Capacity-building and Institutional Cooperation between Romanian and Norwegian Public Institutions, Local and Regional Authorities

Programme Summary

Why is the programme needed? In the area of nuclear safety, Romania is required to implement a number of EU Regulations as well as recommendations from the International Atomic Energy Agency. Several areas have been identified where improvement of the implementation capacity of the Romanian regulatory authority is needed, with a view to ensure nuclear safety and security. In the area of tax and customs, there is a need for improving the detection and prevention of corruption within the tax system, in particular through enhancing the capacities of the national tax authority and its specialised departments. Both national strategies and EU assessments of the tax system in Romania have pinpointed areas for improvement, which is essential both in order to secure the income basis for the public budget and to improve public support for and trust in the tax system.What will the programme achieve? The programme will enhance to capabilities of the Romanian nuclear regulatory authority in the field of safety, security and emergency preparedness, as well as the administrative capacity of the General Directorate for Integrity within the National Agency for Fiscal Administration to prevent and fight corruption. How will it be achieved? Two pre-defined projects will be carried out: 1)        “Regional Excellence Project on Regulatory Capacity Building in Nuclear and Radiological Safety, Emergency Preparedness and Response in Romania”, promoted by the Romanian National Authority for the Control of Nuclear Activities in partnership with the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The project focuses on enhancing the capabilities of the Romanian nuclear regulatory authority through capacity building, exchange of experiences and best practices with the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority and the IAEA. The project represents a continuation of a previous project funded by The Norwegian Cooperation Programme with Romania during the period 2004-2009. 2)        “Improving Integrity in the National Agency for Fiscal Administration (NAFA) through Institutional Cooperation and Capacity Building”. The project will be developed and carried out in cooperation between the Romanian National Agency for Fiscal Administration and the Norwegian Tax Administration. The project targets the promotion of integrity and combating of corruption in the field of tax and customs. It focuses on increasing the administrative capacity of the General Directorate for Integrity (GDI) within the NAFA through cooperation with the Norwegian Tax Authorities. The GDI is a new directorate whose major objectives are preventing, detecting and fighting corruption within the tax system. The main activities in this respect are developing anti-corruption strategies and monitoring their implementation, carrying out training sessions for the NAFA personnel in the field of anti-corruption and deontological standards, controlling and monitoring subordinate institutions of the NAFA, conducting internal control, and undertaking integrity tests to assess compliance with ethical standards. How will bilateral relations be strengthened? The pre-defined projects contribute to the enhancement of institutional capacity and human resources development in public institutions in Romania through cooperation and transfer of knowledge with similar institutions and authorities in Norway within the projects. As donor partnership projects, the projects include a substantial component of bilateral cooperation and knowledge exchange, thus contributing to the overall objective of strengthened bilateral relations. The strengthening of bilateral relations between Romanian and Norwegian public institutions will also be supported through a special call, as described below. What are the partnership opportunities? The project partnerships are pre-defined. Other entities involved in the areas targeted by the projects may participate in seminars, conferences, workshops and study visits.Who can apply for funding under this programme? Romanian and Norwegian public institutions may apply for funding for participation in relevant seminars, conferences and workshops or organisation of such events. €175,765 will be made available to the call for applications, which will stay open continuously until October 2014 or until funds are exhausted.