25–26 June 2025   | Budva, Montenegro

Aimed to catalyse change by introducing the findings of ReSPA’s Draft Regional Analysis on Public Sector Integrity, the Workshop gathered key representatives from anti-corruption agencies, public administration training institutions, and ministries of public administration from across the region, along with experts from the European Union and France. The report highlights persistent issues such as weak enforcement of integrity regulations, inadequate whistleblower protections, political interference, and insufficient transparency in asset declarations.

Director Handjiska Trendafilova emphasised during the opening remarks that integrity must move beyond checklists and compliance “It has to be a core value embedded in every institution’s culture. ReSPA is proud to lead this regional effort to build stronger integrity systems that reflect our shared democratic values and commitment to public trust.”

The event was inaugurated by Milutin Butorović, Minister without portfolio, Government of Montenegro, member of the National Council for the Fight against Corruption, who reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening the public sector integrity as the key element of efficient and transparent administration, and underlined the importance of ongoing strategic reforms in the areas of fight against corruption and public administration, towards aligning national efforts with broader European standards.

Bertrand Baucher, Deputy Head of Mission at the French Embassy, announced that France will support a project aimed at strengthening the capacities of regional administrations in the field of integrity, in close cooperation with ReSPA. He underlined: “There can be no strong public service without trust — and no trust without integrity. The prevention of corruption and transparency are core democratic values, which is why they are central to France’s foreign policy, fundamental criteria for the EU accession process, and essential conditions for building an efficient and credible administration. Thus, building a strong and lasting culture of integrity that transforms behaviours over time within public administrations is crucial.”

Silviu Popa, a ReSPA expert, presented the Draft Regional Analysis, which outlined critical challenges and offered targeted recommendations for improving integrity management. He stressed that legal frameworks in the region are often undermined by ineffective implementation and a lack of reliable enforcement mechanisms.

The presentation was followed by interactive Q&A and peer exchange panels. Representatives of regional anti-corruption agencies shared insights into practical obstacles and successes in their respective countries, while public administration training institutions discussed innovative approaches to ethics training.

An afternoon session was dedicated to showcasing the Western Balkans' best practices and French public administration’s experience - Marko Skerović, Agency for Prevention of Corruption of Montenegro and Ivana Bogojević Mandić, UNDP Montenegro presented the Methodology for assessment of implementation of anti-corruption measures, while experts from the French Anticorruption Agency, the High Authority for Transparency in Public Life, and the Directorate General for Administration and Civil Service (DGAFP) delivered presentations on implementing integrity measures, monitoring compliance, and fostering a culture of transparency.

On the second day, participants engaged in a "World Caffe" discussion format to co-design training modules tailored to the region’s integrity needs. This collaborative setting enabled stakeholders to reflect on key lessons, brainstorm new initiatives, and shape the vision for a regional integrity training framework.

The workshop concluded with the official launch of the Public Sector Integrity Community of Practice —a collaborative platform to support ongoing peer exchange, capacity building, and the implementation of recommendations emerging from the ReSPA analysis.

Boris Ristović, ReSPA Programme Manager: emphasised the importance of the regional Community of Practice as valuable framework for ReSPA’s further interventions in public sector integrity: “We want to encourage regional public sector practitioners to work together in designing and testing instruments to address shared challenges, and enhance the capacities of the public administrations to independently and effectively train the civil servants in streamlining the integrity principles into practice”