Memorandum of understanding between the government of the Republic of lovenia and the government of the Republic of Serbia on the technical assistance in the area of European affairs

M E M O R A N D U M   O F   U N D E R S T A N D I N G
BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA ON THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE IN THE AREA OF EUROPEAN AFFAIRS

This Memorandum shall serve as a basis for the cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Slovenia and the Government of the Republic of Serbia in providing technical assistance in the area of European affairs.

The Government of the Republic of Slovenia and the Government of the Republic of Serbia (hereinafter referred to as contracting parties) have, with the purpose of establishing the basis for close cooperation between them in the area of training in European affairs

agreed on the following:

1 OBJECTIVES

1.1 The general objective of this Memorandum shall be training of civil servants of the Republic of Serbia in the process of association and accession to the European Union, by transferring the know-how and experience of the state administration of the Republic of Slovenia gained during the process of the Republic of Slovenia’s accession to the European Union.

1.2 The know-how and experience shall be transferred by organising study visits and the programmes of training for civil servants of ministries and other administrative bodies of the Republic of Serbia.

2 METHOD OF IMPLEMENTATION

2.1 Each activity launched on the basis of this Memorandum shall be implemented on a consensual basis.

2.2 The contracting parties shall agree and sign a special cooperation programme based on the needs of the Republic of Serbia. The cooperation programmes shall be signed for each individual year or for a period agreed upon by the contracting parties.

2.3 The Government Office of the Republic of Slovenia for Development and European Affairs shall coordinate the technical assistance on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia. The Office for European Integration of the Republic of Serbia shall coordinate the technical assistance on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Serbia.

2.4 The Government of the Republic of Slovenia shall provide for the Government of the Republic of Serbia a number of technical assistance services drawing on the expertise of the civil servants and other competent experts from the Republic of Slovenia selected and approved by the coordinator of the technical assistance on the basis of the needs of the Government of the Republic of Serbia.

2.5. The Office for European Integration of the Republic of Serbia shall examine each application received from the individual ministry or Government office and shall agree with the Government Office of the Republic of Slovenia for Development and European Affairs on the conditions of cooperation and the method of implementation of the technical assistance.

2.6 The Government Office of the Republic of Slovenia for Development and European Affairs shall examine, in cooperation with the relevant line ministry or Government Office, each application received from the Office for European Integration of the Republic of Serbia and shall agree within a reasonable time on the conditions of possible cooperation with the Republic of Serbia. On the basis of the submitted application for technical assistance, the Government Office of the Republic of Slovenia for Development and European Affairs shall prepare a proposal of the method of implementation of technical assistance.

3 FINANCIAL TERMS OF COOPERATION

3.1 The Slovenian side shall cover all the costs of the visits of the experts from the Republic of Slovenia to the Republic of Serbia and the organisational costs of the seminars which take place in the Republic of Slovenia.

3.2 The Serbian side shall cover the organisational costs of the seminars in the Republic of Serbia and the costs of its participants in the seminars which take place in the Republic of Slovenia.

4 DURATION AND ENTRY INTO FORCE OF THE MEMORANDUM

4.1 This Memorandum shall enter into force on the day of the receipt of the last note with which the contracting parties notify each other that all internal legal requirements for the entry into force of this Memorandum have been fulfilled and shall be applied provisionally from the date of its signature.

4.2 This Memorandum shall be in force for the period of two years and shall be automatically renewed for successive periods of one year unless one of the contracting parties terminates this Memorandum in writing through diplomatic channels by giving three months notice before the expiry of its validity.

4.3 In the case of the termination of this Memorandum, all the cooperation programmes concluded on the basis of this Memorandum shall be completed.

Done in Belgrade on 6 March 2009 in two originals in Slovenian, Serbian and English language, all texts being equally authentic. In case of any divergence in interpretation, the English text shall prevail.

For the Government
of the Republic of Slovenia
Borut Pahor (s)
 
For the Government
of the Republic of Serbia
Mirko Cvetković (s)