The European Union, the Customs Department and the State Board Guard Service of Lithuania, the Palestinian Ministry of Finance and the General Administration of Borders and Crossings celebrated today the end of the Twinning project in Palestine. The project aimed to strengthen the Palestinian Authority’s fiscal position through enhancing customs revenue collection and border management.

Throughout the project, partners from Lithuania and the Palestinian Authority worked together and established modern tools and working methodologies in line with international standards and EU practices to improve Custom duties collected on imported goods and simplify control processes at the borders and crossings. 

These achievements came amid the challenging circumstances of COVID-19 pandemic, yet they are instrumental for protecting and improving customs revenue that represent an important source of income for Palestine.

The Deputy European Representative Maria Velasco said during the ceremony: “Today’s project is an example of a successful partnership between the EU, an EU Member State, Lithuania, and the Palestinian Authority to support Palestinians in their quest for statehood. This project was a result of good cooperation and peer-to-peer support among European and Palestinian public administrations. For Palestine, Twinning is a key component to supporting state-building activities, while it is equally important for the EU and Member States to maintain the viability of the two-State solution. The results achieved so far are crucial for Palestinians to improve customs revenue, which is essential for meeting the fiscal obligations of the Palestinian government and achieving growth and development in Palestine”. 

Twinning is a European Union instrument for public sector cooperation between EU Member States and of EU’s partner countries. Twinning projects bring together public sector expertise from both countries with the aim of achieving concrete operational results through peer to peer activities, such as staff training or administrative reforms. Twinning has been available for EU Southern Neighbourhood since 2004.

For more information

Press release

EU, Lithuania and Palestine Twinning project (video)