The main goal of the project is to develop institutional capacities to cope with intensive EU accession negotiation process.

The specific goals of the project are as follows:

• Implement advanced capacity building programmes in general and sector specific EU policies;
• Establish sustainable EU learning and training system for civil servants;
• Reduce negative impact of staff turnover.

Project duration is for the period of 18 months and has started from January 2011.
The Secretariat for European Affairs is the main beneficiary, as well as indirectly beneficiaries are the civil servants from state and local administration. European Competence is the partner organization within the project implementation.

The project activities are organized under three components:

I. Targeted capacity building in selected EU acquis, including the activities:

- Preparation of specific training curricula for selected programmes;
- Implementation of training programmes in selected areas (acquis) in Skopje for 240 civil servants;
- Organization of four advanced seminars in Brussels for selected civil servants;
- Preparation of curricula and training programme for future trainers selected among participants on the basis of their qualification and job description.

The different capacity building programmes are:

- Programme 1: European Union Institutions and Decision-Making;
- Programme 2: Internal Market;
- Programme 3: ЕU ICT Policy;
- Programme 4: EU Transport Policy;
- Programme 5: EU Regional Policy;
- Programme 6: EU Project Management.

II. Introduction of integrated learning and training platform and facility, including the activities:

- Assessment of present EU learning system;
- Development of specific tools for learning and training;
- Integration of the training platform into the organizational set-up of the beneficiary;
- Refurbishment of premises for the Training centre and provision of ICT infrastructure.

Link to the online EU learning and training platform

III. Specific TA in definition of Retention policy for civil servants, including the activities:

- Analysis of the present set-up and challenges related to training and retention of civil servants;
- Design of national model for retention policy, using experiences from new EU Member States;
- TA for implementation of the designed model;
- Support to the pilot phase of functioning of the new model (monitoring and support);
- Generation of project pipeline.