Baltic States – CIS, EU – Baltic States, Legislation, Lithuania, Markets and Companies

Besides the United Kingdom and Lithuania, also the consortium of the Dutch, German and Romanian institutions submitted a Twinning proposal. The estimated budget for this two-year Twinning project is over one million EUR. When implementing this EU-funded Twinning project, experts from the Lithuanian State Food and Veterinary Service and the Lithuanian National Food and Veterinary Risk Assessment Institute will share their experience with the representatives from Moldova's agriculture and food sector and will consult them and practically assist in drafting bills and other regulatory documents on norms and standards in food safety for plant origin products in Moldova, and will encourage them to participate in the international market. This is the first EU twinning project to be implemented by Lithuanian institutions in Moldova.

In 1998, the European Commission launched the EU Twinning Programme, aiming to help beneficiary countries strengthen institutional capacities. The main principle of the EU Twinning Programme is the cooperation between a public sector institution in one country (beneficiary) and the corresponding institution in another country (implementer), aiming to implement all the necessary reforms.

From 1998 to 2008, 125 EU Twinning projects were implemented in Lithuania. After Lithuania joined the EU in 2004, Lithuanian institutions became eligible to provide assistance to other countries within the framework of the EU Twinning projects. The EU Twinning project that will be implemented by the Lithuanian State Food and Veterinary Service and the State Plant Service under the Ministry of Agriculture is already the seventh successful project of Lithuanian institutions in 2010. So far, 18 EU Twinning project proposals submitted by Lithuanian institutions have been chosen for implementation.

As of 15 September 2009, Lithuania's Foreign Ministry took over the functions of the coordination of the EU Twinning Programme from the Office of the Government of Lithuania and dedicates considerable attention to the provision of assistance to Lithuanian institutions that seek to win a competition for the implementation of the EU Twinning projects. Currently, the Development Cooperation and Democracy Promotion Department of Lithuania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs coordinates the EU Twinning Programme.