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PROJECTS

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The implementation of the Office’s projects is going on intensive and successful.

The last year 2006 was active and dynamic for the Projects division of the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs, because the work has been initiated for the implementation of several projects. The purchases have been completed and all necessary agreements have been concluded within the framework of the projects financed under the Schengen Facility. At the same time the Office continued its participation in the project “Step By Step” within the framework of the European Community initiative “EQUAL”, as well as the work went on at the preparation of the projects, selection of the associates and at the cooperation strengthening within the framework of European Union Trancition Facility for the strengthening the administrative capacity. As the Office is the leading institution of the European Refugee Fund in Latvia, the work continued also at the improvement of the management and control system of this fund and announcing the new tender for the projects.

One of the most appreciable projects under the Schengen Facility is “Language training for the Officers of the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs”. Within the framework of this project the training of English and French are being carried out for the Office’s officers. In consequence of this training the officers will be able to put into practice their acquired language proficiency for improvement the control of migration processes by cooperating with the migration services of the European Union and other states, coordinating and harmonizing the legislation in accordance with the EU requirements and providing effective, qualitative and timely consultation procedure with other Member States of the Schengen Agreement. Within the framework of this project many of the Office’s officers have the opportunity to master the English during language training courses and during the special organized language training trips to United Kingdom. As well the language training was given in five territorial divisions, and of two of them – in Ventspils and Daugavpils – four officers have accomplished the training successfully. During 2006 in total - 27 training trips have been organized and 5026 lessons of English and 84 lessons of French have been mastered, but the largest number of the training is envisaged in this year till September 30, when the project will be completed.

In this year also the activities envisaged within the framework of the project “The Development of the Latvia’s National Visa Information System” will be completed. It is intended to establish Latvia’s National Visa Information System providing the performance of the basic functions required for the visas issuance process, processing the biometrical data of visa applicant, state internal and external cross-border consultations in the procedure of the visas issuance, data exchange between the European Union Central Visas Information System, as well as other information systems: Schengen Information System, Integrated Migration Information System and other.
In this year also the project “The Construction and Equipment of the Server Room of the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs” will be concluded. Within the framework of the implementation of this project the Office’s server room will be constructed and equipped in order to increase the security of the Office’s information systems and to ensure secure and uninterrupted operation of the National Visa Information System and Integrated Migration Information System.
Currently the work is being continued at the coordination of the agreement for the implementation of Trancition Facility project “Increasing Security for the Circulation, Processing and Storage of the Immigration Files” in cooperation with the International and European Economic Rights Center of Greece. The aim of this project is to provide the preconditions for the digitalization of the immigration files and for the effective person’s identification data protection in the processes of circulation, processing and storage of the immigration files.

Similarly like with the above-mentioned project the work is being continued also at the Trancition Facility project “The Strengthening the Administrative Capacity in the Field of Visas, Migration and Establishment of the SIS”. At present the harmonization process of the agreement is being carried out with the project’s associates – Immigration and Naturalization Service of the Netherlands. The objective of this project is a training of institutions’ staff involved in the issuance procedures of the national visas and residence permits, as well as unified format visas valid within the whole Schengen area by ensuring the appropriate qualification level of the Information System’s staff in conformity with the requirements necessary for the establishment of the Schengen Information System. Both projects will be completed in February 2008.

During this year the Office will control three of projects under the European Refugee Fund programme 2006. The implementation of those projects is envisaged from January 1, 2007 till December 31, 2007. The projects were submitted according to the projects tender announced by the European Refugee Fund in last year and had received the approval. Within the framework of the programme 2006 the project “BETA” will be implemented. Under the activities of this project the staff, dealing with the asylum issues, will be involved in the training, as well as the seminars about the rendering psychological assistance and on the cultural differences will be organized. During this year also the State Border Guard’s project “The Identification of the Asylum Seekers and the Interview Practice and Methods” will be implemented. This project envisages the training trips of the officers, involved in the dealing of asylum issues, to the European Union Member States and the seminars about the identification of the asylum seekers and interviews practice. In this year the work will be initiated at the Holding Company’s “Datorzinību centrs” project “Enlargement of the Electronic Training System for the Integration Support of the Asylum Seekers and Refugees and Training Course Extension”, which actually is a supplement for the existing training system.

The year 2006 was the first year, when the Office applied its participation for the projects under the 2005 ERF Community Actions for the first time. Of all applied projects in the European Commission the approval achieved the projects – “Society and Refugees: Contribution of Social Integration”, which Italia’s International Organization for Migration will implement, but the Office will function as one of the co-partners of the project, as well as the project “The Information System III of the Origin States – Training and Experience Exchange”, where the leading associate is Austria’s Red Cross. In year 2006 the Office applied as associate also for four projects under the ARGO programme. These projects are submitted for the approval in the European Commission and at this moment it is not yet clear whether these projects will be approved or not.

The body of the Projects Division acknowledges that so intensive operation in the available financial programmes could not be conceivable without the support of other Office’s structural units. The Projects Divisions expresses many thanks to Mr. Jānis Citkovskis, the Deputy Head, and to Mr.Oskars Vaikulis, the Councilor of the Head, as well as to the Finance and Accountancy Division and to the Purchase and Contracts Division and to all other Office’s employees involved in the implementation and performance of the projects for support, ideas and initiative. The collective of the Projects Division anticipates, that the year 2007 will be more successful then previous, because the accumulated experience, although not very big, still will contribute the work at the adoption of financial resources and the implementation of the projects will move successful, which will pleasure