Programme: IPA Preparation for the Implementation and Usage of the Schengen Information System (SIS) / SIRENE and European Arrest Warrant (EAW)

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1 Republic of Croatia Ministry of the Interior Programme: IPA 2011 Area of Cooperation: Justice and Home Affairs TWINNING LIGHT PROJECT FICHE Preparation for the Implementation and Usage of the Schengen Information System (SIS) / SIRENE and European Arrest Warrant (EAW) Project budget: ,00 EUR

2 STANDARD TWINNING LIGHT PROJECT FICHE 1. Basic Information 1.1 Programme: IPA Twinning Number: HR/2011/IB/JH/01 TWL 1.3 Title: Preparation for the Implementation and Usage of the Schengen Information System (SIS) / SIRENE and European Arrest Warrant (EAW) 1.4 Sector: Justice and Home Affairs 1.5 Beneficiary country: Republic of Croatia 2. Objectives 2.1 Overall objective: Republic of Croatia prepared to meet Schengen standards, in line with EU Acquis. 2.2 Project purpose: Capacities and competences of stakeholders relevant for implementation and usage of the Schengen Information System Supplementary Information Request at the National Entries (SIS / SIRENE) and European Arrest Warrant (EAW) enhanced. 2.3 Contribution to Accession Treaty / Programme of the Government of the Republic of Croatia for the Adoption and Implementation of the Acquis Communautaire: Following the signature of the Accession Treaty on 9 December 2011 and its ratification procedure in the Member States, Croatia joined the European Union on 1 July Accession Treaty stipulates the conditions for Croatian membership in the EU, as well as adjustments to the primary and secondary EU regulations. Accession Treaty states as follows: 1. The provisions of the Schengen acquis as referred to in the Protocol on the Schengen acquis integrated into the framework of the European Union (hereinafter referred to as the "Schengen Protocol"), annexed to the TEU and the TFEU, and the acts building upon it or otherwise related to it, listed in Annex II, as well as any further such acts adopted before the date of accession, shall be binding on, and applicable in, Croatia from the date of accession. 2. Those provisions of the Schengen acquis as integrated into the framework of the European Union and the acts building upon it or otherwise related to it not referred to in paragraph 1, while binding on Croatia from the date of accession, shall only apply in Croatia pursuant to a Council decision to that effect, after verification, in accordance with the applicable Schengen evaluation procedures, that the necessary conditions for the application of all parts of the relevant acquis have been met in Croatia, including the effective application of all Schengen rules in accordance with the agreed common standards and with fundamental principles. That decision shall be taken by the Council, in accordance with the applicable Schengen procedures and while taking into account a Commission report confirming that Croatia continues to fulfil the commitments undertaken in its accession negotiations that are relevant for the Schengen acquis ( ). 1 1 Article 4, Section B. Act concerning the conditions of accession of the Republic of Croatia and the adjustments to the Treaty on European Union, the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and to the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community, Part One: Principles. 2

3 Programme of the Government of the Republic of Croatia for the Adoption and Implementation of the Acquis (2013) states that during 2013 it was planned to establish a fully functioning S.I.Re.N.E 2 bureau. National S.I.Re.N.E bureau should be fully technically equipped and approximately 15 police officers should be employed and trained in accordance with operational needs for work in the framework of the Schengen Convention. Comprehensive Monitoring Report on Croatia (2013) states that Croatia's preparations in the alignment with the acquis in the area of police cooperation and the fight against organised crime are almost complete. (...) The Supplementary Information Request at National Entry (S.I.Re.N.E.) bureau is now legally established; its Head was appointed in December 2012 and ten police officers are currently working there. The recruitment process for the rest of the staff is on-going. Five persons are working on the Schengen Information System in the IT department of the Ministry of the Interior. Close cooperation with EUROPOL continued. As regards external borders and Schengen, the above mentioned document states that legislative alignment is almost complete. The 2013 revision of the Integrated Border Management Action Plan (IBM AP), in view of aligning the national concept with the EU one, is in preparation. This Twinning light project is in line with the priorities concerning preparation to implement the Schengen acquis. In line with the mentioned priorities, relevant national legislation has been adopted in terms of the Border Management Act and Act on Judicial Co-Operation in Criminal Matters with Member States of the European Union, and the S.I.Re.N.E bureau has been formally set up by the Decree of the Government of the Republic of Croatia dated 20 June Croatia has finished harmonizing its legislation with the relevant acquis in the area of judicial cooperation. Capacities of Ministry of the Interior (MoI) and Ministry of Justice (MoJ) employees working with SIS/SIRENE and EAW will be enhanced by targeted trainings envisaged within the framework of this Twinning light project. The project will ultimately enable the full establishment of SIRENE department that complies with existing legal framework and recognized good practice. 3. Description 3.1 Background and justification: Upon its accession to the European Union on the 1 July 2013, Republic of Croatia is obliged to assume its role as an active Member State of the Schengen area within the next two years. This includes implementing the Schengen Information System (SIS), setting up an operational S.I.Re.N.E. bureau (which is the central national contact point authorized to exchange information with other Schengen member countries) and implementing the European Arrest Warrant (EAW). S.I.Re.N.E. bureau is established as part of the International Police Cooperation Service within the Criminal Police Directorate of the Ministry of the Interior. Adequate premises and standard IT equipment is planned to be procured within two years from Croatia s accession to the EU. Since S.I.Re.N.E. bureau is defined as a central national contact point for exchange of supplementary information regarding alerts in the SIS, it will be fully operational once SIS is implemented on a national level in Croatia. 2 Throughout this document the term S.I.Re.N.E. refers to relevant organizational unit within MoI, while SIRENE is used as general term on EU level. 3

