Dear Valeria,

 

Thank you for your explanations and for your efforts to start promptly and to provide as much support to the BC as possible and feasible still this year.

 

Let me once again underline the importance of  agreeing all project-related actions with the Beneficiary and considering their availability for planning each and every mission.

 

As regards the dates for the SCM, you’re right, we are still in line with the manual and all seams feasible. Are the proposed dates also suitable for the BC?

 

As to the SL, please find our comments to your questions below- marked in yellow. Hereby let me also mention the visibility materials of the project – if you are planning to produce any materials for the Kick-off meeting, this should be also indicated in the SL.

 

With my best regards,

Nini

 

Nino Grdzelishvili (Ms.)

Head of EU Assistance Coordination Division

EU Assistance Coordination and Sectoral Integration Department

Directorate General for European Integration

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Tel: +995 551 08 99 21; (+995) 32 2 94 50 00- ext. 32-04

 

 

Dear Nino,

Thank you very much for your answer and explaining processes in details.  Yes, I will draft a side letter today after consultation with BC and will share with all of you at the latest today in order  to start with a consultation with EUD and PAO.

 

I would like to clarify the task related to further assessment of the labour code. This is a task Jurate has asked last week to be done very urgently. Last week I have prepared with the support of one expert very initial assessment for the purpose of the Head of EUD. However, much more comprehensive analysis is requested once the final translation of the amendments of the labour code is ready. This should be very soon. For this reason I would propose to organize a separate mission of experts with different expertise (labour law, equal opportunities, OSH, social security) to start with that process very soon. It will be part of the activity 1.1.1.  even before approval of the  WP in the SC Meeting.

 

Moreover,  I have checked the availability of the PL  and individual JPL for the SC meeting to be organized on 12^th October, however, no one is available. The most convenient period proposed by a Slovak PL is between 27 -29.11.2019. These dates fit to both JPL as well.

On one side this proposal has affected my planning to start as soon as possible in order to provide until the Catholic Christmas as much missions as possible and feasible, but on the other side  with a new date proposal for approval of the WP we are still in line with the manual. Moreover, after discussing  with the RTA Counterpart it looks that we can’t organize a mission very quickly because some translations and a research of national legislation has to be done by the BA before the first mission for activity 1.1.1 can start. And this new proposal to organize a SC meeting on 27-29. 11.2019 and the next week start with missions looks  real and feasible.

 

The only exception will be the Labour Code Assessment, in this case we can’t wait for approval of the WP, that’s why this will be done through a side letter. 

 

As regards the side letter I have a couple of questions:

·         If I am not mistaken in the SL the  approval of additional per diems during a weekend should be requested as well since the experts start their mission on Sunday one week and will spend here next weekend and will leave only  the second Tuesday.   Correct, in this case you can request per diems during the weekend.

·         As regards the Labour Code assessment (to be in a SL) I didn’t get yet confirmation from the proposed experts, it is possible to write  how many days for 2 experts (without names)  will be allocated and to justify the purpose of the modification? Also the table with the allocation of the amount of the modification will be missing, yes? It is not possible to approve a side-letter without indicating the names of the experts allocated to a particular activity (this is to be considered also after the approval of the WP, as the change of the experts has to be notified to the EUD through a side letter). While agreeing on the dates of this mission, please also check the availability of the BC respective experts to be involved in this exercise.  As to the table with the allocation of the amount of the modification, to our understanding this info will be missing as there is nothing approved yet to be modified/reallocated. However, you’ll be indicating the expenses related to this activity/mission ( to be incorporated in the WP budget at a later stage). To double-check and guarantee, I would like to ask Jurate to confirm on behalf of the Contracting Authority that the approach proposed by PAO is acceptable.

 

Best regards,

 Valeria

 

  Mrs Valeria Kubalova

  Resident Twinning Adviser

  TW project "Improving the standards of employment conditions/relations

 as well as health and safety at work in Georgia" 

 

  Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from Occupied Territories,

  Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia

  144 Tsereteli Ave

  Tbilisi 01 19, Georgia

  GSM Georgia:  + 995 595 00 88 61 

  GSM Slovakia: + 421  911 04 06 61

  email:vkubalova@moh.gov.ge

 

 

 

Dear Valeria,

 

Thank you for your e-mail.

 

We highly recommend participation of all project leaders in the launching event. As correctly indicated in your e-mail this could be formalized through a side letter (in agreement with BC).

 

In general, please be informed that before the official submission to the EUD (contracting authority) the draft versions of the side letters should be consulted with EUD Project manager (PAO in CC). Further, the signed hardcopy of the SL should be preferably submitted to the EUD 1 week before the “implementation” of the action/change introduced through the side letter. Therefore, after agreement with BC and  MS Project leaders you can directly proceed with preparing/consulting the draft SL.

 

As regards the inclusion of the task related to further assessment of the draft labour code, could you please provide more details on that? It that something that is agreed with the BC and has to be performed before the 12 November (provisional date of 1st SC & hopefully the date of the approval of the initial WP)?

 

If required, we stand ready for further clarifications.

 

With kindest regards,

Nini

 

Nino Grdzelishvili (Ms.)

Head of EU Assistance Coordination Division

EU Assistance Coordination and Sectoral Integration Department

Directorate General for European Integration

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Tel: +995 551 08 99 21; (+995) 32 2 94 50 00- ext. 32-04

 

 

 

Dear Valeria,

 

The participation of the Junior Project Leader at the launching event is most welcome and we would agree to the prolongation of his mission. As regards Side Letter submission, I think it is better that MFA colleagues would advice. I would also suggest to consider including in the Side Letter the task related to further assessment of the draft labour code as I am still waiting for the translation of the latest version and then will share with you for more detailed assessment.

 

Best regards,

Jurate

 

 

Dear Jurate, Nino and Nino,

Based on the information given during our common meeting I would like to discuss with you the possibility of participation of a Junior Project Leader (s) to participate in the Launching event “Skills for Job” where the presentation of our TW project in one of the panel should take place. Since JPL from Spain Jose Ignacio Martin Fernandez will be  here during a working plan preparation 21 – 26/10/2019 we have discussed the possibility to prolong his stay here for 2 WD - until 29 – the proposed date for a Launching event and justify the prolongation of his mission  - to continue working  on the WP preparation and to be present during the event. If I am not mistaken the manual is providing that possibility if justified and agreed through a side letter:

 

As the manual says (p.41):

If justified and agreed, activities (expert missions, kick-off meeting, etc.) can take place before the initial work plan is signed. In such case a side letter must be processed. The activities covered by the side letter will be taken into account when agreeing the initial work-plan at the first Steering Committee.

 

 

Please, let me know if we can apply this article for this situation and if yes, when the side letter can be submitted.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Best regards,

 

  Mrs Valeria Kubalova

  Resident Twinning Adviser

  TW project "Improving the standards of employment conditions/relations

 as well as health and safety at work in Georgia" 

 

  Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from Occupied Territories,

  Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia

  144 Tsereteli Ave

  Tbilisi 01 19, Georgia

  GSM Georgia:  + 995 595 00 88 61 

  GSM Slovakia: + 421  911 04 06 61

  email:vkubalova@moh.gov.ge