About this learning event

This will be the second retreat of the mixed team of employees from the Ministry of Public Administration and the Ministry of Finance of Montenegro who together strive to  coordinate policies, teams, and institutions for the successful implementation of the key reforms in their two areas. Those ministries are core beneficiaries of the EU-funded project Support to Coordination, Monitoring and Reporting on PAR Strategy and PFM Reform Programme 2022-2026, implemented by the CEF. They will be joined by the Ministry of European Affairs to jointly discuss their coordination.

What will you learn

During this retreat, the participants will:

• Engage in new ways of collaboration and learning among the team members
• Discuss, practice, and set communication and negotiation approaches to be deployed at the PAR Special Group meeting and PFM Dialogue in November 2024 in Brussels/EC
• Discuss immediate actions for 2024 and plan the learning journeys of Year 2 (and indicative also Year 3) of the project
• Network and connect through team-building activities

The meeting will result in the following tangible outputs:

• Grounded and sound self-confidence of the team members individually and as a group to approach the EU negotiations in a proactive and self-aware mode of operation
• Increased awareness of the importance of the capacities for focus and attention management
• Mutually agreed negotiation points and positions in the respective EU accession negotiations with a special focus on the PAR Special Group meeting and PFM Dialogue in Brussels/EC in November 2024
• Timeline and action board for the preparations
• First draft of the learning journey of the Year 2 and 3 of the project

The activities will address all learning objectives and create synergetic effects to be seen in increased team cohesion and alignment, especially demonstrated at the upcoming PAR Special Group meeting and PFM Dialogue. Such an expanded capacity will also result in improved understanding and institutional coordination through combining objectives, and joining resources, thus enabling improved overall quality of implementation of both PAR and PFM reforms.

The retreat will be rich in team alignment exercises and setting joint negotiation points. In a simulation exercise, the participants will go through a semi-structured game to prepare for the meeting in Brussels. They will also make a “to-do” list and allocate responsibilities before the meeting. To sharpen their endurance for such negotiation meetings, the participants will also exercise focus, attention management, and negotiation skills. Based on all this, the retreat will be concluded with planning the activities for the next project years. The team spirit will be supported by visits to interesting locations in Ljubljana created by the public sector on local and state levels. The participants will also meet with members of the CEF team with whom they will network.

Who should attend

This event is co-designed with and intended for the employees from the Ministry of Public Administration, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of European Affairs of Montenegro, in cooperation with the CEF experts Natasha Ilijeva Acevska, Nina Vujošević, Andreja Jerina, Svetlana Laušević, and Robert Bauchmüller.

Practical Information

The workshop will last for two days, starting at lunch-time on Wednesday, September 4 and concluding at lunch-time on Friday, September 6.

Partners

This event is delivered as part of the EU-funded Action “Support to Coordination, Monitoring and Reporting on PAR Strategy and PFM Reform Programme 2022-2026” implemented by the CEF.