1.2. institutional framework of twinning operations in armenia - PAO

GUIDELINES ON TWINNING INSTRUMENT FOR PROGRAMME ADMINISTRATION AGENCY
Role of PAO during Requests identification phase
During the Twinning Requests Identification stage PAO support should concentrate on the
raising of awareness of Beneficiary Institutions staff and especially designated Focal Points on
principles of identification of appropriate Twinning Requests. The awareness raising may have
the format of seminars/round tables as well as may be undertaken meetings with
representatives of BAs (participation of Focal points in such meetings is strongly desirable).
Special attention should be given to the issues of the correct ENP Instrument (Twinning, TAIEX,
Sigma or others) depending on identified needs.
PAO should also work with Beneficiary Institutions to help them to formulate eligible Twinning
Requests as well as to make classification of “Technical Assistance” requests/ of Beneficiary by
types of ENP Instruments. In other words PAO should not only help to elaborate relevant
Twinning Requests, but also should advise how to use other ENP Instruments (TAIEX, Sigma,
etc) to address the identified needs of institution building of a given Administration.
Before the official application process begins, i.e. before the official call for proposals sent by the
PAO to the BAs over their Focal Point, PAO should organize regular meetings with the
potentially interested public institutions. These regular meetings may be scheduled according to
the different fields of economic, social and environmental issues.
These regular meetings have the aim of discussing the institution and capacity building needs of
the Armenian administrations, in order for the PAO to be fully aware of the state of reforms in
each administration or public institution, and to identify the best ways and means to address
these needs under the available EU-instruments (Twinning, but also TAIEX, classical Technical
Assistance, budgetary support or other donor activities). The question of coordination of
activities of different donor organizations in a given public institution should be tackled, with a
view to avoid overlapping but to foster complementarities between donors.
These regular meeting sessions enable the PAO to be fully aware of the history of assistance to
a given public institution, thus being in a position, together with the Focal Point of that institution,
of finding the best institution building tool to address the identified needs (legal expertise for
approximation with EU rules and standards, structural reform plans, needed advice for
implementation of already passed laws or envisaged law changes, issues of coordination
between various ministries and public institutions on a given cross-cutting issue, etc).
As a result of these regular meeting sessions, PAO will receive much better designed Twinning
requests coming from potential beneficiary institutions, and this will facilitate the whole process
of prioritization and programming of Twinning projects.
Administrative steps followed by the PAO according to the Decision on Twinning
Procedures:
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