On 14-15 May this year the Central Finance and Contracting Agency (CFCA) as the Latvian development cooperation agency is participating in the annual meeting of the European Union (EU) Development Cooperation Agencies Network (Practitioners Network), which this year is organised in Marseille, France by the current PN Presidency organisation - the French development cooperation agency "Expertise France".
During the annual meeting, the member organisations will agree on the priorities for the work of the Network in the coming years and discuss opportunities for cooperation in priority regions and policy areas. Latvia, like the other Baltic States, advocates continued support for Ukraine's independence and reconstruction, and is working on digitisation initiatives in developing regions.
On 14 May, the Heads of Agencies of the PN Network held a General Meeting, during which it was decided, inter alia, that the PN will be registered as a legal entity to strengthen the representation of the PN in EU development cooperation policy programming. On 15 May, a meeting of the National Development Cooperation Agency Coordinators discussed the PN work plan for 2024-2025 and the priority objectives of the PN Thematic Working Groups, including in the context of support to regions where there is active hostilities (e.g. Ukraine).
Participation in the PN is also essential for attracting funding from international donors, so that the CFCA as a development cooperation agency can prepare new projects for implementation in Latvia's priority non-EU countries, promoting the experience and expertise of Latvian experts in various sectors.
Anita Krūmiņa, Director of the CFCA: "For the CFCA as a Latvian development cooperation agency, participation in this platform is very valuable, as we can learn from the experience of other EU agencies, as well as use the opportunity to develop new project ideas and build new partnerships in priority areas and regions of Latvia's development cooperation policy.
For example, one of our objectives is Baltic cooperation in support of Ukraine in the form of knowledge transfer, e.g. helping Ukraine prepare for EU accession. Latvia's experience in digitisation and e-government is another priority area where we see great potential for cooperation projects involving Latvian experts."