4 Currently, main tasks of the S.I.Re.N.E. bureau is preparation for the use of SIS in terms of conducting trainings for SIRENE operators and other MoI employees involved in implementation and usage of the SIS/SIRENE (police officers from border police, criminal police, uniformed police, administrative staff dealing with aliens, vehicle registration and ID document issuance). S.I.Re.N.E. bureau is also providing support for implementation of EAW in terms of sending and receiving EAWs via other communication channels, such as Interpol (as defined by the Act on Judicial Co-Operation in Criminal Matters with Member States of the European Union) and forwarding EAWs to competent judicial authorities, as well as surrender of wanted persons by executing foreign EAWs. Issuance of EAW falls in the realm of judicial authorities (County State Attorney's Offices and competent County Courts). Following its issuance, EAW is the basis for international arrests and surrendering of wanted persons to other Member States which falls under police competence. According to the Council Framework Decision 2002/584/JHA from 13 June 2002 on the European arrest warrant and the surrender procedures between Member States, competent judicial authorities may, upon the issuance of EAW, order the police (SIRENE bureaus) to alert other Member States about an EAW via SIS. In other words, SIRENE bureau issues international notices for fugitives, subjects of EAWs issued by national competent judicial authorities. Furthermore, upon arrest of the wanted person which is subject of a national EAW, SIRENE bureau executes the surrender of that person from the Member State where he was arrested to the competent judicial authority in the country. Therefore, issuance of and dealing with EAW by judicial and police authorities within SIS/SIRENE system are closely connected. Taking into account the lack of experience in dealing with SIS/SIRENE and EAW, capacities of all stakeholders involved in this process are still insufficient. In order to prepare MoI employees involved in implementation and usage of the SIS/SIRENE as well as judicial staff for issuance and dealing with EAW, extensive education and training is not only necessary, but essential. This Twinning light project is envisaged to provide trainings for both judicial and police staff, so that all stakeholders in this cooperation have full insight in all stages of the process, which will ultimately lead to successful implementation and usage of SIS/SIRENE and EAW in the Republic of Croatia. 3.2 Linked activities IPA 2010 Twinning project Strengthening the Efficiency of Judiciary in the Republic of Croatia (HR/2010/IB/JH/02, MS Twinning partners: United Kingdom and Latvia) The overall project consists of Twinning and supply component. 3 The implementation of Twinning project started in March 2013 with the implementation period of 21 months. The project aims to improve court efficiency, shorten the length of court proceeding and reduce the case backlog through increasing support to court s rationalization process, improvement of court delivery system, establishment of the recording system of court hearings, as well as improving legal certainty through recognition and enforcement of judgments and decisions of EU Member States by educating judges and court advisors. 3 Through supply component audio/video recording equipment for recording of court hearings will be purchased during

5 Moreover, through IPA 2010 Twinning project education concerning EAW for judges, prosecutors, advisors in courts and prosecutors offices and MoJ staff was conducted in February The materials developed through IPA 2010 Twinning project will be available to Twinning partners of IPA 2011 Twinning light project. There will be no overlapping since one project will build upon another: the mentioned training under IPA 2010 project covered only a part of interested parties dealing with EAW, while IPA 2011 project will provide training for additional participants and will address and further elaborate all topics not covered by IPA 2010 Twinning project Strengthening the Efficiency of Judiciary in the Republic of Croatia. IPA 2009 Twinning project Professional development of judicial advisors and future judges and state attorneys through establishment of self-sustainable training system (HR/2009/IB/JH/02, MS Twinning partners: Spain, Italy and Finland) The overall project consisted of supply and Twinning component. It started in May 2012 with the implementation period of 21 months. The purpose of this project was enhancement of the status of judicial advisors, development of self-sustainable training system for lifelong education of judicial advisors and candidates for judges and state attorneys. Through the supply component of the project the Judicial Academy in Zagreb and its Regional Centre in Varaždin have been equipped with the necessary IT equipment and furniture while, in addition to this, the Judicial Academy in Zagreb has been equipped with an audio-video recording system. Through Twinning component education concerning EAW for judicial advisors and candidates for judicial officials was conducted. Since IPA 2011 Twinning light project will provide trainings regarding EAW for different target groups, there will be no overlapping between this Twinning light project and IPA 2009 Twinning project Professional development of judicial advisors and future judges and state attorneys through establishment of self-sustainable training system. PHARE 2006 service project Developing the readiness to implement Schengen Information System (SIS II) at the Republic of Croatia The project was implemented from October 2009 to March The purpose of this project was to familiarize Croatian legal experts with legal environment of the SIS II system and to facilitate drafting of relevant legislation. The project resulted, among others, in determining all future users and stakeholders of the SIS/SIRENE system, which will be targeted by this Twinning light project. PHARE 2006 Twinning light project Preparation for the establishment of the SIRENE office (HR/2006/IB/JH/01TL, MS Twinning partner: Italy) The project was implemented from March 2009 to August The purpose of this project was to support Croatia in setting-up the S.I.Re.N.E. bureau which is the crucial step for lifting internal border checks and joining the Schengen area. The project resulted in making the Road Map for establishing the S.I.Re.N.E. bureau, in which further education of end-users (judicial and police officers) was foreseen as necessary. The mentioned Road Map was the basis for defining a number of activities in this Twinning light project. Other linked activities: Republic of Croatia became a Member State of the EU on the 1 July 2013, which has accelerated the preparations for joining the Schengen area and implementing the Schengen Information System. One of the recommendations foreseen by the Road map for further activities considering S.I.Re.N.E. bureau in Croatia, which was approved by the MoI, was to organize training in different Schengen countries for the core group of SIRENE officers who will perform duties concerning Convention Implementing the Schengen Agreement (CISA) and SIS. Core group of Croatian SIRENE officers has 5

