MEETINGS, EXPERIENCES AND INNOVATIONS - THE ACADEMY AT THE DISPA MEETING IN SPAIN

A delegation of the National Academy of Public Administration attended the two-day meeting of the Network of Directors of Institutes and Schools of Public Administration (DISPA) held on October 23 and 24 in the town of Alcalá de Henares near Madrid, at the headquarters of the National Institute of Public Administration of Spain (INAP). At this international event the Academy was represented by Acting Director Dejan Miletić, Radmila Tomović, Head of the International Cooperation Group, Sanja Stanojević, Head of the Project Management Group, and Dejan Raketić, Assistant Director.

The main topic of this meeting was "European technical cooperation as a driver of innovative public policies". Special attention was paid to the participants from Latin America and the Caribbean, who were guests of this important event.

As the Academy was a participant in this year's second meeting of the DISPA Network, the acting director pointed out that the examples of cooperation between schools of public administration in the EU Member States represent a roadmap for schools from our region and provide a good example for association. He also added that the membership in networks and attendance at meetings are useful, and that real and genuine cooperation takes place between people as colleagues, but also as friends.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Academy representatives also attended a panel organised by the ReSPA Network (Regional School of Public Administration) on Wednesday, October 25. This panel was intended as an opportunity for regional exchange among directors and managers of schools of public administration from the Western Balkans, presentation of good practices, and definition of ways for regional partnerships and cooperation. On that occasion, Mrs. Stanojević, as the Head of the Project Management Group, presented the new and main activities of the Academy from the previous year. She particularly highlighted the training programmes for civil servants on appointed positions, implemented through the European Union project, as well as the training of line managers, which was carried out in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The Network of Directors of Institutes and Schools of Public Administration (DISPA) was formed in 1995. Meetings of the Network are held twice a year in the country that presides over the Council of the EU at the time and represent an opportunity for members to exchange knowledge and best practices in the field of vocational training and public administration reform. In addition to school principals from the EU Member States, school principals from neighbouring countries also participate. The National Academy of Public Administration became a member of the Network in June 2018. The next meeting will be held in the first half of 2024 in Belgium, which is the next country to hold the presidency of the Council of the European Union.