ReSPA Strengthens Open Government Reform in the Western Balkans at OGP Meeting 2024
20 November 2024

14-15 November 2024, Tirana, Albania Key leaders and experts discuss the region's future of open government reforms, focusing on strengthening collaboration, sharing best practices, and advancing transparency and accountability. Opening remarks from Minister Adea Pirdeni and Director ...

The WBs joins translation leaders in Brussels for the Translating Europe Forum 2024
08 November 2024

6–8 November 2024, Brussels The heads of the Translation Coordination units (TCUs) had a remarkable and busy three days at the Translating Europe Forum 2024, the largest conference on translation in Europe, held in Brussels. In close collaboration with the Directorate-General for Translation ...

Director Handjiska Trendafilova at Regional WeBER PAR Platform Meeting: ReSPA Focuses on People-Centered Reforms
06 November 2024

ReSPA Director enriched the Regional WeBER PAR Platform meeting, held on 5-6 November 2024 in Skopje. The gathering brought together experts, civil society representatives, and government officials from across the region to discuss public administration reform and reinforce a shared commitment ...

Meeting of the Directors/Deputies/Heads of Training Institutions/Departments from the WBs Reaffirmed Importance of Fostering Ties with EU Institutes
25 October 2024

25 October 2024, Budapest, Hungary The Meeting of the Directors of Training Institutions from the Western Balkans was held back-to-back with the DISPA meeting, reaffirming ReSPA’s dedication to enhancing networking and collaboration between Western Balkan institutions and EU counterparts. During ...

Key Insights on AI and Public Service Training Discussed at the DISPA Meeting
25 October 2024

23-25 October 2024, Budapest, Hungary The Directors of Institutes and Schools of Public Administration (DISPA) convened a meeting titled "Artificial Intelligence: Challenges in Public Service Training" in Budapest. ReSPA supported the attendance of the Western Balkans public ...

Regional Conference on Parliaments and Evidence-Based Lawmaking: Lawmaking is one of the core functions of our parliaments and is the bedrock upon which our democracies stand
18 October 2024

17-18 October 2024, Rome, Italy A high-level regional conference titled "Parliaments and Evidence-Based Lawmaking in the Western Balkans: Challenges and Opportunities", crafted in collaboration with the Italian Chamber of Deputies and partnership with SIGMA Programme, brought together ...

Handjiska-Trendafilova at 'Ready4EU' Kick-Off: Honoured to Contribute to the Design and Implementation of This Crucial Training Programme
17 October 2024

17 October 2024, Podgorica, Montenegro The “Ready4EU” Training Programme officially launched today with a Kick-Off Conference that brought together Montenegro’s top officials, training programme participants and key stakeholders in European integration. Among the distinguished ...

ReSPA Director Enriched the High-Level Policy Dialogue “The Western Balkans in the EU’s Next Geopolitical Cycle”
16 October 2024

15 October 2024, Podgorica, Montenegro Organised by the European School of Transnational Governance and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Conference brought together high-level officials from Montenegro to discuss the Western Balkans in the EU’s ...

Bureau of Meteorology of Montenegro and Secretariat for Legislation of North Macedonia Initiate CAF Implementation
09 October 2024

1 October 2024, Podgorica, Montenegro, 3 October 2024, Skopje, North Macedonia Last week marked the commencement of the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) implementation at two key institutions in the Western Balkans: the Bureau of Meteorology of Montenegro and the Secretariat for Legislation ...

Regional Thematic Group on HRMPD: Discussing Professional Development Initiatives Across the Region
04 October 2024

3 October 3 2024, Ljubljana, Slovenia The Regional Thematic Group on Human Resources Management and Professional Development (HRMPD) and gathered representatives from public administrations across the Western Balkans gathered to exchange insights, share achievements, and align their strategic ...

62nd Governing Board Meeting at Senior Official Level: Key Achievements and Future Plans in Public Administration Reform
04 October 2024

4 October 2024, Ljubljana, Slovenia During the High-Level Conference on Innovative HRM for Future-Ready Public Administration, the ReSPA Secretariat held the 62nd GB Meeting at the Senior Official Level, providing a comprehensive overview of its achievements from the last quarter (1 June ...

Conference on Innovative HRM: Shaping Forward-Thinking Leadership and Strategic HRM for a Future-Ready Public Administration
03 October 2024

2 – 3 October 2024, Ljubljana, Slovenia ReSPA and the Ministry of Public Administration of Slovenia brought together key leaders from public administration across the Western Balkans and Slovenia for two days of discussion on how societal, technological, and geopolitical shifts demand ...

4th Module of the Regional Academy on Evidence-Informed Policymaking Underscores the Vital Role of Digital Tools in Policy Development
26 September 2024

24-26 September 2024, Ohrid, North Macedonia ReSPA held the fourth module of its Regional Academy on the Evidence-Informed Policymaking Process, focused on "Policy Making in the Digital World." This Module aims to strengthen the efficiency and effectiveness of policymaking across ...

"Sustainability Transition and the Role of Green Public Procurement" – Continuation of the capacity-building and mobility programme crafted with Italian institutions
25 September 2024

25 September 2024, online ReSPA continued to implement a comprehensive capacity-building and mobility program in collaboration with the National School of Public Administration (SNA) and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. In a dynamic session titled ...

Municipality of Zeta, Montenegro, Commences CAF Implementation Journey
24 September 2024

23-24 September, Zeta, Montenegro To enhance public service delivery, the Municipality of Zeta in Montenegro has embarked on implementing the Common Assessment Framework (CAF). Led by Slaven Bukarica from ReSPA and expert Igor Markovski, the municipality's CAF Self-Assessment team ...

ReSPA Strengthens Strategic Focus and Financial Oversight in Key Meetings
19 September 2024

19 September 2024, ReSPA Premises, Online ReSPA convened its Advisory Board and 46th Budget Committee meetings on 19 September 2024, focusing on crucial strategic orientation and budget management issues. During the Advisory Board Meeting, ReSPA Director HANDJISKA-TRENDAFILOVA presented ...

Director Handjiska-Trendafilova Showcases Regional Cooperation Best Practices at CEI-Led Coordination Meeting of Regional Organizations
17 September 2024

17 September 2024 | Trieste, Italy At the 18th Coordination Meeting of Regional Organisations in Trieste, Director Handjiska-Trendafilova presented key practices in regional cooperation. Hosted by the Central European Initiative (CEI), the event brought together senior representatives ...

Have Your Say: Help Refine ReSPA's 2025-2030 Strategic Orientation
16 September 2024

We are excited to launch the consultation on the draft Strategic Orientation of ReSPA 2025-2030. This draft outlines our vision and priorities for guiding the development of the public administration sector across the Western Balkans in the years to come.  Explore the ReSPA's ...

Data Protection Academy for the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership Region
10 September 2024

9-13 September 2024 Brussels, Belgium Building on the success of last year’s Data Protection Week, representatives from data protection authorities and ministries across the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership countries convened for the 2nd High-Level Exchange and Learning Week. ...

ReSPA Panel at the EGPA 2024 Conference: Insightful Discussion About the Potential of Digital Tools in Enhancing Inclusivity and Transparency Across the Policy-Making in the Western Balkans
05 September 2024

5 September 2024, Athens, Greece One of the key highlights of the EGPA 2024 conference was today's panel discussion on "Inclusive and Transparent Policy-Making in a Digital World." Nedžib DELIĆ, Public Administration Reform Coordinators Office - Cabinet of the Chairman of ...

The Signing of MoU with EKDDA: Advancing Knowledge Development and Expertise Sharing Between Western Balkans Public Administrations and Their EU Peers
04 September 2024

4 September 2024, Athens, Greece Director HANDJISKA-TRENDAFILOVA and Mr Vasileios EXARCHOS, Vice-President of Greece's National Centre for Public Administration and Local Government, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen cooperation between public administration ...

Strengthening Partnership with GIZ for a Stronger Western Balkans
02 September 2024

Director Maja HANDJISKA-TRENDAFILOVA and Partnership Knowledge Management Officer Ivana PETRIČEVIĆ welcomed Daniel BAGWITZ, the newly appointed GIZ Country Director for Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, and Olivera DIMIĆ, GIZ Project Manager. They explored new avenues to deepen cooperation ...

Summer School on "Advanced European Governance and Integration" Concludes Successfully
19 July 2024

Berlin, July 16-19, 2024 The Summer School on "Advanced European Governance and Integration," organized by ReSPA in partnership with the Hertie School, successfully concluded last week. The event, held from July 16-19, brought together experts and 20+ participants (public servants ...

Seasonal School on Digital Transformation 2024: Towards Innovative Governance for the Future
12 July 2024

9-11 July 2024, Budva, Montenegro An established cornerstone of ReSPA’s annual calendar, this year’s Seasonal School addressed pivotal advancements, trends, and emerging themes within Open Data, Human-Centered Design (HCD), Agile Management, and Artificial Intelligence. The ...

Director Handjiska-Trendafilova Meets Newly Appointed Ministers Andonovski and Minchev
11 July 2024

Director Handjiska-Trendafilova congratulated him on his recent appointment in a meeting with Minister Stefan ANDONOVSKI, the newly appointed Minister of Digital Transformation. She welcomed the increased political focus on digital transformation as essential for prosperous societies and presented ...

61st Senior Official Governing Board Meeting: Recap of the Last Quarter and Charting a Dynamic Plan for the Next Quarter
10 July 2024

9 July 2024, ReSPA premises (hybrid) In the 61st Governing Board Meeting, the ReSPA Secretariat reviewed the previous quarter's achievements and elaborated on forthcoming activities, focusing on a high-level ministerial dialogue on PAR, a donor conference, the PA Awards 2024 Ceremony, ...

ReSPA Enhances Competencies for Digitally Ready Western Balkans Governments
10 July 2024

9-10 July 2024, ReSPA Premisses The Workshop on Exploring Competencies, Digital Transformation, and Innovation focused on the necessary skills and competencies for navigating the future of digital transformation and innovation in the Western Balkans public administrations. In particular, ...

ReSPA and Transport Community Green Mobility Summer School to Enhance Sustainable Transport in the Western Balkans
04 July 2024

2-5 July 2024, Priština The Green Mobility Summer School, convened experts and stakeholders from across the Western Balkans and the EU to discuss sustainable mobility solutions and future-oriented transport policies. The event opened with speeches from H.E. Tomáš ...

Continuation of ReSPA Interoperability Academies: Advancing Data Exchange in Bosnia and Herzegovina
02 July 2024

1-2 July 2024, Jahorina, Bosnia and Herzegovina The second ReSPA Interoperability Academy, held in Jahorina, followed the overall goal of Interoperability Academies across ReSPA Members to address the issues related to interoperability and exchange of data specific to each public administration ...

ReSPA Participated at the ComPAct High-level Conference: “A Growth-Enhancing Public Administrative Space”
28 June 2024

27 June 2024, Brussels, Belgium ComPAct high-level conference: “A growth-enhancing public administrative space” gathered in Brussels high-level officials and practitioners from the EU institutions, Member States and social partners to discuss how ComPAct is reducing the administrative ...

SIGMA, GIZ, and ReSPA Advance Interoperability and Digital Transformation for Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership Through Brussels Learning Week
27 June 2024

24-27 June 2024, Brussels, Belgium

ReSPA Enabled Six Public Servants to Participate in the Summer School on "EU Better Regulation and EU Integration"
26 June 2024

24-26 June 2024, Tirana, Albania Participants actively engaged in group work and discussions, analyzing a Strategic Plan and a Management Plan of a Commission DG. They also examined the alignment of EU Impact Assessments with national RIA systems and explored possibilities for moving towards ...

HANDJISKA-TRENDAFILOVA at OECD High-Level Conference on SEE: Challenges Extend Beyond Technology - Governance Standards, Public Administration Quality, Institutional Strength, and Policymaking are Crucial
26 June 2024

26 June 2024, Paris, France The OECD High-Level Conference on South East Europe, titled “Driving Competitiveness, Achieving Convergence,” brought together high-ranking officials from the OECD, European Commission (EC), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), ...

HANDJISKA-TRENDAFILOVA: At the Heart of Navigating the Various Uncertainties Lies the Imperative of Good Governance with Capacitated Public Administration Teams
20 June 2024

ReSPA Director Handjiska-Trendafilova contributed to the 24th Summer Seminar for Young Public Policy Professionals: Future Scenarios for Central and Eastern Europe in Times of Continuous Uncertainty organised by the Economic Policy Institute from Sofia, Bulgaria. During the session "Good ...

ReSPA and French Ministry of Public Sector Transformation and the Civil Service Support Civil Servants in Navigating Public Service Transformation
19 June 2024

Tirana, Albania The regional dialogue, "Navigating Transformation: Empowering Public Service for Today's Trends and Challenges," convened key figures including Adea PIRDENI, Minister of State for Public Administration and Anti-Corruption, H.E. Catherine SUARD, French Ambassador ...

ReSPA and Croatia's National School of Public Administration Sign Memorandum of Understanding
18 June 2024

ReSPA Premises, Podgorica Today, ReSPA Director Ms HANDJISKA-TRENDAFILOVA and the ReSPA team hosted Mr Rudolf VUJEVIĆ, Director of the National School of Public Administration of Croatia, along with the Deputy Director, Ms Valentina MILIČEVIĆ. Directors HANDJISKA-TRENDAFILOVA and VUJEVIĆ ...

2nd Cycle of the Capacity Building and Mobility Programme Crafted with the Italian Administration: EU Integration and Digital Transformation Modules Concluded
17 June 2024

11-14 June 2024, Caserta and Rome, Italy Continuation of the second cycle of the capacity-building and mobility programme titled "Cultivating Excellence towards a Shared European Administrative Space: Connecting the Western Balkans and Italian Administration through the Public Servants ...

45th Budget Committee Meeting Highlights Importance of Enhancing ReSPA’s Regional Effectiveness and Impact
14 June 2024

ReSPA Premises, Podgorica, Montenegro   The 45th Budget Committee Meeting at ReSPA brought together members from Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and the ReSPA Secretariat team, to discuss various finance-related issues. Director HANDJISKA-TRENDAFILOVA ...

ReSPA and the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre Joined Forces Towards a More Secure Digital Future for the Western Balkans
05 June 2024

4-6 June 2024, Podgorica, Montenegro In a significant stride towards enhancing cyber resilience and fostering a robust cybersecurity culture across the Western Balkans, the ReSPA and the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C) successfully convened a new edition of comprehensive Training ...

Capacity Building on the Fundamentals of the EU Accession Process Toward Faster EU Integration
05 June 2024

4 – 6 June 2024, Belgrade, Serbia The first in a series of training modules on negotiation chapter clusters for 2024-2025, this event brought together 25 public administrators from across the Western Balkans involved in the EU accession process. The focus was on the latest updates ...

ReSPA at the Athens Conference of Public Administration Schools: Exploring Future Collaborations for Advancing Public Administration in the Western Balkans
05 June 2024

3-4 June 2024, Athens, Greece Over two days of discussions, keynote speeches of Mr Vasileios Exarchos, President of EKDDA, and round tables, representatives from counterpart institutes from Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Albania, Croatia, Serbia and Cyprus delved into emerging trends, best practices, ...

Online Conversation: Employer Branding and Talent Management Towards Attracting and Developing Public Servants Across the Western Balkans
03 June 2024

3 June 2024, Online The conversation brought together around 30 public servants, policymakers, human resource professionals, and others interested in enhancing motivation and talent management practices. The focus was on learning strategic approaches to employer branding and talent management ...

ReSPA Contributes to the 2024 Annual Meeting of the OECD Network of Schools of Government
31 May 2024

The ReSPA attended and contributed to the "Transforming the Public Sector" 2024 Annual Meeting of the OECD Network of Schools of Government, held on 28-29 May 2024. The first day's agenda focused on several pivotal topics. The Plenary Session on "Leading Transformation" ...

2nd Cycle of the Capacity Building and Mobility Programme Crafted with the Italian Administration: Policy Development and Coordination/Better Regulation Module Concluded
30 May 2024

27-30 May 2024, Caserta, Rome The second cycle of the capacity-building and mobility programme, "Cultivating Excellence towards a Shared European Administrative Space: Connecting the Western Balkans and Italian Administration through the Public Servants Capacity Building and Mobility ...

Public Administration Awards 2024 Info Session
24 May 2024

The Public Administration Awards 2024 Info Session, jointly organized by ReSPA and SIGMA, successfully convened virtually, attracting numerous public administration representatives eager to delve deeper into the contest. All questions posed during the Information Session, along with their ...

Western Balkans Summit on the Growth Plan: Strengthening Human Capital in the Public Administration is Essential
20 May 2024

15-16 May 2024, Kotor, Montenegro Dedicated to the Growth Plan, which allocates 6 billion euros in grants and concessional loans to the Western Balkans, the Summit brought together leaders of the Western Balkans, Oliver VARHELYI, Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, European Commission, ...

HRMIS, LMS and TMS in the Western Balkans: Trends, Challenges and Innovations
17 May 2024

15-16 May 2024, Tirana, Albania The workshop brought together 13 senior managers with responsibilities for Human Resource Management (HRM) and Officers dealing with Human Resources Management Information Systems (HRMIS), Learning Management Systems (LMS) and Training Management Systems in ...

Public Administration Awards 2024 in the Western Balkans – Call Open by 15 July 2024!
14 May 2024

Are you leading a truly transformative initiative that prioritises the needs of citizens and delivers a tangible, positive impact? If so, the Western Balkans Public Administration Awards 2024 is your opportunity to showcase your achievements! ReSPA and SIGMA have launched the third edition ...

Mobility Scheme: The Montenegro Ministry of Finance Collaborated with Counterparts from the Croatian Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development to Explore the Implementation of a Dynamic Public-Private Partnership
13 May 2024

8-11 May 2024, Zagreb, Croatia The delegation from the Ministry of Finance of Montenegro, led by General Director Ms Jelena JOVETIĆ, accompanied by representatives from the Investment Agency of Montenegro, engaged in a fruitful exchange of insights with their Croatian counterparts from ...

Civil Servants from the WB Engaged in a Dynamic Exchange and Mutual Learning Experience with their Counterparts from Portugal's National Institute for Public Administration and Agency for Administrative Modernisation
26 April 2024

22-24 April 2024, Lisbon, Portugal The INA team generously shared their expertise spanning training methodologies, scholarly inquiry, and technical support to drive innovation and modernisation within public administration. This knowledge transfer directly benefited 13 civil servants hailing ...

Mobility Scheme: A Delegation from the Serbian Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government Engaged in an Enriching Exchange with their Danish Counterparts
25 April 2024

23 – 25 April 2024, Copenhagen, Denmark The Serbian team, comprised of the Acting Assistant Minister for Good Governance, the Assistant Minister for European Integration and International Cooperation, and Independent Advisors, collaborated with representatives from the Danish Agency ...

Study Visit to Ludovika University and the Government of Hungary: Intricacies of the EU Membership and the Hungarian EU Presidency Closer to the Civil Servants from the Region
25 April 2024

23-25 April 2024, Budapest, Hungary During a three-day study visit to Ludovika University and the Government of Hungary, 20 civil servants from the region dealing with Policy Development and European Integration were immersed in the Hungarian experience with EU Membership, its upcoming EU ...

Director Handjiska-Trendafilova and Prime Minister Spajić: ReSPA Plays Vital Role in Strengthening Regional Administrative Capacities for Effective Growth Plan Implementation and Reform Agendas
25 April 2024

23 April 2024, Podgorica, Montenegro A fruitful meeting between Director HANDJISKA-TRENDAFILOVA, Programme Coordinator Genti XHAXHIU and Prime Minister Milojko SPAJIĆ and his team underscored the positive trajectory in the collaboration between the ReSPA and the Government of Montenegro. The ...

Handjiska-Trendafilova: ReSPA is Seeking EU and Global Partnerships and Alliances to Enhance Growth Opportunities for the Public Sector of the Western Balkans
18 April 2024

DISPA Meeting, Brussels, Belgium 23rd Session of Committee of Experts on Public Administration (UNCEPA), New York, online ReSPA Director, at two consecutive events at the EU and Global levels, delivered one key message: ReSPA, as a leading organization in the region for empowering civil ...

ReSPA Empowers the Western Balkans’ Local Governments on their EU Integration Journey
17 April 2024

15 – 16  April, Tirana, Albania The two-day conference, “EMPOWER LOCAL: Building Capacities for the Western Balkans' Local Governments on the EU Integration Journey", brought together 25 local civil servants to discuss the most pressing capacity development needs ...

