Twin project "Strengthening the capacity of indirect taxation authorities"
On February 16th, in Banja Luka (Bosnia and Herzegovina), the opening of the Twin project "Strengthening the capacity of indirect taxation authorities" took place. It is being implemented by the Customs Department of the Republic of Lithuania (the junior project partner) in collaboration with the Italian Customs and Monopolies Agency.
The event was greeted by the Head of the European Union Delegation and the EU Special Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Johann Sattler, the Director of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Indirect Taxation Authority (ITA) Zoran Tegeltija, the Italian Ambassador to Sarajevo Marco Di Ruzza, the Minister Plenipotentiary of the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Hungary Erikas Petrikas, the Director of the International Relations Office of the Italian Customs and Monopolies Agency Andrea Mazzella, and the Deputy Director-General of the Lithuanian Customs Department Vygantas Paigozinas.
Twinning projects offer invaluable opportunities for the exchange of best practices and direct cooperation with EU member states. This project, worth € 1 million, will involve more than 50 experts from member states and will last until September 2025.
The primary goal of this project is the harmonization of the work procedures of the ITA standards with the European Union, which will be implemented in four components: harmonization in the area of customs and taxation, support to the Department for Risk Analysis and ITA Management, support to the Internal Audit Department and support to the professional team in the implementation of the action plan of the coordinating body for financial activities.
Over the past 20 years, Lithuania has won 138 Twinning projects, 50 of which are in the Western Balkans. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2 Twinning projects were won in 2023.
