Information on the projects and trainings of specialists undertaken by SFVS

Projects: completed and ongoing

Prior to the accession to the European Union (EU) and during the first years of membership the State Food and Veterinary Service (SFVS) was a major recipient of the EU support in implementation of the EU projects. The projects facilitated strengthening the EU requirement-based administrative capacities of the SFVS. During the period the SFVS has implemented 11 PHARE and 8 Transitional facility assistance projects on animal health and welfare, border veterinary control, control of veterinary medicines, feed control, preparation of contingency plans and management of crises.
Today, the SFVS has been sharing the acquired experiences with other countries which are trying to meet the EU food safety and veterinary requirements.
Each year, the SFVS welcomes 8 to 12 delegations from third countries: Georgia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, Russia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Kosovo, Saudi Arabia, etc. The veterinary specialists from third countries arrive at the SFVS, the National Food and Veterinary Risk Assessment Institute (NFVRI) and the territorial SFVS with an aim to get a better idea about an effectively functioning food safety and veterinary control system.
The SFVS has implemented three Twinning projects in other countries. In cooperation with the German competent authority the SFVS as a junior partner implemented Twinning project No TR/2004/IB/AG/02 “Restructuring of food safety and control in Turkey” and Twinning project No KS 07/IB/AG/07 “Meeting EU Standards on Food Safety and Veterinary Service in Kosovo”. In Romania the SFVS carried out, all by itself, Twinning project No. RO/2007-IB/AG/02 “Strengthening the institutional capacity of National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority - The veterinary services capable to monitor, eradicate and control animal diseases”.
In pursuing the priorities of the foreign policy of Lithuania and the policy guidelines of development cooperation the SFVS has been implementing the development cooperation and democracy promotion projects in Moldova, Ukraine, and the Ghor Province of Afghanistan.
In 2011 the project “Strengthening institutional capacities of the Republic of Moldova in control of rabies” was completed. Under the project, the experts of the SFVS arranged trainings on monitoring, eradication and control of rabies to the specialists of the competent authorities of Moldova and instructed the laboratory staffs on diagnostic methods of rabies.
Jointly with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Institute of Agriculture under the Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry the SFVS has been implementing the development cooperation and democracy promotion project “Support to the population of the Ghor province in developing the capacity on increase of agricultural production” in the Ghor Province of Afghanistan. The goal of the project is to assist in developing the competence of the local residents in plant and livestock production thus facilitating the agricultural development of the Ghor Province.
The SFVS is also taking part in the Project “Technical Assistance to control and eradication of classical swine fever and rabies in the Republic of Serbia”.
The SFVS in consortium with the Hungarian partners has been selected to implement the Twinning project No. SR 11 IB AG 01 “Strengthening the capacities in food safety and animal welfare" in Serbia.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      The SFVS with the United Kingdom partners are planning to start implementation of the Twinning project "Support to Moldova in the field of norms and standards in food safety for plant origin products" in late 2011.
In the near future the SFVS and the German partners are planning to start implementation of another Twinning project KS 10 IB AG 02 “Further assistance to the Kosovo Food and Veterinary Agency”.
 

Trainings

Since 2006, the European Commission has been conducting different trainings on food safety and veterinary matters for the specialists of the competent authorities of the EU Member States under the programme of the EC Health and Consumer Directorate-General (DG SANCO) “Better training for safer food”. The trainings are held in different Member States of the EU. In 2006-2010, 144 specialists of the SFVS took part in the trainings.

The specialists of the SFVS have taken part in the trainings held under Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council:
In 2010, 1526 specialists from the SFVS and the NFVRAI (1408 in Lithuania, 118 abroad).
In 2009, 1188 specialists from the SFVS and the NFVRAI (1081 in Lithuania, 107 abroad).
The training courses held under Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 in 2007-2010 could be classified by sector:
 

On 10 February 2010 the State Food and Veterinary Service signed a funding and administration agreement with the European Social Fund Agency and the Ministry of Interior under facility VP1-4.1-VRM-03-V “Public service employees’ education and in-service training” of the 4th priority “Fostering administrative competences and increasing efficiency of public administration” to the Operational Programme for the Development of Human Resources for 2007–2013 and started the implementation of the project “Improvement the performance and administrative capacities of the public servants and contractual employees of the State Food and Veterinary Service and the subordinate institutions”.

The project is addressed to improve the qualification, administrative capacities and personal skills of the public servants and contractual employees of the SFVS and subordinate institutions in order to more efficiently perform the functions and tasks delegated to the SFVS.

The budget of the project amounts to LTL 3.000.000, 85 % of which is funded from the European Social Fund. The implementation period stretches from February 2010 to February 2012.
It is foreseen to train 865 public servants and contractual employees from the SFVS and subordinate institutions. Before November 2011 the number of trainees rose above the number planned, and currently 927 specialists are still taking or have just completed training courses.

The project covers training on 12 subjects:
Completed:
    - Trainings on the development and successful implementation of the strategic plans of the institution, covering the EU public policy;
    - Training on Microsoft Windows Server, covering the administration of the system, implementation and maintenance of the network infrastructure and the network services;
    - Practical training on communication with mass media and an efficient presentation of information to the public;
    - Trainings on planning and conducting audits;
    - Trainings on assurance of control over food safety and contagious diseases;
  - Training of accountants on accounting management.

Ongoing:
    - Two-stage training courses of the English language in different skill level groups of trainees;
    - Courses in computer literacy;
    - Trainings on management of conflict situations and preserving emotional stability;
    - Training on formation and support of quality improvement processes in the services provided, in order to meet the needs and expectations of all social partners;
- Practical training on efficient running of information and social campaigns in promoting the activities of the institution;
    - Trainings “Importance of identification and management of critical situations and application of effective communication models for management of crises”.