6 already visited S.I.Re.N.E. bureaus in Slovakia, Slovenia and Germany in 2010 and 2011, but since all Member States in April 2013 implemented the second generation of SIS and new SIRENE applications, additional study visits and trainings are necessary. Upon analysis of gathered information it was determined that at least two more medium size countries which have gone through the transition to Schengen Information System II should be visited. One of those two planned study visits was performed in Budapest in October In March 2012 and October 2013 representatives of Croatian Border and Criminal Police participated as observers in the simulation of the Schengen evaluation of police cooperation in Slovenia, as well as in the actual Schengen evaluation led by an EU delegation in Slovenia. Croatian participation was organized through TAIEX instrument. Moreover, through TAIEX four study visits to foreign SIRENE offices were organised with the purpose of setting up and organizing the workflow at the Croatian S.I.Re.N.E. bureau: Ljubljana (June 2010), Wiesbaden (February 2011), Bratislava (October 2011) and Budapest (October 2013). In accordance with the Plan for education of border police officers, in January and February 2012 at the Police Academy in Zagreb lectures and presentations were given on subject of SIS/SIRENE by one of the officers of the International Police Cooperation Department. Further lectures were postponed until the end of this IPA 2011 Twinning light project (first half of 2015). 3.3 Results: Component 1: Strengthening capacities of Ministry of the Interior in regard to the SIS/SIRENE system Result 1.1. Result 1.2. Capacities and competences of MoI employees involved in implementation and usage of the SIS/SIRENE enhanced. Long term training program and Training Manual for future trainings of MoI employees regarding SIS/SIRENE developed. Component 2: Strengthening capacities of the key stakeholders within the judiciary in regard to the EAW Result 2.1. Capacities and competences of the key stakeholders within the judiciary involved in process of issuance and dealing with the EAW enhanced. Component 3: Strengthening capacities of the key stakeholders within the judiciary and Ministry of the Interior on regional level Result 3.1. Regional joint workshops for key stakeholders within the judiciary and MoI on SIS/SIRENE and EAW conducted with the purpose of exchanging practical experience between stakeholders, gaining insight by all stakeholders in all stages of the process and strengthening of their mutual cooperation. 6

7 3.4 Activities: Activities related to Result 1.1: Activity Conducting training needs analysis (TNA) for MoI employees involved in implementation and usage of the SIS/SIRENE 4 and preparing TNA report. The purpose of the TNA is to determine the level of understanding and knowledge of MoI employees in the mentioned area and to assess their training needs accordingly. Activity Preparing training program with detailed training plan and materials for training of MoI employees involved in implementation and usage of the SIS/SIRENE that will be implemented through activity as well as training of trainers (ToT) program with detailed training plan and materials for training of future trainers that will be implemented through activity Training materials will also contain basic information on EAW. Activity Organizing and conducting trainings (workshop and seminars) for MoI employees involved in implementation and usage of the SIS/SIRENE. Trainings will be organized in 5 groups (as defined in footnote no. 4) for at least 150 participants in total. Training for each of the 5 groups will be conducted in duration of at least 2 working days. Evaluation of trainings will be conducted upon their implementation with the purpose to identify needs for further trainings and evaluation report will be prepared. Activity Organizing and conducting training of trainers (ToT) in duration of 5 working days on working with SIS/SIRENE for at least 5 SIRENE operators who will upon implementation of respective trainings become capable to further disseminate the obtained knowledge. Activity Organizing and conducting one study visit for 5 SIRENE operators (future trainers) to the SIRENE bureau of the EU Member State in duration of 5 working days with an aim to gain practical knowledge of working with SIS and of other working processes in the SIRENE bureau, and preparing study visit report which will be sent to relevant stakeholders in order to disseminate the gained knowledge. Activities related to Result 1.2: Activity Developing long term training program for trainings of MoI employees involved in implementation and usage of the SIS/SIRENE which will be used after the implementation of the project. Activity Developing Training Manual on topics related to implementation and usage of the SIS/SIRENE. Developed Training Manual will be used by trainers in future trainings of MoI employees involved in implementation and usage of the SIS/SIRENE. 4 MoI employees involved in implementation and usage of the SIS/SIRENE are divided in 5 groups: Group 1: SIRENE operators, Group 2: Officers from border police bureaus, Group 3: Criminal police officers, Group 4: Officers from uniformed police and Group 5: Administrative staff dealing with aliens, vehicle registration and ID document issuance. 7