Regional Mobility Programme: Transformative Experience for 25 Public Servants Who Completed Executive Education at the College of Europe and Study Visit to the EU Institutions
15 April 2024

8-12 April 2024, Brugge and Brussel, Belgium As an integral component of the Western Balkans Regional Mobility Programme, meticulously crafted in collaboration with the College of Europe, various EC institutions, and lectures from EU Member States, ReSPA successfully executed an Executive ...

The First Cycle of the Capacity Building and Mobility Programme with the Italian Administration Concluded
08 April 2024

4-5 April 2024, Podgorica, Montenegro The First Cycle of the capacity-building and mobility programme titled "Cultivating Excellence towards a Shared European Administrative Space" brought together more than 50 civil servants (divided into three Modules),  alongside over 15 ...

3rd Module of the Regional Academy on the Evidence-Based Policymaking Process Delved Into Realms of Costing and Budgeting
05 April 2024

2-5 April 2024, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina In its mission to empower Western Balkan public administrations and enhance their role in policy development, the Regional Academy on Evidence-Based Policymaking tackles essential methodologies and tools crucial for effective policy planning ...

60th Governing Board Meeting at Senior Official Level: Recap and Plans in Driving Reforms in Public Administration
05 April 2024

April 2024, ReSPA, Podgorica The ReSPA Secretariat undertook a comprehensive review of the previous quarter, setting the stage for forthcoming activities to empower civil servants to spearhead reforms, address emerging challenges, and cultivate new skills essential for effective governance. ...

ReSPA, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Italian National School of Administration launched the capacity-building and mobility programme
03 April 2024

3 April 2024, Podgorica, Montenegro ReSPA, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Italian National School of Administration (SNA) have officially launched the “Western Balkans Public Servants Capacity Building and Mobility Programme with Italian ...

ReSPA Interoperability Academy Montenegro: To Unlock the Potential of Data, People Need First Engage in Dialogue
01 April 2024

27-29 March 2024, Bar, Montenegro ReSPA convened key interoperability and data exchange stakeholders in Montenegro at the Interoperability Academy 27-29th in Bar. The aim was to foster discussion regarding the main complexities and challenges in having a fully functional interoperability ...

Our Well-Being Matters: ReSPA Presented the Results of the Mental Well-Being of Civil Servants Survey
29 March 2024

28 March 2024, Online During yesterday's virtual gathering, over 60 participants were enlightened about the mental health of civil servants in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia. This was achieved through a comprehensive presentation of survey findings, delving ...

Informal Meet-up and Debrief on ReSPA’s Activities and Results with Esteemed Ambassadors of ReSPA Members, Representatives of the EU Delegation and Montenegro's Ministry of Public Administration Representative
28 March 2024

28 March 2024, ReSPA Premises Director HANDJISKA-TRENDAFILOVA and the ReSPA team hosted an informal meeting with esteemed guests: HE Ms. Zhaklina PETO, Ambassador of Albania to Montenegro; HE Mr. Branimir JUKIĆ, Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Montenegro; HE Mr. Zećir RAMČILOVIĆ, ...

Regional Open Data Challenge 2024 (RODC2024) Info Session
28 March 2024

The Regional Open Data Challenge 2024 (RODC2024) Info Session, jointly organized by ReSPA and UNDP Serbia, successfully convened virtually, attracting numerous innovative minds eager to delve deeper into the initiative.

ReSPA Joins Forces With Partners to Support Effective SDG Governance in the Western Balkans
27 March 2024

26-27 March 2024, Budva, Montenegro ReSPA and public servants from the region joined the two-day Workshop of the European Sustainable Development Network (ESDN) organised in cooperation with the Government of Montenegro and the UN Development Programme. Public servants from the Western Balkans ...

ReSPA Team in Visits to Croatian PA: Collaboration with Esteemed Partners from Croatia is Deemed Invaluable, Given Croatia's Firsthand Experience in the Accession Process and Navigating the European Administrative Space
26 March 2024

Zagreb, 26 March 2024 The meeting with Mr. Rudolf VUJEVIĆ, Director of the Croatian National School of Public Administration (NSPA), and Dubravka SMOLIĆ VLAIĆ, head of Service for Knowledge Transfer at MFEA, solidified mutual understanding and support in delivering learning and capacity-building ...

ReSPA Mobility Scheme: Human Resources Management Service Team from Serbia Embarked on Learning Journey to Key Italian Institutions for Human Resources
22 March 2024

21-22 March 2024, Rome, Italy Within the ReSPA Mobility Scheme Programme, the HRMS team from Serbia exchanged and learned from their counterparts from the key Italian institutions for human resources. At the Italian National Administration School (SNA), they delved deep into senior civil ...

ReSPA Enables the Participation of Western Balkans Civil Servants in PACE: Prospective approach of Careers in the civil service
22 March 2024

Paris, March 11-13, 2024 ReSPA Continues to enable the participation of the WB civil servants in PACE – this time at the PACE week exchange on "Prospective approach of Careers: Coaching, mentoring" - a comprehensive platform for exploring the prospective approach to careers ...

Regional Mobility Programme Launched: Bridging the WBs with peers from EU Institutions and Regional Organisations
21 March 2024

ReSPA launched today the “Preparatory and Induction Day” of the Western Balkans Regional Mobility Programme, carefully tailored with the strong support of numerous prominent institutions & organizations as well as lectures from EU Member States. The Regional Mobility Programme ...

MULTIFACED ACTIVITIES IN EIPA: Signed MoU, ReSPA Director contributed to EPSA Ceremony, and public administrators from the Western Balkans attended the CAF National Correspondents Meeting
21 March 2024

20-21 March 2024, Maastricht, Netherlands The extensive two-day programme at the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA) encompassed attendance of the Western Balkans’ public administrators at the CAF National Correspondents Meeting, which was a good opportunity for sharing ...

EMBARK ON A REGIONAL OPEN DATA CHALLENGE 2024!
18 March 2024

Join a unique initiative that recognises, awards and promotes the innovative reuse of open data for a greener, more inclusive, and digital future!

PEF Network Members' Meeting
13 March 2024

The meeting convened over 20 EFACs from the Western Balkans to discuss enhancing PEF procedures and EFAC engagement. It included a review of completed and ongoing PEF procedures. Led by Olivera Damjanovic, Slaven Bukarica from ReSPA, and Philip Parzher from KDZ, the meeting fostered discussions ...

Building Strong Connections with Albanian’s Public Administration Towards Driving Lasting Reforms
08 March 2024

8 March 2024, Tirana, Albania Director HANDJISKA-TRENDAFILOVA and Genti XHAXHIU, Programme Coordinator meet with Adea PIRDENI, Minister of State for Public Administration and Anti-Corruption of Albania and her team, Fotjona TACE, Head of Cabinet, and Enkela DUDUSHI, Director of Department ...

ReSPA Team Remains Steadfast in Our Commitment to Lead by Example in Safeguarding the Environment Across the Region
07 March 2024

7 March 2024, Tirana Building on our successful tree-planting initiative in Podgorica last year, the ReSPA team is embarking on a regional mission to plant at least 100 trees across our area in the upcoming period. We'll also actively participate in clean-up efforts to raise awareness ...

Launching the Inaugural Regional Initiative for Sustainable Quality Management in Eastern Partnership Countries: ReSPA's RQMC Team Brings Extensive Expertise to Enhance Excellence, Inspired by Western Balkans Success
01 March 2024

27-29 February 2024, ReSPA Premisses ReSPA hosted a three-day kick-off event for a groundbreaking initiative on applying Quality management in public administration and broader implementation of the European Quality Management Model "CAF" in the Eastern Partnership countries Azerbaijan, ...

Director HANDJISKA-TRENDAFILOVA and H.E. Anne-Marie MASKAY: France Stands Strong with ReSPA in Fueling Western Balkans' EU Integration and Public Administration Reform
29 February 2024

Director HANDJISKA-TRENDAFILOVA warmly welcomed H.E. Anne-Marie MASKAY, the Ambassador of the French Republic to Montenegro, and Mr Johann Uhres, Diplomate at the Embassy, expressing gratitude to the French government for collaborative efforts in supporting the Western Balkans in PAR and EU ...

ReSPA and Montenegro's HRMA Forge Stronger Ties for Future Progress
29 February 2024

29 February 2024, ReSPA premisses In a landmark meeting at the ReSPA premises, Director HANDJISKA-TRENDAFILOVA warmly welcomed a delegation from Montenegro's Human Resources Management Agency (HRMA), led by Director Agron CAMAJ. The purpose of the meeting was to explore extensive avenues ...

ReSPA Mobility Scheme: Montenegro's HRMA Gains Insights through Exchange with Counterparts from Bosnia and Herzegovina
28 February 2024

27-28 February 2024, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina Fostering collaboration between civil servants from the region, this ReSPA's "Mobility Scheme" facilitated an exchange between Montenegro's Human Resources Management Authority (HRMA) and their counterparts from ...

3rd Annual RQMC Meeting: Dynamic Dive into Boosting Quality Excellence in the Western Balkans
26 February 2024

Stepping forward in unleashing regional quality excellence, the 3rd Annual Meeting unveiled achievements and plans to elevate regional expertise in public administration’s quality management for the benefit of ReSPA Members. For the RQMC and ReSPA, the last year was exceptional in ...

Brussels Masterclass: Concluding the Multiple-Module Capacity Building Programme for translation of the acquis
21 February 2024

21 February 2024, Brussels, Belgium The finale of the Multiple-Module capacity-building Program crafted by the Directorate-General for Translation (DGT) of the European Commission and ReSPA, brought together in DGT HQs in Brussels over 40 participants to achieve excellence in translation ...

Minister Dukaj and a delegation from the Ministry of Public Administration visited ReSPA team in the new premises
19 February 2024

Podgorica, 19 February 2024 ReSPA Director Maja Handjiska-Trendafilova hosted a meeting with Marash Dukaj, Minister of Public Administration of Montenegro, along with Naim Gjokaj, State Secretary of the Ministry, Marija Hajduković, Director General for Strategic Planning in Public Administration, ...

ReSPA contributed to the regional conference "Shaping the Future Agenda of Administrative Burden Reduction (ABR)"
09 February 2024

7-8 February 2024, Prishtina The Conference brought together global experts, high-level decision-makers, academia, and essential business and civil society partners. The primary focus was discussing Administrative Burden Reduction (ABR) in the Western Balkans, particularly emphasizing the ...

Contributing to Capacity building Targeting Chapters 4 and 32 of the acquis Through a Programme on Fight Against Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing
08 February 2024

6-7 February 2024, online In a concerted effort to bolster the capacities of public servants in the fight against money laundering and terrorism financing in the Western Balkans, ReSPA conducted a comprehensive online capacity-building program. Over 50 civil servants and employees from National ...

Programme Committee Meeting: Assessing the Progress, Goals, and Priorities of PAR and European Integration in Conjunction with the ReSPA Programme and Strategy
01 February 2024

31 January 2024, Skopje, North Macedonia ReSPA convened the state secretaries and senior managers overseeing public administration, policy coordination, and European integration, along with Governing Board members, to showcase the programmatic initiatives conducted in 2023, outline plans ...

ReSPA backed the participation of public servants from the Western Balkans in the prestigious PACE initiative, granting them access to the engaging programs hosted by the Direction générale de l’administration et de la fonction publique (DGAFP)
31 January 2024

22-26 January 2024, Paris, France For the first time, ReSPA enables the participation of Western Balkans civil servants in the Exchange Week as part of the PACE Initiative, which the French administration coordinates. As part of the strategic collaboration between ReSPA and the French ...

CAF Open Day in Serbia: A multitude of Serbian public institutions converge towards excellence and better public services
25 January 2024

Novi Sad, Serbia By collaborating and partnering, ReSPA and the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government (MPALSG) brought together over 50 representatives from Serbian public administration institutions to get acquainted and explore the benefits of implementing the Common ...

ReSPA, Italian Ministry of Foreign Affaris and Scuola Nazionale Dell’ Administrazione launched the Western Balkans Public Servants Capacity Building and Mobility Programme
22 December 2023

22 December 2023, online ReSPA, in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the National School of Administration (SNA), has introduced the upcoming Western Balkans Public Servants Capacity Building and Mobility Programme. This initiative ...

Workshop on Career Development as a Tool for Staff Attraction and Retention
21 December 2023

13-14 December 2023, Tirana, Albania You cannot develop innovation by sticking to the traditional way of thinking and working! A two-day workshop on career development provided an opportunity for civil servants from the Western Balkans to learn more about career development, a process ...

Teams from the Western Balkans attend the Winter University “Learning to Address Tomorrow's Administrative Challenges in Europe“
20 December 2023

18 – 20 December 2023, Sofia, Bulgaria Public servants from the Western Balkans had three exciting and learning days in Sofia, Bulgaria. ReSPA, through the Horizontal Facility programme, enabled them to attend the programme of the Winter University "Learning to Address Tomorrow's ...

ReSPA and EUI signed a partnership agreement: An opportunity for mutual growth, ultimately benefiting the public administrators from the Western Balkans
19 December 2023

19 December 2023, Online ReSPA Director Maja HANDJISKA-TRENDAFILOVA and Renaud DEHOUSSE, President of the European University Institute (EUI), have formally inked a partnership agreement fostering research, policy discussions, training sessions, mobility programs, and internships. Its primary ...

Online Conversation Decrypted the 2023 Enlargement Package and the Growth Plan
17 December 2023

15 December 2023 ReSPA brought together over 70 public officials from the region to delve into the 2023 Enlargement Package, the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, and the conclusions drawn from the recent EU-Western Balkans Summit. Specifically, they had the chance to explore key aspects ...

ReSPA Mobility Scheme: A team from the Ministry of Public Administration of Montenegro engaged and exchanged with their colleagues from the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA)
14 December 2023

12–13 December 2023, Maastricht, Netherlands   The "Mobility Scheme," a direct support initiative by ReSPA, facilitated Montenegro's Ministry of Public Administration officials to enhance their knowledge of EU-related affairs and quality management through active ...

Handjiska-Trendafilova with the Minister of European Affairs of Montenegro: Enhancing expertise and competencies within Montenegro's negotiation structure for its journey towards EU integration
13 December 2023

13 December 2023, Podgorica In a meeting held on December 13, 2023, in Podgorica, they emphasised the significance of reinforcing administrative capabilities to fulfill EU accession responsibilities effectively. They highlighted the importance of collaboration between state administration ...

Handjska-Trendafilova at the 17th EU-Montenegro Joint Consultative Committee: ReSPA is supporting Montenegro's and region’s PAR and accelerated entry into the EU
08 December 2023

7 December 2023, Brussels, Belgium The Meeting, opened by Oliver Ropke, President of the European Economic and Social Committee, Aurel Laurenţiu Plosceanu, Deputy President of the European Economic and Social Committee, and Maida Gorčević, Montenegro's Minister of European Affairs, ...

Enriching Collaboration Concludes: Successful Milestones Achieved in Capacity-Building Programme on “Translation of the acquis”
07 December 2023

7 December 2023, online  In a significant culmination, we announce the successful conclusion of the 6th and final module of our groundbreaking Capacity-Building programme. This initiative, tailored for approximately 40 dedicated public servants hailing from Translation Coordination ...

Training on job design and job description: Empowering civil servants with concrete skills and tools as a prerequisite for improved HR solutions
07 December 2023

5-6 December 2023, Budva, Montenegro A two-day training on job design and job description is a follow-up of the Workshop on Future Job Descriptions - Contributing to Effective Public Administration held in Skopje on 10-11 July 2023. While previous activity was rather related to experience ...

HRMPD Working Group Meeting: Unveiling 2023 Advancements in Merit-Based Recruitment, Performance Appraisal and Talent Management
01 December 2023

30 November – 1 December 2023, Belgrade, Serbia The HRMPD Working Group Meeting was an occasion to showcase the latest updates in merit-based recruitment and performance appraisal for the year 2023. The presentation of these findings formed the foundation for in-depth discussions, ...

Director Handjiska-Trendafilova and Minister Maraš Dukaj: Empowering the Continuous Evolution of Public Administration Reforms and Elevating Administrative Capabilities
01 December 2023

1 December 2023, Podgorica, Montenegro In a cordial atmosphere, Director Handjijska-Trendafilova extended congratulations to Minister Dukaj on his mandate as Minister of Public Administration of Montenegro, in a challenging global context that further accentuates the importance of strong ...

ReSPA and Transport Community co-delivered the Regional Dialogue on Advancing Skills in the Western Balkans Transport Sector
27 November 2023

27 November 2023, Belgrade, Serbia Aiming to foster a comprehensive discussion on the future landscape of the transport industry in the region through insightful panels and expert engagement, the event identified emerging opportunities in the sector, particularly focusing on future jobs ...

ReSPA Director at the Meeting of Directors General of the EUPAN Network: Enhancing Bilateral and Multilateral Cooperation
27 November 2023

26-27 November 2023, Madrid, Spain The Directors General of the EUPAN Network recently met during the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. This gathering included esteemed representatives from the European Commission, EIPA, Director Generals from the27 Member States and ...

Training programme on “Translation of the acquis”: Module 5 shed light on Procurement
23 November 2023

23 November 2023, online   ReSPA continues its joint initiative with the DG Translation at the European Commission in a dynamic implementation of the Training programme “Translation of the acquis” Module 5 shed light on important aspects of Procurement: Kerstin ...

Senior public officials from the Western Balkans gained valuable insights from their French counterparts on effective leadership and cultivating forward-thinking approaches
22 November 2023

Held in Paris, France on November 20-21, 2023, the workshop titled "Leading with Vision: Cultivating Foresightful Leadership" was meticulously co-designed in collaboration with the French Directorate General of Administration and Public Function (DGAFP) and the French Institute of ...

Western Balkans High-level political dialogue on Public Administration Reform: Crafting Comprehensive Policies to Attract, Motivate, and Retain Skilled Professionals
20 November 2023

Sarajevo, 17th November 2023 ReSPA, as a regionally-owned platform strongly backed by the European Union, facilitated the annual high-level policy dialogue on PAR which gathered ministers from the region and high-ranking representatives from the European Commission in charge of PAR, partner ...

The meeting of the Governing Board at Ministerial Level – Reconfirms the Support of ReSPA members to the mandate of ReSPA
20 November 2023

17 November 2023, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina Minister Azir Aliu, newly appointed ex-officio Chair of the Governing Board of ReSPA: Fostering dialogue and enhancing regional cooperation in the focus of the mandate Bosnia and Herzegovina hosted the 15th Governing Board Meeting at ...

Online Conversation Raised Awareness of the Importance of Talent Management in the Public Service
15 November 2023

15 November 2023, online ReSPA gathered 49 public officials to discuss the concept of talent management and experience from one European public administration and the Western Balkans. Guided by experts Lukáš Jirsa, from the Institute for Public Administration Prague, Check ...

ReSPA facilitated the participation of public servants from the Western Balkans at data.europa.eu workshop on Open Data
15 November 2023

13-14 November, Copenhagen, Denmark The two-day workshop features a comprehensive agenda to foster collaboration and knowledge exchange among 45 participants from 27 countries, including civil servants from the ReSPA Members. An ice-breaking activity provided an opportunity for attendees ...

ReSPA was honoured with the inaugural “Partner of the Year” award by the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government of Serbia: For the first time, the Ministry awarded one institution as part of the Student Professional Practice Fair
15 November 2023

15 November 2023, Belgrade, Serbia Mr Aleksandar Martinović, the Minister of State Administration and Local Self-Government of Serbia (MDULS), formally commenced today the third Student Professional Practice Fair in Public Administration 2023/2024. This collaborative initiative between ...

School on Digital Transformation: Underpinning the Region's Reform Efforts in Digitalization
14 November 2023

Budva, Montenegro: 7-10 November 2023 ReSPA has a longstanding tradition of equipping public administration teams with practical knowledge, insights, and tools to enhance their capabilities in the field of e-government. This year’s extensive programme of the School provided a wealth ...

Quality Management in Translation Process Highlighted in 4th Module of Training Programme “Translation of the acquis”
09 November 2023

9 November 2023, online Over 40 civil servants from Translation Coordination Units in the Western Balkans, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine gathered virtually for the fourth module of the training program on "Translation of the Acquis." The focus of this session was on Quality Management ...

