The training to the National Authorities on IPA CBC management structures and procedures in implementation of CBC programmes under IPA took place in Sarajevo on December 5^th and 6^th, 2007. This training was targeting the representatives of the state institutions directly involved in the implementation of the cross-border programmes.

13 persons from Directorate for European Integration, Ministry of Security, Ministry of Communications and Transport, Ministry of Economic Relations and Cooperation of Republika Srpska, Government of Brcko District, Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees, Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, Agency for Statistics, Municipality of Zivinice and local consultants were present. The representative from the Delegation of the European Commission in Bosnia and Herzegovina participated in this training, too.

Most of the trainees are directly involved in the implementation of IPA component II (e.g. Directorate for European Integration as the Operating Structure, and the representatives from various National Institutions will be engaged as members of the JMC or the newly established National Task Force).

Objectives:

The main objectives of the course were described before the course as:

1. Understanding what institutional framework needs to be established in order to manage the cross-border programme:

• What steps need to be taken before the cross-border programme can be implemented?
• Who is responsible for what in different steps?
• Role of various documents in the process

2. Know and understand how the different steps of the cross-border programme Grant Scheme work– i.e. Call for Proposals (CfP), evaluation, pre-financing, etc. With special focus on:

• Who is responsible for what?
• The role of the various documents in CfP
• Know where to find relevant information in relation to the implementation of the cross-border programme Grant Scheme, e.g.
• Cross-border programme
• IPA Implementing Regulations
• PRAG
• Annexes to PRAG.

The course was divided according to two main strands:

a) Which institutional framework is to be established in order to implement the cross-border programmes (this part was mainly based on IPA Implementing Regulations);

b) Different steps in the implementation of the cross-border programmes (this part was mainly based on PRAG and PRAG annexes but also on the previous experiences of the trainees in implementing Neighbourhood Programmes).

Important elements of the methodology of the training are the following:

• Combine theory with exercises/“learning by doing”. Due to the relatively short duration of the training (two days), most of the topics were presented in plenary sessions (courses followed by “buzzing”). However group exercises were organised on the following topics: role of the actors in preparing/implementing a cross-border programme, Cap preparatory activities, steps in launching a Cap, steps of the projects evaluation and evaluation of a concept note (real case provided by the EAR).
• Review of the previous day (each participant tries to answer a question).

Conclusions and Lessons Learned:

All in all the training benefited from the fact that this was the third CBIB training for national authorities. Materials and training outline were adapted on the basis of the previous experience.

Participants took part very actively in the training. The representative from the Delegation of the European Commission as well as 4 CBIB staff and several local consultants participated in this training, and that was a basis for good discussions and exchange of knowledge and experience under previous EU instruments.