8 Activities related to Result 2.1: Activity Conducting training needs analysis (TNA) for key stakeholders 5 of EAW within the judiciary and preparing TNA report. The purpose of the TNA is to determine the level of understanding and knowledge of future EAW end users and to assess their training needs accordingly. Activity Preparing training programme with detailed training plan and materials for training of key stakeholders of EAW that will be implemented through activity as well as training of trainers (ToT) program with detailed training plan and materials for training of future trainers that will be implemented through activity Training materials will also contain basic information on SIS/SIRENE. 6 Activity Organising and conducting trainings (workshops and seminars) for key stakeholders of EAW. Trainings will be organised in 3 groups (as defined in footnote no. 5) for at least 60 participants in total. Training for each of the 3 groups will be conducted in duration of at least 2 days. Evaluation of trainings will be conducted upon their implementation with the purpose to identify needs for further trainings and evaluation report will be prepared. Activity Organising and conducting training of trainers (ToT) in duration of 3 working days on working with European Arrest Warrant (EAW) for at least 5 trainers (MoJ employees, prosecutors and judges) who will upon implementation of respective trainings become capable to further disseminate the obtained knowledge. Activity Organizing and conducting one study visit for 5 representatives from judiciary (future trainers) to EU Member State in duration of 5 working days with the purpose to gain practical knowledge regarding EAW (equipment, work-flow, working procedures etc.), and preparing study visit report which will be sent to relevant stakeholders in order to disseminate the gained knowledge. Activities related to Result 3.1: Activity Organising and conducting roundtable discussion for at least 6 participants (in total) from MoI and MoJ, with the purpose to specifically determine the topics and case studies for workshops that will be implemented through activity Activity Organising and conducting regional joint workshops for key stakeholders within the judiciary (relevant representatives involved in process of issuance and dealing with EAW) and MoI (relevant representatives involved in international searches for wanted persons and their surrender in and out of the country based on the EAW). 5 Key stakeholders involved in process of issuance and dealing with EAW are grouped in 3 groups: Group 1: Judges, Group 2: Prosecutors and Group 3: MoJ employees. 6 Activity should be conducted taking into account educational materials of Judicial Academy regarding EAW and outputs produced under the linked Twinning projects IPA 2010 Strengthening the Efficiency of Judiciary in the Republic of Croatia and IPA 2009 Professional development of judicial advisors and future judges and state attorneys through establishment of self-sustainable training system. 8

9 Workshops will be held in Zagreb, Split, Osijek, Rijeka and Dubrovnik 7 for at least 48 participants in total. Each workshop will be conducted in duration of at least 2 days and will consist of at least 3 MoI employees, 3 representatives from State Attorney s offices and 3 representatives of courts; in addition, workshop in Zagreb will also include at least 3 MoJ employees. The workshops will include case studies (practical examples) and simulations of actual surrender cases from start to finish (including police paperwork and judicial documents EAWs, court decisions and orders) with several scenarios, for both domestic (national) and foreign EAWs. 7 Workshop in Dubrovnik will take into account the fact that Dubrovnik attracts a huge number of foreign visitors every year and there is significant number of cases per year related to EAW as well as to other categories of alerts in the SIS II. Dubrovnik area is located at the far south of Croatian territory and is accessible by sea or by air, not directly by land one must pass through the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina first. Moreover, almost entire Dubrovnik County is surrounded by future Schengen external border. That specific situation should be taken into account in extradition of EAW surrender based cases and transporting arrested persons to the rest of Croatian territory. Therefore, it is essential to educate local police and judiciary staff also in that area. 9

