Center of Excellence in Finance (CEF)

✨ Looking back on a year of growth and what comes next.
At the closing event, opened by our Director Jana Repanšek, participants gathered to reflect, exchange experiences, and think about how learning really happens inside public institutions.
💡 Learning is not optional - it’s what helps institutions adapt and improve

The participants of the Reflection Summit noted clear shifts:
💬 more confidence
🤝 stronger collaboration and knowledge sharing
🚀 greater readiness to act

We were joined by Darko Đurić, a Slovenian Paralympic swimmer, entrepreneur, and motivational speaker, whose story of persistence and mindset strongly resonated with participants.

A meaningful moment to pause, reflect, and look ahead 🙂

A great exchange in Belgrade! 🇷🇸
At the Veleposlaništvo Slovenije v Beogradu/ Ambasada Slovenije u Beogradu, Ambassador Dr. Slobodan Šešum hosted a presentation on CEF and our work.

Colleagues Aleksandra Tekijaški and Tara Poje shared how we support public finance reforms across the Western Balkans, helping countries move forward on their path 🇪🇺

The discussion also explored possibilities for future cooperation with Serbia and continued support for its reform efforts.

– 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐭 1️⃣1️⃣ - 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞
It’s not a separate thing; it’s built into how we work. Internal and external sessions are part of the mix, alongside other internal trainings and events. We pick things up, share them, and learn from each other, all the time.

🇲🇰 We had the pleasure of hosting Gordana Dimitrieska-Kochoska, Minister at the Министерство за финансии/Ministria e Financave/Ministry of Finance and current Chair of the CEF Governing Board, at the CEF.

🤝 The visit was a good opportunity to build further on our close collaboration and look at where joint work can continue to support current priorities, also in view of the upcoming annual Governing Board meeting.

Together with our Director, Jana Repanšek, and the CEF steering team, they talked about:
• how our institutions continue working closely together
• shared priorities in public financial management
• the Governing Board’s role in setting strategic direction in a changing international development landscape

The Minister also met with Mateja Vraničar Erman, Chair of our Advisory Board, for a broader exchange on the CEF’s role in the region and perspectives ahead of the Governing Board discussions.

✨ A good exchange, open conversations, and a shared focus on what comes next.

📸Črt Pixi

Last Friday, our Director, Jana Repanšek, welcomed Irena Radović, Governor of the Centralna banka Crne Gore, and her team, at the CEF
Building on our close relationship and ongoing work together, the visit gave us a chance to deepen cooperation and share experiences - especially as moves toward the .

: 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐭 1️⃣0️⃣ - 𝐅𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐄𝐅
We don’t work in just one way. Some things happen in the room, some online, and a lot in both worlds
Our physical space is set up to support this, too, including quiet focus pods for individual work when needed.
🤝 With the right setup and a good sense of what people need, collaboration runs smoothly across all formats.

🤝 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐄𝐅, 𝐰𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤.
🌍 In Sarajevo, we explored this at the “Institutional Capacities for Climate Action: Building Partnerships and Coalitions” workshop.
🛠️ No long theory sessions, just real talk about what gets in the way (and what helps). From trust and shared purpose to knowing when coordination is enough… and when you need real partnerships.

💬 The biggest takeaway? It’s the human side that matters most: trust, openness, respect, and actually sharing information.
⚡ Great energy, honest discussions, and a clear sense that this shouldn’t stop here - but should continue across institutions and the region.

🙌 Big thanks to Gilles Ossona de Mendez for guiding the process.

🌱 Part of the Greening Human Capital of Public Institutions of the Western Balkans project, implemented by the CEF with support from Ministrstvo za okolje, podnebje in energijo / Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy and the Climate Change Fund of Slovenia.

– 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐭 9️⃣
isn’t just a buzzword for us; it's how we work. Over the years, it has been recognized in many different ways:

✅ Passed the Pillar Assessment, confirming our strong systems and sound financial management.
🌍 Recognized by the OECD - OCDE DAC as a development partner.
🤝 An official channel for implementing international development cooperation under .
📊 Contribute to , especially:
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

𝐂𝐄𝐅 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 | 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐒𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐭𝐲 & 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞’𝐬 𝐄𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞

👉 As Europe moves forward with financial integration and digital transformation, central banks are working in a changing environment shaped by cyber risks, geopolitical uncertainty, and shifting monetary dynamics.

In the latest , Irena Radovic, Governor of the Centralna banka Crne Gore, and Primož Dolenc, Governor of Banka Slovenije, reflect on what resilience, sovereignty, and influence mean for smaller economies in today.

🔹 𝐈𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐚 𝐑𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐯𝐢ć: “𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘺 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺.”

🔹 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐨ž 𝐃𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜: “𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘷𝘶𝘭𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴."

From the and to institutional preparedness and , the interview shows how central banks are adjusting to a future in which resilience extends beyond finance: into operations, digital systems, and institutions.

👉 Read the full interview here: https://www.cef-see.org/joint-interview-radovic-dolenc

🤝 During a recent visit to CEF, Ambassador of Kosovo to Slovenia, Valdet Sadiku, shared reflections on cooperation with CEF.
He highlighted CEF as a trusted regional partner for Kosovo — one that brings quality, professionalism, and practical relevance to senior public officials’ work.

🏛️ This trust is reflected in strong cooperation with Kosovo’s key institutions, from high‑level meetings in Prishtina to CEF’s participation in the Kosova Finance Forum, alongside the Banka Qendrore e Republikës së Kosovës, International Monetary Fund, and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

👥 As our Director, Jana Repanšek, noted, Kosovo’s public sector is rich in talent, motivation, and commitment. Investing in people and supporting them in bringing their knowledge back home remains central to long‑term development.

💬 Exchanges like these matter - as moments to reflect on how cooperation is experienced in practice.

📸 Joining the Ambassador and the CEF Director in the photo were Albana F. Shala and Hyrmete Gashi, participants in this week’s Asset Management Certification Program.