news_20260619 - Swiss

2026 Annual Meeting of the Swiss-Romanian Cooperation Programme

The Ministry of Finance, acting as the National Coordination Unit for the Swiss Contribution, organised the fourth Annual Meeting of the Swiss-Romanian Cooperation Programme from 17 to 19 June 2026. The event included official meetings, practical training sessions and technical discussions aimed at setting common priorities. The meetings were attended by representatives of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and the Swiss Contribution Office (SCO), as well as by representatives of the Paying Authority, within the Ministry of European Investments and Projects, the Audit Authority, within the Ministry of Finance, and the programme operators.

The discussions confirmed the solid nature of the cooperation between Romania and Switzerland, built on institutional trust, financial responsibility and a shared focus on concrete results. During the activities, participants reviewed the progress achieved under the 11 programmes currently under implementation, in areas such as social inclusion, health, dual education, research, public safety, justice, energy efficiency, regional development and support for small and medium-sized enterprises. At the same time, the discussions addressed the operational challenges encountered during implementation, the timetable of activities, institutional partnerships and the need for permanent coordination among the coordination structures, programme operators, beneficiaries and Swiss partners.

The first day was dedicated to the Annual Meeting and to several programme-level technical meetings. In the margins of the first day, the Minister of Finance, Mr Alexandru Nazare, held a meeting with Mr Pietro Lazzeri, Ambassador, Head of the Economic Cooperation and Development Division and Head of the Swiss delegation on official visit to Romania. On this occasion, it was underlined that the Romanian-Swiss dialogue goes beyond the scope of a technical review and confirms a mature partnership, which has become an important reference point for Romania’s development. The meeting also provided a framework for an exchange of views on the future prospects of Swiss-Romanian cooperation, in the context of discussions on Switzerland’s contribution to European cohesion, as well as in other areas of common interest.

The second day focused on a practical training session organised by the National Coordination Unit in cooperation with the Swiss partners. The training was dedicated to specialists from all Romanian institutions involved in the management and implementation of the thematic programmes financed through the Second Swiss Contribution. Its main objective was to optimise working methods, prevent implementation risks and ensure the proper monitoring of the use of the allocated funds.

On the third day, the event concluded with a series of technical working meetings attended by programme operators and programme component operators. These meetings aimed to align all teams with the next stages of the calendar, by establishing concrete steps and common milestones for the period ahead, so that the objectives undertaken by the Romanian and Swiss sides can be effectively achieved.