10 Indicative schedule of activities: Date/ Duration Activity Output Input (working days) Month 1 Activity Training needs analysis for MoI employees conducted and TNA report prepared. MS experts in total of 5 working days Month 2 Activity Training programs and materials for training of MoI employees and training of trainers prepared. Month 3 Activity Trainings for 150 MoI employees conducted. Month 3 Activity ToT for 5 SIRENE operators conducted. Month 4 Activity Study visit for 5 SIRENE operators in duration of 5 working days conducted. Month 5 Activity Long term training program on SIS/SIRENE developed. MS experts in total of 15 working days MS experts in total of 20 working days MS experts in total of 10 working days MS experts in total of 10 working days Month 5 Activity Training Manual developed. MS experts in total of 20 Month 1 Activity Training needs analysis for key stakeholders within the judiciary conducted and TNA report prepared. Month 1 Activity Training programs and materials for key stakeholders within the judiciary and training of trainers prepared. Month 2 Activity Trainings for 60 key stakeholders of EAW conducted. Month 3 Activity ToT for 5 trainers on EAW conducted. Month 4 Activity Study visit for 5 representatives from judiciary in duration of 5 working days conducted. Month 5 Activity Round table for MoI and MoJ representatives conducted. Month 6 Activity Joint workshops for 48 participants (in total) from MoI and judiciary conducted. TOTAL working days working days MS experts in total of 5 working days MS experts in total of 15 working days MS experts in total of 15 working days MS experts in total of 10 working days MS experts in total of 5 working days MS experts in total of 20 working days 150 working days Two visibility events will be organized in the course of the implementation of the project; Kick-off meeting at the start of the implementation and the Final meeting at the end of the implementation of the project activities. 10

11 3.5 Means / Input from the MS Partner Administration: One of the experts may act as the Project Leader responsible for general coordination Profile and tasks of the Project Leader Profile of the Project Leader Requirements: - University level education or equivalent professional experience of 13 years in the field of law enforcement or justice sector - 6 years of experience in the field of international police or judicial cooperation - Experience in Schengen Information System (SIS) or SIRENE or European Arrest Warrant (EAW) - Working level of English language - Proven contractual relation to public administration or mandated body, as defined under Twinning manual Computer literacy - Experience in project management Assets: - Experience in managing EU funded projects related to law enforcement or justice sector - Experience in organizing or conducting training in police or justice sector Tasks of the Project Leader: - Overall management and coordination of the project in cooperation with Croatian Project Leader - Participation in Steering Committee meetings - Project reporting - Ensuring backstopping and financial management of the project in the MS - Ensuring sound implementation of envisaged activities - Supervising implementation of the project - Efficient leadership of the project - Co-ordination of MS experts' work and availability - Organization of study visits Profile and tasks of the short-term experts For each of the proposed experts in the submitted proposal the Member State is kindly requested to indicate the expert s profile. Profile of the Short-term expert 1 (STE 1) Requirements: - University level education or equivalent professional experience of 10 years in the field of law enforcement - 4 years of experience in the field of international police cooperation - Experience in use of Schengen Information System and SIRENE workflow system - Working level of English language 11

12 - Computer literacy - Proven contractual relation to public administration or mandated body, as defined under Twinning manual Note: The pool of experts should include at least one short-term expert who in addition to the above requirements for STE 1 has experience in conducting trainings. Assets: - Experience in conducting training on Schengen Information System (SIS) or SIRENE - Experience in conducting training in the justice sector - Experience in Schengen evaluation Tasks of the Short-term expert 1: - Undertaking all tasks related to SIS/SIRENE in close cooperation with Croatian experts and achieving corresponding mandatory results - Conducting TNA and preparing TNA report as regards SIS/SIRENE - Preparing training programs and materials for training of MoI employees, including ToT - Organizing and conducting trainings for MoI employees, including ToT - Developing long term training program and Training Manual for training of MoI employees - Participation in conducting roundtable discussion and joint regional workshops Profile of the Short-term expert 2 (STE 2) Requirements: - University level education or equivalent professional experience of 10 years in justice sector - 4 years of experience in judicial cooperation in criminal matters - Experience in implementing European Arrest Warrant - Working level of English language - Computer literacy - Proven contractual relation to public administration or mandated body as defined under Twinning manual Note: The pool of experts should include at least one short-term expert who in addition to the above requirements for STE 2 has experience in conducting trainings. Asset: - Experience in conducting trainings on judicial cooperation related to European Arrest Warrant Tasks of the Short-term expert 2: - Undertaking all tasks related to EAW in close cooperation with Croatian experts and achieving corresponding mandatory results - Conducting TNA and preparing TNA report as regards EAW - Preparing training programs and materials for training on EAW, including ToT - Organizing and conducting trainings for key stakeholders of EAW, including ToT - Participation in conducting roundtable discussion and joint regional workshops 12

