Jul 1, 2016

Co-Promoting Collaborative Learning of Senior Budget Officials from Central, East and South East Europe

Together with the Slovenian Ministry of Finance, we co-hosted the OECD regional network of Senior Budget Officials in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe (CESEE). Minister Mramor welcomed the network to Ljubljana, and contributed to the discussion a range of budgetary challenges that Slovenia is addressing. More than 70 senior officials from 24 countries in the region exchanged their experiences on current budgetary challenges.

In addition to supporting the logistical arrangements, our staff actively contributed to the meeting and chaired several of its sessions. We designed and facilitated discussions on Budget Flexibility, Agility and Responsiveness; Building the Institutional and Human Resource Capacities to Deliver PFM Reforms; Engaging Parliament and Civil Society; and Inter-Institutional Coordination for Budget Transparency. And, we presented how we apply Harvard‘s Building State Capability Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA) approach to the thematic area of PFM. At the welcome reception, we introduced our guests to our innovative learning space.

The meeting has been an opportunity for us to learn more about the “hot topics” and challenges within budgeting today, which helped us to get an even better understanding of the capacity development needs of finance officials in the region. We cherish the open and honest exchange among participants, and look forward to follow up on the initiatives that have been discussed during the meeting and in individual conversations.

The network's 12th meeting took place on June 28-29, 2016, at the Hotel Slon and at CEF premises. It was delivered in cooperation with PEMPAL, GIFT and the Dutch Ministry of Finance. Experts from the IMF, the World Bank, the PEFA Secretariat, the IBP, and the civil society also contributed to the discussion.

Budget directors from OECD member countries have been meeting regularly since 1980 in the Working Party of Senior Budget Officials. The regional network for CESEE has been established in 2004 in The Hague; click here, for more information.