17. 11. 2023 | Macedonia - Finance, PR, Regional cooperation, Slovenian Development Assistance
Kliknite tukaj za branje prispevka v slovenskem jeziku.
From 27 to 29 November, the 3rd consultations will take place in North Macedonia within the framework of the project “Support in Chapter 24 – Financial investigations”, with the support of Slovenian development assistance. Our experts will share their knowledge on the valuation and calculation of assets of illicit origin, criminal investigation of proceeds of crime and conducting financial investigations from a prosecutor’s perspective.
The consultation will be followed by workshops from 29 November to 1 December, focusing on sharing experiences and good practices on financial investigation procedures according to standards carried out in EU Member States. Special emphasis will be placed on the support of Macedonian financial investigators to be more familiar with such practices, with the aim of enhancing their capacity to conduct financial investigations more effectively.
Activities are funded by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and the Republic of Slovenia through its International Development Cooperation Programme and implemented in cooperation with the State Prosecution, Financial Administration, Ministry of the Interior, and the Police of the Republic of Slovenia.
Further information:
Milanka Ilić
Project Manager
Centre for European Perspective
Activities are funded by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and the Republic of Slovenia through its International Development Cooperation Programme and implemented in cooperation with the State Prosecution, Financial Administration, Ministry of the Interior, and the Police of the Republic of Slovenia.
9. 11. 2023 | PR, Regional cooperation, Slovenian Development Assistance, U-LEAD: with Europe
On November 7th, we began the first three-week mentorship visits under the auspices of the project ‘Post-conflict reconstruction in Ukraine’ at the municipality of Domžale.
The ‘Post-conflict reconstruction in Ukraine’ project is funded by the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs through the Slovenian Aid and Partnerships and implemented in partnership with ‘U-LEAD with Europe’ and aims to provide targeted transfer of knowledge and experience on the part of Slovenian municipalities and build the institutional capacities of Ukrainian municipalities, as well as establish arrangements for fostering cross-border partnerships between Slovenian and Ukrainian municipalities.
The first mentorship is taking place in the Slovenian municipality Domžale, which currently hosts two mentees from the Ukrainian municipality Hnivan. The programme of the mentorship is rich, encapsulating the needs mentioned by the Hnivan municipality (strengthening civil protection service at the municipality) as well as addressing topics crucial for further development of the municipality, such as project management, project writing and topics related to EU enlargement process on the local level. The municipality of Domžale, with its rich experience in civil protection, offers great knowledge not only through the presentation of good practices but also through site visits of stakeholders involved in the civil protection system of the municipality. Another expressed interest of Hnivan municipality was the waste management system of municipality Domžale, so the first site visit of the mentorship focused on the work of the central wastewater treatment plant Domžale-Kamnik, the history of the construction of the wastewater treatment plant, funding of the construction, as well as the upgrade of the plant, pointing out all the advantages for the people, region and environment.
In the next weeks, representatives of Hnivan hromada will learn more about project planning, preparation and management, project funding, civil protection and emergency preparedness and resilience building through interactive workshops and site visits.
Photos of the visit can be seen below:
The ‘Post-conflict reconstruction in Ukraine’ project is funded by the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs through the Slovenian Aid and Partnerships and implemented in partnership with ‘U-LEAD with Europe’. U-LEAD with Europe programme is a partnership of the Ukrainian government and the European Union, and its member states Germany, Sweden, Poland, Denmark, Estonia and Slovenia to support the establishment of multi-level governance that is transparent, accountable and responsive to the needs of the population of Ukraine.
26. 10. 2023 | Decentralisation, local self-government, PR, Regional cooperation, Slovenian Development Assistance, U-LEAD: with Europe
At the 12th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region held under the Slovenian Presidency, CEP’s Executive Director, Ms Nina Čepon, contributed to the panel discussion titled ”Bottom-up recovery and transformation of Ukraine–Supporting Ukraine and Moldova on their way to the EU” on the 24th of October.
She shed light on CEP’s impactful collaboration with Ukrainian municipalities, a process initiated back in 2018 under the scope of the Programme ‘U-LEAD with Europe’ implemented by the German organization GIZ in Ukraine. The dedication to enhancing Ukrainian municipalities continues through our ongoing development project titled ‘Post-Conflict Reconstruction in Ukraine’ funded by the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and implemented in partnership with ‘U-LEAD with Europe’.
This project remains committed to transferring knowledge tailored to specific needs and providing sustainable assistance to Ukrainian municipalities as they advance in their development, modernization and contribute to the Ukrainian path toward EU membership while dealing with the everyday challenges of wartime. Activities are focusing on topics such as green transition, civil protection and resilience, economic development, anti-corruption and transparency in local governance, and deliver an important skillset to raise their absorption capacities in terms of donor engagement, namely those of efficient planning, project appraisal and obtainment of external funding.
Čepon emphasised that Ukrainian municipalities are set to play a pivotal role in post-conflict reconstruction and development in Ukraine as they are forward-looking, and they strive toward economic development and other objectives despite being faced with their complex everyday circumstances at this time. Slovenia’s wealth of experience in modernization and the EU accession process promises to bring significant, concrete value.