3rd Module of the training programme on “Translation of the acquis” shed light on Terminology
26 October 2023

26 October 2023, online After the successful finalisation of the 2nd Module of the 6-Module Training program on “Translation of the acquis”, co-created with DG Translation (European Commission) to enhance the region’s translation capacities covering various aspects of translation, ...

CAF Self-Assessment Team of the Ministry for Public Administration of Montenegro Developed an Action Plan for Achieving Excellence
26 October 2023

24-25 October 2023, Bar, Montenegro After successfully completing two CAF Workshops, the CAF Self-Assessments team of the Ministry identified areas in need of improvement during the third and the last CAF Workshop. A group of 16 dedicated professionals from the Ministry of Public Administration ...

Unlocking Regional Synergy: 2nd Meeting of Directors/Heads of Training institutions at the margins of DISPA Meeting injected a fresh surge for more efficient training curricula
25 October 2023

25 October 2023, Madrid, Spain For the second time, directors and heads of training institutions and departments from the region gathered to share their best practices, deliberate on common challenges, and explore opportunities for regional partnerships. This time, ReSPA enabled them ...

ReSPA Promoted Strong Western Balkans Participation in DISPA Biannual Meeting: A Step Toward Achieving European Administrative Standards
24 October 2023

23-24 October 2023, Madrid, Spain The biannual meeting of the Network of Directors of Institutes and Schools of Public Administration (DISPA), held under the patronage and auspices of the Ministry of the Treasury and Public Function and the Spanish National Institute for Public Administration ...

Transforming Government Policy Planning in the Western Balkans with Key Government Officials and Leading Experts
20 October 2023

19-20 October 2023, Vienna, Austria ReSPA and OECD SIGMA Programme, at the “Regional conference on challenges of achieving effective policy planning in the Western Balkans” teamed up the key Western Balkans public officials with highly-ranked Austrian governmental bodies and ...

Consultative Meeting on Better Regulation: Reviewing Recent Progress in the Western Balkans, EU, and OECD Countries, and Planning Next Steps to Enhance this Field Further
18 October 2023

18 October 2023, Vienna, Austria Civil servants from the Western Balkans, dealing with the Better Regulation Agenda, held fruitful meetings discussing recent developments as regards the implementation of impact assessment and public consultation across the region, sharing good practices ...

Supporting Digital Transformation in Montenegro Through Civil Servant Mobility
17 October 2023

16-17 October 2023, Belgrade, Serbia Under ReSPA's new mobility scheme support initiative, a delegation from the Directorate for Infrastructure, Information Security, Digitalization, and e-Services within Montenegro's Ministry of Public Administration recently embarked on a journey ...

Handjiska-Trendafilova at the Forum of Francophonie, Multilingualism, and Cooperation in Europe: Bringing region together and infusing European standards into PAR is at the core of ReSPA
16 October 2023

16 – 18 October 2023, Sofia, Bulgaria This year’s Forum of Francophonie, Multilingualism, and Cooperation in Europe brought together high-level officials of EU Member States, Senior EU officials, directors of schools of government/institutes/schools of public administration ...

Executive Training on EU Integration delivered in partnership with the College of Europe: A transformative learning initiative
13 October 2023

11-12 October 2023, Bruges, Belgium The Executive Training on EU Integration conceptualised as a transformative learning initiative jointly designed by the College of Europe and the Regional School of Public Administration, was organized in Bruges, Belgium on 11 and 12 October 2023. The ...

2nd Module of the Training Program, designed to strengthen translation capabilities in the region, focused on advanced translation tools that can benefit teams working with the EU Acquis
12 October 2023

The virtual 2nd Module of the Training Program, designed in collaboration with the DG Translation unit, brought together 40+ participants from the Western Balkans dealing with the translation of EU Aquis. During this Module, participants delved into various aspects of translation tools. Zoran ...

58th Governing Board Meeting at the Senior Official level recapped a dynamic program of work, substantial uptake of "on-demand" support instruments, and intensified QM activities - all part of the ongoing efforts to drive reforms in public administration
12 October 2023

12 October 2023, ReSPA Secretariat At the 58th Senior Officials Governing Board Meeting, the ReSPA Secretariat reviewed the past quarter and outlined forthcoming activities to support civil servants in driving reforms, tackling evolving challenges, and acquiring new skills to enhance ...

ReSPA’s contribution to two panels at the Sixth Western Balkans Digital Summit: Regional cooperation and equipping public servants with digital skills for “future ready” governments
05 October 2023

4-5 October 2023, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina Given the importance of the Digital Agenda for the Western Balkans, especially in light of the Western Balkans' economies joining the Digital Europe Programme during the 2nd European Union-Western Balkans Regulatory Dialogue ...

Second Module of External CAF Feedback Expert (EFACs) Training: New Cycle of Raising Regional Expertise in External Evaluation of CAF
03 October 2023

2-3 October 2023, Vienna, Austria The Regional Quality Management Centre (RQMC) of ReSPA has dynamised the implementation of the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) across the Western Balkans public administration institutions over the last two years. Counting on building regional expertise ...

The CAF Self-assessment team from the Ministry of Public Administration in Montenegro identified areas for improvement and prioritised actions to achieve excellence
02 October 2023

27-28 September 2023 ReSPA Premises in Danilovgrad During these two days, the team discussed the responses gathered from the CAF Questionnaire, identified their strengths and assets, and determined which areas needed further enhancement. Through group discussions and extensive exchanges, ...

Collaboration with Slovenian colleagues for advanced strategic planning and policy coordination in ReSPA Members
02 October 2023

From 25 - 27 September 2023, in Ljubljana, Slovenia, members of the ReSPA working group responsible for strategic planning, regulatory impact assessment and policy coordination paid a three-day visit to their Slovenian counterparts. This opportunity to exchange knowledge and best practices ...

ReSPA and DG Translation Boost Translation Capacities of the Western Balkans’ Public Administrations
28 September 2023

Today, ReSPA and Directorate General for Translation of the European Commission held the 1st of the 6-module capacity-building programme to support the translation capacities in the region, targeting topics related to translation such as management of the translation process, translation techniques, ...

ReSPA Marked the European Day of Languages by Organising the Western Balkans Conference on the Translation of "Acquis"
26 September 2023

Palace of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia As part of the European Day of Languages initiatives across Europe, ReSPA organized a regional conference on the "Preparation of the national version of the “Acquis", to assist teams within the public administrations in ReSPA Members in ...

Dynamic 42nd Budget Committee Meeting included visit to the Mission of Montenegro to the EU and Capacity Building Training
22 September 2023

ReSPA held its 42nd Budget Committee meeting on September 20-21, 2023, in Brussels, Belgium, with a dynamic agenda that included a visit to the Montenegro Mission to the EU and capacity-building training. During this meeting, ReSPA's team and Budget Committee members engaged in discussions ...

Kick-off of the PAR Strategy 2023-2030 in North Macedonia: Collaboration between public institutions and international organizations under umbrella of the EU support is crucial for building modern, efficient and digital public administration
20 September 2023

20 September 2023, Skopje, North Macedonia ReSPA Director, Maja Handjiska-Trendafilova contributed to the high-level event on the occasion of the launching of the new PAR Strategy, hosted by the Ministry of Information Society and Administration of North Macedonia. Prime Minister Dimitar ...

Tirana Connectivity Forum – ReSPA’s Active Role in Reloading Enlargement
19 September 2023

18-19 Tirana, Albania The Tirana Connectivity Forum (TCF) has reshaped the ongoing discussions regarding EU Enlargement with the Western Balkans, taking a development-oriented approach. TCF has established itself as an annual benchmark for national, regional, and EU stakeholders engaged ...

Data-protection in the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership Region
19 September 2023

Brussels, 18-22 September 2023

CAF Follow-Up: CAF Action Plan and the Professional External Feedback Procedure (PEF) at the Civil Service Agency of the Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina
15 September 2023

14-15 September 2023, Banja Luka, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina Having successfully completed the second round of the CAF in 2022, the Civil Service Agency (CSA) has consistently demonstrated that the CAF is an effective tool for continuous improvement and the establishment of ...

Regional Training of Trainers on “Dispute prevention and management in the Western Balkans”: Enhancing Regional Expertise for an Investor-Friendly Environment
14 September 2023

13-14 September 2023, ReSPA Campus In collaboration with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), ReSPA contributed to a regional Training of Trainers (ToT) program aimed at empowering public servants from the Western Balkans region, hailing from various governmental bodies ...

Handjiska-Trendafilova at Conference "Strengthening the Berlin Process through Parliamentary Diplomacy": It is High Time for the Revitalised Berlin Process to Emphasise the Central Role of Strong Institutions and Public Administration Reform
13 September 2023

12-13 September 2023, Skopje, North Macedonia As part of the Berlin Process Meetings, the conference titled "Strengthening the Berlin Process through Parliamentary Diplomacy" brought together Members of Parliament, parliamentary administrators, think tanks, regional organisations, ...

Digital Transformation Sub-Group Meeting: Valuable Input from Our Working Group Members in Developing e-Gov Pilots
12 September 2023

12 September 2023, Online At ReSPA, we have developed e-Gov pilots as a tool to enhance public services by harnessing digital technologies. These initiatives aim to improve the efficiency and accessibility of government services for citizens and businesses. The advantages of e-Gov pilots ...

Handjiska-Trendafilova at UN Expert Group Meeting: Successful implementation of SDGs in ‘whole-of-society’ commitment is vital to overall regional progress. ReSPA continues to back governments in this complex and long-term endeavour
11 September 2023

7-8 September, UN, New York UN expert group meeting on "Enhanced Innovation to Build Resilient and Responsive Public Administration to Support the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development - An SDGs Mid-Term Review Perspective", organised by the Public Service ...

OGP Summit 2023: ReSPA’s Regional Dialogue as an Impetus to Overcoming Barriers in Building more Transparent and Open Western Balkans Societies
11 September 2023

6-8 September 2023, Tallinn, Estonia This year, for two days, Tallinn was the centre of the world when it came to the Open Government Partnership (OGP). Traditionally, ReSPA took an active role in the OGP Global Summit and organised an OGP Regional Dialogue on Open Data session and a one-day ...

First Module of External CAF Feedback Expert (EFACs) Training: New Cycle of Raising Regional Expertise in External Evaluation of CAF
08 September 2023

6-7 September 2023, online The Regional Quality Management Centre (RQMC) of ReSPA has dynamised the implementation of the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) across the Western Balkans public administration institutions over the last two years. Counting on building regional expertise in implementing ...

ReSPA Programming Workshop: Internal resources mobilised to deliver an ambitious plan of activities that will equip public servants with skills to lead future change
28 August 2023

22-24 August 2023, Žabljak, Montenegro ReSPA team continues to dynamise and fine-tune programmatic activities with an upbeat trend in strengthening bonds between regional PAR actors and supporting the capacity development of public servants and their institutions by blending capacity-building ...

New CAF Implementation in the Western Balkans: Ministry of Public Administration of Montenegro
20 July 2023

19 July 2023, Danilovgrad, Montenegro Today, ReSPA hosted a team of 17 officials from the Ministry of Public Administration of Montenegro, selected as the CAF Self-Assessment Group, and started rolling out the CAF in the Ministry. Never-closer, and among many familiar faces, in an excellent ...

Students' Internship Programme in the Public Administration of Serbia could be an impulse for other similar actions in ReSPA Members to make public administration an attractive employer for talented youth
19 July 2023

19 July 2023, Online Eager to promote successful projects in the Western Balkans public administrations, ReSPA organized a virtual presentation of the Students Internship project from Serbia's Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government (MPALSG) supported by the Serbian ...

Executive Training on Transnational Policymaking & Good Governance: Governing Board Members Empowered to Navigate the Complexities of Policymaking and Effective Governance Practices
12 July 2023

10-11 July 2023  As a side event of the successfully finalized 57th Governing Board Meeting, the Executive Training equipped Governing Board Members and ReSPA team with the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate the complexities of policymaking in an interconnected world and promote ...

Future Job Descriptions Contributing to Effective Public Administration: Lessons Learned from the EU and the Region are Important for Further Development of Human Capacities
12 July 2023

10-11 July 2023, Skopje, North Macedonia During the two-day Workshop in Skopje, senior civil servants dealing with the job descriptions in the relevant Civil Service Agencies/HR Institutions and training academies/schools or departments gained insights into good practices of the job description ...

Summer School on Transport & Trade Facilitation: Simplified Customs Procedures, Reduced Trade Barriers and Improved Connectivity for Efficient Movement of Goods and Services
10 July 2023

3-7 July 2023, Ohrid, North Macedonia ReSPA and Transport Community organized the Summer School that tackled transport and trade-related topics crucial for promoting an efficient and seamless movement of goods and services across borders aiming to simplify customs procedures, reduce trade ...

Summer School on European Integration: a Tailored Learning Programme to Upward Capacities for Dealing with the EU Integration Agenda of the Western Balkans
10 July 2023

4 – 7 July 2023, Italy This year, the Summer School on EU Integration was carefully tailored by ReSPA and the European University Institute (EUI) - an extensive programme that gave a sense of direction and new insights to the teams dealing directly with EU Integration in their further ...

Online Conversation: Employee's Well-Being Is Key Driver for Building a Culture of Trust and Continuous Development of Public Administration
04 July 2023

4 July 2023, Online Around 60 participants, members of all of ReSPA's Regional thematic groups, explored virtually how staff satisfaction and well-being influence public organisations' culture, productivity, and the quality of public service delivery. Participants also discussed ...

Joint webinar of ReSPA, RAI and SELDI on “Promoting Public Administration Integrity via Regional Cooperation” Shed Light on the Coherent and Comprehensive Public Sector Integrity Systems as Critical Principles of PAR
30 June 2023

30 June 2023, online Today 50+ public servants, practitioners, anti-corruption agencies, renowned experts and speakers, and schools/academies of public administration engaged in an expert discussion on the challenges faced for improving governance and the promotion of transparent, accountable ...

Maja Handjiska-Trendafilova at RCC High-Level Cybersecurity Conference: ReSPA Stands Ready to Support the Enhanced Capacity-Building Efforts in the Public Sector that are Necessitated by the Ever-Changing Cyber Threats Landscape
29 June 2023

28-29 June 2023, Brussels High-Level Cybersecurity Conference “Towards a resilient cyberspace in the Western Balkans,” held by Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), spotlighted the importance of regional cooperation in advancing cyber resilience to cyber threats in the Western ...

ReSPA CAF Self-Assessment Team Developed Action Plan at the Final CAF Workshop
28 June 2023

27 June 2023, Bar, Montenegro After two successful CAF Workshops and well-conducted self-assessments with detected shortcomings and areas for improvement, in the third and last CAF Workshop, the whole ReSPA team (including the Self-Assessment Group, management and newcomers) worked on the ...

Handjiska Trendafilova at the Public Administration Day: Dynamizied Collaboration with Montenegrin Public Administration Institutions Directly Benefits the Citizens
27 June 2023

Podgorica, 26 June 2023 Ministry of the Public Administration of Montenegro held Public Administration Day Ceremony that gathered key actors in PAR, ambassadors in Montenegro and partner institutions. The Ceremony was an opportunity to promote the best official or employees from the ministries ...

Building a Strategic Partnership with the Renowned European University Institute (EUI) and School Towards Joint Learning Initiatives for the Direct Benefit of Civil Servants
23 June 2023

19 – 22 June 2023, Florence, Italy ReSPA representatives visited EUI and teamed up with counterparts in Florence. ReSPA Director Maja Handjiska-Trendafilova, Programme Coordinator Gentian Xhaxhiu and Ivana Petričević, Partnership and Knowledge Management Officer exchanged concrete ...

Handjiska-Trendafilova at Prespa Forum Dialogue: Reformed Public Administration is a "Future" and "Youth-Proofed" One
16 June 2023

15-16 June 2023, Struga, North Macedonia Created to enable countries, organisations, and citizens to build long-term relationships by inspiring good-neighbourly relations at the highest level, Prespa Forum Dialogue 2023, titled "Widened European family by 2030: mission (im) possible?" ...

Representatives of the State Commission for Prevention of Corruption (SCPC) from North Macedonia Visited Colleagues from the Agency for Prevention of Corruption (APC) in Montenegro Within ReSPA Mobility Scheme Programme
12 June 2023

Podgorica, 8-9 June 2023 Exchange of experiences and acquisition of good practices is a proven tool for upgrading the professional development of civil servants. Through the Mobility scheme programme, ReSPA supports them in connecting and sharing experiences enabling their professional and ...

Open Data Regional Workshop: Addressed Challenges and Opportunities in Improving Data Portals in ReSPA Members
09 June 2023

8 June, Tirana, Albania How to improve the open data portals for creating the conditions that would ensure bigger publishing and usage of open data through open data portals in ReSPA Members? How to promote the advantages of publishing and using high-value open data sets through the regional ...

2nd Module of the ReSPA Regional Academy on the Evidence-Based Policymaking Process: Monitoring and Evaluation is One of the Key Enablers of Efficient Public Policies
09 June 2023

5-8 June 2023, Bar, Montenegro Last four days, civil servants dealing with policymaking in the Western Balkans gained knowledge and practical insights about methods and tools that can make complex policy planning work more efficiently and harmonize regional approaches in policy planning. ...

Training of Implementation of OGP Participation and Co-Creation of Standards in Albania: Support to the Ministry of State for Standards in Advancing Knowledge of the OGP Standards
07 June 2023

6-7 June 2023, Tirana, Albania ReSPA, jointly with OGP Support Unit supported the Ministry of State for Standards and Services to improve the knowledge of the OGP standards and effective communication between OGP stakeholders by organizing a two-day training Implementation of OGP Participation ...

Training on HR Data Analysis: Trained Civil Servants Who Can Easily Transform Data Into a Consistent Form is the Essence of Efficient and Strategically-Guided decisions in Government Institutions
06 June 2023

6-7 June, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina Civil servants/practitioners dealing with data analysis and preparing the reports for their leaders passed a two-day training to help them improve their knowledge and skills to clean and transform data into a consistent form that can be easily re-used ...

Everyone Has a Role to Play: ReSPA Contributes to a Greener, More Sustainable Western Balkans Region and Actively Marks World Environment Day!
05 June 2023

Podgorica, 5 June 2023. Public administration can lead in the transition to climate neutrality and sustainable growth. This is particularly relevant for a climate-change-vulnerable region such as ours. A sense of urgency for our Planet’s health has to be shared by all! Though collective, ...

Regional Thematic Group Meeting on “European Integration and Accession” Joined Forces of the Western Balkans Actors for More Accelerated EU Accession
01 June 2023

30-31 May 2023, Tirana, Albania Designed as a regional platform to enhance regional cooperation, knowledge exchange, and learning in the domain of EU accession, the Meeting aimed to contribute to a more efficient implementation of the EU accession agenda by bringing together key officials ...

ReSPA Panel and Workshop Enriched the 31st NISPAcee Conference
26 May 2023

25-27 May 2023, Belgrade, Serbia The 31st NISPA Cee Annual Conference “Future of Public Administration through emerging technologies” tackled the role of public administration in rapidly accelerating socio-economic changes taking into account the opportunities offered by new ...

ReSPA Contributed at the 10th Annual Meeting of the Global OECD Network of Schools of Government and Signed MoU with Italian National School of Administration
25 May 2023

22-24 May, Rome, Italy ReSPA representatives contributed to the 10th Anniversary Annual Meeting of the Global OECD Network of Schools of Government, organized by the OECD and the Italian National School of Administration (SNA). Prominent experts, academics and leaders from the institutes ...

ReSPA contributed to the DISPA 2023 & “European Guidelines for Public Administration” Conferences: deepening collaboration with our partners and seeking ways to open avenues for the new ones
13 May 2023

11-12 May 2023, Stockholm, Sweden  /  12 May 2023, online attendance to the hybrid Conference ReSPA took an active part in two Conferences aiming to deepen collaboration with DISPA Members and open avenues for the exchange and collaboration with the Ukrainian public administration ...

CAF Self-assessment team of the Public Administration Reforms Coordinator’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina (PARCO) developed Action Plan at the final CAF Workshop
13 May 2023

11-12 May 2023, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina After two successful CAF Workshops and well-conducted self-assessments with detected shortcomings and areas for improvement in the institution, in the third CAF Workshop, members of the CAF Self-assessment team focused on developing the CAF ...

