EL BLOG DE LA FIIAPP. Cooperación Española

The day Silvia Tomic decided to start her own business, she realized that she was going to have to undertake a long and costly administrative process, which, in addition, she did not fully understand. This entrepreneur, a journalist by training, saw in the Accounting and Tax Support Centre (NAF) at the University of Costa Rica a chance to get answers to her questions. “It struck me as very interesting that the university was offering this service to small businesses and individuals who are doing some kind of work but often do not know how to run a business”, she explains. After getting to know the service first-hand, Silvia has used it to manage her small real-estate business.

Lack of knowledge, distrust and fraudulent behaviours. According to the 2011 Latinobarómetro report, Costa Rican citizens have the impression that only half of the population is duly paying its taxes. This is because there is little civic awareness about paying taxes which, in turn, translates into a high rate of tax fraud and social acceptance of tax evasion. In this context, the idea of developing a project for tax education to promote active, socially committed citizenship that participates and is aware of the importance of the social aim of taxes and the benefits they bring to collective welfare was born. This project is being carried out by EUROsociAL.

“My main motivation is to be able to learn as a professional for my future and to help people who do not have a good idea of what is being done with our taxes”, explains Ignacio Santillán, a fourth-year student of Business Administration at the University of Costa Rica and NAF volunteer at this centre. The Accounting and Tax Support Centres have been operating since November 2013 and are one of the tools of this project which provide, free of charge, tax advice to low-income taxpayers and family businesses, the majority of which operate locally. Students like Ignacio, who provide their service as “community work”, are the engine of the NAFs.

Other tools

In addition to the NAFs, this project has developed other tools to create awareness among children and youth about paying taxes and complying with tax obligations. For the youngest audiences, there is a space with tax education games, called “I pay tribute to my country”and, also since November 2013, the videogames “Public and private assets Memotest” and “We’re a team”, which make State tax resources fun. Older children have teachers trained in this subject thanks to the guide for secondary-school teachers.

Last year, Costa Rica declared Tax Education a policy of national public interest and included it in school curricula. In 2014, with the support of EUROsociAL, there are plans to expand the NAFs to other universities in the country and to strengthen educational systems at the primary, secondary and university level. This is clearly a project suitable for all audiences that makes taxes child’s play.

The International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP) is currently managing three international cooperation projects in the Ukraine, with a further two about to commence. Another project concluded in 2013.

All these projects are part of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), which aims to bring Ukrainian and European law into closer alignment.

To achieve this, Ukrainian civil servants are being trained in different areas of railway safety, satellite navigation, intellectual property, vocational training andemployment for people with disabilities and management of waste electrical and electronic equipment.

The European Union is funding the projects which are being carried out by Spanish government officials with their professionalism and capacity for work. One of these is José Ortuño, an expert from the Ministry of Public Works responsible for developing European space programmes in the satellite navigation area with the National Space Agency of Ukraine (NKAU).

José Ortuño says that “the situation in Kiev has deteriorated in the last few hours and the National Space Agency of Ukraine is sending workers home”.

To see the videos that José Ortuño has filmed from his house in Kiev, click here:

Video 1
Video 2

The news media are reporting that there have been dozens of deaths since the truce was broken yesterday in Kiev.

We have been working hand in hand since 2004. Turkey brings its excitement about change and efforts to improve its public administration and policies. FIIAPP, its project management baggage, with Spanish experts working from Spain and in Turkey. Objective: to provide a better quality of life to the inhabitants of Turkey through the strengthening of these public policies, and to facilitate its integration into the European Union (EU).

Democracy, Human Rights, Security, Environment, Telecommunications and Transport are some of the sectors in which Turkey and FIIAPP have twinned. A similar model to that followed with Croatia. The Foundation promoted that country’s integration into the EU, which took place on 1 July 2013, with 21 cooperation projects.

In the case of Turkey, FIIAPP has managed, with a budget of over 27 million euros from bilateral cooperation and the European Commission, 31 cooperation projects to date, seven of which are currently underway. One of these is the “Ship Contaminating Emissions Control” project, kicked off in May of 2012, which has already resulted in Turkey joining the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL). This not only means that the country has adopted the same legislation for transport policies as the EU but also that it also now has a legal basis to enable it to inspect vessels with foreign flags that enter Turkish ports.

FIIAPP expert, Cibrán Fernández, posted to Turkey to follow this project, which is scheduled to end in May of 2014, detailed its goals, challenges and benefits to Turkish society in #Historiasdecooperación.

