Regional cooperation - CEP

Slovenia’s Support to Ukrainian Recovery

12. 6. 2024 | local self-government, PR, Regional cooperation, Slovenian Development Assistance, U-LEAD: with Europe, Ukraine

“When we talk about Ukraine’s recovery, we talk about the recovery of the future new EU member state” (Olaf Scholz, Chancellor of Germany, in his opening address at the URC 2024 in Berlin).

Ukrainian local communities represent a key driving force for Ukraine’s successful recovery and sustainable development. The Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin highlighted the role of these municipalities.

Since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression, Slovenia has been offering assistance and support to Ukraine. The support has resulted in long-term sustainable partnerships based on solidarity and friendship, with Slovenia offering its valuable experience as Ukraine continues its path towards the EU, with the Slovenian government announcing the allocation of an additional 5 million € to Ukrainian recovery.

We are proud to announce the release of our publication, “Slovenia Supporting Ukrainian Communities: Integrating Reconstruction with Local Development”, highlighting the Slovenian contribution and opportunities for future cooperation in the recovery, reconstruction and EU integration of Ukraine.

Authors: Dr Janez Šušteršič, Ms Jelka Klemenc and Mr Jurij Kobal.

You can find the publication here.

Successful Study Visit of North Macedonian Delegation of Nurses and Midwives in Slovenia

5. 6. 2024 | North Macedonia - Nursing and Midwifery, PR, Regional cooperation, Slovenian Development Assistance

We have successfully completed the three-day study visit as part of the project ‘Advancing Nursing and Midwifery Education and Establishing the System for the Recognition of Professional Qualifications in the Republic of North Macedonia (2024–2025)’. The study visit, held from June 3 to June 5, 2024, marks the beginning of cooperation between Slovenia and North Macedonia in enhancing the professional qualifications and education systems for nurses and midwives in North Macedonia.

The visit began with the official launch of the project on Monday with the welcome address from Mr Denis Korde, State Secretary at Ministry of Health of Slovenia. He welcomed the Macedonian delegation to Slovenia, emphasizing the importance of collaboration for addressing the challenges in the health sector. Activities of day 1 continued with presentations from Ms Monika Ažman, President of the Nurses and Midwives Association of Slovenia (NMA), who shared the association’s almost century-long journey and developments in the nursing and midwifery sector in Slovenia in this time. Mr Andrej Vojnovič, presented the regulatory framework for nursing in Slovenia, with follow-up presentations by Ms Urša Glavinac and Ms Anita Prelec, focusing on the registration, licensing, and continuous professional and educational development of nurses and midwives, emphasizing patient safety and quality care.

On Tuesday, the delegation visited the Angela Boškin Faculty of Health Care (ABFHC) in Jesenice. Doc. Dr Sanela Pivač, Prof. Dr Brigita Skela Savič, and Senior Lecturer Ms Anita Prelec, presented the work of the Faculty, the evolution of nursing and midwifery education in Slovenia and strategies for building quality education programs. They also presented the work of ABFHC and the cooperation of the Faculty with Jesenice General Hospital. Representatives from North Macedonia presented the issues in the implementation of the Bologna process in their educational sector with the along with the current obstacles in establishing graduate and postgraduate programs for nurses and midwives in North Macedonia. The afternoon featured a tour of Jesenice General Hospital, where the delegation learned more about the roles and competencies of nurses and midwives in the healthcare system of Slovenia.

The final day of the study visit began with an interactive debrief and a discussion focused on the possibility of applying the Slovenian practices to the North Macedonian context. Members of the delegation noted the benefits of a public healthcare system, particularly in primary care settings. The discussions also focused on outlining steps for future activities, focused on regulation and education. Following the discussion, the delegation visited Community Health Centre Ljubljana (Zdravstveni dom Ljubljana) and the Simulation centre (SIM centre) of the Community Health Centre Ljubljana (CHC Ljubljana), which is the first simulation centre on the primary level in Slovenia. It provides the implementation of advanced simulations in healthcare to improve patient safety, to increase the knowledge and skills of professionals, and to enhance their competences and their effectiveness to act in certain life-threatening situations. The visit of the Community Health Centre enabled the presentation of the different role of nurses in primary health care.

The Centre for European Perspective extends its thanks to all the institutions and individuals who made this study visit a success:

Angela Boškin Faculty of Health Care
Nurses and Midwives Association of Slovenia (NMA)
Health Centre Ljubljana (Zdravstveni dom Ljubljana)
Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovenia
WHO Office Skopje
Ministry of Health of the Republic of North Macedonia
Representatives from the nursing and midwifery sectors in North Macedonia

About the Project

The project ‘Advancing Nursing and Midwifery Education and Establishing the System for the Recognition of Professional Qualifications in the Republic of North Macedonia (2024–2025)’ aims to align nursing and midwifery education with European standards, improving healthcare outcomes in North Macedonia. The project activities are supported by the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs through the #SlovenianAid programme, and the Ministry of Health of the Republic of North Macedonia.