CAF Consensus Workshop at ReSPA: Common Understanding of Improvement Areas and Prioritized Actions on Our Way to Excellence
10 May 2023

The last two days ReSPA CAF Self-assessment team discussed inputs from the CAF Questionnaire and reflected on our assets and strengths and which areas should be further enhanced. In this important but demanding journey, with the strong support of Philip Parzer and Alexandra Schantl from ...

Handjiska-Trendafilova at the 8th EC Enlargement Day: Skills Development in Public Administration is Paramount for Accelerated Reforms in the Western Balkans
05 May 2023

During the two-day European Committee of the Regions’ flagship event on EU enlargement policy dialogue and capacity-building, organized in cooperation with the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU, representatives of countries joining the EU, partner countries and other important ...

Civil Servants in Charge of HR and Recruitment from the Western Balkans got Acquainted with the Latest EU Trends in Selection Procedures and Competition Models
28 April 2023

Over the last three days, HR teams from the Western Balkans public administrations visited the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO), European Commission, Directorate-General Human Resources and Security, European School of Administration and Belgian Federal Public Service Policy and Support ...

CAF Self-assessment team of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy of North Macedonia developed Action Plan at the final CAF Workshop
26 April 2023

ReSPA held the third–final CAF Workshop at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy of North Macedonia. After two successfully implemented CAF Workshops and well-conducted self-assessments with detected shortcomings and areas for improvement in the institution, today, ...

The final – CAF Action Plan Workshop brought closer the State Commission for Prevention of Corruption of North Macedonia to the excellence
25 April 2023

ReSPA held the third–final CAF Workshop at the State Commission for Prevention of Corruption (SCPC) in Skopje. After two successful CAF Workshops in CAF implementation and well-conducted self-assessment with detected shortcomings and areas for improvement in the institution, today's ...

CAF Consensus Workshop at PARCO: Intensive work on detecting strengths and areas for improvement brought consensus about prioritized actions and the development of an Action Plan
13 April 2023

Sarajevo, 12-13 April 2023 CAF project implementation at the Public Administration Reforms Coordinator’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina (PARCO) went through the most important phase – the consensus workshop. Aiming to get a consensus on the inputs provided by each CAF Self-assessment ...

For The Very First Time ReSPA Independently Awarded One Institution from the WB with the “CAF Effective User” Certificate: The Civil Service Agency of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
12 April 2023

ReSPA Director and Managing Director of KDZ handed over the “CAF Effective User” Certificate to the Director of the FBiH Civil Service Agency, at a promotional event jointly organized today by ReSPA, the Agency and KDZ in the premises of the Government of the Federation of Bosnia ...

56th GB Meeting at Senior Official Level: Building on Empowering of the Civil Servants in the WBs and Strengthening Partnership and Intra-institutional Component at EU Level, ReSPA Entered into the New Cycle of the EC Grant Contract
06 April 2023

At 56th Governing Board Meeting at the Senior Official Level, ReSPA Secretariat recapped the last quarter (25 November 2022 – 16 March 2023), emphasizing: 5 regional networking and capacity-building activities realized; 4 ReSPA Open Days in the ReSPA Members served as a good forum ...

“New Tendencies in Public Administration: Attractiveness, Innovation and Greening” were the Focus of the ReSPA Workshop
04 April 2023

Belgrade, 4 April 2023 The Workshop” was an exceptional opportunity to exchange the state of play and the latest trends in public administration. Designed in partnership with the French Ministry of Public Sector Transformation, the Workshop targeted 25 top public servants from Serbia ...

Interoperability in the Western Balkans’ Public Administrations: Governments Should Consider Enhancing Interoperability at the Policy and Operational Levels - Interoperability is More than a Strategic Priority in Digital Transformation
31 March 2023

Belgrade, 30-31 March 2023 The two-day Interoperability training was an opportunity for civil servants from the Western Balkans to discuss the insights of the collected information on the state of the art in the interoperability from the public administrations as well as to look into the ...

ReSPA Director Contributes to the 22nd Session of the UN Committee of Experts on Public Administration titled “Urgently Transforming Institutions for a Greener, More Inclusive and More Resilient World at a Time of Multiple Crises”
29 March 2023

UN Headquarters, New York (Online) Among various sessions addressing the ways to respond to the effects of climate change in institution-building efforts in fragile countries and countries emerging from conflict, the application of the UN principles of effective governance for sustainable ...

Preparatory Meeting for Development of the Regional Study of the Integrated Planning System in the Western Balkans
28 March 2023

The regional network of policy coordinators and local experts discussed today in Belgrade the state of the art of Integrated Planning System (IPS) in the Western Balkans to build a foundation for the strategic, legal, and institutional aspects of the methodology for developing the overarching ...

Series of ReSPA Open Days Finished in Podgorica: Networking, Learning and Capacity Development Activities to Foster Policy Development, Digitalization and Accelerated EU Integration for the Benefits of the Citizens in the Western Balkans
17 March 2023

Podgorica, 17 March 2023 The last in the series, ReSPA Open Day held today in Podgorica under the support and warm hospitality of the Human Resource Administration. The event brought together  Mr Yngve Engstroem, Head of Cooperation, European Delegation to Montenegro and other highly-ranked ...

Re-introducing CAF in ReSPA: Second Cycle of Strong Commitment to CAF and Our Continuous Improvement
14 March 2023

Today ReSPA team started with the second cycle of CAF implementation in ReSPA. As firm CAF believers, the whole ReSPA team as a Self-Assessment Group will work towards improving organisational performance to ultimately better support the Western Balkans public administrations and public administration ...

CAF Self-assessment team of the State Commission for Prevention of Corruption of North Macedonia successfully finalized the Consensus Workshop
10 March 2023

Aimed to get a consensus on the inputs provided through CAF Questionnaire, Workshop brought together employees from the SCPC (appointed as the Self-Assessment team) who discussed detected strengths and weaknesses and suggested actions to improve processes and efficiency. In two days ...

Handjiska-Trendafilova: Inter-Institutional Cooperation is a Strong Vehicle for Strengthening the Capacity and Knowledge of Civil Servants
10 March 2023

ReSPA Director, Maja Handjiska-Trendafilova contributed to the Multilateral Meeting "International Cooperation in the Spotlight" hosted by NAPA on the occasion of celebrating its 5th Anniversary. “All that ReSPA does go in the same direction: modernization of the public ...

ReSPA Open Day in Belgrade: Intensive ReSPA Activities Contribute to Serbia's Efforts in Bringing Forward the Reform Agenda
07 March 2023

Belgrade, Forth ReSPA Open Day gathered civil servants and members of the thematic groups from Serbia. Designed as a participatory and discussion forum on ReSPA's activities envisaged for 2023, the meeting focused on the particular needs of Serbia's public administration. "Today, ...

ReSPA Open Day in Tirana: 30+ learning and capacity development activities shaped to foster policy development, accelerate EU integration, human resources management and digitalization
03 March 2023

The third Open Day was held this Friday in Tirana, where ReSPA team met up with civil servants and members of the thematic groups from Albania and introduced the strategic focus and activities envisaged for 2023. Discussing the particular needs of Albania's public administration, they jointly ...

Handjiska-Trendafilova: Turning ReSPA motto into reality: Open Days with our stakeholders offer avenues for joint regional initiatives to advance PAR Agenda
01 March 2023

Skopje - As part of the series of Open Days in each Member, ReSPA presented the strategic focus and blend of activities envisaged in the Programme of Work for 2023 to civil servants, members of the ReSPA thematic groups and program committee of North Macedonia. They provided concrete suggestions ...

ReSPA has started with the CAF implementation in PARCO, BiH: For the first time, the Workshop was facilitated by CAF Facilitators trained within our RQMC
24 February 2023

Sarajevo – PARCO is a new member of an increasing number of public administration institutions implementing CAF 2020. In the first Workshop held today, PARCO’s Self-assessment Group members were introduced to the CAF model and CAF process and practised the CAF Questionnaire by working ...

ReSPA Open Day in Sarajevo: Regional Cooperation is the Key to Delivering Concrete Results in PAR Agenda
23 February 2023

Sarajevo - ReSPA 2023 Open Days, scheduled for each ReSPA Member, started today in Bosnia and Herzegovina - our Chairmanship Member. "With the newly signed EC Grant, ReSPA stands fully committed to supporting the PAR agenda and delivering results to the benefit of our citizens. With ...

ReSPA Open DAYS: Introduction of activities and instruments envisaged in Programme of Work 2023
17 February 2023

ReSPA recently signed the new EC grant 2022/437-350 and continues the implementation of activities towards achieving its strategic objectives: Improved implementation of PAR Strategies in the Western Balkans; Improved professionalization of public service; Improved public services ...

CAF Consensus Workshop at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy of North Macedonia raised a new vision on how to advance the overall performance
16 February 2023

CAF Self-assessment team of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy of North Macedonia went through the most demanding but crucial phase – Consensus workshop. Aimed to get a consensus on the inputs provided through CAF Questionaire, the Workshop brought together employees ...

ReSPA Contributed to the Conference “Quality of Public Services as a Prerequisite for the Economic and Social Development of Montenegro” Organized by the Ministry of Public Administration
22 December 2022

The Conference underscored the significance of quality management in public administration and responsible, professional, efficient, transparent and inclusive service to citizens and businesses as key economic and social development determinants. ReSPA Director, Maja Handjiska-Trendafilova, ...

EPSO article on “Objectivity and equality of treatment in Public Sector selection methodologies
21 December 2022

The European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) has recently worked on an article on “Objectivity and equality of treatment in Public Sector selection methodologies”. EPSO has shared the article with ReSPA, and we are happy to be the first to make it available for professionals, ...

Meeting of ReSPA Liaison Officers: Regional Dialogue and Exchanging of Good Practices in the Light of Further Advancing ReSPA’s Impact in the Region
19 December 2022

The Meeting tackled numerous topics related to the important role of Liaison Officers in implementing ReSPA activities, boosting regional collaboration and continuously strengthening ReSPA’s impact in the region, visible through achieved results. The Liaison Officers exchanged views ...

2nd Annual Meeting of Regional Quality Management Centre: Growing Impact in Scaling up Regional QM Expertise and Improving Service Delivery for Our Citizens
17 December 2022

The Meeting revealed the growing impact of the ReSPA’s RQMC in scaling up regional expertise in quality management as a prerequisite for more efficient service delivery. Implemented activities and concrete results as well as those planned within the Annual Plan for 2023 prove the devotion ...

4th Programme Committee Meeting: Main results collectively attained within the current EC Grant vs goals and objectives envisaged in the new one
15 December 2022

The Programme Committee members comprised of senior public officials in charge of public administration, Economic reforms programmes, NIPAC office and EU accession Units representatives as well as ReSPA Governing Board members at the Senior Officials level exchanged information on overall achievements ...

55th GB Meeting at the Senior Official Level: Recapping the last quarter and results and charting actions for unlocking the Programme of Work 2023 opportunities
14 December 2022

Organized as a side event on the margins of the GB Development Session in the Hertie School  Berlin, the regular 55th Governing Board Meeting at the Senior Official level recaps ReSPA’s work within the last quarter and ambitious Programme of Work 2023 within the upcoming 5th EC Grant. “Transformation ...

ReSPA has started with the CAF implementation in the State Commission for Prevention of Corruption of North Macedonia
14 December 2022

Regional Quality Management Centre of ReSPA has started with the new CAF implementation in the State Commission for Prevention of Corruption in Skopje, North Macedonia. Starting as an In-Country support project and pursuing within the BACID III, ReSPA continues with the mass implementation ...

Handjiska-Trendafilova: Regional SDG Conference Confirmed the Strong Correlation between Resilient Public Administration and attaining the Sustainable Development Goals
08 December 2022

The Regional Conference “Sustainable Development in the Western Balkans”, co-organized by ReSPA and the United Nations of Montenegro, under the patronage of the Government of Montenegro, provided a high-level regional platform shedding light on the implementation of the Sustainable ...

Extended Meeting of the e-Government WG: Revealing Regional and Global Trends In The Digital Transformation of The Public Administration Ecosystem in the Context of Regional Development and Growth
05 December 2022

  The Extended Meeting of ReSPA E-Gov WG Group, "Strengthening the resilience of public institutions in the context of digital transformation", discussed the potential of applying different selected approaches for strengthening the foundations for the long-term resilience ...

ReSPA and the French INSP: Ample Possibilities for Intensified Collaboration for the Benefit of the Western Balkans Public Sector
02 December 2022

Today ReSPA team hosted a French delegation consisting of Mr Julien Theron, Deputy Director of of the National Institute of Public Service (INSP), Ms Pauline Martin, General department of administration and public service, Mr François Lafond, International technical expert for public ...

Handjiska-Trendafilova: Fruitful Discussions With Minister Martinović Towards Fully Harnessing the Prospects For Regional Networking, Knowledge and Utilizing Respa's Boosted Instruments to Meet Growing Needs Towards Modern Public Administration
01 December 2022

ReSPA Director Handjiska Trendafilova met Mr Aleksandar Martinovic, Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government of the Republic of Serbia (MDULS). Director Handjiska congratulated Minister Martinović on his appointment and expressed her gratitude for the fact that MDULS, as ...

Handjiska-Trendafilova: Building Human Capital and Administrative Capacites and Supporting the Life-long Learning Process will Inherently Boost the Trust in Public Services Across the Region
01 December 2022

ReSPA Director Maja Handjiska Trendafilova contributed to the Conference organized by the Expertise France, dedicated to the National Academy for Public Administration of the Republic of Serbia (NAPA), which gathered eminent representatives Mr Aleksandar Martinović, Minister of Public Administration ...

Executive Learning Programme on Better Regulation: Designing Regulatory Reforms and Improve Policymaking in the Western Balkans
25 November 2022

Twenty professionals dealing with impact assessments and stakeholder consultation in Line Ministries and RIA Oversight Units across the Western Balkans attended the ReSPA Executive Learning Programme on Better Regulation, which tackled key concepts of Better Regulation and how they are applied ...

ReSPA has started with the CAF implementation in the Ministry of in the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy of North Macedonia
18 November 2022

RQMC of ReSPA within BACID III project and with the support of our KDZ Partners from Austria will guide more than 20 officials from different departments of the Ministry in building their capacities to improve overall institutional performances that will reflect in better public services for ...

Study visit to Tallinn: Members of the Centre of Government and Better Regulation working groups visited their colleagues at the Government office of Estonia
17 November 2022

Three-day working visit in Tallinn, designed to connect civil servants from the region with their colleagues from  Estonia, provided an opportunity for them to get in touch with best-recognized practices and champions within policy coordination and better regulation to uphold reforms in ...

The First Meeting of Directors & Heads of Training Institutions
16 November 2022

Directors and heads of training institutions and departments dealing with programming or training delivery across the region presented their good practices and challenges faced in everyday work and development. The Meeting was organised as a follow-up of the 14th ReSPA Governing Board meeting ...

ReSPA held its 14th Governing Board Meeting at the Ministerial level: Bosnia and Herzegovina takes over the Chairmanship of ReSPA
15 November 2022

Ministers and Deputy Ministers in charge of Public Administration Reform (PAR) from ReSPA Members: Ms Milva Ekonomi, Minister of State for Standard Services, Republic of Albania /Chair of the Governing Board, Mr Josip Grubeša, Minister of Justice, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mr Marash Dukaj, ...

ReSPA Turns 12!
11 November 2022

12 intense years of supporting the Western Balkans governments in citizen-focused public administration reforms and their path to the EU! Today we celebrate the cumulative results and the shared bold vision of the Western Balkans governments and EU for strengthened regional cooperation in ...

Handjiska-Trendafilova: ReSPA will continue to support citizen-focused reforms and public administrations in the Western Balkans
10 November 2022

ReSPA Director, Ms Maja Handjiska Trendafilova, contributed to the 3rd WeBER Regional Conference “Citizens first: Better administration through citizen consultation,” which focused on citizens and civil societies as partners and contributors in the design and monitoring of public ...

Innovation and Learning Journey of PA Awards 2022 Winning teams: EU trends and hands-on training for their consistent improvements in delivering public services
31 October 2022

ReSPA and OECD/SIGMA organised the “Innovation and Learning Journeys” - three innovation and learning capacity-building units for the Public Administration Awards in the Western Balkans 2022 winning teams. The Journey aimed to provide insights to representatives of awarded teams ...

HRMD Working group representatives exchanged views with their colleagues from Spain
31 October 2022

ReSPA organised the Working visit to the School of Public Administration of Catalonia from 25 to 26 October and the National Institute of Public Administration from 27 to 28 October 2022. Representatives from the Western Balkans dealing with Human Resources and Management ...

Mobility scheme: Montenegrin HRMA and CSA of the Federation of BaH shared experiences in the field of human resources to boost mutual efficiency
24 October 2022

ReSPA, within the Mobility scheme programme, organised a two-day working visit of the Montenegrin Human Resource Agency to the Civil Service Agency of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina on 17-18 October 2022.

RESPA and OECD/SIGMA Western Balkans Public Administration Award initiative provided a strong impetus in promoting excellence and innovation in the public administrations
20 October 2022

Upon invitation from UN DESA, ReSPA and PA Awards in the Western Balkans contribute to the review and enhancement of the global UN PA Award on the occasion of its 20th anniversary. Maja Handjiska-Trendafilova, ReSPA Director, presented the model and results of the Western Balkans Public Administration ...

Regional Academy on Evidence-based Policymaking Process: Long-term flagship initiative to empower civil servants and make this complex work more efficient and effective
20 October 2022

Established as a new and robust mechanism for enhancing policy-making in the Western Balkans public administrations and making them more efficient and effective, the Academy will focus on Cooperation with national governmental authorities and academic communities; Stronger involvement ...

ReSPA hosts and shares experiences with the Ministry of Finance of North Macedonia towards the establishment of the Public Finance Academy
19 October 2022

Today we hosted in ReSPA representatives of the Ministry of Finance from North Macedonia as well as partners from the Centre of Excellence in Finance (CEF-Slovenia) and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA-United Kingdom). We shared our vast experience in running ...

Handjiska-Trendafilova: Regional ownership of ReSPA work is crucial for lasting public sector transformation in the region
14 October 2022

The regular 54th Governing Board Meeting at Senior Official level enabled important regional guidance concerning a series of strategic, programmatic, operational and financial matters of ReSPA’s work.   The meeting took stock of the activities and results attained in the course ...

OGP Eastern Partnership/Western Balkans Community Dialogue: Amplifying regional ambition in making the Western Balkans governments more transparent, accountable and responsive to the citizens
14 October 2022

The representatives from Western Balkans public administrations working on Open Government Partnership and Opening of Data issues gathered at the  OGP Eastern Partnership/Western Balkans Community Dialogue organised by ReSPA and OGP Europe Unit as the side event to OGP Europe Regional ...

Good governance and Public Administration Reform, in the spotlight of the workshop on Window 2 of IPA III
13 October 2022

The Regional Workshop on Window 2 of IPA III “Good governance, EU acquis alignment, good neighbourly relations and strategic communication”, served as a platform for discussion and brainstorming among NIPAC Offices, various institutions from the Western Balkans (General Secretariat, ...

Mobility scheme of ReSPA connected the Ministry of Information and Administration from North Macedonia with numerous institutions from the Republic of Serbia
07 October 2022

Based on the request from the Ministry of Information and Administration of North Macedonia (MISA), ReSPA organized the Mobility scheme to connect public officials from MISA with their colleagues from several respective institutions in the Republic of Serbia, namely the Ministry of Public Administration ...

ReSPA attends the coordination meeting of Regional organizations: stronger together!
04 October 2022

ReSPA joined the Secretariat of CEFTA, Regional Cooperation Council, Transport Community and RYCO in a coordination meeting of representatives of regional organizations active in the Western Balkans held in Brussels. The meeting was also attended by representatives of DG NEAR, the European ...

2nd Module of CAF External Feedback Experts (EFAC) Training
30 September 2022

ReSPA within the Regional Quality Management Centre, with the support of the KDZ, organized virtually the Second Module of EFAC Training. This three-module training is designed for those public officials from the Western Balkans who want to deepen their CAF facilitation skills and act as CAF ...

