8 October 2026, Sarajevo

ReSPA’s 72nd Governing Board meeting at Senior Official level brought together representatives of ReSPA Members to review progress, discuss key operational and financial issues, and prepare the ground for the next major milestones in ReSPA’s work.

A central part of the discussion focused on preparations for the 18th Governing Board meeting at Ministerial level, which will take place on 17 November 2026 in Belgrade, back-to-back with the High-Level Policy Dialogue “Future-ready public administration: Professional development and e-governance for EU accession.” The Governing Board reviewed the state of preparations and took note of the next steps ahead of the November meeting. Members also reviewed the implementation of ReSPA’s Programme of Work for the period from 11 June to 11 September 2026, including activities related to governance, operations and programme delivery, as well as information on upcoming initiatives. The Governing Board discussed and approved the report and took note of the planned activities for the forthcoming period. 1.

Financial matters formed another important part of the meeting. The Governing Board considered the interim financial statements and budget implementation reports, discussed the proposed ReSPA Budget for 2027–2028, and took note of the proposed National Envelope for 2027. Members were also informed that all national contributions to ReSPA’s 2026 Core Budget had been received.

The meeting also addressed a number of institutional and forward-looking issues, including ongoing recruitment processes for key positions within ReSPA, the preparation of the revised paper on the future development of the organisation, and the status of the Kosovo* accession process.

The Sarajevo meeting once again provided an important platform for ReSPA Members to review implementation, align on upcoming priorities and ensure continuity between programme delivery, institutional development and high-level political dialogue.

With the November Ministerial Governing Board and High-Level Policy Dialogue approaching, the discussion in Sarajevo helped consolidate the next steps for ReSPA’s work in supporting stronger, more professional and future-ready public administrations across the region.