First Coordination Workshop of IPA 2022 held in Athens

The First Coordination Workshop, held in Athens on 20–21 January 2025, gathered representatives of Eurostat, ICON and representatives of international cooperation departments from the National Statistical Institutes (NSIs) of seven partner countries to support a smooth and successful implementation of the IPA 2022 service contract. The workshop served as a crucial platform for addressing key implementation challenges, fostering dialogue, and ensuring alignment on reporting requirements, objectives, and timelines among countries preparing for EU membership.

In February 2025, the opening workshop for three statistical projects – Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), Transport Statistics, and Quality Management – took place in Lisboa. The FDI and Transport Statistics workshops were held in Luxembourg, bringing together experts and partner countries to discuss project objectives, Eurostat expectations, and compliance with EU regulations. Discussions covered improving data sources, methodology, and study visits for FDI, as well as the urgent need for implementing full-scale Road Freight Transport Surveys in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo. Meanwhile, the Quality Management workshop, held in Lisbon, focused on strengthening national statistical institutes’ quality frameworks, identifying priority areas for improvement, and supporting countries in implementing these improvements. These workshops contributed to enhancing statistical capacities and supported partner countries in aligning with EU standards.

On 3 February 2025, 20 enthusiastic trainees from six partner countries embarked on an exciting journey as part of the first round of IPA 2022 traineeships! Seven are gaining hands-on experience at Eurostat, while 13 are placed across eight EU Member States and Switzerland. This unique opportunity runs until the end of April 2025, allowing trainees to sharpen their skills, exchange insights, and build lasting professional networks.

Download the newsletter January/February 2025 here.

For more information about IPA 2022, you can contact us via e-mail: ipa2022@icon-institute.de.