The Technical Assistance Information Exchange Office (TAIEX) was created within the Directorate General Enlargement. TAIEX Office is funded under the multilateral programmes PHARE and CARDS on the ‘first come, first served’ basis. It provides short-term technical assistance to Candidate Countries and the Western Balkan countries on specific subjects connected with the adoption of the acquis. It also provides assistance in building the necessary administrative infrastructure.

Serbiastarted using TAIEX services in May 2004, when Paolo Gozzi from TAIEX Office held a two-day seminar in Belgradeon how to use the TAIEX assistance.

TAIEX offers the following services:

· expert missions in the user state;

· informative visits of experts from user states (seminars);

· work-shops to help solve key issues about the acquis;

· training for administration and inspectors;

· monitoring and progress analysis;

· use of data base;

TAIEX does not offer services to citizens or individual companies.

The representatives of our administration have been on over 40 seminars organised by this programme. The seminars were about customs, VAT, public procurement, energy, environmental protection, agrarian policy in the EU, rural development, veterinary control, phyto-sanitary control, internal market, fight against organised crime and transport.

You can find out more about TAIEX Office on Technical Assistance and Information Exchange unit or from our publications.