The ReSPA is organizing Thematic Group Meeting on Policy Management, Better Regulation and Simplification, on 16-17 June 2026 in Budva, Montenegro. 

ReSPA members continue to advance public administration reforms to improve the quality, accessibility, and efficiency of services delivered to citizens and businesses. In the context of the EU accession process, governments across the region are required to strengthen their capacities for strategic planning, policy development, coordination, implementation, and communication, ensuring that reform priorities are implemented in a timely and coherent manner.

The successful implementation of reform agendas depends not only on the technical quality of policies but also on governments' ability to communicate policy objectives, expected impacts, and reform outcomes effectively to the public, stakeholders, and international partners. In this regard, Centre-of-Government (CoG) institutions play a central role in ensuring coherent governmental communication, strategic coordination, and alignment between public administration reform (PAR), EU integration priorities, Better Regulation principles, and broader governmental strategic objectives. At the same time, line ministries and other public institutions are expected to develop sufficient capacities for evidence-based policy development, stakeholder engagement, and transparent communication throughout the policy cycle.

The upcoming meeting of the Thematic Group on Policy Management, Better Regulation and Simplification will serve as a regional platform to discuss the current state of affairs with regard to the PAR policy implementation, reform objectives, and shared challenges, in view of the role of COG, and how these peer exchanges could contribute to their improved efficiency and effectiveness.

In addition, this session would inform the ReSPA programming, providing critical input on key issues to be addressed during the ongoing programmatic cycle, through the identification of shared and administration-specific needs and formulation of follow-up activities, in view of the ReSPA workplans and available instruments of support.