Check out the photos in the Flickr gallery below:

Project to Advance Nursing and Midwifery Education in North Macedonia officially launched today in Ljubljana

3. 6. 2024 | North Macedonia - Nursing and Midwifery, PR, Regional cooperation, Slovenian Development Assistance

Novico v slovenskem jeziku najdete tu.

Ljubljana, Slovenia, 3 June 2024 – We are proud to announce the official launch of the project “Advancing nursing and midwifery education and establishing the system for the recognition of professional qualifications in the Republic of North Macedonia (2024–2025)”, aimed at supporting and advancing nursing and midwifery education in North Macedonia. The project, supported by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia and co-financed by the Ministry of Health of North Macedonia, was succesfully launched today, before the commencement of a three-day study visit in Slovenia.

Distinguished speakers Mr Denis Kordež, State Secretary at the Ministry of Health, Ms Eva Dajčman Šterk, Head Division for Human Resources in Health at the Ministry of Health, Dr Pia Vračko, representative of the WHO Country Office in North Macedonia, Ms Elena Ristoska, representative of the Ministry of Health of North Macedonia, Ms Monika Ažman, President of the Nurses & Midwives Association of Slovenia and Ms Jelka Klemenc, Head of Development Cooperation at the Centre for European Perspective, contributed to the official launch of the project, which will run until 31 December 2025.

Distinguished speakers opening the event highlighted the importance of cooperation of various stakeholders and thanked representatives from North Macedonia for their engagement, the Centre for European Perspective for the support in officially launching and running the project and the Nurses and Midwives Association of Slovenia for their expert support. Speakers also highlighted the support of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovenia and the Ministry of Health of North Macedonia for the project.

Mr Denis Kordež, State Secretary at the Ministry of Health, who welcomed the Macedonian delegation to Slovenia, emphasized the importance of collaboration, stating, “Close and coherent cooperation between the various stakeholders in the health and education system to address nursing and midwifery education and to establish a system of recognizing professional qualifications in North Macedonia is crucial. We hope you will be able to learn from Slovenia and its practices and avoid the mistakes we made.”

“We are happy and proud of the project of international cooperation with the Republic of North Macedonia, within the framework of which we will advise Macedonian professional colleagues in the establishment of vertical education for nurses with an emphasis on the first and second Bologna level and in the preparation of the necessary tools and starting points for independent regulation of professions in nursing and midwifery. The established cooperation proves that the Nurses and Midwives Association, which takes care of the development of the health and midwifery profession and strives for its autonomy, has international recognition and validity. We want recognition of the autonomy of the profession at home as well,” said Monika Ažman, President of the Nurses and Midwives of Slovenia – the Association of Professional Associations of Nurses, Midwives and Medical Technicians of Slovenia.

Ms Elena Ristoska, a Representative from the Ministry of Health of North Macedonia, thanked the initiative of NMA and the work of CEP and acknowledged the urgency of the task ahead for North Macedonia: “A similar path to Slovenian awaits us, but we only have a year to do it.”

Dr Pia Vračko from the WHO Office in North Macedonia stressed the importance of unwavering dedication and teamwork: “Slovenia has always supported EU integration of the Western Balkans, and now we also cooperate in the field of health. We hope there will be more projects like this between North Macedonia and Slovenia, as without collaboration, this project will not be a success. This is why it is crucial to have representatives of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education together here. It is difficult to implement change, and we will have to be one team and act together. Never and never give up – this will bring us to a successful conclusion, and we won’t end until we achieve the goal.” Dr Vračko reiterated the gratitude of all involved stakehoders for the opportunity to bring this project idea to fruition and thanked CEP for responding to the request to take charge of the preparation and to facilitate implementation of this endeavour.

Ms Jelka Klemenc emphasised that CEP is privileged to have a part in this endeavour and will be able to utilise its vas experience both feom working in the same target country and also from implementating complex multi-stakeholder processes.

During the study visit, the Macedonian delegation will gain further insights into the work of the Nurses and Midwives Association of Slovenia and Slovenian and EU legislation on nursing, as well as the educational frameworks for nurses and midwives and their professional development. The study visit will include visits to the Angela Boškin Faculty of Health Care in Jesenice, where the representatives will learn more about the development process of the Angela Boškin Faculty of Healthcare and the building of quality nursing and midwifery education. Following will be the visit to Jesenice General Hospital, where the delegation will observe the nursing educational process in practice. On Wednesday, the agenda will focus on presenting the roles of nurses and midwives in primary health care at the Health Promotion Center in Ljubljana. The visit will conclude with discussions outlining the next steps and actions to be taken upon return to NMK (led by the Project Secretariat at the Ministry of Health NMK) and group discussions on the potential application of Slovenian models to the NMK primary healthcare context.

Check out the photos in the Flickr gallery below:

Project is implemented with the support of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia through the International Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid Programme and the Ministry of Health of the Republic of North Macedonia.

Stronger Together: Improving Europe’s Competitiveness Through the Transatlantic Relationship

29. 5. 2024 | PR, Transformative Power of Digital

How to improve Europe’s competitiveness through transatlantic relations?