30. 8. 2023 | local self-government, PR, Slovenian Development Assistance, U-LEAD: with Europe
With the first online meeting, cooperation between the municipalities of Zavodska and Domžale officially began within the framework of the development project of the Republic of Slovenia, “Reconstruction of Ukraine”, which is supported by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia in cooperation with ‘U-LEAD with Europe’.
Kliknite tukaj za branje prispevka v slovenskem jeziku.
On 30 August 2023, the Centre for European Perspective held the first online working meeting between the mayor of the Ukrainian municipality of Zavodske and the mayor of the Slovenian municipality of Domžale, which officially started their cooperation in the project “Reconstruction of Ukraine”. In the next 18 months, a mentoring program will be implemented in Slovenia, which will strengthen the capacities of the municipality of Zavodske in the field of post-conflict reconstruction and modernization and contribute to other goals of long-term international cooperation. The targeted transfer of knowledge and experience during the project is guided by the specific needs of the municipality of Zavodske, which is currently facing complex challenges both in the provision of services that its residents rely on the most in this time of crisis as well as challenges in the field of local development and modernization.
The three-week mentoring visit to Domžale will take place in October 2023. It will transfer helpful experience and knowledge in establishing an effective civil protection system and responding to natural and other disasters, which, according to the city council secretary, are the Institute’s priority topics. Competent Slovenian state institutions will transfer key knowledge and experience to the mentees in planning and management at the national (intersectoral) level and the role of the local level. The Civil Defense of the Municipality of Domžale, fire brigades and other local organizations will also contribute, and they will also show the mentees the practical aspects of their work, including recent experiences of responding to devastating floods. The Municipality of Zavodske, with the support of Slovenian experts, will prepare plans or strategic documents that will contribute to more efficient planning and acquisition of financial resources in relevant areas.
Background
From 2023 to 2024, the Center for the European Perspective (CEP) will implement the project “Post-conflict Reconstruction in Ukraine”, financed by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia. The project is taking place in cooperation with ‘U-LEAD with Europe’, implemented in Ukraine by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit – GIZ. The project will enable the contribution of five Slovenian municipalities (Domžale, Hrastnik, Idrija, Kočevje and Murska Sobota) in the role of mentors to the partner municipalities of Bucha, Drohobych, Zavodske, Tiachiv and Vilnohirsk.
The mentoring municipalities will help the target municipalities (‘hromadam’) in Ukraine to face those challenges of early reconstruction and modernization, which will be easier to overcome in this kind of cooperation and will help to strengthen their capacities. Thus, the mentoring program for key representatives of the mentioned target municipalities, who will be visiting the mentoring municipalities in the Republic of Slovenia during this time, will contain the transfer of knowledge, experience and good practices, including those related to the technical requirements of the process of Ukraine’s approximation to the EU. By the end of 2024, the target municipalities will, with the help of the project’s support, also develop strategic tools for planning reconstruction and modernization, planning resources and obtaining financial resources adapted to the needs of each municipality.
Slovenia’s key contribution will have a positive impact on the lives of people in Ukrainian communities and their regions by helping to strengthen local capacities, which are most relied on in this time of crisis, in a sustainable manner and with appropriate placement, among other ongoing early recovery measures in Ukraine its inhabitants. While cooperation between some Slovenian and Ukrainian municipalities has already been established, the project will enable new opportunities for partnerships and further cooperation between Slovenia and Ukraine – both in post-conflict reconstruction and in meeting the requirements on its path to EU membership.
22. 8. 2023 | Bled Strategic Forum, PR, Strengthening Societal Resilience and Countering Foreign Perpetrated Disinformation in 6 Western Balkans Countries
Kliknite tukaj za branje prispevka v slovenskem jeziku.
Project Strengthening Societal Resilience and Countering Foreign Perpetrated Disinformation has invited twelve representatives of Western Balkans media and civil society organisations to join a roundtable discussion at the margins of the Bled Strategic Forum.
The roundtable discussion will take place on 28 August, titled ‘The Line Is(n’t) Thin: Fact v. Opinion, Regulation v. Censorship’.
Western Balkan participants will be joined by Mr Jakub Kalensky of the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats and Mr Burak Ünveren, a journalist at Deutsche Welle.
Through an open and dynamic exchange, participants and guests will have an opportunity to touch upon questions that do not always have straightforward answers in the fight against disinformation, such as: how to ensure that democratic standards and freedom of speech are upheld while still curbing the spread of disinformation? Are the current projects and initiatives focused on countering disinformation largely on the right track – or do we need to adjust our course? How has the experience with Covid-19 and the Russian aggression against Ukraine changed journalism – have we learned anything?
Strengthening Societal Resilience and Countering Foreign Perpetrated Disinformation project continues to support efforts of Western Balkan governments, media and civil society to establish national mechanisms for countering disinformation. The roundtable event will further be an opportunity to discuss the way forward in these efforts, and in particular, the role of media and civil society.
After the roundtable discussion, Western Balkan participants are invited to join and enjoy the rich program of the Bled Strategic Forum on 28 and 29 August.
The project is funded by the National Endowment for Democracy and the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia through development cooperation funds.
