The Effective Communication workshop provided us with practical recommendations regarding communication at the workplace and with line ministries during budget preparation, negotiations and daily execution. I also learned that different ministries face similar challenges in the budgeting process. The workshop helped us identify these challenges and search for solutions. 

The course on Fiscal Transparency and Risk Management was very inspiring and eye-opening, and I have taken action based on the recommendations that I received there. This workshop helped participants better understand the importance of fiscal risks when preparing their national budgets. In addition, we learned about a good practice of the Ministry of Finance of the Netherlands with regard to strengthening the role of line ministries in the budget process. 

The Medium-Term Budgeting workshop that I attended five years ago addressed the practical aspects of medium-term budgeting, which was at that time not yet present in Slovenia. The workshop introduced a fiscal framework methodology that I now use in my work. 

Last but not least, as CEF learning initiatives are tailor-made for a specific audience and targeted also for budget officials, they enable the employees of the Slovene Ministry of Finance, including myself, to attend workshops here in Ljubljana, and thus save time that we would otherwise have to spend on travelling abroad.

Saša Jazbec
Director General
Budget Department
Ministry of Finance, Slovenia