The event brought together officials from the European External Action Service (EEAS) directly involved in the Kosovo–Serbia dialogue, representatives of the European Commission, NATO, diplomats, as well as experts from civil society organizations and research institutes from across the region and Europe.

The central focus of the discussion was the presentation of the joint report, “Shadow Report on the Kosovo-Serbia Normalisation Process: Between Agreement Implementation and Managing Tensions,” authored by Miloš Pavković (CEP) and Fitim Gashi (Sbunker).

The report provides a joint assessment of the implementation of the Brussels Agreement and the Ohrid Annex through a methodology applied for the first time, known as the “Normalisation Index.”

The findings show that, three years after the Brussels Agreement, the overall level of implementation remains at 21.1 percent.

The setbacks in the process are not only related to the lack of political will from the parties, but also to structural challenges in the architecture of the dialogue itself.

Participants in the roundtable noted that the lack of political commitment, ambiguities in the formulation of agreements, the absence of effective implementation mechanisms, and recurring crises on the ground have often transformed the dialogue from a process of normalization into a process of crisis management.

It was emphasized that future progress will depend not only on the commitment of Kosovo and Serbia, but also on the ability of international mediators to ensure greater implementation of existing agreements.

Participants assessed that the formation of new institutions in Kosovo and ongoing efforts to reactivate the process create opportunities for the resumption of substantive discussions. However, it was stressed that success should not be measured by the conclusion of new agreements, but by the concrete implementation of those already in place.

The report on the dialogue was published within the framework of the project “Supporting the EU Enlargement Through the Normalisation Process Between Serbia and Kosovo: Civil Society as a Driver of Progress,” supported by the Open Society Institute – Sofia Foundation (OSIS) through the Think Tanks for the Future of EU Enlargement Program (TFEP).

Read the full report here.

Članak Shadow Report on the Kosovo-Serbia Normalisation Process presented in Brussels se pojavljuje prvo na European Policy Centre.

Among the key topics of the conference was the question of how user-centred approaches and public service design should become an integral part of public administration. Through panel discussions and interactive sessions, participants shared experiences from the WeBER Policy Lab process and local initiatives funded under the WeBER small grants programme, discussing how design thinking methodology and participatory approaches can contribute to more accessible, inclusive and efficient public services.

An important part of the programme was the presentation of the findings of the Western Balkan PAR Monitor Report 2024/2025 – WeBER’s flagship analytical product, which provides a comparative assessment of reform progress from the perspective of civil society and citizens. The findings were further discussed through thematic breakout sessions, aiming to move from identifying challenges towards concrete dialogue on obstacles and possible solutions.

On the second day of the conference, grant beneficiaries from across the region will present their projects and the results achieved in local communities, showing how citizen engagement and co-creation can help shape public services that better respond to their needs. Through an interactive discussion format, participants will go on to examine experiences to date and the challenges in applying inclusive and participatory approaches to the design of public policies and regulations.

Članak Fourth WeBER Regional Conference “Citizens First: A Decade of Advancing Citizen-Centred PAR” Opens se pojavljuje prvo na European Policy Centre.

The European Policy Centre (CEP), with the support of the Irish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, hosted a panel discussion entitled “Serbia and the European Union: Geopolitics and Values – In Conflict or in Tandem?”, which took place on June 1, 2026 at the European House in Belgrade.

The event was dedicated to presenting the findings of a comprehensive research project on the attitudes of Serbian citizens toward the European Union at a time of heightened geopolitical uncertainty. The research was conducted by the Ninamedia agency on behalf of CEP, using the face-to-face interview method (TAPI), on a representative sample of 1,000 respondents across the territory of the Republic of Serbia, excluding Kosovo*. Data was collected between January 19 and February 2, 2026, with post-stratification controls applied for gender, age, education, settlement type, and region, as well as validity checks on 20% of the sample.

Building on the quantitative research and statistical modeling of factors influencing citizens’ support for Serbia’s EU membership, CEP researchers also conducted two focus groups that provided qualitative interpretation of the statistical findings.

The panel discussion addressed questions of key importance for understanding the current state of public opinion in Serbia: whether a social consensus exists on the country’s European path, how much citizens trust the EU as a partner, and to what extent their attitudes are driven by the perception of interests rather than values.

