The focus of the meeting was to present the main achievements and results of 2022, discuss priorities for the upcoming year and identify topics with potential for synergy. ReSPA Director Maja Handjiska Trendafilova highlighted the importance of a resilient public administration in order to succeed and overcome the challenges of the current times and implement the reform agenda. She also presented to the attendees the ReSPA instruments, such as the in-country support, mobility schemes, learning and networking initiatives, etc. She also emphasised some of the ReSPA flagship initiatives, such as the Seasonal Schools on EU accession negotiations and digital transformation, the PA Award initiative, the series of IPA III capacity-building activities, etc, while introducing some of the priorities for the upcoming year, such as the Academy on evidence-based policymaking, executive training on EU accession negotiations, the regional mobility scheme with job posting, and targeted learning initiatives on digital skills and cyber resilience.

Attendees shared the same view on the necessity for stronger links and synergies among the regional organizations active in the WBs, while ReSPA expressed readiness for any type of cooperation in the domain of capacity building, networking in the public sector and institution building.