13 4. Institutional Framework The main beneficiary institution of the project is Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia with its internal organizational units: Criminal Police Directorate and the Border Police Directorate. The mentioned organizational units include police officers who will work on inserting alerts into the Schengen information system, police officers who will act upon hits regarding the alerts from Schengen information system, police officers who deal with national and international notices for wanted persons, police officers who deal with illegal migrations and foreigners, police officers who deal with stolen/lost documents, vehicles, weapons, banknotes, police officers who deal with missing persons and minors and police officers who deal with international police information exchange. The S.I.Re.N.E. bureau is situated within the International Police Cooperation Service under the Criminal Police Directorate of General Police Directorate in the Ministry of the Interior. In terms of personnel, the International Police Cooperation Service currently employs 42 employees and S.I.Re.N.E. bureau currently employs 10 SIRENE operators, with an aim to employ a total of 24 operators over the next two years. Other important beneficiary institution of this project is the Ministry of Justice. The Ministry of Justice is the central body that provides assistance to local authorities and the competent authorities of other Member States in establishing contacts and judicial co-operation in relation to EAW as described in the Law amending the Law on Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters with the Member States of the European Union (Official Gazette 81/13). This project will also include other relevant bodies from the judiciary included in all processes concerning EAW. County State Attorney's Offices are responsible for receiving EAW. Competent County Courts are responsible for making decision on execution on received EAW. The issuing judicial authority is the competent County State Attorney s Office prior to approving of the indictment, or the competent County Court after the indictment was approved and in the enforcing the custodial sentence procedure. Judicial Academy will have a supporting role in matters related to the organization of training events for judicial officials. Judicial Academy as public institution is in charge of organizing and conducting professional training for judges and prosecutors (judicial officials), as well as for initial educations of trainees in judicial bodies and candidates for judges and prosecutors. Due to the fact that part of this project is related to trainings of judicial officials, while organizing such trainings Judicial Academy will be informed and included. Ministry of the Interior will be responsible for coordination of this Twinning light project. The results of this Twinning light project will not lead to a change in the institutional framework. Two Steering Committee meetings will be held for the purpose of reviewing the progress made under the project as well as to discuss results achieved and/or problems occurred. The first Steering Committee meeting will be held during the third month of project activities implementation in order to discuss and comment the draft start-up report. The second Steering Committee meeting will be organised during the last month of the implementation period of the Action to discuss the draft final report. 13

14 It should be noted that the participation of the Member State Project Leader in Steering Committees meetings has to be combined with expert missions in case the Member State Project Leader is also a short-term expert in the twinning light project. If the Member State Project Leader is not short-term expert in the twinning light project then his visits to Croatia, (one visit every three months) as part of his overall task to ensure coordination and political steering of the project, should be organised at the same time as the two Steering Committee meetings of the project. The exact participants of the Steering Committee meetings will be defined during the implementation of the project, but will at least include the following members: BC Project Leader MS Project Leader CFCA Project Manager Programme Officer in the European Commission Croatia Transition Office MRDEUF Sector Manager The beneficiary is committed to provide all necessary infrastructure such as office space and desktop computers with internet connection for experts, venue for holding seminars and workshops, and to ensure the necessary local staff/experts inputs. 5. Budget Preparation for the Implementation and Usage of the Schengen Information System (SIS) / SIRENE and European Arrest Warrant (EAW) Twinning Light Contract IPA Community Contribution 90% ,00 EUR National Co-financing TOTAL 10% ,00 EUR ,00 EUR The total amounts of the IPA Community Contribution and National Co-financing stipulated in the above table represent the total maximum amounts and therefore, they may be reduced at the level of the Twinning light contract, while the relevant ratio (percentages) should be maintained as fixed. The co-financing requirement foreseen under IPA will be considered fulfilled according to the provision of the relevant Financing Agreement. Interpretation costs will be reimbursed from the budget only for the purpose of workshops and seminars, up to 7% of the Contract amount can be used for translation and interpretation purposes. Provisions for visibility costs and expenditure verification costs should be included in the budget. 6. Implementation Arrangements 6.1 Implementing Agency responsible for tendering, contracting and accounting: Central Finance and Contracting Agency (CFCA) Ulica grada Vukovara Zagreb, Croatia 14

15 Ms Nataša Mikuš Žigman, Director Phone: Fax: procurement@safu.hr Twinning Administrative Office Central Finance and Contracting Agency Ulica grada Vukovara Zagreb, Croatia Ms Nirvana Sokolovski Phone: Fax: twinning@safu.hr 6.2 Main counterpart in the BC: Senior Programme officer: Mr Nebojša Kirigin, Assistant Minister Ministry of the Interior Ilica Zagreb, Croatia Phone: Fax: kirigin@mup.hr Senior Programme Officer: Mr Damir Kaufman, Secretary General Ministry of Justice Ulica grada Vukovara Zagreb, Croatia Phone: Fax: damir.kaufman@pravosudje.hr BC Project Leader: Mr Marijo Rošić, Head of International Police Cooperation Service Ministry of the Interior Ilica Zagreb, Croatia Phone: Fax: mrosic@mup.hr 6.3 Contracts It is envisaged that the Project will be implemented through one Twinning Light Contract, with a maximum amount of ,00 EUR. 15

