MINISTER TANJA MIŠČEVIĆ OPENED A MULTILATERAL MEETING OF REPRESENTATIVES OF 12 COUNTRIES AT THE NATIONAL ACADEMY FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Directors and senior representatives of 15 European institutions for professional development of public administration employees have gathered on 9 and 10 March 2023 at the event "International Cooperation in the Spotlight" at the National Academy for Public Administration. This multilateral meeting was organized on the occasion of marking the fifth anniversary of NAPA's work, for the purpose of improving and further promoting international cooperation. The event at the Academy shall be attended today and tomorrow by the representatives of related institutions from Albania, Bulgaria, France, Croatia, Georgia, Germany, Moldova, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, as well as from EIPA and RESPA schools and the NISPAcee Network.

The two-day meeting was opened with an address by Acting Director of NAPA, Dejan Miletić, who said on that occasion that he is proud of the fact that NAPA shall serve, during these two days, as a hub of inter-institutional cooperation not only in respect of the countries of the region, but also in respect of Europe, and that the nurturing and development of cooperation, both at the regional and international level, represents the permanent and firm commitment of NAPA.

The introductory address was followed by the addresses of the Assistant Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-government, Jasmina Benmansur, and the UNDP Resident Representative in the Republic of Serbia, Yakup Beris.

The Minister of European Integration, Tanja Miščević, has stressed that NAPA has proven to be a centre of excellence in these five years and that, in addition to strengthening the capacity and knowledge of employees in public administration, it actively works on networking and cooperation, which is of immeasurable importance for the work of public administration. The minister has emphasized the close and specific cooperation between the Ministry of European Integration and NAPA, which is reflected in the exchange of expert knowledge required by both institutions.

The different types of international cooperation among related institutions and the concept of administration as a service aimed at citizens are the topics in the focus of the presentations and panel discussions of the participants. The multilateral meeting shall be concluded by signing of an Agreement on Cooperation with public administration institutions of European countries.