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European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR)

TAIEX & Twinning

The EU’s institution building instruments, TAIEX & Twinning, empower civil servants around the world to implement more effective and efficient public policies.

TAIEX and Twinning are invaluable instruments to support our partners in key reforms and accelerate the accession process for EU candidate countries. By working closely with the Member States and leveraging synergies with other EU supported initiatives in a policy-driven approach, we are unlocking significant transformative potential through TAIEX & Twinning. Together, we are building stronger and more resilient public institutions for the benefit of our partners’ citizens.

Gert Jan Koopman
Director-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations
European Commission

To support positive reforms in partner countries, they both mobilise public sector expertise from EU Member States. TAIEX – for up to 5 days, Twinning – for up to 3 years.

TAIEX

The TAIEX (Technical Assistance and Information Exchange) instrument can be rapidly deployed and offers short-term activities (1-5 days; workshops, expert missions, study visits, and work from home).

TAIEX events are managed by DG NEAR headquarters and funded from TAIEX budget lines (not country allocations).

TAIEX activities can trigger further cooperation with the EU or they can complement an existing activity by adding a peer learning dimension.

Twinning

Twinning enables institutional cooperation between public administrations in EU Member States and partner countries.

Twinning projects need to be included in the programming and are funded from bilateral country allocations. Projects are managed by EU Delegations / Offices.

Twinnings are medium to long-term projects of grant nature (up to 3 years).

TAIEX in action

TAIEX works quickly to design and deliver tailor-made workshops, expert missions and study visits. Watch the testimonials below to hear from our beneficiaries.

Twinning in action

By bringing practitioners for up to three years, Twinning provides comprehensive support to reforms and creates durable bonds between public administrations.

25 years of Twinning

2023 marked the silver jubilee of the Twinning instrument.

Created in 1998 to support the then-candidate countries in public administration reforms necessary for EU accession, the Twinning instrument has undergone several changes, expanding its scope and geographical reach. While evolving, Twinning has continued supporting partner countries in adopting EU acquis.

You can read more about how countries that once benefitted from Twinning projects are passing on the torch to new beneficiaries on the anniversary website.

Where to start?

TAIEX events are managed by DG NEAR headquarters and can be requested by beneficiaries or the European Commission / European External Action Service. Incoming requests are analysed on a rolling basis. Click here to request a TAIEX event (desktop browser recommended).

Twinning projects are managed by EU Delegations / Offices. Click here to find Diplomatic Representations of the EU.

Want to learn more?

Consult the TAIEX & Twinning websites.

Explore TAIEX events implemented so far via TAIEX Search.

Reach out to the Institution Building Unit for individual guidance.