16 6.4 Reporting The Start-up Report will cover first two months of the contract and will be submitted during the third month. The Start-up report should: - Clearly define the aims and purpose of the aid provided by the project, - Give detailed description of the content of particular parts of the project, - Work out in detail the activities carried out and the results achieved, - Work out in detail all modifications agreed with the beneficiary institution, - Review difficulties met during the implementation of the project and measures that were undertaken for their removal, - Provide all findings obtained in the meanwhile and preliminary conclusions, and - Contain a general plan of activities for the implementation of the remained duration of the project. The Final Report shall be submitted within three months upon the completion of the project activities and in any case within the legal duration of the project, and it should contain the following: - Complete review of all activities carried out by MS experts during the implementation of the project, - Achieved progress concerning each activity, - Summary of all project results, with particular emphasis on mandatory results, - Estimation of the project impact compared with the project aims and measures of the achieved progress, - Identification of all important problems met during the implementation of the contract and solutions that have been applied, - Lessons drawn from the project, and - Recommendations for further steps in future projects. The reports must be endorsed and countersigned by the beneficiary, who may make additional comments. Reports shall be submitted to Ministry of the Interior, the Central Finance and Contracting Agency, the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds and the concerned service of the European Commission in a form of 4 hard copies and an electronic version. All reports should be written in English. 6.5 Language The working language is English. 7. Implementation Schedule (indicative) 7.1 Launching of the call for proposals: 1Q Start of project activities: 3Q Project completion: 1Q Duration of the execution period (number of months): 9 months; the execution period will end 3 months after the implementation period of the Action (work plan) which will take 6 months. 16

17 8. Sustainability This Twinning light project will have major impact on preparing the stakeholders of SIS/SIRENE system and EAW to operate successfully and to establish a fully operational S.I.Re.N.E. bureau, which is an obligation of the Republic of Croatia as an EU Member State. Long term training program and Manual for conducting future trainings of MoI employees will be used in future trainings, after the implementation of project. Developed training materials regarding EAW will also be used by Judicial Academy in its future trainings. Trained trainers on implementation and usage of SIS/SIRENE and EAW will further disseminate the obtained knowledge once the project is finished, thus ensuring sustainability of the project results. 9. Crosscutting issues Based on the fundamental principles of promoting equality and combating discrimination, participation in the project will be guaranteed on the basis of equal access regardless of sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation. 10. Conditionality and sequencing N/A ANNEXES TO PROJECT FICHE 1. Logical framework matrix in standard format 17

18 Annex 1. Logical framework matrix in standard format Preparation for the Implementation and Usage of the Schengen Information System (SIS) / SIRENE and European Arrest Warrant (EAW) Programme name and number: IPA 2011 Ministry of the Interior Contracting period expires: 3 years following the date of conclusion of the Financing Agreement Total budget: ,00 EUR Overall objective Objectively Verifiable Indicators Sources of Verification Republic of Croatia prepared to meet Schengen standards, in line with EU Acquis. SIS/SIRENE successfully established. MoI and MoJ fully adjusted with SIS/SIRENE. Republic of Croatia joined the Schengen area. Relevant EC reports MoI reports MoJ reports Disbursement period expires: 4 years following the end date for contracting IPA financing: ,00 EUR (90%) National co-financing: ,00 EUR (10%) 8 Project purpose Objectively Verifiable Indicators Sources of Verification Assumptions Capacities and competences of stakeholders relevant for implementation and usage of the Schengen Information System Supplementary Information Request at the National Entries (SIS / SIRENE) and European Arrest Warrant (EAW) enhanced. Long term training programme for MoI employees developed. Training Manual for future trainings of MoI employees prepared. Trainers on SIS/SIRENE and EAW trained. Stakeholders involved in implementation and usage of SIS/SIRENE and EAW trained. Twinning light project reports Twinning light project documentation List of participants on trainings Study visit reports MoI reports MoJ reports Efficient cooperation and coordination of all stakeholders. Organizational, technical and infrastructure capacities necessary for completion of the project. Successful continuation of the reform in the judiciary. Sustainability of the results achieved through linked projects. 8 The total amounts of the IPA Community Contribution and National Co-financing stipulated in the above table represent the total maximum amounts and therefore, they may be reduced at the level of the Twinning light contract, while the relevant ratio (percentages) should be maintained as fixed. The co-financing requirement foreseen under IPA will be considered fulfilled according to the provision of the relevant Financing Agreement. 18

19 Results Objectively Verifiable Indicators Sources of Verification Assumptions Component 1: Strengthening capacities of Ministry of the Interior in regard to the SIS/SIRENE system Result 1.1. Capacities and competences of MoI employees involved in implementation and usage of the SIS/SIRENE enhanced. Training needs analysis for MoI employees conducted and TNA report prepared. Training programs and materials for training of MoI employees and training of trainers prepared. Trainings for 150 MoI employees conducted. ToT for 5 SIRENE operators conducted. Study visit for 5 SIRENE operators in duration of 5 working days conducted. Twinning light project Startup report Twinning light Final report Documentation produced under the project List of participants on workshops and study visits Evaluation reports Study visit reports Efficient cooperation and coordination of the principal actors. Organizational, technical and infrastructure capacities necessary for completion of the project in place. Active participation of all involved in project implementation. Good cooperation among stakeholders. Result 1.2. Long term training program and Training Manual for future trainings of MoI employees regarding SIS/SIRENE developed. Long term training program on SIS/SIRENE developed. Training Manual developed. Component 2: Strengthening capacities of the key stakeholders within the judiciary in regard to the EAW Result 2.1. Capacities and competences of the key stakeholders within the judiciary involved in process of issuance and dealing with the EAW enhanced. Training needs analysis for key stakeholders within the judiciary conducted and TNA report prepared. Training programs and materials for key stakeholders within the judiciary and training of trainers prepared. Trainings for 60 key stakeholders of EAW conducted. ToT for 5 trainers on EAW conducted. Study visit for 5 representatives from judiciary in duration of 5 working days conducted. 19

