20 January 2026, Podgorica, Montenegro

The ReSPA team kicked off the year with renewed energy at its internal Planning Day, setting the strategic direction for a new cycle of initiatives to support Public Administration Reform across Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership administrations. The discussions combined reflection on past achievements with forward-looking planning, aligning priorities and shaping a clear roadmap for the year ahead.

Opening the sessions, Director Handjiska-Trendafilova framed the discussions around continuity, quality delivery, and strategic impact. She highlighted the importance of further leveraging international cooperation and smart synergies across ReSPA’s thematic areas, underlining the organisation’s commitment to delivering a holistic programme that reaches a broader community of civil servants across the Western Balkans, Armenia, Moldova and Ukraine.

The morning sessions focused on reviewing the implementation of activities during the 2023–2025 period, marked by 210 regional activities engaging more than 4,300 participants. The team also reflected on operational challenges encountered during the last European Commission Grant implementation and identified concrete areas for improvement moving forward.

A central part of the day was dedicated to launching the new EC Grant Contract for 2026–2028. Team members examined the logframe, monitoring and reporting approaches, financial parameters, budgeting modalities, participant structures, and operational standards for activities, including on-demand and on-site trainings. Special attention was given to administrative cooperation, thematic groups, engagement with Eastern Partnership partners, and the role and next steps of the Project Steering Committee.

Discussions then turned to other ongoing and upcoming initiatives, including projects supported by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the French Government, and “Ireland for EU Enlargement”, as well as integrity-related initiatives, HRMA activities, and preparations for a ministerial meeting under the Berlin Process. Additional topics included the Serbian Presidency of ReSPA, knowledge management platforms, partnerships, and development aid membership planned for 2026.

The focus later shifted to the Programme of Work of 2026, with Project Managers and Officers presenting planned activities for the January–December period. The presentations highlighted flagship initiatives and introduced new activities across key thematic areas such as Human Resource Management, European Integration, Digitalisation, Quality Management, Public Financial Management, and horizontal support.

The Planning Day reaffirmed ReSPA’s strong team spirit and shared commitment to delivering relevant, impactful, and forward-looking support to public administrations across the region, as the organisation enters a new and ambitious implementation cycle.