Helsinki, 2-3 December 2025

A high-level delegation from the Serbian Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government conducted an official visit to Finland, organised with the support of the ReSPA’s Mobility Scheme, designed to strengthen peer exchange, learning, and institutional cooperation across Europe as part of broader public administration reform efforts.

The Serbian delegation was led by Ms Snežana Paunović, Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, accompanied by Mr Predrag Rajić, State Secretary, Mr Radovan Arežina, Acting Assistant Minister for the Local Self-Government System, Mr Đorđe Đoković, Assistant Minister, Ms Aleksandra Mlađan, Chief of Staff, and
Mr Dejan Backović, Special Advisor to the Minister.

Serbian officials engaged with Finnish institutions, recognised globally for excellence in digitalisation, local governance, and public sector management, and exchanged practical experiences directly relevant to Serbia’s ongoing reforms.

Day 1: Meetings with Finnish Government and City of Vantaa Representatives

The programme began with a visit to Vantaa City Hall, where the Serbian delegation met with Mr Pekka Timonen, Mayor, Mr Tero Anttila, Deputy Mayor of Urban Environment,
Ms Susanna Issakainen, Manager of Development, and Ms Elina Värtö, Manager of International Affairs.

Discussions centred on inter-municipal cooperation, urban governance, and lessons learned from local one-stop shop models-areas directly linked to Serbia’s expansion of its network of administrative service centres.

This was followed by a bilateral meeting at the Ministry of Finance between Minister Snežana Paunović and Ms Anna-Kaisa Ikonen, Minister of Local and Regional Government of Finland. The bilateral exchange also included:
Ms Kristiina Kokko, State Secretary, Ms Minna Kurki, Special Adviser to the Minister, and Mr Jussi Virsunen, Director General of the Local Government Department.
Serbia’s Ambassador to Finland, H.E. Mr Aleksandar Janković, joined the meeting.

The discussions focused on key reform priorities, administrative structures, and Finland’s approaches to local governance and service delivery.

The day continued with a thematic session featuring several Finnish experts: Mr Jussi Virsunen, Director General, Local Government Department - on municipal cooperation; Ms Maarit Huotari, Senior Ministerial Adviser and Head of Information Policy Unit – on public sector ICT, digitalisation, and e-government; Ms Mette Vuola, Public Governance Department – on Suomi-piste joint service points and Ms Marjaana Laine, Senior Ministerial Adviser – on the central government as an employer

The session offered an in-depth exchange on governance models, legal frameworks, interoperability, user-centric digital services, and approaches to attracting young professionals to public administration - all central to Serbia’s current reform agenda.

Day 2: Institutional Dialogue with Finnish Municipal Association

On the second day, the delegation met with Ms Ida Sulin, Chief Legal Counsel at the Association of Finnish Cities and Municipalities (Kuntaliitto). Discussions focused on municipal autonomy, financing, and practical aspects of inter-municipal cooperation. The visit concluded with a working session at the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Helsinki.

This visit was made possible through ReSPA’s Mobility Scheme, which supports Western Balkan public institutions in engaging with EU Member State administrations to learn from advanced practices. The scheme aims to strengthen administrative capacities, encourage institutional innovation, and foster long-term cooperation between administrations.

By facilitating this bilateral exchange, ReSPA once again demonstrated its commitment to supporting Serbia and other Western Balkan partners in accelerating reforms aligned with the European Administrative Space.