovenia’s first rotating Presidency of the Council in 2007. In total, 650 Slovenian public administration officials were trained. During the course of the project, we delivered almost 3,000 participant days and more than 60 activities.
DG Just Projects:
European Arrest Warrant and the Protection of Fundamental Rights.
The EU has been active in adopting legislation in the field of criminal law in order to facilitate judicial cooperation among EU Member States, to fight serious and organised crime and in general to tackle cross-border criminal activity. While there are a number of legislative instruments at place, it is crucial that practitioners, judges and prosecutors are not only aware of the existence of EU legislation, but understand and apply the relevant European – level instruments. This is especially true for mutual recognition instruments which aim to put cross border judicial cooperation in criminal matters at a truly different context, requiring mutual trust and more intensive cooperation both from national authorities and legal practitioners. The leading mutual recognition instrument, the European Arrest Warrant, is certainly the pivotal EU criminal law instrument.
However the application of the European Arrest Warrant has been shadowed from time to time by concerns of fundamental rights protection in the issuing Member State, whether due regard is taken of the procedural guarantees applicable to suspected and accused and if the principle of proportionality was observed.
Institution Building and Training Programmes: ReSPA
Building a strong foundation for strengthening accountable, efficient, and trustworthy public administration systems is the core competence of EIPA experts. From 2008 EIPA implemented two projects funded by the European Commission, which aimed at converting Regional School of Public Administration (ReSPA) from a virtual network to a fully operational legal entity. The latter was achieved in 2010. ReSPA was created to develop regional co-operation in the field of public administration in the Western Balkans.
As part of our longstanding cooperation, EIPA regularly designs and delivers training programmes in areas of policy formulation, strategic management, implementation of EU policies, legislative drafting, transposition of EU law, and national coordination of EU affairs.
Within the framework of these projects, EIPA organised a series of ReSPA training activities for 498 participants across the Western Balkans on a wide range of issues from policy formulation, drafting legislation, national coordination, administrative practice, to specific topics such as fighting corruption, communication with the EU and Public Private Partnerships.
Nearly half of the training activities were delivered by EIPA experts. In the course of 2011-12, additionally to trainings, EIPA continued to provide management support to the school, including the secretariat function for the Governing Board.
As part of our recent activities in cooperation with ReSPA, EIPA developed in 2020 the first Seasonal School on EU Accession Negotiations.
Study Visits
Recent examples include:
- In January 2023 we hosted representatives from DG REGIO at our office in Maastricht to explore initiatives in EU Cohesion and Public Administration for the benefit of Czechia and Slovakia.
- Our support for the capacity-building efforts of the Bulgarian Road Transport Agency, for which in 2022, we organised a study visit to the Italian Agency of Cohesion to reinforce the agency’s skills in managing European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Cohesion Fund (CF) projects in the road infrastructure sector.
- Between 2019 and 2020, The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) within the Local Administration Reform project (LAR III), tasked EIPA with three “learning journeys” in Spain, France, and Poland. This project was co-financed by the European Commission and conducted with the Turkish Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation and the Ministry of the Interior.
EIPA regularly organises study visits and programmes designed to provide public officials, policymakers, and professionals from the EU and beyond, with the opportunity to gain firsthand experience and insights into various aspects of European governance and public administration. We put together these visits and programmes for the European Commission, a Member State, or the participants’ country. Some programmes are singular projects, while others are part of a long-standing collaboration.