INTEGRATED COMPANY REPORT 2014 - GIZ. Solutions that work.

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// Albania
EU accession | The Albanian Government is serious about
change. Modernisation of the agricultural sector and public
authorities is moving forward at full speed. As an official
candidate for EU accession, the country must continue
developing its public administration and governance systems
so that they converge with European norms. At the same
time, entire industries need to be aligned with European
standards. Funded by the EU and the Albanian Govern-
ment, GIZ has been advising the Albanian Ministry of
Agriculture on its reforms since 2012. These activities are
part of the Economic Development and Employment Pro-
motion Programme that GIZ is implementing on behalf of
the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation
and Development (BMZ). In ‘trial run’, public officials are
already applying the European rules and procedures in real-
life situations and awarding funding to enterprises in the
food sector according to EU criteria. The beneficiaries of
these subsidies are producers and food processing enterprises
such as dairies, canning factories and abattoirs. They are
allowed to receive investment subsidies of up to
65 per cent – for instance for low-consumption irrigation
systems, new machinery or animal welfare. Funding
applications for almost EUR 5.5 million have already been
approved. Albanian agencies are thus demonstrating that
they can independently manage EU funding – which is one
of the prerequisites for EU accreditation. So the country is
killing two birds with one stone: introducing EU standards
in its public authorities while modernising a key sector of
its economy – agriculture. //
A country on the move
Contact:
Election observation | For young democracies, holding fair
and free elections can be a major challenge. One cornerstone
of their success are election observers. In order to recognise
irregularities, observers must have the required know-how.
Together with a consortium, GIZ is supporting the European
Commission in improving training for European election
observers. GIZ is organising round tables on topics such as
non-transparent party funding, election campaigning and
media reporting. E-learning activities and a manual have also
been developed to provide important information for election
observers, for instance on legal frameworks, as well as practi-
cal checklists. And we are training future election observers
on how to monitor important factors such as voter registration
and security. This is designed to ensure that all observers
apply the same standards when monitoring and evaluating
the entire election process – from preparation through to
vote counting and recording results. GIZ is also holding
workshops to support regional organisations such as the
African Union and the Arab League in using regional net-
works to share lessons learned, exchange information on
election observation methods and establish international
cooperation. //
// Worldwide
Look out – more democracy on the way
Contact: //
Migration | Employers in Germany are wringing their
hands to find them, yet in their home countries they are
often unemployed. We are talking here about highly qualified
young people. On behalf of German employers, the Federal
Employment Agency’s International Placement Services
(ZAV) and GIZ are recruiting international nursing staff.
This ‘Triple Win’ pilot project benefits not only the nurses
themselves but also German hospitals, care homes and nurs-
ing services. GIZ supports the nurses among other things by
providing German language courses in their home countries
and an orientation course called ‘Living in Germany’. It also
coordinates their outward journeys and helps them obtain
recognition of their foreign qualifications. So far this has led
to some 280 nurses from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
and the Philippines beginning work in Germany.
Furthermore, on behalf of the German Federal Ministry
for Economic Affairs and Energy, a group of 100 Vietnamese
men and women have been training as geriatric nurses in
Germany since late 2013, having previously completed a
state-funded German course in Hanoi. The successful pilot
project was extended in August 2014, when a second group
of 120 people began a twelve-month German course in prep-
aration for their vocational training. This project is supported
by the Vietnamese Government, which also expects the trans-
fer of expertise to deliver long-term benefits for Viet Nam.
These kinds of benefits for the country of origin are
also being promoted by the Centre for International Migra-
tion and Development (CIM). As part of the mobility part-
nership between the European Union (EU) and Georgia,
CIM is pursuing a circular migration approach. In a pilot
measure commissioned by the EU and the German Federal
Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development
(BMZ), 28 experts from the nursing sector and the hotel
and catering industry were brought to Germany for further
training. With their expertise they will go on to contribute
toward Georgia’s development.
On behalf of the Federal Foreign Office, job-seeking engi-
neers from Tunisia are being given career prospects as part
of the German-Tunisian Mobility Pact. In 2015, up to 150
young professionals will first of all receive language and
intercultural training before starting internships in Germany.
This is intended to smooth the path into their professional
careers. The opportunity for the two sides to ‘check each
other out’ is certainly helpful in this respect, as the figures
from the previous project show. Following their internships,
over 75 of the 100 experts received a permanent contract of
employment. //
// Europe, North Africa, Asia
Everyone’s a winner
Contact: | // |
Funding
applications
for around EUR
5.5
million already
approved
GIZ Integrated Company Report 2014 46 47 Managing migration