More laws, fewer deaths

Each year, cargo ships generate around one billion tons of polluting emissions, according to the EU. Of this total,4% corresponds to emissions from the European Union and 3% to the greenhouse gas emissions responsible for climate change all over the world.

In light of this, Fernández emphasizes that these emissions have a“considerable adverse effect” on the population. They can even cause cardio-respiratory diseases and cancer. “This, in the long run, will reduce the number of deaths of Turkish citizens caused by this type of emissions”, pointed out the FIIAPP expert in reference to the project.

According to a studyby the University of Delaware, 19,000 people may have developed lung cancer and another 60,000 may have died from other diseases due to polluting emissions from ships passing through Turkey.

The activities planned for this twinning project to enable Turkey to achieve a high level of control over polluting emissions are the following: developing a model for dispersing emissions, preparing an action plan to eliminate polluting emissions by ships, harmonizing Turkey legislation with that of the European Community and international conventions, and training ship inspectors.

In addition to adapting to the EU and MARPOL framework, Turkey also has theInternational Maritime Organization (IMO) as a reference. Seventy percent of shipping emissions occur at a distance of 400 km from the Turkish coastline. Every effort is necessary to mitigate the human and environmental cost this problem represents.

The European Union’s concern about mitigating CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear) risks has triggered the creation of Centres of Excellence (CoE) in the African Atlantic Façade, Central Asia, Central and Eastern Africa, the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Middle East, North Africa, South East Asia and South Eastern Europe, Southern Caucasus, Moldova and Ukraine.

By the term CBRN, we refer to both possible military uses and material used for civil chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear purposes, including all toxic chemical substances and precursors of toxic chemical substances, biological agents and toxins, in addition to plant and animal pathogens, and radiological and nuclear materials, which could be used for hostile purposes or cause serious damage in the event of an accident or improper handling.

Accident prevention and the control and inventorying of these types of substances are also covered in the action proposals of the EU and currently have special relevance in the entire Mediterranean basin and the Middle East.

Concern in this field has been on the rise due to the apparent interest of criminal, terrorist and similar organizations in the use of these materials as weapons.

FIIAPP plays one of the most prominent and active roles in the implementation of projects related to this field within the framework of the European Union, as demonstrated by the implicit recognition the Commission has given us by awarding us the leadership, or a participatory role as partners, of seven projects financed by the Instrument for Stability.

Today, the development of actions and activities for the implementation of these projects allows us to be present in Asia, Africa and Europe. Furthermore, at the end of February of this year, another two new projects will be launched: “Strengthening CBRN response capacities and response to related chemical and medical emergencies through strengthening preparedness for CBRN incidents”, to be carried out in Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq, and “Development and consolidation of the Mediterranean Programme for Intervention Epidemiology Training (MediPIET)”.

Notably, the kick-off meeting of the “Management of hazardous chemical and biological wastes in the African Atlantic Façade region” project, to be held in Rabat in April, will be attended by the ambassadors of the beneficiary countries and member states of the European Union, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Interior of Morocco, as well as national experts and representatives of international organizations.

And on the subject of the “Building capacity to identify and respond to threats from chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear substances” project being led by FIIAPPP, it should be noted that assessment visits to all the beneficiary countries (Albania, Cambodia, Iraq, Moldova, Senegal and Tunisia) have already taken place, and training courses are currently being designed for all the stakeholders with materials translated into the national languages of said countries.

In this way, FIIAPP is reaffirming and consolidating its commitment to collaboration with the EU in the implementation of CBRN actions.

Miguel de Domingo
Director of the Security and Justice Area of FIIAPP

The presence of EUROsociAL in Guatemala coincides with an interesting investigation regarding Spanish cooperation in development. Guatemala was precisely one of the countries covered in the study.

Starting with the idea that a budget cut is not the best news for cooperation and, moreover, that significant changes are not promoted solely through cooperation, it’s important to remember that the new model demanded by countries, especially in terms of European-Latin America relations, values quality over quantity. “We don’t talk about donor and recipient countries anymore but rather of cooperating to develop global public assets for common benefit” (Without cooperation, a country adrift.By Rafael Vilasanjuan, on the ISGlobal blog). We picked up this feeling from the recent activity of EUROsociAL in Guatemala, where the workshop on European and Latin American economic and social councils followed this cooperation format.

