In Lithuania, Georgian delegation gained practical knowledge in the field of European integration
Currently, the National Payment Agency (NPA) is completing the implementation of the second part of the Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid Programme project "Agriculture and rural development in Moldova and Georgia – strengthening administrative and institutional capacities in the field of European integration“, which is taking place in Georgia. The project partners in Georgia are the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture (MEPA) and the Rural Development Agency (RDA), which performs the functions of a paying agency. The project comprises six NPA expert missions in Tbilisi (Georgia) and a study visit of the Georgian delegation in Lithuania. The aim of the NPA expert missions – exchanging knowledge and sharing experience on topics relevant to Georgia in accordance with EU requirements, focusing mainly on strengthening the administrative capacity of institutions operating in the agricultural and rural development sector. The study visit in Lithuania of the Georgian delegation, comprising 10 representatives from MEPA and RDA, took place on 21-25 October.
Georgian institutions by participating in this project aim to benefit from Lithuania's experience and achievements in the field of agriculture and rural development by improving their respective administrative capacities.
During the visit of the Georgian delegation at the National Paying Agency (NPA), the Director of the Agency noted that NPA experts are ready to provide all the necessary knowledge, to convey accumulated experience and familiarise with the lessons learned in order to help Georgia in aligning the country‘s legislation with EU law and implement EU recommendations in the field of agriculture and rural development.
In the beginning of the week, the guests visited NPA, where they familiarised themselves with the structure of the institution, its functions, the management of support measures under the Lithuanian Rural Development Programme for 2014-2020 and the Lithuanian Strategic Plan for Agriculture and Rural Development 2023-2027. The Georgians learned about the information systems, registers and automation processes used in the NPA, participated in the on-the-spot check. The guests were introduced to the innovative Automated Continuous Field Monitoring System (ALNSIS), designed for regular and systematic remote monitoring of agricultural activities throughout the territory of Lithuania using satellite data and thus avoiding physical visits to farms. The Georgian delegation was also familiarised with the modern technologies used in inspections, such as drones, the NMA Agro mobile application, tablets, etc.
During the week, the guests from Georgia also visited the Lithuanian Ministry of Agriculture, Land Management Service, Agricultural Data Centre, Advisory Service, Ekoagros, Agricultural Data Centre, State Plant Service.
At the end of the visit, the NPA and the Georgian delegation agreed to continue bilateral cooperation by participating in the fothcoming international projects.