ERP and IPA Coordinators are a path to expanding opportunities in the Region by boosting better understanding, mutual learning and lasting strategic foresight
30 September 2022

ReSPA teamed-up with the Centre of Excellence in Finance (CEF) in a regional workshop that brought together public servants from the Western Balkans and Turkey, dealing with the coordination of the Economic Reform Programme (ERP) as well as coordination of the IPA III instrument. Along with ...

ReSPA team hosted students from the Burch University Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
27 September 2022

Today we welcomed a group of students from the International Burch University from Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. More than 25 International Relations and European Studies students got insights on how ReSPA supports the Western Balkans in progressing with reforms in the public administrations. Even ...

Workshop on Window 4 of IPA III brought together European Commission and Western Balkans administrations aiming to improve programming of EU assistance
26 September 2022

The Regional Workshop on Window 4 of IPA III “Competitiveness and inclusive growth”, organized by ReSPA in partnership with GIZ, brought together the IPA III responsible officials of the DG NEAR (EC), representatives of NIPAC Offices and various Ministries from the Western Balkans ...

ReSPA contributes to the Western Balkans Digital Summit 2022
22 September 2022

Continuing to support the Western Balkans governments to keep up with the digital transformation, ReSPA contributed to the Western Balkans Digital Summit as a regional collaborative platform. With the enduring commitment to advancing digitalisation, service delivery and open data culture, ...

ReSPA promoted the "Strategy for the development of human resources in the civil service structures of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina"
22 September 2022

Today, in Neum, at the promotion of the Strategy ReSPA gathered prominent officials of the federal government, seven cantons, members of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Human Resources Development Network, and guests from other administrative levels in BiH. With this Strategy, ReSPA ...

ReSPA Mobility Scheme: Regional exchange between the Ministry of Public Administration of Montenegro and the Office for IT and E-Government of the Government of Serbia
21 September 2022

Montenegro has signed an agreement on cross-border recognition of electronic trust services with the Republic of Serbia, which is not yet technically implemented but represents a legal basis for regional cooperation between these two countries. In supporting this process of regional cooperation, ...

ReSPA held the final - CAF Action Plan Workshop at the Agency for Civil Service of Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina
20 September 2022

Within Regional Quality Management Centre, ReSPA organized the final – CAF Action Plan Workshop in the Agency for Civil Service of Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Self-assessment group members from the Agency for Civil Service of Republika Srpska went through clustered recommended ...

Congratulations to the Winners and Special Recognitions of this year’s Public Administration Awards contest!
15 September 2022

ReSPA, in partnership with OECD/SIGMA, hosted the Ceremony for the Public Administration Awards in the Western Balkans and announced three winners and eight initiatives that deserve special recognition. The Ceremony was a part of the Western Balkans Ministerial Conference on PAR held in Skopje, ...

High-level political dialogue on Public Administration Reform brought new insights and actions to be taken toward sustainable and inclusive growth and job creation in the Western Balkans
15 September 2022

ReSPA with support of OECD/SIGMA, at the Western Balkans Ministerial Conference on Public Administration Reform (PAR), brought together ministers and high-ranking EC representatives in charge of PAR as well as the most important PAR actors from the region to discuss the future of citizen-centered ...

Meeting Handjiska Trendafilova - Grkovska: ReSPA can provide significant support to the North Macedonian Government in improving public administration by providing successful examples already produced in other Western Balkans and through specific projects
21 July 2022

The director of ReSPA, Maja Handjiska-Trendafilova met the Deputy Prime Minister in charge of good governance policies of North Macedonia, Slavica Grkovska. They discussed the possibilities for improving cooperation in the direction of strengthening the capacities of public administration ...

The Winners of the Public Administration Awards 2022 in the Western Balkans Have Been Elected!
20 July 2022

After an intensive Assessment phase, the  ReSPA and SIGMA/OECD Jury selected the THREE winners and SEVEN initiatives to be awarded the Special Recognition of the Western Balkans Public Administration Award 2022 contest. All awarded initiatives will be announced at the Public Administration ...

Handjiska -Trendafilova: Activities behind us and those in front of us prove the devotion of RePA team to invigorate regional cooperation that fosters public administration reforms in the Western Balkans
08 July 2022

ReSPA held 53rd Governing Board Meeting at the Senior Official Level. “Today’s dynamic and efficient meeting took stock of ReSPA’s activities performed over the last three, extremely intense months. It also showcased that the ReSPA team will continue on the same track and ...

Joint Quality Management Working Group & CAF Network Meeting
07 July 2022

The Meeting of Quality Management Working Group and CAF Network reviewed the activities implemented and the results of the current RQMC Programme (2021-2022). Specific services that will be implemented in the upcoming period within BACID III Programme were emphasized and elaborated on, such ...

Quality Management in Public Administration Indicates the Governments’ Commitment to Ultimately Improve User Satisfaction
06 July 2022

Today’s Conference “Good Governance Foundation for Quality Management in Public Administration”, co-organized by ReSPA, SIGMA/OECD and the Ministry of State for Standards of Services of Albania and under the patronage of the Prime Minister of Albania, showcased the importance ...

2nd Workshop on Evaluation of PAR 2018-2022 and Recommendation for a New Strategy and Action Plan in North Macedonia
05 July 2022

ReSPA jointly with the Ministry of Information Society and Administration (MISA) of North Macedonia, organized a second Workshop that contributed to the Evaluation of the PAR Strategy and Action plan in North Macedonia and the preparation of the Report for the Ministry of Information Society ...

ReSPA Planning Workshop: Dynamizing and upscaling activities towards a fully modernized Western Balkans administrative space and lasting public administration reforms
02 July 2022

The ReSPA planning Workshop confirmed our intention to dynamize and raise the bar on the quality of our support to the regional collaboration at the highest level and empower civil servants to be better equipped for addressing significant societal challenges. Due to ever-changing processes ...

Competency-Based Management in the Civil Service: Competences Have Become Broader, Including Knowledge, Skills, Ability and other Characteristics
24 June 2022

Workshop on "Competency-based Management in the Civil Service of the Western Balkans " brought together 19 senior managers and officers in the line Ministries and Civil Service Agencies/ Human Resource Management Authorities from ReSPA Members to exchange experience on the development ...

ReSPA joins forces with Transport Community on building administrative capacities for sectoral policies: Public Administration can be a backbone for sustainable connectivity, green transition, and implementation of the Economic and Investment Plan
22 June 2022

ReSPA contributed to the Annual Summer School of Transport Community Secretariat to support administrative capacity building and implement core PAR principles in sectoral policies. The school offers participants from the Western Balkans an opportunity to gain sound knowledge and understanding ...

CAF Consensus Workshop at the Civil Service Agency of the Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina: Identified solutions for the further improvements
21 June 2022

CAF project implementation at the Civil Service Agency of the Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina (ADU RS) went through the second and most crucial phase - a Consensus workshop, to get a consensus on the inputs provided by each CAF Self-assessment group member through CAF Questionnaire.

Public Administration Awards 2022 : The Call is Closed!
21 June 2022

ReSPA and OECD/SIGMA would like to give a HUGE thank you to all the participants in the Public Administration Awards 2022 for their devotion and willingness to participate in this unique endeavor. We are extremely pleased with the high number of submissions! This year there are almost twice ...

ReSPA Director presented the Western Balkans' regional perspective on the post-pandemic learning culture in the public sector at a stellar panel at the Annual Meeting of OECD's Global Network of Schools of Government
20 June 2022

Great global dialogue and knowledge exchange at the Annual Meeting of OECD's Global Network of Schools of Government "Exploring post-pandemic learning cultures in the public sector". As part of a stellar panel, "Developing the resilient civil service of the future", ...

ReSPA Mobility scheme : Officials from the Ministry of Public Administration of Montenegro exchanged experiences with Albanian counterparts
20 June 2022

Supported within the ReSPA Mobility scheme, a delegation of the Ministry of Public Administration visited the institutions of the Albanian government in charge of public administration reform on 16-17 June 2022.

First module of CAF Facilitator & External CAF Feedback Expert (EFACs) Training - An essential footprint toward mass-implementation of CAF in the Western Balkans public institutions
17 June 2022

13-15 June 2022, Vienna, Austria

Minister Admirim Aliti: Today's final CAF Workshop will result in a good Plan that will improve the work of MISA. As a regional leader in the field of quality management, MISA will continue with the implementation of the CAF model in public institutions
17 June 2022

ReSPA held the final - CAF Action Plan Workshop at the Ministry of Information Society and Administration (MISA) after two successful CAF Workshops in the project of CAF implementation. Minister Admirim Aliti opened the Workshop and thanked the ReSPA team "for their support in implementing ...

Handjiska-Trendafilova : ReSPA, as a regional hub, aims to provide strategic support for public administration reform by encouraging regional cooperation and developing tailor-made solutions for all PAR actors to accelerate reforms
15 June 2022

ReSPA Director Maja Handjiska-Trendafilova visited the Chamber of Economy in Montenegro and met with its President, Dr. Nina Drakić and Vice President Dragan Kujović. As public administration reforms need to respond to the needs of citizens and businesses, they discussed possibilities ...

The deadline for submitting the Western Balkans PA Awards 2022 applications has been extended by June 20, 2022!
14 June 2022

ReSPA and OECD/SIGMA invite public sector champions that deliver human-centric services to apply and win valuable prizes!

Handjiska-Trendafilova and Marović: ReSPA's more proactive and visible role in supporting good governance and lasting public administration reforms in Western Balkans
14 June 2022

"Public administration reform is crucial for improving the quality of public services and getting back on the path of sustainable and inclusive growth. PAR is also fundamental to Montenegro's EU accession path. ReSPA is here to be a constructive partner to the Government and help build ...

Maja Handjiska-Trendafilova : ReSPA's contribution to CEF and WeBER Conferences and RCC's Annual Meeting showcased elevated cooperation with regional partners towards a more robust and resilient public administration
09 June 2022

ReSPA Director took an active role in the regional CEF Forum Conference on "Strong Institutions deliver on Their Mandate", WeBER network Conference on "Mainstreaming PAR in sectoral policies", and the 14th Annual Meeting of Regional Cooperation Council (RCC).

Handjiska-Trendafilova: ReSPA, RCC, and key regional partners are building alliances to pave the way for advancing public administration reforms in the Western Balkans
09 June 2022

ReSPA and its key regional and international partners participate in the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Annual meeting under SEECP Athens Chairmanship-in-Office.

Evaluation of the PAR Strategy 2018-2022 of North Macedonia: With ReSPA support, MISA and other PAR actors identified the state of play of the existing PAR Strategy and recommendations for its new edition 2023-2030
09 June 2022

ReSPA held 1st Workshop on the evaluation of PAR 2018–2022 and recommendations for a new Strategy and Action plan in North Macedonia. During the Workshop, representatives of the PAR coordination body in North Macedonia - the Ministry of Information Society and Administration (MISA), and ...

ReSPA Panel at the 30th NISPAcee Annual Conference: Turning Crisis into an Opportunity for the Western Balkans Administrations by Accelerating Changes in Society and Economy.
04 June 2022

Public servants from ReSPA members attended the 30th Annual Conference of the Network of Institutes and Schools of Public Administration in Central and Eastern Europe (NISPAcee), “Crises, Vulnerability and Resilience in Public Administration”. The Conference brought together ...

ReSPA Assisted the Establishment of the Forum of Directors of the Civil Services Agencies at All Levels of Bosnia and Herzegovina
01 June 2022

Directors of the civil service agencies at all levels (BiH institutions, Federation of BiH, Republika Srpska, and Brčko District sub-department) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Thus, they established a framework for mutual collaboration between the four institutions and agreed ...

ReSPA Director Met with Ministers Dukaj and Grubeša: Highest-level Political Buy-in Toward Lasting Public Administration Reforms
30 May 2022

Deepening the regional dialogue and political commitment at the highest level in the Western Balkans, and cooperating with the EU towards modernized, resilient, transparent, and citizen-centred public administrations. This was the main takeaway at today's two consecutive meetings between ...

Handjiska-Trendafilova met Minister Aliti and Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Maričić: ReSPA is a crucial supporter of the public administration reforms that will accelerate the EU integration processes
27 May 2022

Today, ReSPA Director met Mr Admirim Aliti, Minister of Information Society and Administration, Republic of North Macedonia and Mr Bojan Maričić, Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs. Discussing with Minister Aliti how ReSPA can best continue to support MISA in upgrading services ...

Better regulation is not a goal itself: It serves a purpose - to enable an environment for public administrations to function well and meet citizens’ needs and for businesses to grow
25 May 2022

ReSPA and OECD/SIGMA organised the Conference “Achieving administrative simplification through evidence-based policymaking in the Western Balkans”, designed to identify ways to achieve better administrative simplification in policymaking and public service delivery.

Maja Handjiska-Trendafilova: ReSPA is honored to participate in the unique DISPA network. This meeting is an opportunity to put our region on the map and open new collaboration avenues with many national schools for administration and renowned experts
20 May 2022

Paris, 19 – 20 May 2022 ReSPA took part in the unique DISPA network, this time organized under the French Presidency of the EU and focused on the contribution of behavioral sciences and psychology to public policies and to the training and selection of civil servants.

ReSPA empowers the civil servants to better understand the digitalization of the HRM data and processes: HRMIS has no alternative - it is the way forward for all ReSPA members, and once established, it can bring many benefits
19 May 2022

At the workshop on "Digitalisation of Human Resources Management Data and Processes in the Western Balkan", 18 senior managers and officers dealing with HRM analytics and data policy in the line Ministries from ReSPA Members dived deeply into the technical side of the HRMISs, its ...

Handjiska-Trendafilova: Deepening the regional dialogue at the highest level: Rich and fruitful discussions with Minister Obradović towards creating more resilient and citizen-centered administrations
17 May 2022

ReSPA Director Maja Handjiska-Trendafilova today met with Marija Obradović, Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government of Government of Serbia. They discussed various topics related to the deepening of mutual collaboration and ReSPA’s further support of the development ...

ReSPA Supports the Development of the Human Resources Management Authority (HRMA) of Montenegro
13 May 2022

Based on the collaborations established with the Human Resource Management Service (HRMS) from Serbia and the Human Resources Management Authority from Montenegro, ReSPA organized the Mobility scheme programme to enable learning, knowledge and experience sharing between peers from the region. ...

ReSPA has started with the second cycle of CAF implementation in the Civil Service Agency (ADU) in Republika Srpska
12 May 2022

At the opening of the first CAF Workshop within the second cycle of CAF implementation in  ADU, Mr Aleksandar Radeta, Director of ADU RS,  expressed readiness and interest in implementing CAF to improve the overall performance of the ADU. There is also the need to continue developing ...

Seasonal School on EU Accession Negotiation: Knowledge and experience sharing as a strong impetus to the EU accession process and bringing EU values into our societies
11 May 2022

9-13 May 2022, Tirana, Albania ReSPA opens the Seasonal School on EU Accession Negotiation on the EU Day – a day that celebrates peace and unity throughout Europe. The school is our traditional and robust mechanism for advancing the Western Balkans on their path to European integration ...

PA Awards 2022 Info Day : Immense turnout signalized great interest of the public institutions in showcasing the projects
09 May 2022

The Public Administration Award Info Day, organized by ReSPA and OECD/SIGMA earlier today, gathered around 70 public servants interested in learning more about this year's Award application process. Such a great turnout signalizes that many public institutions across the region are interested ...

Regional Workshop on Window 3 of IPA III: Administrations highlight priorities for funding in the environment, transport, and energy sectors
06 May 2022

5-6 May 2022 Mostar, BiH

Handjiska-Trendafilova : Enhanced cooperation with HRMA is an impetus to the ReSPA's efficient response to its institutional needs
04 May 2022

Maja Handjiska-Trendafilova, Director of ReSPA, met with Jovana Nišavić, the Director of Human Resources Management Authority (HRMA) Montenegro, to deepen collaboration toward providing ReSPA's practical response to the complex needs of human resource management and development.  

Public Administration Awards 2022 in the Western Balkans – Call open by June 15, 2022!
26 April 2022

ReSPA and OECD/SIGMA invite public sector champions that deliver human-centric services to apply and win valuable prizes!

Centre of Government and Better Regulation WG meetings: new insights on structural changes of the governments, RIA implementation, EU law transposition and policy coordination improvement.
14 April 2022

12, 13, 14 April 2022, Ljubljana, Slovenia Working groups members of the Centre of Governments (CoG) and Better Regulation (BR), composed of senior managers and civil servants of CoG and BR units from the relevant institutions of ReSPA Members, spent three days actively working on analysing ...

Handjiska-Trendafilova: ReSPA and CEF are committed to strengthening and diversifying regional cooperation to the benefit of civil servants, governments and citizens
13 April 2022

Ljubljana, Slovenija Today, ReSPA Director Maja Handjiska-Trendafilova met with Jana Repanšek, Director of CEF, as a part of the ReSPA Working Groups' visit to CEF. They briefed each other regarding the new strategic outlooks both organisations have adopted.

Handjiska-Trendafilova : Governing Board expresses strong support for ReSPA’s ambitious work ahead. Looking forward to stepped up and invigorated regional cooperation driving lasting public administration reforms in the Western Balkans!
11 April 2022

“Our public administration systems should be the backbone supporting the twin transition, EU accession, and resilience-building reforms ahead, and ReSPA will be a credible reform agent and our region’s partner on this path” – said Maja Handjiska-Trendafilova, ReSPA Director, ...

Handjiska-Trendafilova: Better administrations for stronger democracies: ReSPA will diversify and expand activities that support Western Balkans partners in the creation of the citizen-centred governance
08 April 2022

Podgorica, Montenegro ReSPA Director Maja Handjiska-Trendafilova met today with Tamara Srzentić, Minister of Public Administration, Digital Society and Media of Montenegro, to discuss mutual collaboration's advancement towards the  improvement of public administration and governance.

CAF Consensus Workshop at MISA, North Macedonia, brought new insights for further improvements
08 April 2022

7-8 April 2022, Ohrid, North Macedonia CAF project implementation at the Ministry of Information Society and Administration (MISA) went through the second and the most important phase – Consensus workshop, which aims to get a consensus on the inputs provided by each CAF Self-assessment ...

Leader transition in ReSPA - Ms Maja Handjiska Trendafilova is a new ReSPA Director
04 April 2022

Ms Maja Handjiska Trendafilova has been appointed the new ReSPA Director as of 4 April 2022. With two decades of experience developing and leading various programmatic activities related to regional cooperation and European and Euro-Atlantic integration of South-East Europe, the new Director ...

ReSPA/RQMC within BACID III introduced PEF procedure, and specific guidelines to the WBs certified External Feedback Actors - EFACs
01 April 2022

1st Meeting of Western Balkans Certified External Feedback Actors – EFACs, Online

ReSPA’s Regional Network of policy coordinators meets and paves the way for the upcoming “Academy on Public Policies”
30 March 2022

29-30 March 2022, Istanbul, Turkey ReSPA organized a two-day meeting of the Regional Network of Policy Coordinators, established as a specific network within ReSPA’s Working Group of Centre of Government. In addition to the members of the Network, the meeting was attended by various ...

Through the E GOV Pilot initiative, ReSPA supports the development of Digital Covid certificate in Bosnia and Herzegovina
24 March 2022

22-24 March 2022, Podgorica, Montenegro Within the E GOV Pilot initiative, ReSPA organized the Mobility Scheme of the highly-ranked officials from  the Agency for Identification Documents, Registers and Data Exchange of BiH (IDDEEA), and the Ministries of Health and Ministry ...

2nd Western Balkans Peer Exchange Meeting deepened the importance of establishing Open Data policies in making public administration more efficient and economical
11 March 2022

Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia Over the last several years, the Western Balkans governments have demonstrated an increased level of opening of governmental data. This trend will continue since the importance of data opening has been recognized. Either as the principle and consequence ...

Regional Workshop on Window 1 of IPA III, a great forum of mutual learning and exchange of experiences
11 March 2022

ReSPA, in partnership with DG NEAR-EC (European Commission), organized on 09-10 March 2022 a regional workshop dedicated to Window 1 of IPA III “Rule of law, fundamental rights and democracy”. The Workshop made together more than 80 participants (in-person and online) and 9 guests/speakers, ...

36th Budget Committee Meeting
10 March 2022

ReSPA organized the 36th Budget Committee meeting that tackled numerous topics related to Financial & Operational Management. Mr Borislav Orechovski, ReSPA Operations and Finance Manager, presented  Annual Financial Report 2021 as well as Core Budget Implementation for 2021, and ...

