Memorandum of Understanding Between the Government of the Republic of Slovenia and the Government of the Republic of Macedonia 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  MACEDONIA 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 Macedonia in providing technical assistance in the area of European affairs.

The Government of the Republic of Slovenia and the Government of the Republic of Macedonia (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 Macedonia in preparations for accession to the European Union, by transferring the know-how and experience of the Government 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 Macedonia.

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 Government of the Republic of Macedonia. The cooperation programmes shall be signed for each individual year.

2.3 The Government Office of the Republic of Slovenia for European Affairs shall coordinate the technical assistance on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia. The Government Sector for European Integration of the Republic of Macedonia shall coordinate the technical assistance on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Macedonia.

2.4 The Government of the Republic of Slovenia shall provide for the Government of the Republic of Macedonia 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 Macedonia.

2.5 The Government Sector for European Integration of the Republic of Macedonia shall examine each application received by the individual ministry or Government office and shall agree with the Government Office of the Republic of Slovenia for 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 European Affairs shall examine each application received by the Government of the Republic of Slovenia, individual ministry or Government office and shall agree within a reasonable time on the conditions of cooperation with the Government Sector for European Integration of the Republic of Macedonia. On the basis of the submitted application for technical assistance, the Government Office of the Republic of Slovenia for 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 Macedonia and the organisational costs of the seminars which take place in the Republic of Slovenia.

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

3.3 A special cooperation programme for each individual year shall be signed at least three months before the end of the year to allow timely budget planning.

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 one year 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 Skopje on 2 April 2003 in two originals, in Slovenian, Macedonian and English language, all the texts being equally authentic. In the case of any divergences in interpretation the English text shall prevail.

For the Government of the
Republic of Slovenia
Dr Janez Potočnik, (s)

For the Government of the
Republic of Macedonia
Radmila Šekerinska, (s)