Practice exchange

The EPAC/EACN Task force for Developing and Implementing Project Activities (DIPA) applied for and signed an EU grant agreement for funding study visits for the best practice exchange in fighting corruption and fraud. The Special Investigation Service of the Republic of Lithuania (STT), on behalf of the EPAC/EACN Secretariat, is delighted to kick-start this initiative, providing you with an opportunity to visit other EPAC/EACN members, personally meet colleagues, learn from one another, and collaborate to prevent and combat corruption in Europe. The project itself will start this autumn.

The registrations for the BACPE-project to enhance the transfer of knowledge and experience have officially begun. The two-year project will be divided into two parts.

The project will commence with three key topics, for which exchange visits between EPAC/EACN members will be organized:

• Whistleblower protection
• Asset recovery
• Corruption risk assessment and management

Participation in the exchange is open to all EPAC/EACN members. However, to ensure the dissemination of best anti-corruption practices across borders and to foster broader international cooperation opportunities, only one institution from each country will be able to participate in the exchange under each of the above mentioned topics. Furthermore, the same institution will be limited to a maximum of two exchange visits in total.Due to the limited number of exchange visits available for EPAC/EACN members (only 48 visits in total, 8 exchange visits multiplied by 6 topics), applications will be accepted on the first-come, first-served basis, provided they meet the eligibility criteria mentioned below. Altogether, eight EPAC/EACN members will be invited to participate under each topic.

EPAC/EACN members who wish to embark on an exchange visit to another member institution are required to:

• Submit an application form based on the selected topic.
• Nominate three employees who have more than five years of experience in the selected topic.
• Indicate the host authority that they intend to visit.
• Provide a provisional visit agenda, that covers two full days of working meetings.
• Provide a free-format written consent from the chosen host authority confirming its ability and willingness to host the visit between August 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024.

The project will cover travelling and accommodation (two nights per visit) expenses of three nominated experts. The project team, in collaboration with a selected EPAC/EACN member, will handle the hotel bookings and purchase plane, train, or bus tickets for each of the nominated employees. The budget allocated for each visit of three experts is up to 2,100 EUR. Please note that the project does not offer reimbursement of your expenses, thus please do not make any bookings on your own, even if you were selected for sponsorship by the project.

We encourage participants from neighboring countries to prioritize environmentally friendly modes of transport whenever possible.

Within 10 working days following an exchange visit to another EPAC/EACN member, it is mandatory for the experts who traveled to complete the report form, which has already been shared with the EPAC/EACN members via email. This form should provide detailed information about the practices and approaches learned during the visit. Additionally, any PowerPoint presentations or relevant documents shared during the exchange visit should be attached to the report form. Please note that presentations containing sensitive or classified information will not be published on the EPAC/EACN website.

We kindly ask you to fill out the Registration form by June 30, 2023, and send it to the project team via e-mail to epac-eacn@stt.lt. Once the registration period ends, the topics will be closed, and the selected applications for best practice exchange visits will be organized between August 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024.

For more details and regular updates follow the EPAC/EACN Social Media platforms on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

In case you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us via epac-eacn@stt.lt.