Mobility scheme of ReSPA connected Civil Service Agencies of BiH with the HRMS of Serbia
07 March 2022

Based on the request from the Civil Service Agencies (CSA) of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ReSPA organized the mobility scheme to the Human Resource Management Service (HRMS) of Serbia. The Mobility scheme was held on 3-4 March 2022, at the premises of "Palata Srbije", Belgrade, Republic ...

Public servants from ReSPA Members attend the 2022 Trans European Dialogue 24-25 February 2022
25 February 2022

Selected public servants from the Western Balkans attended on 24-25 February the Trans European Dialogue (TED) Conference 2022, held this year in Bergen, Norway, focusing on “Bureaucratic Transformations: Longitudinal Perspectives on Local and (Supra) National Public Administration”. ReSPA ...

BACID III – Kick off Meeting
25 February 2022

ReSPA representatives attended the BACID III Kick off Meeting which gathered distinguished project partners and stakeholders from the Austrian Association of Cities and Towns (AACT), the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), NALAS and others. Ms Olivera Damjanović, ReSPA Programme Manager ...

ReSPA organized the final CAF Workshop at the Agency for Gender Equality of BiH
18 February 2022

After two CAF workshops in the project of CAF implementation, the Agency for Gender Equality of BiH (ARS) has been successfully finalized the third and final CAF Action Plan workshop, which has taken place today virtually. Self-assessment group members from the ARS went through clustered recommended ...

Meeting of Liaison Officers
10 February 2022

As it traditionally happens at the beginning of February, ReSPA organized this year, on 8th of February, the meeting with Liaison Officers (LOs) to present the Annual Programme of Work and to discuss possibilities for further improvements in collaboration. Ms Ratka Sekulović, ReSPA Director, ...

ReSPA has started with the implementation of the CAF Programme in the Ministry of Information Society and Administration (MISA) of North Macedonia
28 January 2022

ReSPA has started implementing the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) in the Ministry of Information Society and Administration (MISA) in North Macedonia. Minister Admirim Aliti opened the CAF workshop and expressed the affirmative view on implementing the CAF in MISA, emphasising that MISA ...

ReSPA Planning Workshop brought the Programme of Work for 2022 and strengthened ReSPA's internal capacities
20 January 2022

In mid-January, the ReSPA team traditionally develops the yearly Programme of Work and discusses numerous issues related to finding the most suitable innovative solutions for effective response to the growing needs of the Western Balkans public administrations.

ReSPA and PARCO Closing Conference for the In-Country project
22 December 2021

ReSPA and PARCO organized the Closing Conference within the In-Country project to present the key preconditions for improving the digital public services in BiH as they are defined in the Action Plan of the Strategic Framework for Reform of Public Administration 2018-2022.

35th Budget Committee Meeting
13 December 2021

9-10 December 2021

3rd Programme Committee Meeting
08 December 2021

7-8 December 2021; Tirana, Republic of Albania

The first Annual Coordination Meeting of Regional Quality Management Centre
06 December 2021

6 December 2021 Tirana, Republic of Albania The Meeting gathered participants from CAF and PEF networks from ReSPA Members, guest observers from ReSPA Governing Board at Senior level and ReSPA RQMC team members to discuss the RQMC Rules and Procedures, PEF Guidelines and Annual Priority ...

51st Governing Board meeting at Senior Official level
06 December 2021

6 December 2021 Tirana, Republic of Albania

CAF Workshop for self-assessment
30 November 2021

CAF project implementation at the Agency For Gender Equality continued with two days Consensus Workshop. This key workshop aims to get the consensus on the inputs provided by each member of the CAF Self-assessment group through the CAF Questionnaire. The consensus about strengths, areas ...

Regional Conference on the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goals
30 November 2021

ReSPA, jointly with United Nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, organized a two-day Regional Conference on the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).   The Conference gathered more than 30 participants from the Western Balkans to share regional experiences and good ...

Ms Sekulović hosted H.E. Ms Oana Cristina Popa, Head of Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro, diplomatic representatives of ReSPA Member countries, and high-ranked officials from the Ministry or Foreign Affairs, Montenegro
26 November 2021

At traditional working breakfast, Ms Sekuković and ReSPA Programme Managers hosted distinguished diplomatic representatives Mr Adi Hoxha, First Secretary and Consul of Republic of Albania, Mr Ruzvelt Frrokaj, Charge d'affairs, Kosovo*,  Mr Bojan Vujović,  European Integration ...

ReSPA at Smart E Government Conference 2021
26 November 2021

At the Conference, ReSPA emphasised the growing importance that digitalisation gets in the public administration reform processes. 

ReSPA, jointly with GIZ and DG NEAR, is bringing closer the new financial perspective of IPA 2021-27 (IPA III) to the Western Balkans public administrations
23 November 2021

Regional Conference on IPA III (2021 – 2027) Tirana 23-24 November 2021

WS about main findings from the situation analysis and comparative analysis from In-country support mechanism
22 November 2021

On 18 -19 November PARCO and ReSPA have organised the Workshop on Jahorina, aimed at discussing key findings from the drafts of BiH Situational Analysis and Comparative Analysis. Both documents were produced as the results of ReSPA In Country support to PARCO BiH. The In Country support ...

ReSPA organized the WS on "The state of the art of merit recruitment and performance appraisal in the WBs
18 November 2021

The Workshop, held from 15-18 November 2021 in Tirana, Republic of Albania, aimed to strengthen the work of the HRMD WG in merit recruitment and performance appraisal and to explore possibilities for cooperation and exchange of good practices.

ReSPA developed sets of standardized templates for strengthening RIA systems in the WB public administrations
12 November 2021

“Practical RIA package”  - sets of standardized templates for strengthening RIA systems in the WB public administrations in one place!

13th Governing Board Meeting at Ministerial level
09 November 2021

ReSPA organized the 13th Governing Board meeting at the Ministerial level, which gathered distinguished guests - Deputy Prime Ministers and Ministers responsible for the public administration in the Western Balkans: Mr Arben Ahmetaj, Deputy Prime Minister, Republic of Albania, Mr Josip Grubeša, ...

Seasonal School on Digital Transformation - Using Emerging ICT Technologies in Public Administration
25 October 2021

This year’s Seasonal School on Digital Transformation has started today. During the next five days, more than forty participants from e-GOV Working Group,  e-GOV civil servants practitioners and HRMD Working Group will gather in Budva in person and virtually to learn and discuss ...

ReSPA Panel at the 29th NISPAcee Annual Conference
21 October 2021

ReSPA organized the Panel at the 29th NISPAcee Annual Conference "Citizens' Engagement and Empowerment - The Era of Collaborative Innovation in Governance" devoted to a presentation of the main developments of the utilization of Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) in the policy ...

Better Regulation WG meeting focused on quality of public consultations in the Western Balkans
21 October 2021

ReSPA organized the Working Group meeting on Better Regulation back-to-back with the NISPACee Annual conference, which gathered senior and middle managers of Better Regulation oversight units of the relevant institutions of the ReSPA Members and civil servants dealing with Better Regulation ...

Session on Beneficial Transparency – joint virtual session with OGP at Western Balkans Regional Meeting
21 October 2021

Today at virtual Session of Proactive Transparency, jointly organized by ReSPA and OGP as a part of the OGP Western Balkans Regional Meeting, the attendees discussed how the countries in the region are dealing with proactive transparency by looking into issues of access to information laws ...

Regional Conference on Policy Coordination – a great forum of exchange of experiences and practices related to policy coordination
20 October 2021

The Regional Conference held on 18-19 October 2021 in Tivat, Montenegro brought together more than 40 senior public servants from the Western Balkans responsible for implementing the government role in policy coordination in various aspects as well as renowned experts and practitioners from ...

ReSPA participated at WB6 Digital Summit 2021
11 October 2021

At the WB6 Digital Summit 2021, ReSPA jointly with UNDP has moderated Session IV Smart Governance 2.0: Human Centered, Ecosystem-Based aspects of digital public service delivery in the Post COVID-19 Pandemic.   The credible speakers from EU and WBs have been discussing the human ...

ReSPA awards five public officials in Albania after completing the Training of Trainers Programme
05 October 2021

After an intensive Training of Trainers (ToT) programme on Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) and Impact Assessment Methodology, ReSPA awarded its Certificate to 5 public officials in Albania, working for the RIA Oversight Unit in the Prime Minister’s Office. The intensive training was ...

Regional Workshop on presentation of the Practical RIA Package
05 October 2021

The Regional Workshop on the “Practical RIA Package” presentation, held in Tirana on 30 September–01 October 2021, gathered around 20 senior and middle managers of RIA oversight units and civil servants dealing with RIA in Line Ministries (Agencies). During the workshop, ...

CAF implementation in the Agency for Gender Equality of BiH
29 September 2021

  ReSPA has started with the process of CAF implementation in the Agency for Gender Equality of BiH, which will consist of three CAF Workshops. The initial CAF training aimed to institutionalize the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) at the Agency held today in Sarajevo and gathered ...

Workshop on drafted Analysis of Policy coordination in North Macedonia
29 September 2021

On 28 and 29 September 2021 ReSPA organized a Workshop on drafted Analysis of Policy coordination in North Macedonia as a follow-up to study the Analytical paper on Policy Co-ordination in Western Balkans. Ms Magdalena Shaldeva, a national expert from North Macedonia, developed and ...

Workshop on drafted Analysis of Policy coordination in Bosnia and Herzegovina
28 September 2021

ReSPA organized a Workshop on drafted Analysis of Policy coordination in BiH as a follow-up to study the Analytical paper on Policy Co-ordination in Western Balkans. Ms Azra Bećirović, a national expert from BIH, developed and presented specific analyses on policy coordination in ...

Meeting of Liaison Officers
17 September 2021

The main objective of the meeting was to inform ReSPA Liaison Officers (LOs) on current activities and novelties in the ReSPA plan of work by the end of 2021, as well as to highlight the role of Liaison Officers in the implementation of changes in planned activities. Mr Dragan Đurić, Programme ...

Workshop on drafted Analysis of Policy Co-ordination in Serbia
16 September 2021

As a follow-up to the study, Analytical paper on Policy Co-ordination in Western Balkans, ReSPA engaged six national experts to develop specific analyses on policy co-ordination in each Western Balkan country. Ms Milena Lazarevic, a national expert from Serbia, was engaged for Analysis of ...

Sekulović: High-level Policy Dialogue remains a unique opportunity for ministers and EC representatives to define strategic direction on PAR in the upcoming year
13 September 2021

This year's High-level Policy Dialogue brought together virtually ministers responsible for PAR, the highest EC representatives accountable for the Western Balkans and PAR, and OECD/SIGMA, representatives of EU Delegations from the Region and numerous experts, to discuss the state of play ...

ReSPA Planning Workshop tackled numerous issues related to strengthening our internal capacities and finding the most effective and innovative upgrades of our programme of work
30 August 2021

Traditionally, the last week in August for us in ReSPA is time for the annual planning of our activities. This time, the Workshop was additionally empowered by the experts who attended the first day of the Workshop and jointly with the ReSPA team discussed finding innovative solutions in ReSPA's ...

e-Gov pilots projects
Open call!
29 July 2021

The e-GOV pilots initiative aims to introduce the model for improving the practices related to the digitalisation of public services, which will serve as the applicable standardised model in the Western Balkans public administrations.

Analysis of Policy co-ordination processes in Albania
16 July 2021

ReSPA organised the workshop on policy co-ordination processes in Vlorë, Albania. Following the analytical paper "Policy co-ordination in the Western Balkans", ReSPA has organised work on a specific national analytical document that will enlighten the policy co-ordination processes ...

Training on Agile Leadership for ReSPA staff
15 July 2021

We spent a few unforgettable days in stunning Trebinje, Bosnia and Herzegovina. All ReSPA staff had a chance to learn the concepts and tools of Agile Project Management (Scrum, Kanban) in training led by Mr György Tokovicz. In a highly interactive and engaging atmosphere, we have learned ...

Sekulović : ReSPA continues to strengthen the public administration capacity of its Members
02 July 2021

Organized as a two-day hybrid event, the 48th GB meeting at the Senior Official level confirmed the steady pace of ReSPA’s support of the public reform processes in the Western Balkans. The first day of the meeting tackled numerous issues such as the Report on ReSPA Operations and ...

Traditional working breakfast gathered Ambassadors of ReSPA Members and representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Montenegro
28 June 2021

ReSPA Director, Ms Ratka Sekulović hosted  H.E. Mr Ridi Kurtezi, Ambassador of the Republic of Albania, H.E. Mr Branimir Jukić, Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina, H.E. Mr Veljko Milonjić, Director General for Multilateral Relations and International legal Affairs, Ministry of Foreign ...

ReSPA and European Integration Office in Montenegro jointly work on improving public administrations
25 June 2021

ReSPA’s director Ms Ratka Sekulović and Mr Dragan Đurić, Programme Manager-Coordinator met with Ms Zorka Kordić, Chief Negotiator for the EU Accession of Montenegro at Government of Montenegro, to discuss the role of ReSPA for Montenegro’s EU accession process.

Seasonal School on EU Accession Negotiation tackled the challenges for the Western Balkans related to Chapter 29 (Customs Union)
25 June 2021

ReSPA hosted virtual Seasonal School on EU Accession Negotiation – Chapter 29: Customs Union, in cooperation with European Commission DG TAXUD "Taxations & Customs" and CEFTA Secretariat. Traditionally, the school is a unique opportunity for teams dealing with EU accession ...

Sekulović: ReSPA and RCC are good partners and collaborators in making the Western Balkans region more prosperous for their citizens
17 June 2021

Ms Ratka Sekulović, ReSPA Director participated at the Annual Meeting of the Regional Cooperation Council held on 16 June 2021 in Antalya, Turkey. She addressed the audience and briefly emphasized the importance of good partnering and collaboration between ReSPA and RCC in making the region ...

Training on Performance Appraisal - guidelines for further development in the Western Balkans
14 June 2021

ReSPA organized two-day virtual training which is based on the Guidelines „Towards effective performance appraisal in the Western Balkans: How to develop performance?“ developed by ReSPA in 2020. The senior managers responsible for HRM and staff responsible for the development ...

Analysis of Policy co-ordination processes in Montenegro
10 June 2021

As the first face-to-face event in 2021, ReSPA organised the workshop on policy co-ordination processes in Montenegro. Following the analytical paper “Policy co-ordination in the Western Balkans” (which can be seen on ReSPA web site: https://www.respaweb.eu/download/doc/Analytical+paper+on+policy+coordination.pdf/98f87a923de5e72d1492d83a5d244df6.pdf ...

e-Government Working Group meeting flush out the areas for improvements
10 June 2021

ReSPA organized the first e-Government Working Group meeting in 2021 which gathered e-Gov WG members and OGP national points of contact from ReSPA Members. It aimed at introducing the planned activities within the e-Gov thematic area and to discuss and receive feedback from WG members for further ...

Training on agile governance and leadership
26 April 2021

Through five online sessions organized during three consecutive weeks, the senior managers with responsibilities for HRM in the Ministries in the region, in particular, from the Ministry of Public Administration and relevant HR management, have improved their knowledge about Agile. Technology ...

Sekulović : The establishment of the Regional Quality Management Centre proved our commitment to raising a bar of performance in the public administrations
20 April 2021

47th Governing Board meeting at Senior Official level, 19-20 April 2021, Online Due to the specificity and abundance of the main topics, the first GB meeting at the Senior Official level for 2021 was held in two days. The first day of the meeting served as a good forum for discussion ...

RQMC introduced at the Quality Management Working Group Meeting
15 April 2021

At the first QM Working group meeting in 2021, ReSPA presented to the members of the Working group developments on establishing the  Regional Quality Management Centre within ReSPA. The opportunity was taken to present the  Austrian CAF Centre hosted in KDZ with its main functions ...

Call for expressions of interest for experts (non-civil /public servants)
24 March 2021

ReSPA and KDZ have finalised the External CAF Feedback Expert (EFAC) training for CAF practitioners in the Western Balkans
19 March 2021

ReSPA, in cooperation with KDZ and within BACID II project, has successfully realised a three-module training on CAF External Feedback Process (PEF) for CAF correspondents and practitioners in the Western Balkans, as well as for the ReSPA Staff. After implementing two Modules (organised ...

Presentation of "National Academy for Public Administration of the Republic of Serbia (NAPA)" at HRMD Working group meeting
16 March 2021

Ms Ratka Sekulović, ReSPA Director ,Ms Marija Obradović, the Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, Republic of Serbia, Ms Tamara Srzentić, Minister of Public Administration, Digital Society and Media of Montenegro, Mr Dejan Miletić, Director of National Academy for ...

Evaluation of Public Policies,a seminar devoted to the evaluation sequence of the policy development cycle
12 March 2021

In the light of introducing a systematic policy evaluation in the Western Balkans (especially those related to their public administration reform frameworks), the two-day seminar was organized as a continuation of the ReSPA seminar on monitoring and reporting held in October 2020. The seminar ...

ReSPA Better Regulation working group meeting
26 February 2021

The first meeting for 2021 of ReSPA Working Group on Better Regulation (BR) was organised remotely on 25 February 2021.

Meeting of ReSPA Liaison Officers
22 February 2021

ReSPA has organized the meeting with Liaison Officers (LOs) to inform them on the annual programme of work 2021 and to emphasize the role of LOs in the implementation of the novelties and planned activities especially those related to In-country support mechanism, Peer-to-Peer mechanism and ...

“CAF2020 - Towards Public Administration Reform and European Integration” – the Conference reflected ReSPA’s crucial role in further CAF implementation within the WBs public institutions
17 February 2021

The digital conference "CAF2020 - Towards Public Administration Reform and European Integration" supported by Austrian Development Cooperation, CAF centre of KDZ Centre for Public Administration Research and BACID has attracted huge interest and gathered more than 450 participants ...

ReSPA and KDZ have organised the second Module of the External CAF Feedback Expert (EFAC) training
12 February 2021

ReSPA, in cooperation with KDZ and within BACID II project, has been organising three-module trainings on CAF External Feedback Process (PEF) for CAF correspondents and practitioners in the Western Balkans, as well as for the ReSPA Staff.  During the two-day virtual training, the attendees ...

ReSPA has organised the second Module of the Certified PECB ISO 9001 FOUNDATION training
05 February 2021

The virtual training was held on 4 February 2021 (10.00-14.00). ReSPA, with the support of PECB Canada, has organised the virtual training on 4 February 2021. It gathered attendees within the e-Government and Quality Management practitioners and ReSPA Staff. The training was ...

ReSPA hosted Ms Tamara Srzentić, Minister of Public Administration, Digital Society and Media of Montenegro
29 January 2021

With great honour, ReSPA team hosted Ms Srzentic and the team members of her Cabinet in ReSPA premises on 29 January 2021.

The Public Administration Awards 2020 winners have passed certified Product Owner and Agile Leadersip training
29 January 2021

As a part of ReSPA OECD/SIGMA Public Administration Awards 2020, a number of representatives of the eleven awarded teams have passed certified Product Owner training that has been realized during December 2020 and January 2021 as well as certified Agile Leadership training organized on 28-29 ...

ReSPA and KDZ have organised the first Module of the External CAF Feedback Expert (EFAC) training
25 January 2021

ReSPA in cooperation with KDZ and within BACID II project has been organising three-module trainings on CAF External Feedback Process (PEF) for CAF correspondents and practitioners in the Western Balkans as well as for the ReSPA Staff.  After successfully completing the three module ...

Ms Ratka Sekulović, ReSPA Director held meeting with Ms Tamara Srzentić, Minister of Public Administration, Digital Society and Media of Montenegro
26 December 2020

Sekulović congratulated to newly appointed Minister Srzentic and emphasized the importance of cooperation between Ministry and ReSPA. Sekulović also presented the main activities implemented in 2020 and further plans for 2021.  

The government of Montenegro and ReSPA responsible and reliable partners
24 December 2020

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Đorđe Radulović, met the Director of ReSPA, Ms Ratka Sekulović, and he said that Montenegro will continue to build a strong partnership with ReSPA. He highlighted that Montenegro will support all activities with the aim to reform the public administrations, ...

ReSPA Programme Committee meeting
16 December 2020

The ReSPA Programme Committee (PC) meeting was held remotely on 16 December 2020. The Committee is composed of the representatives of the institutions in charge of Public Administration Reform (PAR), Public Finance Management (PFM) and European Integration coordination process from the five ...