The panel featured the following speakers:

• H.E. Kevin Colgan, Ambassador of Ireland to the Republic of Serbia
• H.E. Andreas von Beckerath, Head of Delegation and EU Ambassador to Serbia
• Marko Todorović, Senior Researcher, Center for European Policies (CEP)
• Ana Milinković, Senior Researcher, Center for European Policies (CEP)
• Milena Mihajlović Denić, Program Director, Center for European Policies (CEP)

Find the research results here.

Find the livestream recording of the event here.

Članak European Policy Centre Hosted Panel Discussion on Serbian Citizens’ Attitudes Toward the EU se pojavljuje prvo na European Policy Centre.

The meeting brought together more than 60 representatives of civil society, public institutions and the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia. Its central focus was the IWG’s First Monitoring Report on the Implementation of the Reform Agenda of the Republic of Serbia. Participants were presented with the report’s key findings concerning progress in achieving reform steps, financial implementation and compliance with the conditions for payment, as well as the IWG’s recommendations addressed to the Government of Serbia and the European Commission. The discussion that followed focused on the next steps in monitoring reform implementation in the coming period.

A detailed overview of the report’s key findings is available bellow.

The full report, in Serbian and English, will soon be available on the website of the National Convention on the European Union.

The report was developed within the project “RA Connect: From National Civil Society Oversight to Regional Peer Learning“ implemented by the National Convention on the European Union and the European Policy Centre (CEP – Belgrade) as an implementing partner. The Project is funded by the Open Society Foundations – Western Balkans. The responsibility for content and information in this publication rests solely with the National Convention on the European Union and the European Policy Centre – CEP. Opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of the Open Society Foundations.

Članak Second Plenary Session of the Intersectoral Working Group for Monitoring the Implementation of Reform Agenda of the Republic of Serbia (IWG) was held in Belgrade se pojavljuje prvo na European Policy Centre.

The training was led by CEP’s Lead Researcher, Marko Todorović, who presented the project methodology and codebook to research teams from the Centre for Civic Education (CCE) Montenegro and the Foreign Policy Initiative (FPI) Bosnia and Herzegovina. The session focused on the practical application of the methodology, including hands-on coding, standardised data collection, and ensuring consistent quality control across the three participating countries.

The RADAR project aims to provide a systematic and comparable overview of radicalising content on TikTok encountered by young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia. Rather than measuring the overall prevalence of extremist content, the research focuses on mapping narratives and trajectories that may contribute to the early stages of radicalisation among youth, using a structured analytical framework and protocol.

The training marks an important step in ensuring a harmonised research approach and high-quality data collection across the region.

The project “Radicalisation Analytics in Digital Algorithmic Realms (RADAR)” (December 2025 – November 2026) is funded by the Directorate General for Europe and International Trade Policy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy.

Članak CEP organises RADAR methodology training for regional research teams se pojavljuje prvo na European Policy Centre.

The info-session will take place on 31 March 2026 at 12:00h via Zoom.

You can find the call and more info about the Small Grants Facility “Re-from for Growth” on the link. You can register for the info-session on the link.

Članak Info-session for the ”Re-form for Growth” Small Grant Facility se pojavljuje prvo na European Policy Centre.

The objective of this Call is to empower civil society organisations to provide independent monitoring, advocacy, and sector-specific perspectives on the implementation of the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans (GPWB).

A total amount of EUR 314,620 is allocated to the SGF to support up to 20 grants, with an implementation period of 10 to 12 months per action. The financial framework for the grants is as follows:

• Maximum Grant Amount: EUR 16,000
• Indicative Average Grant: EUR 15,730

The indicative regional distribution is planned as follows:

In order to be eligible for a grant, the applicant must:

• Be a legal entity;
• Be non-profit making;
• Be a civil society organisation whose activities are implemented at national and/or local level (i.e. within one or more local self-government units);
• Demonstrate active engagement and relevant experience in one or more thematic areas relevant to this Call for Proposals, through its mandate, previous or ongoing activities, research, monitoring or advocacy work;
• Be registered in one of the following countries: North Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, or Kosovo, at least six (6) months prior to the publication of this Call for Proposals;
• Be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action, and not acting as an intermediary;
• Have sufficient operational and financial capacity to carry out the proposed action;

Not be a beneficiary of funding under the EU Civil Society Facility (CSF) and Media Programme (Reference No. EuropeAid/179703/DH/ACT/Multi) for the same implementation period of the proposed action.

