Under the patronage of H.E. Dr. Abdalhakim Shibli, Minister of Finance of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Kick-off event of the EU-funded Twinning Project “Strengthening Land Administration Framework in Jordan” was held at the Landmark Hotel in Amman. The event brought together representatives of the Government of Jordan, the European Union, EU Member States, diplomatic missions, international partners and key national stakeholders.
Funded by the European Union with a budget of EUR 1.6 million, the project is implemented under the EU Twinning instrument by the Lead Member State Partner – the State Geodetic Administration of the Republic of Croatia, which has entrusted the administrative and financial management of the project to the Central Finance and Contracting Agency (CFCA), Republic of Croatia. The project is implemented in cooperation with the Junior Member State Partners – the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), the Netherlands, and the Spanish General Directorate for Cadastre (SDGC) of the Ministry of Finance of Spain. The beneficiary institution is Jordan’s Department of Lands and Survey (DLS).
The launch marked an important milestone in Jordan’s efforts to modernise land administration, strengthen institutional capacity, support digital transformation, and improve the quality, transparency and efficiency of public services related to land and property.
The opening ceremony included addresses by H.E. Dr. Abdalhakim Shibli, Minister of Finance; H.E. Mr. Pierre-Christophe Chatzisavas, Ambassador of the European Union to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; Ms Sanja Zekušić, Lead Member State Project Leader from the State Geodetic Administration of the Republic of Croatia; the Ambassadors of Croatia, the Netherlands and Spain; and H.E. Mr. Omar Al-Fanek, Secretary General of the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation.
In his remarks, H.E. Mr. Pierre-Christophe Chatzisavas highlighted the European Union’s continued support for Jordan’s reform and modernisation efforts, noting that the Twinning Project reflects the strong partnership between the European Union and Jordan and the EU’s commitment to supporting effective, transparent and citizen-centred public administration.
Ms Sanja Zekušić, Lead Member State Project Leader, underlined the commitment of the Croatian, Dutch and Spanish partner institutions to working closely with the Department of Lands and Survey through peer-to-peer cooperation, practical knowledge exchange and the joint implementation of project activities.
During the technical session, project experts and DLS representatives presented the project’s three components: strengthening Jordan’s land administration framework in line with the United Nations Framework for Effective Land Administration (FELA), developing a Jordan Land Administration Domain Model (LADM) Country Profile, and enhancing land administration technologies and institutional capacities to support future digital transformation.
Speakers reaffirmed the shared commitment of Jordan, the European Union and the participating Member States to strengthening cooperation in support of good governance, investment confidence, legal certainty and better public services. They also highlighted the value of the EU Twinning instrument as a peer-to-peer cooperation mechanism that enables the exchange of practical knowledge, technical expertise and European best practices.
During the implementation period, the project will support institutional capacity building, interoperability of land administration systems, legal and regulatory development, and the delivery of more transparent, efficient and citizen-centred land administration services.
In his remarks, H.E. Mr. Khaldoun Al-Khalidi, Director General of the Department of Lands and Survey, expressed DLS’s appreciation for the support of the European Union and the participating Member States. He emphasised that the project reflects DLS’s commitment to developing a modern, reliable and citizen-centred land administration system aligned with Jordan’s national priorities, the Economic Modernisation Vision and the Public Sector Modernisation Roadmap. The successful launch confirms the strong ownership of the Department of Lands and Survey and the commitment of all project partners to achieving sustainable and measurable results through close cooperation, mutual trust and continuous knowledge exchange.
