Twinning: EU Instrument for Institutional Capacity Building in Partner Countries

Twinning projects are funded by the European Union to support institution-building and the approximation of national laws in partner countries. They can be implemented by public administration bodies of EU Member States or other public entities authorised by the European Commission. The calls for proposals for Twinning projects are also published on the website of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

Twinning projects

Twinning is an EU instrument funded by the European Commission to strengthen economic and social stability, the rule of law, and democratic development in EU partner countries.

It is based on the needs of the partner country. In Twinning projects public authorities from EU Member States share best practices and expertise with their public sector counterparts in partner countries through equal and collaborative partnerships.

Project implementers

Twinning projects are implemented across various sectors of public administration. Implementers may include public administration bodies from the EU Member States or other public entities registered as Mandated Bodies by the European Commission. A list of Twinning actors with a permanent mandate from the EU Member States is available on the Commission website. Member States may implement Twinning projects either independently or in partnership with another Member State.

Beneficiaries of Twinning projects

Twinning cooperation is carried out in partner countries and regions covered by the following Directorates-General (DGs) of the European Commission:

  • Directorate General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood (DG ENEST)
  • Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA)
  • Directorate General for the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf (DG MENA)

Project duration and budget

Full-scale Twinning projects typically last from one to three years, whereas Twinning Light projects, which carry a lower administrative burden, may last for a maximum of eight months. The budgets for Twinning projects range from approximately EUR 1 to 4 million, and the budget for Twinning Light projects may not exceed EUR 250,000.

Calls for proposals

Implementing Member States for Twinning projects are selected through a competitive process open to all EU Member States.

The selection process consists of two stages: submitting a written proposal and presenting it at a selection meeting in the partner country. These meetings are nowadays often held online. Since Twinning projects have a fixed budget, proposals are assessed solely on the basis of the quality and relevance of the proposed expertise. Finnish government agencies and public bodies have performed well in Twinning project competitions.
Open calls for proposals are listed on the website of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs by country and sector. The Twinning Pipeline on the European Commission’s website provides advance information on upcoming calls for proposals.

Twinning guidelines

The rules regulating Twinning are set out in the Twinning Manual and its annexes, published by the European Commission. A revised Twinning Manual was published in June 2017, and its latest version (Twinning Manual revision 2017 - Update 2022 (PDF)) is dated September 2022. It applies to Twinning grants awarded following calls for proposals published after 1 September 2022 and even to projects launched earlier as appropriate.

Finnish implementers must also comply with the Ministry of Finance’s guidelines on the participation of public officials in Twinning activities (PDF).

Added value for Finnish public administration

Twinning was launched in 1998, and Finland has been an active Twinning project implementor from the very beginning. Finland is committed to Twinning as part of the cooperation and development work under the EU’s external cooperation and development efforts. Twinning also serves as a concrete tool for advancing Finland’s foreign policy objectives. Through Twinning projects, Finland strengthens its global impact and contributes to the implementation of its Government Programme, including Finland’s Africa Strategy and its objectives related to EU enlargement.

By implementing Twinning projects, Finland can take advantage of EU funding offered by the Commission. Carried out across the different administrative branches, the projects are well-suited for exporting Finnish public-sector expertise. Finnish authorities are constantly involved in implementing numerous projects worldwide. Through Twinning, Finnish government agencies and public administration bodies can build valuable international networks, promote their own global visibility and foster concrete cooperation with partner countries.

In addition to promoting Finnish expertise, good governance and sharing best practices, Twinning is an investment in the competence of the participating organisations. It also serves as an incentive for human resources development and for taking stock of international experience. Moreover, Twinning offers an opportunity for the participating agencies to turn their ideas and practices into products and to promote commercial cooperation.