The Central Finance and Contracting Agency (CFCA), as Latvia's development cooperation agency, has successfully obtained Pillar Accreditation from the European Commission (EC). This accreditation will enable CFCA to participate in the EC's indirect management system, allowing it to directly manage development cooperation grant programs and projects delegated by the EC.
"Obtaining Pillar Accreditation is a significant step in strengthening Latvia’s role in global development cooperation, enabling the implementation of new and large-scale projects. For CFCA, a relatively new development cooperation agency, receiving pillar accreditation within its initial years of operation serves as a cornerstone for future endeavors. We are ready to justify the trust shown by the European Commission (EC) and bring Latvian expertise to the global market," emphasizes CFCA Director Anita Krūmiņa.
The accreditation confirms that CFCA’s financial management system meets the highest standards for protecting the European Union's (EU) financial interests. This achievement ensures that Latvia’s knowledge and experience will contribute to global development cooperation projects, fostering mutual enrichment for partner countries and Latvia alike.
To achieve the accreditation, CFCA demonstrated compliance with EC standards across eight pillars: internal control systems; accounting systems; independent external audit; management of EU funds for grants and procurements; financial protection; transparency regarding funding recipients; and personal data protection.
Development cooperation encompasses policies and actions aimed at supporting less-developed countries to promote their long-term social and economic progress. At the beginning of 2025, CFCA will mark three years since taking on the role of Latvia’s development cooperation agency. During this period, CFCA’s development cooperation team, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has actively worked on creating internal and external regulatory frameworks, identifying, compiling, and promoting Latvian expertise globally, and preparing and implementing several development cooperation projects in Uzbekistan, as well as managing part of the funding for Ukraine's reconstruction. Pillar accreditation will enable CFCA to continue this work on a much larger scale, facilitating the transfer of Latvian experts’ knowledge and experience beyond the EU.
Special thanks go to all parties involved in this process, particularly the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
CFCA is a Latvian state institution responsible for managing and supervising EU funds and other foreign financial instruments in Latvia, as well as implementing development cooperation abroad. Its mission is to promote sustainable development and ensure the efficient use of financial resources.