European Commission and high Kosovo state officials together with the EU member states representatives attended a conference that officially launched the twinning project which will support the Agency for Coordination of Development and European Integration (ACDEI) in the process of EU integration.
 
The € 2.5 m EU-funded twinning project will last until the end of February 2012. Its main objective is to support the Government of Kosovo with EU integration process and contribute to the preparation of Kosovo institutions to set up necessary structures for effective management of EU financial assistance.

Renzo Daviddi, Head of the EC Liaison Office said: “We hope that through this project we will improve the flow of information between all Kosovo bodies responsible for driving the EU integration process forward. As a result of this project, we also expect the general public and media to receive more up-to-date information on the EU pre-accession process.”

Hajredin Kuçi, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo said: "Making considerable progress with the EU Integration process is one of the major objectives of Kosovo Government in the near future. It is evident that our administration requires assistance in developing sufficient capacity to manage and monitor the integration process adequately. The EU is supporting this process proactively through various mechanisms such as through this twinning project."

Mutual initiative of the Kosovo administration and the administrations of the Netherlands and United Kingdom aims to support ACDEI, EU offices in Kosovo Ministries and the Assembly Committee on EU Integration to effectively implement the European Partnership Action Plan (EPAP).

In addition to internally supporting ACDEI, the project will also improve coordination between local institutions responsible for EU integration process, and will importantly concentrate on the improving of the Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA) documentation, which in turn will improve EU’s assistance for Kosovo through better programme preparation, implementation and monitoring.

Twinning projects involve EU experts working as advisors in a partner country on specific projects. They collaborate with their colleagues in a ministry or governmental institution in order to develop modern and efficient administration, with the structures, human resources and management skills needed to implement the Acquis Communautaire. Twinning helps building long-term relationships between the existing and potential future EU member states and brings all beneficiary countries into wider contact with the diversity of practices inside the EU.