Thematic Priorities of the CfP 

1. Integration with the EU Single Market;
2. Regional integration through the Common Regional Market;
3. Priority Areas of the Reform Agendas;
4. Implementation of the Reform and Growth Facility;

For more details about this call, please read carefully the GUIDELINES FOR APPLICANTS.

Submission and Deadline

Applications must be submitted electronically with the following completed documents:

• Annex 1: Application Form
• Annex 2: Project Budget (Excel)
• Annex 3: Summary of the Proposal in English

Submission Deadline: 06.05.2026 until 17:00h CET

Applications shall be sent to: 

reform-monitor@epi.org.mk; 

cc: angela.delevska@epi.org.mk 

with the subject: “CfP: Re-form for Growth – (Country)_Application”.

Application package

Information Sessions

Information sessions for interested applicants will be organised online (via Google Meet or Zoom) during the week of 25 March-1 April 2026. 

The sessions will be organised by the respective implementing partner in each country:

• North Macedonia – European Policy Institute (EPI), Skopje
• Serbia – European Policy Centre (CEP), Belgrade
• Montenegro – Institute Alternativa (IA), Podgorica
• Albania – Institute for Democracy and Mediation (IDM), Tirana
• Kosovo – Group for Legal and Political Studies (GLPS), Prishtina
• Bosnia and Herzegovina – Transparency International in Bosnia and Herzegovina (TI BiH)

The sessions will provide guidance on the thematic priorities, eligibility criteria, application requirements and evaluation process.

Detailed information on the exact dates, time slots and registration process will be published in due time on:  www.reform-monitor.org

If needed, further information can be obtained by sending the question to: reform-monitor@epi.org.mk; cc: angela.delevska@epi.org.mk, no later than 6 April 2026.

Članak Re-form for Growth: Small Grant Facility se pojavljuje prvo na European Policy Centre.

Članak Western Balkan PAR Monitor: PUBLIC FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT 2024/2025 se pojavljuje prvo na European Policy Centre.

On Tuesday, 23 December 2025, in Podgorica, an Inter-Municipal Cooperation Agreement was signed to ensure joint access to the Unified System for Electronic Data Exchange (JSERP), enabling access to Montenegro’s state electronic data exchange service (Government Service Bus – GSB) through a shared access point. As electronic data exchange between public authorities is one of the key prerequisites for performing the responsibilities of local self-government units through information and communication technologies, the purpose of the Agreement is to provide access to municipalities that are currently unable to independently secure such access due to financial, human-resource, technical, or other constraints, in line with prescribed conditions and technical requirements. Under the Agreement, a joint platform for accessing the GSB is established and provided by the Capital City of Podgorica, which has the necessary resources and has already secured access in accordance with the required standards.

The Agreement was signed by 25 local self-government units, with the support of the Ministry of Public Administration and the UNOPS programme. Expert support for its preparation and implementation is provided by BELIT and the Centre for European Policy within the project “Digital Transformation of Local Self-Governments in Montenegro.” The text of the Agreement was drafted by Dušan Protić, Programme Manager for the Internal Market and Competitiveness at CEP. The next phase of the project will include activities to monitor and support implementation, provide model internal acts to local self-government units necessary for establishing e-government and delivering e-services, as well as other activities aimed at ensuring the digital transformation of municipalities in Montenegro in the near term.

Članak An Inter-Municipal Agreement on Joint Access to the GSB Signed in Montenegro with the Support of CEP se pojavljuje prvo na European Policy Centre.

The workshop was designed in several parts: an introductory lecture, followed by two interactive group works. During the first group work, the participants identified the biggest challenges facing the EU enlargement policy, the neighborhood policy and the European integration process of the candidate countries. The second group work was devoted to the formulation of specific recommendations, which the students presented through short presentations, emphasizing the importance of inclusive educational programs, greater involvement of institutions and a more active role of civil society in bringing the EU closer to citizens.

The participants showed a high level of pro-European orientation and expressed interest in political processes. Naturally, the discussions were permeated with current political events in Serbia, including student protests against corruption. This context did not limit the discussion, on the contrary, it contributed to the additional engagement of the participants and indicated that young people in Serbia see the European Union as a relevant political actor and an important reference point in thinking about the country’s future.

Članak Event “Laboratory of Ideas: Youth for the Future of Europe” was launched se pojavljuje prvo na European Policy Centre.