20 Component 3: Strengthening capacities of the key stakeholders within the judiciary and Ministry of the Interior on regional level Result 3.1. Regional joint workshops for key stakeholders within the judiciary and MoI on SIS/SIRENE and EAW conducted with the purpose of exchanging practical experience between stakeholders, gaining insight by all stakeholders in all stages of the process and strengthening of their mutual cooperation. Round table for MoI and MoJ representatives conducted. Joint workshops for 48 participants (in total) from MoI and judiciary conducted. Activities Means Specification of costs Assumptions Activity Conducting training needs analysis (TNA) for MoI employees involved in implementation and usage of the SIS/SIRENE and preparing TNA report. The purpose of the TNA is to determine the level of understanding and knowledge of MoI employees in the mentioned area and to assess their training needs accordingly. Analysis, consultation Preparation of documentation Activity Preparing training program with detailed training plan and materials for training of MoI employees involved in implementation and usage of the SIS/SIRENE that will be implemented through activity as well as training of trainers (ToT) program with detailed training plan and materials for training of future trainers that will be implemented through activity Training materials will also contain basic information on EAW. Consultation Preparation of documentation ,00 EUR Efficient cooperation and co-ordination of the principal actors. Organizational, technical and infrastructure capacities necessary for completion of the project in place. Good cooperation among stakeholders. Activity Organizing and conducting trainings (workshop and seminars) for MoI employees involved in implementation and usage of the SIS/SIRENE. Trainings will be organized in 5 groups (as defined in footnote no. 4) for at least 150 participants in total. Training for each of the 5 groups will be conducted in duration of at least 2 working days. Evaluation of trainings will be conducted upon their implementation with the purpose to identify needs for further trainings and evaluation report will be prepared. Workshops/seminars 20

21 Activity Organizing and conducting training of trainers (ToT) in duration of 5 working days on working with SIS/SIRENE for at least 5 SIRENE operators who will upon implementation of respective trainings become capable to further disseminate the obtained knowledge. Activity Organizing and conducting one study visit for 5 SIRENE operators (future trainers) to the SIRENE bureau of the EU Member State in duration of 5 working days with an aim to gain practical knowledge of working with SIS and of other working processes in the SIRENE bureau, and preparing study visit report which will be sent to relevant stakeholders in order to disseminate the gained knowledge. ToT Study visit Activity Developing long term training program for trainings of MoI employees involved in implementation and usage of the SIS/SIRENE which will be used after the implementation of the project. Activity Developing Training Manual on topics related to implementation and usage of the SIS/SIRENE. Developed Training Manual will be used by trainers in future trainings of MoI employees involved in implementation and usage of the SIS/SIRENE. Consultation Preparation of documentation Discussions Preparation of documentation Activity Conducting training needs analysis (TNA) for key stakeholders of EAW within the judiciary and preparing TNA report. The purpose of the TNA is to determine the level of understanding and knowledge of future EAW end users and to assess their training needs accordingly. Activity Preparing training programme with detailed training plan and materials for training of key stakeholders of EAW that will be implemented through Analysis, consultation Preparation of documentation Consultation Preparation of documentation 21

22 activity as well as training of trainers (ToT) program with detailed training plan and materials for training of future trainers that will be implemented through activity Training materials will also contain basic information on SIS/SIRENE. Activity Organising and conducting trainings (workshops and seminars) for key stakeholders of EAW. Trainings will be organised in 3 groups (as defined in footnote no. 5) for at least 60 participants in total. Training for each of the 3 groups will be conducted in duration of at least 2 days. Evaluation of trainings will be conducted upon their implementation with the purpose to identify needs for further trainings and evaluation report will be prepared. Activity Organising and conducting training of trainers (ToT) in duration of 3 working days on working with European Arrest Warrant (EAW) for at least 5 trainers (MoJ employees, prosecutors and judges) who will upon implementation of respective trainings become capable to further disseminate the obtained knowledge. Activity Organizing and conducting one study visit for 5 representatives from judiciary (future trainers) to EU Member State in duration of 5 working days with the purpose to gain practical knowledge regarding EAW (equipment, work-flow, working procedures etc.), and preparing study visit report which will be sent to relevant stakeholders in order to disseminate the gained knowledge. Workshops/seminars ToT Study visit Activity Organising and conducting roundtable discussion for at least 6 participants (in total) from MoI and MoJ, with the purpose to specifically determine the topics and case studies for workshops that will be implemented through activity Round table 22