European Programs

European Programs are a wide range of funding initiatives and programs offered by the European Union to support various sectors such as education, research, innovation, employment, social inclusion, regional development, and many others. These programs provide funding opportunities for individuals, organizations, businesses, and public bodies, with the aim of promoting growth, cooperation, and solidarity within the European Union.

Types of European Programs:

Erasmus+:

One of the best-known programs focuses on education, training, youth, and sports, offering opportunities for mobility, cooperation, and the exchange of knowledge and experiences.

Research and Innovation Programs (such as Horizon Europe):

They support research, development, and innovation in various fields, promoting scientific progress and European competitiveness.

Cohesion Policy Programs (such as the NSRF in Greece):

They focus on regional development, reducing inequalities, and strengthening social cohesion.

Employment and Social Inclusion Programs:

Support employment, training, and social inclusion for vulnerable groups and combat social exclusion.

Programs for the Environment and Climate Change (such as LIFE):

Focus on protecting the environment, promoting sustainable development, and tackling climate change.

Twinning:

Twinning programs are a European Union tool aimed at strengthening the administrative capacity and reform of public institutions in partner countries. They usually involve cooperation between public bodies from two or more countries, with the body from an EU member country (the "twin") providing guidance and support to a counterpart body in a target country.

Parliament Twinning

Parliament twinning programs aim to strengthen cooperation between the parliaments of member states and third countries. Through these programs, parliaments exchange experiences and expertise, improving their capabilities in various areas, such as the legislative process, government oversight, and transparency.

The Hellenic Parliament, through the European Programs Implementation Service (EPIS), has extensive experience in participating in Parliamentary Twinning Projects.

Twinning projects are competitive programs, and since 2006, the Hellenic Parliament has submitted seven (7) proposals (out of 46 announced) to undertake Twinning as Leader in the Parliaments of Serbia, Albania, Turkey, Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia, and Bosnia, winning 5 of them with a success rate of over 50%.

More specifically, the Hellenic Parliament has led as Leader, with the Italian Parliament as Partner, in the following Twinning projects:

1. Twinning Program: "Strengthening the capacity of the National Assembly of Armenia to further support the oversight and implementation of CEPA" (2020-2022), budget €1,000,000.
2. Twinning Program: "Further strengthening the Assembly of Albania in the context of EU accession" (2017-2018), budget €500,000.
3. Twinning Program: "Strengthening the capacities of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia in the context of the EU accession process" (2014-2016), budget €1,500,000.
4. Also, in 2016, the Hellenic Parliament, as leader (with the parliaments of Italy, France, Austria, and Belgium) won the Twinning Program "Strengthening the Role of Parliament in the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights by Strengthening the Administrative Capacity of the Parliament" with the National Assembly of Turkey, but the project did not proceed as the Turkish side canceled the program immediately after the military coup in July of the same year.

In October 2024, the EU assigned the Hellenic Parliament (Hellenic Parliament) the responsibility for implementing the project "Strengthening the Capacities of the Moldovan Parliament and its role in the EU Accession Process" as part of the European Twinning Program with the National Assembly of the Republic of Moldova. In this project, the Greek Parliament is leading as the Leader Partner, with the Parliaments of Italy, Romania, Austria, and Hungary as Junior Partners, as well as support from the Netherlands.