26 November 2024 Skopje, North Macedonia

At the 16th Governing Board Meeting at the Ministerial Level, chaired by North Macedonia, the Ministers in charge of PAR from ReSPA Members recognised ReSPA’s substantial achievements over the past year and set the course for 2025-2026. The meeting was attended by Bosnian Assistant Minister of Justice Nedžad Salman, North Macedonian Minister Goran Minchev, Montenegrin State Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration Naim Gjokaj, Serbian Minister Jelena Žarić Kovačević, Sandra Laquelle from DG NEAR, European Commission and ReSPA Governing Board members. 

The Governing Board Members at the Ministerial Level reviewed and approved the ReSPA Annual Report, the Budget for 2025-2026, and each Member’s contribution to the Core Budget 2025. Reflecting on the past year, ReSPA delivered 60 capacity-building actions for 1,200 civil servants, produced six regional policy briefs, and launched 15 on-demand projects and e-gov pilots tailored to its Members' needs, including initiatives such as the Ready4EU Programme and Digital Academy in Montenegro, the NAPA e-gov pilot in Serbia, and NGO e-tool and IDDEEA modules in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Significant progress was made in civil servant mobility and capacity-building programs, notably through Italy-funded programs and ReSPA’s Regional Mobility Program, which featured partnerships with six prominent international institutions,  executive learning programs at the College of Europe and job-shadowing.

A highlight of ReSPA's initiatives included collaboration with SIGMA and UNDP Serbia on the Western Balkans Public Administration Award and Regional Open Data Challenges, recognising excellence in public services and open data. ReSPA awarded five institutions with CAF Excellence Labels through its Regional Quality Management Centre, marking a dedication to quality management and supporting three more institutions in CAF implementation. Finally, the ReSPA team dedicated significant efforts last year to developing the Knowledge Management Platform, designed to empower civil servants to learn, connect, and grow. Equally, they focused on drafting ReSPA's strategic orientation for 2025–2030, setting a clear path for future progress.

"These results reflect the unwavering dedication of the entire ReSPA team to advancing governance excellence with commitment and vision. We remain determined to achieve this goal through regional policy dialogue, learning, capacity-building, and networking while providing civil servants with substantive opportunities for growth and shaping a new era in civil servants’ mobility exchanges. Our marked achievements have been enabled by the strong ownership of our ReSPA Members and by strengthening our partnerships with key EC institutions, public institutions across EU Member States, renowned institutes, academia, and civil society. For us at ReSPA, a particularly encouraging sign is the recognition of our contribution to enhancing administrative capacities and driving governance reforms by the EU and Western Balkans Leaders at the EU–Western Balkans Leaders' Summit" emphasised Director Handjiska-Trendafilova.

The Ministers endorsed the Joint Statement from the High-Level Policy Dialogue, "Next-Gen Governance: Driving Public Service Innovation in the Western Balkans," underscoring commitments to public administration reforms, regional cooperation, digital innovation, and resilience in governance. The statement calls for enhanced recruitment, gender equality, and partnerships with academia and the private sector to support sustainable, results-oriented governance in line with EU standards.

In keeping with tradition, the meeting also marked the annual transfer of ReSPA’s chairmanship. Outgoing Chair Minister Goran Minchev passed the role to Naim Gjokaj, Montenegro's State Secretary in the Ministry of Public Administration who reaffirmed Montenegro’s trusted partnership with ReSPA as the region continues to drive public service innovation forward: “I perceive our membership and now also the presidency of ReSPA as a partnership opportunity and joint effort towards achieving our set goals, in cooperation with the countries of the Western Balkans. Improving public administration will be the shared mission of the partnership between ReSPA and the Ministry of Public Administration, not only for Montenegro but for the entire region. I will strive to ensure that Montenegro leaves a positive mark during its presidency and that, through joint efforts, we enhance public administration in line with the standards of European Union countries. In doing so, we will strengthen the partnership and, if possible, expand it further” underlined Gjokaj during the handover.

Photo album