This was the guiding question for a discussion we co-organised with the Atlantic Council in Warshaw on 29 May 2024. This was one of the discussions organized as part of the series promoting our recently launched publication Improving Europe’s Competitiveness – Role of Open Markets, Emerging Technologies, and Strategic Alliances.

The topic of increasing the EU’s competitiveness is a hot topic nowadays, especially in the period before the EU elections. At the discussion, the speakers focused on the obstacles and opportunities ahead of the EU Commission’s and parliament’s next mandate for increasing the EU’s competitiveness, especially related to new technologies and transatlantic partnership.

Continued and strong transatlantic cooperation is vital, especially for CEE countries, from two perspectives: geopolitical and practical. Strong transatlantic partnership can help, especially, smaller CEE countries that do not have the capacities for the economies of scale to catch up with the rest of EU countries.

All European countries are small compared to other countries, making the EU single market and its further integration the engine of its competitiveness. But while fragmentation of the European market decelerates scaling up, it does have positive consequences for consumers as it contributes to larger internal competition.

One of the primary missions of the next mandate should be to implement all the newly adopted regulations. This is especially vital for SMEs – the pockets of competitiveness in CEE countries. It should be noted that regulation is not the same as a restriction; regulation is also clarity and stability.

To be able to fully tap into the potential of AI and other new technologies, we need a robust data strategy if we wish to be competitive in the field. Additionally, one of the main issues that can spur competitiveness and growth is mobilisation of public and private investments.

This was discussed by

Mr. Aleksander Siemaszko, Deputy Director, Department for International Trade and Cooperation, Ministry of Development and Technology of the Republic of Poland
Amb. Tadej Rupel, National Coordinator for External Aspects of Digitalization, AI & Cyber Security, Republic of Slovenia
Ms. Eglė Markevičiūtė, Head of Digital & Innovation Policy, Consumer Choice Center of Lithuania
Mr. Marcin Nowacki, Vice President of the Board, Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers (ZPP)

The discussion was moderated by Mr. Aaron Korewa, Director, Warsaw Office, Europe Center, Atlantic Council

Many thanks to the Atlantic Council for this fruitful cooperation!

Study visit of Serbian MUP to Slovenia

22. 4. 2024 | PR, Regional cooperation, Serbia - management of patrols, Slovenian Development Assistance

Last week we hosted a study visit of the delegation from the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Serbia in the scope of the ‘Strengthening of Patrol Management Capacities’ project. During the visit, colleagues from Serbia heard more about the Slovenian system of patrol management, technical management of the 112 & 113 system, and patrol management in Slovenia’s border regions with support from colleagues from the Slovenian Police. In the scope of the visit, the Serbian delegation visited the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Slovenia and the General Police Directorate, where Slovenian and Serbian colleagues discussed the successful cooperation in patrol management.

On the second and third days of the study visit, the Serbian delegation visited the Police Directorate Maribor, the Administration for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief – branch in Podravje and the Police Directorate Novo mesto, where they more the process of establishing an efficient patrol management system in Slovenia.

On the last day, the study visit focused on the planning of further activities within the patrol management system in Serbia, which will take place this year.

Activities are part of Slovenian development cooperation, financed by the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and implemented in cooperation with the Slovenian Ministry of Interior and Slovenian police.

Discussion on improving Europe’s competitiveness

16. 4. 2024 | PR, Transformative Power of Digital

It’s been a week since CEP, in collaboration with the European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE), hosted a discussion in Brussels focusing on improving the EU’s competitiveness. During this event, we officially unveiled our latest publication titled: “Improving Europe’s Competitiveness: Role of Open Markets, Emerging Technologies, and Strategic Alliances”.

At the discussion the speakers engaged in an in-depth discussion on improving the EU’s competitiveness, covering various aspects of the topic. Among the things they discussed was the consideration of adjustments needed to the EU AI Act, while acknowledging the complexities of negotiating regulations for swiftly evolving technologies at the EU level. In this context, they grappled with the challenge of striking a balance between regulations for protection and flexible frameworks to stimulate innovation.

They underscored the need for further integration of the EU’s Single Market as the engine for improving EU’s competitiveness. They emphasized the importance of fostering transatlantic cooperation and collaborating with like-minded partners to bolster the EU’s standing in the global arena. They also explored strategies for tapping into the digital transformation potential of the CEE region, recognizing it as a valuable opportunity for enhancing competitiveness.

Many thanks again to the speakers for and engaging and insightful discussion!

Matthias Bauer, Director, European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE)
David Brozina, Ambassador, Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Representation of Slovenia to the EU
Guido Lobrano, Senior Vice President of Policy, Director General for Europe, The Information Technology Industry Council (ITI)
Karen Massin, Head Government Affairs and Public Policy – EU Institutions, Google
Alexandre Roure, Head of Policy and Deputy Head of Office, CCIA Europe

For more on the topic, make sure to read the latest CEP publication here.

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