The President of Guatemala himself, Otto Pérez-Molina, who opened this consensus-building workshop, alluded to sharing objectives: “we have had the opportunity to share our views with the European Union, because the concern is to see what priorities exist in the country and how the cooperation of the EU or the EUROsociAL Programme can support and strengthen what we are working on”; Spanish Ambassador, Manuel Lejarreta, spoke of “alignment with the policies of the Government”; and the European Union Ambassador to Guatemala, Stella Zervoudaki,along these lines, referred to the “exchange between institutions that share the same reality in Europe and Latin America”.

Guatemala is a country of contrasts, and a country of conflict, admitted its President, who, in turn, opened the door to dialogue for social construction in which all sectors of the country participate. They have signed the Firm and Lasting Peace agreement and now it is time to make social peace through dialogue. EUROsociAL is contributing to that peace based on the three key ideas noted above by these three important players. With the support of the European Commission, in alignment with the policies of the Government and from an exchange of experiences, FIIAPP and the Spanish Economic and Social Council are accompanying the CES of Guatemala as they cement a social dialogue that will lay the groundwork for the governability of the country. A horizontal, triangular cooperation that also has a high South-South component.

Enrique Martínez. Comunication Responsable of EUROsociAL

The Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), which I have the honour of chairing from the State Secretariat of International and Latin American Cooperation, celebrates the 25^th anniversary of its activities in combating poverty and promoting sustainable human development. In these 25 years we have channelled Spanish people’s solidarity, an indisputable distinguishing trait of our country.

Cooperation with Latin America is in our DNA. Apart from the historical legacy bequeathed by the Institute of Hispanic Culture (a seed of the Agency in 1946) and the Latin American Centre for Cooperation in 1977, our first projects as donors and as the Cooperation Agency were rolled out in the 1980s in Latin America. Today, 25 years later, Spanish cooperation continues to be committed to development in Latin America.

Over these 25 years, Spanish cooperation has been building a common heritage with Latin America through the AECID, implementing global activities in the fight against poverty. The strategic presence of our Technical Cooperation Offices, Cultural Centres and Training Centres has led to innumerable achievements in improving the living conditions, governability and progress of Latin American citizens.

Over these 25 years, the AECID’s projects have benefitted millions of people.

In this time, we have not only influenced the regulatory and institutional frameworks of the State and civil society, but also their values, the depth and quality of democracy, the guarantee and protection of rights, and the legitimisation of public policies in terms of social inclusion.

For years now, we have been witnessing the impact of Spanish cooperation projects on people’s lives – public pharmacy networks in Central America have facilitated access to essential medicines for the most vulnerable populations; 3.5 million people now have access to drinking water thanks to the Water Fund, which has already seen 67 programmes implemented in 19 countries, bridging the gap in the region’s drinking water access; the closing of La Chureca, the largest landfill in Latin America, which has improved living conditions for thousands of people and transformed the environmental situation in Managua; 17,000 young people have been trained in workshop schools, etc. In short, we have observed progress in achieving the Development Objectives, and nearly all the countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) have entered the category of middle-income countries.

But we know the huge challenges facing these countries in reinforcing safety and reducing inequality – in a region where poverty affects almost 30% of the population – and we will continue to support their efforts, as they are now concluding or about to conclude the development processes in which we have accompanied them. Spain is no longer merely a financial backer; the idea is to share experiences and methodologies.

Recent economic dynamism has favoured renewed impetus for integration and new cooperation formats and mechanisms. Latin America is a true laboratory of experiences and ideas that serve as a model for other regions. The growing momentum and relative stability have changed the structure of cooperation, and Spanish cooperation has been a part of this evolution. The need for cooperation from our partners in Latin America has definitively changed, as Spanish cooperation has changed. The country is no longer merely a financial backer and strives to enrich the project by sharing methodologies and experiences.

Today,  with its excellent, developed technical capacity, Spanish cooperation implements cooperation programmes in Latin America that have been delegated by the European Union, as evidence of the AECID’s know-how.

Many countries have become partners participating in the development of third parties though triangular cooperation, a cooperation model that integrates the solidarity of the South with the South, promoting a relationship of equality among partners, in which each partner contributes in accordance with their economic and technical capabilities. An example is the alliance established between Argentina and Mexico for various reconstruction and development activities in Haiti after the earthquake that devastated the country early in 2010.

Latin America’s ties with our country are clearly evident, in both historical and sentimental terms, and are currently reinforced with cooperation that is focused on effectiveness, quality and the transfer of knowledge in order to narrow the inequality gap and reinforce security.

Jesús Gracia is Secretary of State for International Cooperation and for Latin America.

Article published in the newspaper “El País” on 11 November 2013.