8th Ministerial Meeting of the Western Balkans Platform on Education and Training
8th Ministerial Meeting of the Western Balkans Platform on Education and Training with participation of WBAA: 3-4 June 2019 in Belgrade, Serbia.
WBAA Highlights:
- Presentation of WBAA during the 8th Ministerial Meeting to all relevant stakeholders;
- Working Breakfast with representatives from the WB6 Ministries of Education;
- Meeting with the European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, Mr. Tibor Navracsics, including the Director for Innovation, International Cooperation and Sport at Directorate-General (DG) Education, Youth, Sport and Culture in the European Commission, Ms. Antoaneta Angelova-Krasteva and the Minister of Education, Sports and Youth of the Republic of Albania, Ms. Besa Shahini.
Additional Information: During the Ministerial Meeting, a Draft Declaration on Automatic Recognition of Academic Qualifications was discussed.
Article
17 WBAA members consisting of the Regional Board members and Heads of WBAA teams were invited to participate at the 8th Ministerial Meeting of the Western Balkans Platform on Education and Training (WB PET) that was convened in the period from 3-4 June 2019 in Belgrade, Serbia. This annual meeting serves as a platform for relevant stakeholders to discuss and share experiences on the improvement of educational systems of WB6, to learn about the latest EU initiatives in the area, to identify priorities and eventually agree on follow-up actions aiming to enhance the regional cooperation. The WB PET is attended by Ministers of Education, representatives from the European Commission, and relevant regional stakeholders, including WBAA.
During the two-days meeting, our two Regional Board members, Ms. Bojana Zimonjić (Serbia) and Mr. Roland Raka (Kosovo*), presented WBAA, conducted and ongoing projects, as well as future plans. The audience was eager to hear about the organization and its mission, showing its great approval and support.
During the second day, national representatives met with representatives from their respective Ministries of Education, Erasmus+ Offices/National Agencies and EU delegations at the working breakfast, to discuss about the prospects of future cooperation. All six meetings resulted in acknowledgment that both sides could benefit from the future collaboration, which is to be established by the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding.
On the margins of the event, WBAA had an informal meeting with the European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, Mr. Tibor Navracsics, the Director for Innovation, International cooperation and Sport at Directorate-General (DG) Education, Youth, Sport and Culture in the European Commission, Ms. Antoaneta Angelova-Krasteva, and the Minister of Education, Sports and Youth of the Republic of Albania, Ms. Besa Shahini. During the meeting our members discussed regional achievements of the EC, exchanged personal experiences, brain drain phenomenon and how it can be mitigated, as well as about future steps of both WBAA and the EC in the area of higher education.
It is with great pleasure to inform you that WBAA’s presence at the meeting was highly appreciated and we managed to set a good basis for the future collaboration with relevant stakeholders in the region. There is no doubt that WBAA positioned itself as a relevant partner to national authorities and its partners in the area of education. We are convinced that built relationships will help WBAA grow and become an important player in the region, who will continue to contribute to the regional integration.
WBAA participants (17 in total):
Albania: Marjola Memaj and Klaudja Koci, Regional Board; Regjina Prendushi Gokaj, Head of Academic and Career Development Team
BiH: Sabahudin Mujkić, Regional board and Samir Beharić, Regional board substitute
Kosovo*: Roland Raka, Regional Board and Albana Veseli, Regional board substitute
Montenegro: Anđela Mićanović and Marina Tomović, Regional Board
N. Macedonia: Sanja Stefanova and Tamara Petreska, Regional Board; Renata Petrevska Nechkovska, Head of Research Team; Aleksandar Davkov, Head of Communication & IT Team
Serbia: Olga Arsić and Bojana Zimonjić, Regional Board; Mila Lukić, Head of Projects team; Luka Šterić, Head of Internal Affairs team