Workshop on sharing good practices in Digital Transformation of HRMD practices in the Western Balkans
14 December 2020

On 10th and 11th December 2020, Respa organized an online workshop devoted to the Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS) which provided the floor for learning, sharing and exchanging experiences on HRMIS implementation, trends, practical solutions and ideas among the participants. ...

ReSPA is celebrating 10th Anniversary
11 December 2020

Over the last ten years, ReSPA has become the Public Administration Reform Partner proven across the Western Balkan governments Established as a joint initiative of the European Union and the Western Balkan countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro ...

ReSPA takes part in Agile Serbia Conference – All-Stars Edition 2020
08 December 2020

This unique gathering Agile Serbia Conference – All-Stars Edition 2020 of notable Agile practitioners and leaders brought together participants from the Western Balkans and the entire globe. Due to great affinity of ReSPA to promoting Agile culture within Public Administration of the ...

46th Governing Board meeting at Senior Official Level
08 December 2020

The overall objective of the Meeting was to discuss the following issues: Report on ReSPA Operations and Implementation of the Programme of Work (PoW) for the period 19 September – 20 November 2020, status of the nominations of ReSPA Working Groups (WG), ReSPA PoW 2021-2022, ReSPA Monitoring ...

ReSPA Staff have completed the EFQM Foundation Training
02 December 2020

The first stage of learning about the EFQM Model and how it can make a difference to our organisation had been realised through two virtual sessions during October and November 2020. Influenced by the design thinking, the Model has been recently updated focusing on the simple, but powerful, ...

WB PA Awards 2020 champions promoted the innovative digital approaches at the "Government After Shock" global event
17 November 2020

Jointly with OECD/SIGMA, ReSPA hosted the "Think fast…act faster" Panel as a part of the Government After Shock online event coordinated by the OECD's Observatory of Public Sector Innovation (OPSI) on Tuesday, 17 November 2020. The Panel gathered more than 100 participants ...

ReSPA has received the "Effective CAF-USER" Label Certificate
07 November 2020

Mr Thomas Prorok handed over the Certificate to ReSPA Director at the 11th Governing Board meeting at Ministerial level. This year's virtual GB meeting at Ministerial Level was enriched by the ceremony of handing over the Certificate of "Effective CAF User Label" to ReSPA Director ...

Meet the winners of the first Western Balkans Public Administration Award contest!
06 November 2020

After the official part of the 11th ReSPA Governing Board meeting at the Ministerial level, ReSPA organised the Western Balkans Public Administration Award Ceremony.

The 11th ReSPA Governing Board meeting at the Ministerial level
06 November 2020

Ms Suzana Pribilović, the Minister of Public Administration, Montenegro, Ms Marija Obradović, the Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, Republic of Serbia, Mr Jeton Shaqiri, the Minister of Information Society and Administration, Republic of North Macedonia,   Ms ...

Online Workshop on sharing good practices in Merit-Based Recruitment in the Western Balkans
05 November 2020

Online Workshop on sharing good practices in Merit-Based Recruitment in the Western Balkans was organized on 02nd and 03rd November 2020. The workshop provided an opportunity for presenting the framework for the self-assessment of merit-based recruitment that has been developed by ReSPA for ...

Seasonal School on EU Accession Negotiation
04 November 2020

A unique opportunity for Western Balkans teams dealing with EU accession negotiations to connect, network, and discuss current and future challenges related to accession negotiations  26-30 October, Online  ReSPA has organized the five-day online School in cooperation with the European ...

Seasonal School on EU Accession Negotiation
28 October 2020

A unique opportunity for Western Balkans teams dealing with EU accession negotiations to connect, network, and discuss current and future challenges related to accession negotiations  26-30 October, Online  ReSPA is organizing a five-day online School in cooperation with the European ...

Digital Transformation for the Public Sector and Innovative Practice
27 October 2020

ReSPA, UNDP and NALAS panel at the 3rd Western Balkans Digital Summit 2020 The 3rd Western Digital Summit has been organized online during 26-28 October 2020 with the Digital Ministerial as a concluding event of the Digital Summit 2020 on 2 November 2020, in Tirana. It was organized in the ...

The winners of the Public Administration Awards 2020 in the Western Balkans have been elected!
22 October 2020

After a two-months’ Assessment phase, the jury members have voted the winners of the first Western Balkans Public Administration Award contest. The winners will be announced on the Public Administration Award Ceremony on 6 November 2020, from 11 – 12 AM CET (Kudo platform).

Seminar on Monitoring and Reporting of Public Policies
21 October 2020

On 20 and 21 October ReSPA organised a regional seminar on Monitoring and Reporting of Public Policies. The Seminar served as a forum to highlight the importance of monitoring and reporting during the policy cycle, describe the key elements of a sound monitoring system, and provide practical ...

Towards effective performance appraisal in the Western Balkans: How to develop performance?
20 October 2020

On 14th and 15th October 2020, ReSPA organized the Workshop on performance appraisal devoted to the presentation of the Guidelines: "Towards effective performance appraisal in the Western Balkans: How to develop performance?" 

Regional OGP Western Balkans Meeting
16 October 2020

ReSPA organized  a regional online OGP Western Balkans Meeting jointly with the OGP (Open Government Partnership) Secretariat and in close consultation with the OGP National points of contact, on 15-16 October 2020.  The importance of the Meeting was emphasized with the fact that ...

Seasonal School on Rapid Innovation Lab 2020
05 October 2020

This year's ReSPA Seasonal School provided an opportunity to the Western Balkan Public Administration teams meet and connect online, collaborate across silos, share ideas, and discuss current and future issues public administration is trying to tackle in particularly in the extraordinary ...

45th Governing Board meeting at Senior Official Level
05 October 2020

The overall objective of the Meeting was to discuss the following: Report on ReSPA Operations and Implementation of the Programme of Work for the period 18 June – 18 September 2020, the adapted Plan of Activities by the end of 2020, draft of the Programme of Work 2021-2022, Interim ...

ReSPA Thematic Workshops on Policy Coordination
29 September 2020

Within the development of the Analytical Paper on Policy Coordination - with a focus on coordination of Public Administration Reform (PAR) and Public Finance Management (PFM), ReSPA organized six online thematic workshops, held from 21-23 September 2020.  Along with the Members of the ...

The Five F Model – reliable support in teleworking
18 September 2020

Training for Remote Managers In cooperation with Public One GmbH from Berlin, ReSPA organized online training devoted to remote management and online facilitation, held on 15th and 17th September 2020.  The participants were briefly introduced to many essential aspects of managing ...

ReSPA, with support of the European Commission, will continue to provide the Western Balkans with new initiatives
09 September 2020

Ministerial Dialogue 8 September 2020, Online  ReSPA organised an online Ministerial Dialogue which gathered distinguished participants – ReSPA Governing Board Members at Ministerial Level, representatives of the EU Commission, senior officials and experts.  In her welcoming ...

ReSPA Planning Workshop Developing an action plan to support the Western Balkans public administrations in these challenging times, Kolasin, 25 – 28 August 2020
01 September 2020

Implementation of CAF2020 as the standard for Excellent Management in the WB public administrations
27 July 2020

ReSPA and KDZ presented the new CAF2020to Quality Management Working Group Members at online webinar organised on July 23, 2020. The webinar gathered more than 35 participants encompassing ReSPA Quality Working Group members, ReSPA Seasonal school 2020 Experts and guests who were introduced ...

Better Regulation and Centre of Government Working Groups online meetings
22 July 2020

ReSPA will continue to support the Public Administration Reform among its Members during the pandemic Through more than ten online meetings organized during the period 7 – 21 July 2020 which gathered our members of the Centre of Government and Better regulation working groups, we discussed ...

How to become an effective Remote Manager - Online Workshop
15 July 2020

For the first time, and in cooperation with the Public One GmbH ReSPA is organizing Remote Management for Cooperation Online Workshop in regards to helping WB countries cope better amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

ReSPA at the online DISPA Meeting in the time of COVID19
02 July 2020

ReSPA representatives attended the online meeting organized by DISPA, on 2nd July 2020. The meeting aimed to recap how DISPA members have reacted to the crisis caused by the COVID19 pandemic. Mr Rudolf Vujevic, Director of National School for Public Administration and Mrs Ana Yturriaga ...

Public Administration Awards 2020 in the Western Balkans
01 July 2020

ReSPA awarded "Effective CAF-USER" Label!
24 June 2020

The European Quality Label as proof of our overall excellent institutional performance With great honour, we inform our partners and colleagues that the CAF centre of KDZ – Center for Administrative Research awarded our institution with "Effective CAF-USER"  Label!  This ...

ReSPA and KDZ within BACID II project have launched a new pilot initiative in the domain of institutionalisation of Common Assessment Framework (CAF) in the Western Balkans region
18 June 2020

Agency for the delivery of integrated services Albania (ADISA) is the fifth institution from the region which started the process in the framework of BACID II project   BACID II project, i.e. ReSPA and KDZ – Centre for Public Administration Research/Austrian CAF Centre have continued ...

Distributed and Open Digital team concept turns obstacles into potential for improvement
29 May 2020

First ReSPA webinar assured that WB digital teams could move forward with the working agenda effectively and sustainably even in the period of crisis   World-known expert John O'Duinn introduced the idea and philosophy of Distributed and Open Digital team concept to IT professionals ...

ReSPA supports Western Balkan countries in teleworking
14 May 2020

First ReSPA Western Balkan online collaboration platform to support the region in remote management ReSPA and the Public One GmbH from Berlin organized for the first time an online workshop "How to become an effective Remote Manager" on 13 May 2020.  Aimed to present remote ...

Second COVID-19 Western Balkan Digital Collaboration Platform meeting
06 May 2020

New ways of convening, talking and learning as agile support to WB governments in overcoming detected challenges caused by the pandemic During the meeting held on Monday, 04 May 2020, more than 40 WB IT professionals within our eGovernment group discussed the most appropriate forms for intervention ...

ReSPA switch to online
21 April 2020

Due to COVID-19 worldwide pandemic crisis, we shift most of our activities online The COVID-19 global pandemic is not only a health crisis of immense proportion but it also largely determines the change of the way how business operates. Over the recent weeks, as many other institutions over ...

COVID-19 Western Balkans Digital Collaborative
17 April 2020

First ReSPA Western Balkan online collaboration platform to support region in overcoming Covid-19 pandemic crisis ReSPA has organized a Zoom meeting on 16 April 2020, in regards to helping WB countries cope better amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of the meeting was to establish an online ...

COVID-19 Western Balkans Digital Collaborative - ReSPA’s response to the pandemic
10 April 2020

ReSPA is organizing its first Zoom meeting to share information and provide channels for communication for senior public professionals with the focus on data, new IT technologies, digital transformation, crisis management and innovation in government during the COVID-19 pandemic. We intend ...

ReSPA postpones meetings due to Coronavirus
09 March 2020

ReSPA has decided to postpone a number of meetings following the global Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. We regret to inform you that the following meetings are postponed:

Meeting of ReSPA Liaison Officers
04 March 2020

Meeting of ReSPA National Coordinators was organized in Bećiči on 25 February 2020. ReSPA Secretariat highlighted the role of ReSPA Liaison Officers in the implementation of activities planned for 2020, especially in the implementation of In-country support mechanisms, Peer-to-Peer mechanisms, ...

Workshop on Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Framework
04 March 2020

ReSPA Workshop on Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Framework gathered the members of the ReSPA Governing Board at Senior Level, members of ReSPA Programme Committee, Liaison Officers, members of ReSPA Working Groups (WG): Centers of Government WG, Better Regulation WG,  Human Resources ...

ReSPA meets with World Economic Forum representatives
25 February 2020

ReSPA representatives have had today consultative meeting with the delegated from the World Economic Forum at their headquarters in Geneva. Fruitful discussion included aspects of further communication in domain of launching of the Regional Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in the ...

Peer-mission on Public Participation
19 February 2020

  Peer-mission on Public Participation gathered representatives of Better Regulation working group from ReSPA Members in Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina). During the two days’ workshop, participants had the opportunity to get familiar with the functioning of the public consultation ...

ReSPA participated in the Design Thinking Training
10 February 2020

 ReSPA Governing Board members at the Senior Official level, ReSPA Director and number of ReSPA staff participated in the Design Thinking Fundamentals & Facilitation Course 2020, which takes place on 4-6 February 2020, delivered by the Design Thinkers Academy, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

ReSPA participates at the opening of the National Training Academy of Serbia
17 January 2020

On 15 January, National Training Academy has been officially opened in Belgrade, Serbia. Among ENA (The École Nationale d’Administration), the EU, UNDP and other donors and international organizations, ReSPA has been mentioned in the opening speech of Mr Maravic, NAPA director as one ...

Working visit to Finland devoted to Merit-based recruitment and performance appraisal
19 December 2019

Fifteen civil servants, members of the ReSPA Working group on Humane Resource Management and Development (HRMD WG) visited Finland and used the opportunity to learn about Finish practice in regard to merit-based recruitment, leadership and talent management programmes, as well as innovative ...

Joint meeting between ReSPA and SIGMA
02 December 2019

ReSPA Director, Ms. Ratka Sekulovic, accompanied by ReSPA management met Mr. Gregor Virant, Head of SIGMA and his team, on 28 November 2019 at SIGMA Headquarters in Paris, France. The meeting was devoted to SIGMA’s Draft Action Plans for 2020-June 2021, ReSPA’s Programme of Work and ...

ReSPA Director Ms. Ratka Sekulovic visited Ambassador of Turkey to Montenegro H.E. Ms. Songül Ozan
22 November 2019

Ms. Ratka Sekulovic, Director of ReSPA, met H.E. Ms. Songül Ozan, Ambassador of Turkey to Montenegro, on 20 November 2019 at the premises of Turkish Embassy in Podgorica. ReSPA Director presented ReSPA, its achievements, as well as the efforts in supporting the regional cooperation and ...

Working Visit to the State Chancellery and Cross-Sectoral Coordination Centre of Government of Republic of Latvia.
21 November 2019

Riga, Republic of Latvia, 20-21 November 2019 - ReSPA organized the Working Visit to the State Chancellery and Cross-Sectoral Coordination Centre of Government of Republic of Latvia. During the Working Visit, 27 senior civil servants from Western Balkans had the opportunity to hear 7 experts ...

Mobility Scheme Programme: Visit to the Public Policy Secretariat of the Republic of Serbia
20 November 2019

Belgrade, 15 November 2019 - ReSPA organized the Mobility Scheme Programme for public servants from Bosnia and Herzegovina who visited the Public Policy Secretariat of the Republic of Serbia on 14 and 15 November 2019.  

Ministerial Conference “Digital transformation: reinventing public administration for digital age” was held on 12-13 November 2019 in Skopje, North Macedonia
14 November 2019

Two days Ministerial conference “Digital transformation: reinventing public administration for digital age” gathered around 140 participants from the Western Balkans including ministers, senior professionals and the representatives of the international organizations such as EU Commission, ...

10th ReSPA Governing Board meeting at Ministerial level
14 November 2019

The 10th ReSPA Governing Board meeting at the Ministerial level took place on 11 November 2019 in Skopje, North Macedonia. The meeting was attended by the ministers responsible for public administration and high officials from ReSPA Members, representatives of the European Union, ReSPA ...

ReSPA - KDZ Danube Governance Hub forum
11 November 2019

ReSPA - KDZ Danube Governance Hub forum was held on  7-8 November 2019 in Vienna, Austria. Within the framework of the BACID II project DGH Forum has been organized in Vienna together with the CAF responsible persons from Western Balkan countries enabling platform for knowledge exchange ...

Working Breakfast with the diplomatic representatives
31 October 2019

 ReSPA hosted the working breakfast for the ambassadors from its Members and the representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Montenegro. 

ReSPA Programme Committee Meeting
18 October 2019

The Programme Committee is composed of the state secretaries and/or senior managers responsible for public administration, state secretaries and/or senior managers responsible for Economic reforms programmes, and national IPA Coordinators or NIPAC office representatives. Also, ReSPA Governing ...

ReSPA takes part the Steering Committee of the Western Balkans Digital Summit 2020
08 October 2019

One of main focus areas of RESPA intervention, public service delivery, includes Digital transformation which makes strong basis for the collaboration with Regional Cooperation Council and other stakeholders. The topic of the 8th October meeting (Steering Committee of the Digital Summit) ...

ReSPA and Open Government Partnership - Western Balkans Peer Exchange Meeting
05 October 2019

ReSPA has in close consultation with the OGP national points of contact and OGP Secretariat, decided to organize OGP regional event on 3-4 October 2019 in Budva, Montenegro, as an integral part of the INFOFEST event. The objective of the OGP regional event (Western Balkans Peer Exchange ...

High-level Policy Dialogue, 30 September – 01 October 2019, Ljubljana, Slovenia
04 October 2019

ReSPA, in cooperation with Slovenian Ministry of Public Administration, organized for the first time the High-level policy dialogue on the public administration challenges facing the Western Balkan countries. Besides the ministers responsible for public administration in the Western Balkans, ...

Working visit to the OECD
30 September 2019

Paris, 24 and 25 September 2019 - ReSPA organised a working visit for the members of its Budget Committee to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) based in Paris.

Mobility scheme programme- Visit to the Civil Service Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
24 September 2019

Within the mobility scheme programme, which foresees the exchange of knowledge and experience in e-learning, ReSPA has organized the visit for the representatives of the Human Resource Management Authority (HRMA) from Montenegro to the Civil Service Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CSA ...

5th Regional Conference on Public Internal Financial Control for EU candidate countries and potential, 19-20 September 2019 in Skopje (North Macedonia)
22 September 2019

ReSPA and SIGMA, in co-operation with the Ministry of Finance of North Macedonia and the Ministry of Information Society and Administration of North Macedonia, gathered high-level representatives of administrations from ReSPA Members, Kosovo*¹ and Turkey, representatives from European ...

ReSPA CAF group visited Quality Management centers in Austria
18 September 2019

Since ReSPA has become partner of the BACID II project by the Austrian Association of Cities and Towns and KDZ Centre for Public Administration Research, more activities with the focus on quality in public administration and services have been realized. One of the last is ReSPA CAF group ...

CAF consesus working group meeting in Serbia
13 September 2019

Successful and intensive dialogue within the Self assessment CAF (Common Assesment Framework) of the Ministry of Public administration and local self government of the Republic of Serbia has lead to the foundation of the Improvement action plan for the Ministry. The main emphasis was given ...

Seasonal School on Digital Transformation, the new flagship initiative of ReSPA
09 September 2019

Last week (02-06 September 2019), ReSPA launched the Seasonal school on Digital Transformation, the activity that tends to be nominated as the flagship initiative of ReSPA. Its complex nature and very innovative methodological approaches in combination with selected topics raised a lot ...

ReSPA Open Day for BIH- Meeting on Model for Implementation of In-country Support in Bosnia and Herzegovina
02 September 2019

The Meeting on Model for Implementation of In-country Support in Bosnia and Herzegovina, held on 29 August 2019 in Mostar (BIH), was devoted to the highlight the support of Governing Board Members at Senior Official Level and role of ReSPA Liaison Officers from BiH in the implementation ...

ReSPA Director participated at the IASIA 2019 Conference
25 July 2019

ReSPA Director, Mrs. Ratka Sekulovic, participated at the Conference organised by International Association of Schools and Institutes for Public Administration held in Lisbon ( Portugal), 22-26.July 2019.  

Training on Conflict resolution - Handling difficult people and situations conducted in ReSPA
19 July 2019

The objective of the training was to support ReSPA Secretariat to recognize the behaviours that will jeopardize the organization’s results, apply key steps in resolving the conflict, resolve unproductive reactions of team members and Support other team members in their conflict resolving. ...

Training of Trainers (ToT) in Common Assessment Framework (CAF) at ReSPA Secretariat
15 July 2019

For several years now, by delivering comparative studies, trainings and other learning events, ReSPA is promoting the use of Quality Management in Public Sector Organisations in the Western Balkan region.  

ReSPA Summer School on the Challenges for Further Enlargement of the European Union
11 July 2019

ReSPA Summer School on European Integration 2019 was devoted to the main Challenges for Further Enlargement of the European Union. This Summer School brought together 29 representatives of governmental institutions, senior to mid-level professionals from Western Balkan countries. This Summer ...

