Twinning Project Bulgaria on Cultural Goods. An Example of Good Practice

The type of acknowledgement to the Twinning Project Bulgaria is a very positive sign in as much as it is usually directed to particularly successful projects, or to projects which provide significant contributions and technical value owing to a team of high-profile experts who is able to introduce innovative instruments or models. The motivations provided for acknowledgement take into consideration both aspects.
On one hand, taly’s institutional background which has given birth to such professional excellences, has its added value in the professional high profile of the partnership and the pool of experts: “Italy has been acknowledged as one of the world's leader in the fight against illegal traffic of cultural artefacts thanks to the close collaboration between a pool of qualified examining magistrates, the Ministry of Cultural Goods (MIBAC) and a unit of the Carabinieri which directly respond to MIBAC and are qualified in the fight against this type of crimes. [...] The European dimension of the project lies in the fact that the overall objective is the improvement of the Bulgarian authorities’ capacity to implement a series of European regulations and directives (especially Council Regulations 3911/92 – amended by the Council Regulation n. 2008/116- and Directive n. 7/93). The Italian experts have adopted a practical approach in this project, proceeding inductively from hypothetical test cases to an analysis of the effectiveness of Bulgarian legislation. Three specific cases of cultural crime were presented, and the Bulgarian experts were asked to reflect on the charges that might be brought and the investigative means that might be used in these cases."
On the other end, the use of a simple and effective management tool is also mentioned in the Twinning newsletter which is acknowledged and appreciated by beneficiaries, and created and administered by Formez. The latter has implemented an Intranet platform which allows experts and project managers to easily and simply trace documents and activities as provided by a timetable.
The site, based on Moodle open-source software, functions as a file archive, a management tool as well as a social forum.
Like an archive, the website incorporates project documents and legislative texts (Italian and Bulgarian standards, international covenants, etc.) and other supporting material. Furthermore, the website includes: links to relevant websites, the timetable and a series of management tools for planning, administration, monitoring and financial reporting. Moreover, it provides a series of discussion and exchange forums for subscribers.