Who We Are
We drive excellence in public administration
The Regional School of Public Administration (ReSPA) is a regionally owned organisation and a joint endeavour of the European Commission and the Western Balkan administrations. Governed and managed by its five Members - Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia - with Kosovo* participating as a beneficiary, ReSPA serves as a central platform for advancing public administration reform in the region. As of January 2026, ReSPA has further expanded its reach by engaging civil servants from Armenia, Moldova, and Ukraine through its programme and activities.
What began as an idea has evolved into one of the Western Balkans’ most successful examples of regional cooperation. Anchored in the June 2003 Thessaloniki Agenda and officially launched in 2010, ReSPA has grown into a strategically positioned regional hub that accelerates public sector transformation, strengthens cooperation, and brings administrations closer to the European Union Administrative Space.
Aligned with the region’s evolving reform priorities, ReSPA champions a professional, accountable, resilient, transparent, citizen-oriented, and innovative public sector - one that enables responsive governance, sustainable development, and tangible improvements in citizens’ lives. In doing so, the ReSPA team connects public administrations from the Western Balkans and Armenia, Moldova and Ukraine with one another, with EU Member States, EU institutions, and renowned international partners.
Our ultimate goal is to support governments in modernising public administration systems, strengthening leadership and human capital, embracing digital transformation, and advancing towards full integration into the European Administrative Space.
ReSPA’s work is structured around five core thematic areas, reflecting both regional reform priorities and EU accession requirements: Policy Management, Better Regulation and Simplification, European Integration and Accession Negotiations, Human Resources Management and Professional Development, Digital Transition (Digitalisation and Quality Management), and Public Financial Management.
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Ms Maja Handjiska Trendafilova, ReSPA DirectorJointly with the Western Balkans governments and our European partners, we work to support the development of modern, transparent, accountable and participatory public administrations that work for the people and bring tangible results and European values.
Recognised as a regional reform partner endorsed in the EU–Western Balkans Leaders’ Summit Declarations, ReSPA is a trusted driver of public administration excellence. Over the past 15 years, the ReSPA team has delivered more than 1,000 activities and empowered over 15,000 civil servants across the region. Our impact is reaffirmed by the European Commission’s continued trust through its 6th Grant, as well as by strong partnerships with key EU MS`s institutions, including the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the French Ministry of Public Action, Civil Service and Simplification, and Ireland’s Institute of Public Administration and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFA). Through joint programmes, we strengthen administrative capacities across the Western Balkans and, increasingly, Armenia, Moldova and Ukraine.
Building on an ever-expanding network of EU, regional, and international partners, we fuel innovation, mobility, digital transformation, and knowledge exchange - positioning ReSPA as a central hub for collaboration and excellence in public administration across the regions.
Our focus remains clear - to move from reform to excellence. Grounded in 15 years of regional cooperation, peer learning, and tangible results, we are entering a new phase centred on implementation, measurable impact, and long-term institutional resilience, supporting the firm integration of the Western Balkans and the Eastern Neighbourhood regions into the European Administrative Space.
* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and ICJ opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.