ReSPA Open Day, Tirana
03 July 2019

The forth ReSPA Open Day was held on 24th June 2019 at the Department of Public Administration (DoPA) in Tirana (Albania).

ReSPA Open Day in Skopje
03 July 2019

ReSPA Open Days in the region are finalized with the meeting in Skopje (North Macedonia) held on 28th June 2019. Fruitful discussion was held among the members of the Working Groups with the common goal to strengthen cooperation as well as to contribute to smooth implementation of the activities planned ...

The Annual Conference of the Astana Civil Service Hub (ACSH)
28 June 2019

Nursultan (Kazakhstan), 13 and 14 June 2019 – Ratka Sekulovic, ReSPA Director, and Dusko Glodic, Programme Manager (Legal), participated at the Annual Conference of the Astana Civil Service Hub (ACSH) – Values, Trust and Technology in the Public Sector.

Working Group meeting on Better Regulation
26 June 2019

Tirana (Albania), 25 and 26 June 2019 – ReSPA organized a two-day meeting of the Working Group on Better Regulation with the representatives of the RIS oversight units from the region. On the first day,  participants were informed on the Programme of Work 2019 – 2020 and the activities ...

ReSPA traditionally participates at the UNDESA Awards ceremony
26 June 2019

Regional School of Public Administration (ReSPA) participated at the 2019 United Nations Public Service Forum (UNPSF) in Baku in the Republic of Azerbaijan from 24 to 26 June 2019, under the theme “Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through effective Delivery of Services, Innovative ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) anticipates new CAF experience
22 June 2019

Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of the very few countries in the Western Balkan region who has made significant efforts in domain of Quality Management. Ministry of Justice of BiH has begun with the pilot initiative of institutionalisation of Common Assesment Framework (CAF),  as the ...

CAF implementation in the Ministry of Public Administration of Montenegro
22 June 2019

CAF Action Plan Workshop was held for the CAF Self-Assessment Team of the Directorate for Good Public Administration and Activities of Non-governmental Organisations on 17 June in Danilovgrad, Montenegro. The Directorate is the second institution from Montenegro that is in the process of ...

The third ReSPA Open Day
20 June 2019

The third ReSPA Open Day was held on 18th June 2019 at the premises of Hotel Palace in Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina). The event contributed to informing the participants about the novelties and challenges in the implementation of the new EC Grant; the activities planned to be implemented ...

ReSPA Open Day in Serbia
11 June 2019

ReSPA continued with the organisation of the ReSPA Open days region-wide. The second ReSPA Open Day was held in Belgrade on 07 June 2019 at the premises of Hotel Palace. This event gathered the members of the Programme Committee (PC) and Working groups (WG) from Serbia.

ReSPA Open Day in Montenegro
11 June 2019

During the event, Programme Committe (PC) and Working group (WG) members were informed about the novelties and challenges in the implementation of the new EC Grant. The fruitful discussion  during the meeting contributed to increasing coordination and synergy among the PC/WG members. ...

Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-government (MPALS) of Serbia launches CAF implementation
08 June 2019

ReSPA and KDZ organisation have continued fruitful implementation of the pilot activities in the domain of institutionalization of the Common Assessment Framework (CAF). Eleven representatives of Self-assessment group of the MPALS of Serbia attended the initial CAF training which ...

ReSPA Panel at the Open Government Partnership Global Summit 2019
04 June 2019

Ottawa, Canada, May 29-31 – “Open Government and Service Delivery: Are We Missing an Opportunity to Act?” was the theme for this year’s OGP Summit prepared by the representatives of the Regional School of Public Administration (ReSPA) jointly with the representatives of North and ...

Succesful meetings between ReSPA and Canadian institutions
30 May 2019

The visit to the Canadian Impact and Innovation Unit (IIU) enabled us to learn that their work is set with a broad range of stakeholders to support final beneficiaries in delivering on policies and programs that matter to Canadians. With a focus on results-driven approaches, the IIU is ...

Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences welcomes ReSPA delegation
20 May 2019

A ReSPA delegation, composed of its Secretariat and representatives of Governing Board Senior level, paid the visit to Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences in a week 13-17 May 2019. The visit included, among several meetings, participation at the seminar on Smart Regional Governance and UN ...

Eleventh Meeting of the SEE2020 Coordination Board, 21 March 2019, Sarajevo
25 April 2019

ReSPA Director, Ms Ratka Sekulovic participated at the Coordination Board of the Regional Cooperation Council’s (RCC) South East Europe’s growth Strategy (SEE 2020), whose goal was to reflect on the implementation results, identify potential action synergies for further cooperation as ...

18th Session of the Committee of Experts on Public Administration (CEPA), 8-12 April 2019, New York
25 April 2019

ReSPA Director, Ms. Ratka Sekulovic, took part at 18th Session of the Committee of Experts on Public Administration (CEPA) held at the UN Headquarters in New York.  7 UNPAN Partners and institutions took part in the meeting. These were the African Association for Public Administration ...

CAF Implementation in Montenegro
12 April 2019

Leading towards excellency in Public Administration is supported by the implementation of Quality Management in the PA institutions of the Western Balkans implemented by the BACID II project lead by the KDZ (Centre for Public Administrative Research)and partnered with ReSPA. As a very first ...

Development Session at the Hertie School of Governance for the GB and Management of ReSPA
08 April 2019

Berlin, 3 and 4 April 2019 – The Governing Board and Management Development Session for ReSPA was organized at the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin. The tailor-made executive training on managing intergovernmental organisations and leadership in the public sector was attended by the ...

ReSPA Director met with representatives of institutions of the Republic of Srpska
25 March 2019

Banja Luka, 19 and 20 March 2019 – At the margins of the meeting of the ReSPA Budget Committee, held in Banja Luka on 19 and 20 March 2019, Ms Ratka Sekulović, the ReSPA Director, met with representatives of the institutions of the Republic of Srpska. At the separate meetings with Dr ...

World Summit Award 2019
18 March 2019

RESPA delegate contributes as a jury panel member at the World Summit Award 2019. The WSA Global Congress has taken part in Cascais in Portugal in 2019. The WSA has invited RESPA delegate to contribute to the event by playing an active role in selection of the best case examples.  

SEE Regional Policy Dialogue,Ljubljana, February 26-27, 2019
06 March 2019

ReSPA Director participated at the Regional Policy Dialogue in Ljubljana, on 27-28 February, organized by Centre of Excellence in Finance (CEF).

Successful initiation of the second CAF pilot in Montenegro
21 February 2019

Partnership of ReSPA and KDZ realized through BACID II project, has included set of CAF (Common Assesment Framework) Pilot initiatives. The very first two pilots have been started in Montenegro and the last one has been realized in the Directorate for Good Governance and Non-Governmental ...

The European CAF Centre at EIPA
28 January 2019

The European CAF Centre at EIPA (European Institute for Public Administration) is the centre of expertise in CAF implementation and  promotes the CAF and good practice in its use in public administrations in Europe in close cooperation with the CAF Correspondents of the EU countries.

European Fund for the Balkans: Call for Applications – Fellowship Programme for Government Officials 2019/2020.
24 January 2019

 The European Fund for the Balkans (EFB) announced the new call for applications<https://www.balkanfund.org/fellowship2019/> for its flagship Fellowship programme for Government Officials. It is a one-year practice-oriented educational programme which is supporting the Western ...

Implementation of CAF in the Western Balkans with the support of ReSPA and KDZ, Austrian partners
21 December 2018

Within BACID II programme, ReSPA and KDZ (Centre for Public Administration Research) conducted a CAF training on 20 December 2018 in Montenegro.  

ReSPA presented CAF improvement plan at the 3rd meeting of the Regional Group of Experts on Quality Assurance in General Education
07 December 2018

The two days workshop gathered management level of agencies in charge of quality assurance in general education and of ministries of education on 6-7 December 2018 in Podgorica, Montenegro. The event was organised by the Education Reform Initiative of South East Europe (ERI SEE) and Austrian ...

RESPA Regional study on service delivery presented at the Smart e-Government International Conference in Belgrade
30 November 2018

ReSPA has taken an active participation at the Smart e-Government the fourteen International Conference and Exhibition, in Belgrade, Serbia. ReSPA has presented the findings and the recommendations from its recent Regional study on Service delivery in the Western Balkans and raised a lot ...

9th ReSPA Governing Board Meeting at Ministerial level
22 November 2018

Brussels, 21 November 2018 - The ReSPA Governing Board at Ministerial level adopted Annual report for 2018, and new ReSPA Strategy 2019-2024. At the conclusion of the meeting, the 2018 Governing Board Chair Mr. Josip Grubeša, Minister of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina, handed-over chairmanship ...

ReSPA Conference on Regional Co-operation for Public Administration Reforms in the Western Balkans
22 November 2018

Brussels, 21-22 November 2018 - The two-day conference entitled “Public Administration Improvements through Regional Cooperation”, brought together high representatives of Western Balkan state administrations. Presentations and discussions at the Conference mainly concerned some of ...

RESPA took part at the OECD OPSI Conference
22 November 2018

One of the most important global events Observatory for Public Sector Innovation (OPSI), devoted to the innovation in public sector took place in Paris, France on 19 and 20 November 2018. OPSI is a global forum for public sector innovation within the OECD and works with governments to understand ...

ReSPA participated at the event on Regional Approach for Improving digital skills
13 November 2018

Following Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) initiative, i.e., Regional Approach for Improving Digital Skills, an excellent focus group was held at the premises of Chamber of Commerce on 13 November in Podgorica, Montenegro. Ms Bojana Bajic, the representative of the Ministry ...

High Level Conference on Contemporary Challenges in Public Service and the Role of Partnership for Reaching Solutions
30 October 2018

Skopje, 25 and 26 October 2018 – The Regional School of Public Administration (ReSPA) co-organised with the Ministry of Information Society and Administration of the Republic of Macedonia, United Nations Development Programme and Astana Civil Service Hub (ACSH) the high-level conference ...

ReSPA reflects on open data use within Open Government and Public Spending event in Chisinau, Moldova
25 October 2018

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) teamed up with Open Contracting Partnership, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the World Trade Organization to host the event inviting the stakeholders from the Western Balkans and Central Europe to discuss public spending ...

Regional Workshop on Programming and Implementation of IPA II – Lessons Learned for the Next Multi-Annual Financial Framework
23 October 2018

Brussels, 18 and 19 October 2018 - In order to support preparedness for implementation of the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) by the Western Balkans administrations and the Republic of Turkey, the Regional School of Public Administration (ReSPA) and German Development Cooperation ...

27th NISPAcee Annual Conference 2019
19 October 2018

ReSPA’s partner organisation NISPAcee is organising its 27th Annual Conference in Prague, Czech Republic on 24-26 May 2019. The main Conference theme is: From Policy Design to Policy Practice.  

Peer-Mission on Public Participation, Pristina, Kosovo*
17 October 2018

The Regional School of Public Administration (ReSPA) and the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) jointly organised this Peer-Mission on Public Participation in order to raise the awareness on the Western Balkan Recommendation on Public Participation, prepared by ReSPA and RCC in 2017.  

ReSPA hosted digital dijalogue of the WB six and DG Connect
15 October 2018

ReSPA accepted to host a round table focusing on Digital agenda of the Western Balkan six, an inspiring topic. On that occasion on the 8 October the Commissioner Mariya Gabriel visited Montenegro once  she has met with the Ministers from the Western Balkans i.e. Ms Suzana Pribilovic ...

Workshop on Collaboration of Internal and External Auditors, 09-11 October 2018, Center of Excellence in Finance (CEF), Ljubljana (Slovenia)
12 October 2018

ReSPA supported representatives of its PIFC working group to take an active part at the Workshop on Collaboration of Internal and External Auditors, organized by CEF. Particular attention of the workshop was devoted to the exchange of experiences on how to increase cooperation between ...

Working Meeting with PA Ministers from Macedonia and Kosovo*
10 October 2018

ReSPA, 8 October 2018 – ReSPA Director, Ms Ratka Sekulovic, accompanied with ReSPA managers had a working meeting with the Minister of Information Society and Administration of Macedonia Mr. Damjan Mancevski, and the Minister of Public Administration of Kosovo* Mr. Mahir Yagcilar, and ...

ReSPA contributes to the INFOFEST 2018
03 October 2018

For the fourth time, ReSPA attended the INFOFEST with its activities on 1 and 2 October 2018.  The event has been traditionally organized in Budva, Montenegro. At the opening, among numerous speakers, the Minister of Public Administration of Montenegro Suzana Pribiliovic stressed ...

MoU signed between RESPA and Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences
02 October 2018

ReSPA Director,  Ms. Ratka Sekulovic and Vice President of  Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences , Mr. Xie Jinghui have signed the Memorandum of Understanding.  

The 1st WeBER Regional Conference “Citizens First – Civil Society Demands for Better Administration in the Western Balkans
01 October 2018

Belgrade, 25-26 September 2018 – The 1st WeBER Regional Conference “Citizens First – Civil Society Demands for Better Administration in the Western Balkans” was held in Belgrade on 25-26 September 2018.

ReSPA continuously supports reform efforts through the organisation of the 4th Regional Conference on EU Budget Support
26 September 2018

Belgrade, 20 and 21 September 2018 - In order to support institutional capacities for reforms implementation through the use of the EU budget support, the Regional School of Public Administration (ReSPA) and German Development Cooperation – GIZ Open Regional Fund Promotion of European ...

ReSPA participated at CEF Partner's meeting
14 September 2018

Director of ReSPA, Ms Ratka Sekulovic, and Programme manager- Coordinator, Mr. Dragan Djuric, participated at Centre of Excellence (CEF) Partner's meeting held in Ljubljana on 3-4 September.  

ReSPA supports trainings in Regulatory Impact Assessment
13 September 2018

Podgorica, 10-12 September 2018 – In close cooperation with the Directorate for Financial System and Improvement of Business Environment of the Ministry of Finance of Montenegro, ReSPA supports an expert, Prof. Branko Radulovic, from the University of Belgrade, to provide trainings for ...

Visit of the Deputy Prime Minister of Albania, Ms Senida Mesi to ReSPA
11 September 2018

Within the official visit to Montenegro and Ministry of Public Administration, the Deputy Prime Minister of Albania Ms Senida Mesi visited Regional School of Public Administration (ReSPA) on 11 September 2018. Ms Mesi and ReSPA Director, Ms Ratka Sekulovic, discussed about the further development ...

10th Meeting of the Programme Committee on European Integration held in Sarajevo
11 September 2018

The 10th meeting of the Programme Committee on European Integration was held on 7 September 2018 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since Bosnia and Herzegovina is chairing ReSPA during the current year, Mr Edin Dilberović, Director of the Directorate for European Integration of the Council ...

ReSPA Mobility Scheme: Working Visit for delegations from Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to the Republic of Serbia
05 September 2018

ReSPA organised a regional exchange of peer-experience through the Working Visit to the Public Policy Secretariat (PPS), the Office for Information Technologies and e-Government, and the National Academy of Public Administration of the Government of the Repulic of Sebia.  

Workshop on CAF Action Plan of ReSPA in the framework of BACID 2 project
24 July 2018

Workshop on CAF Action Plan of ReSPA was held on 24 July 2018 as the first activity of BACID 2 project. The activity is supported by the Austrian Development Agency and implemented by Austrian partner KDZ (Centre for Public Administrative Research) and ReSPA.  

5th Open Government Partnership and ReSPA contribution
23 July 2018

ReSPA has taken part for the second time at the Open Government Partnership Summit which was held in Tbilisi, Georgia, on July 17-19, 2018. The globally recognized event gathered more than 95 countries around the world, including high-level representatives of the Governments, International organizations, ...

ReSPA Summer School on Accession Negotiations with the European Union Chapters 23 and 24
09 July 2018

Danilovgrad, Montenegro, 2-6 July 2018 - The Regional School of Public Administration (ReSPA) held its second, five-day Summer School on Accession Negotiations with the European Union (EU), with a special focus on the Accession Negotiations Chapters 23 (Judiciary and Fundamental Rights), ...

The visit of the Delegation from Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences to ReSPA
28 June 2018

ReSPA welcomed the delegation from Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences (SASS) at its premises on 27 June 2018. The meeting was accompanied by the representatives of the Ministry of Public Administration of Montenegro and Human Resource Management Authority (HRMA). The discussions highlighted ...

Achievements and Challenges in the Public Administration of the Western Balkans presented at UNDESA event
27 June 2018

Panel Achievements and Challenges in Public Administration - Reform in the Western Balkans to fulfil the 2030 Agenda was ReSPA's contribution to the 2018 United Nations Public Service Forum which was held on 22 June in Marrakesh, the Kingdom of Morocco.  During the panel, it was confirmed ...

Ministerial Conference: Good Governance in the Western Balkans
14 June 2018

 Mostar, 12-13 June 2018 - For the purpose of further strengthening of policy dialogue on public administration reform (PAR) as one of key priorities in the enlargement process, a two-day regional conference entitled „Good Governance in the Western Balkans“ was held in Mostar, organised ...

Regional Conference "Unlocking Benefits of Public Participation"
11 June 2018

Vienna, 11 June 2018  – In an attempt to increase awareness of regional standards in the field of public participation in policy-making processes in the Western Balkans (WB), the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) together with the Regional School of Public Administration (ReSPA), ...

Meeting of ReSPA National Coordinators
30 May 2018

Meeting of ReSPA National Coordinators was organized in Trebinje on 24 and 25 May 2018. ReSPA Secretariat highlighted the role of National Coordinators in the implementation of planned activities as well as in the preparation of a Final report for EC Grant.

Workshop on Smart city in Shanghai included Western Balkans perspectives
28 May 2018

Chinese Institute of social sciences (SAS) in Shanghai has invited ReSPA to be part of the Workshop Smart City Building in the New Era: Governance, Sustainability and Culture in a week 21-23 May 2018 in Shanghai, China. The workshop has been organized symbolically at the 60th Anniversary ...

ReSPA Panel at the 26th NISPAcee Annual Conference
28 May 2018

Iasi, Romania, 25 May 2018 – ReSPA representatives: Dr Selma Dzihanovic-Gratz, Chair of the ReSPA Governing Board at Senior Officials Level, Mr. Jahi Jahija, Member of the ReSPA Governing Board at Senior Officials Level, and Ms. Zorana Gajic, ReSPA Programme Manager, participate at the ...

Regional Conference on the Case-Law of the European Court of Human Rights Applicable in Administrative Disputes
18 May 2018

Belgrade, 17 May 2018 -  The Regional Conference on the Case-Law of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) Applicable in Administrative Disputes was held at the Union University Law School in Belgrade. The Conference brought together over 50 participants: judges of administrative ...

SIGMA and ReSPA joint Regional Conference Managerial Accountability and Professionalization of Senior Civil Service for Better Performance and Accountability
17 May 2018

ReSPA and SIGMA organized the Joint Regional Conference on Managerial Accountability and Professionalization of Senior Civil Service for Better Performance and Accountability, on 16-17 May 2018 at ReSPA premises in Danilovgrad. In addition to the representatives of the European Commission's ...

Minister of Public Administration of Kosovo*[1] visited ReSPA
15 May 2018

4 May 2018 – Minister Yagcilar, who is in charge of public administration in Kosovo*, paid visit to ReSPA and met with Ms Sekulović, ReSPA Director. Mr Yagcilar was accompanied by representatives of the Ministry of Public Administration and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo*. The ...

Programme Committee on European Integration met in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
15 May 2018

The 9th meeting of the Programme Committee on European Integration was held on 11 May 2018 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since Bosnia and Herzegovina is chairing ReSPA during the current year, Mr Edin Dilberović, Director of the Directorate for European Integration of the Council ...

Second phase of the CAF introduction to ReSPA
10 May 2018

After initial CAF training, held during January 2018, the two days Self Assessment workshop has been organized on 8-9 May in ReSPA premies.  The workshop  has generated many ideas on Strengths, Improvement areas and Improvement actions of Regional School of Public Administration ...

Focus Group Meetings in Sarajevo and Banja Luka within Comparative Study on Service Delivery
26 April 2018

Within the Comparative Study on Service Delivery, ReSPA organized the last two focus group meetings and semi-structured interviews in Sarajevo and Banja Luka. Previously five identical events have been placed in Tirana, Pristina, Belgrade, Skopje and Podgorica, The meetings in Bosnia and ...

Memorandum of Understanding between ReSPA and the Center of Excellence in Finance Signed
21 April 2018