Data and Analysis

We support public officials in developing their capacities to provide high-quality data and carry out analyses for improved policy-making processes. The effort includes strengthening the analytical skills for compiling and disseminating macroeconomic statistics and/or carrying out macro/micro-economic analysis and forecasting.

We engage officials from ministries of finance and line ministries in further learning about the impact assessment of policy measures and monitoring the implementation of the reforms. We also support the learning of the central banks’ staff in the areas of macroprudential policy making and monetary policy making.

Topic lead

Jovana Koloski

Specialist, M&E/Program

jovana.koloski(at)cef-see.org

2023 Highlights

In 2023, officials from central banks will discuss their Macroprudential Policy Analysis approach, very important topic when facing the current challenges in banking sector. We will continue with the workshop on Financial Statistics, a topic that is a precondition for successful compilation and understanding of financial accounts. Decision making based on data will be included in couple of initiatives for ministries of finance, line ministries and other institutions and officials involved in ERP preparation process: impact assessment of reforms will be analysed through manual, toolkit and structured learning initiatives targeting certain country, while selection and monitoring of KPIs and their role in assessment of reforms will be discussed through manual and blended learning course. In our program, we will also include topics like Fiscal Data Governance and Data Visualization.

Related events

Impact Assessment and Monitoring Implementation of Structural Reforms

Online Course: January 15 – December 31, 2024

Introduction to the Manual for Impact Assessment

Webinar: February 6, 2024

Introduction to the Manual for KPI Selection with Examples

Webinar: February 13, 2024

Visualizing Data – Creating Interactive Dashboards

Webinar: March 14, 2024

Strengthening Auditors' Analytical Skills

Webinar: May 7, 2024IWebinar: May 28, 2024IWorkshop: June 11 – 13, 2024

Payment Statistics

Workshop: May 21 – 23, 2024

Programming Structural Reforms for the ERP 2025-2027 (7 beneficiary-specific workshops)

Workshop: October or November, 2024

Beneficiary-specific Impact Assessment of Structural Reforms

Blended Learning: October or November, 2024

Financial Stability and Stress Testing

Workshop: October 15 – 17, 2024

A Day in the Life of ERP Coordinators

The Economic Reform Programme (ERP) serves as a vital document in the economic dialogue between the EC and candidates and potential candidates. It has been prepared annually since 2014 and plays a crucial role in coordinating the participation of future members in the EU's economic policy. In order to step in the shoes of those who directly work with the ERP, we had a conversation with the three members of the Bosnian and Herzegovinian (BiH) ERP Coordination team: Amina Mulabdić, Expert Associate at the Directorate for Economic Planning (DEP), Maja Perić, Assistant Minister at the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Srpska, and Naida Damadzić, Statistics Analyst at the Development Programming Institute of the Federation of BiH.

Partnering with the CEF Has Always Been Enjoyable

Deon Tanzer has been involved in the delivery of several learning events where we discussed the relationship between government finance statistics (GFS) and the fiscal cycle, while underlining the importance of timely, accurate, and comprehensive data. Deon advises compilers in various national institutions on how to develop GFS data and data reporting, both for the IMF and the EU, in compliance with the fiscal reporting requirements (the so-called Maastricht deficit and debt and the Excessive Deficit Procedure). We were happy to talk to Deon about the highlights of working in South East Europe and our successful cooperation.

2023 Learning and Knowledge Sharing Calendar is Out Now

As a key learning partner for public officials in South East Europe, we invite you to take a look at the 2023 learning calendar and start making your learning plans for the coming year. Our colleagues Nina Agić and Natasha Ilijeva Acevska share insights about our 2023 learning and knowledge sharing program highlights across key thematic priorities for our work. These include public financial management, central banking, leadership for managing reforms and learning and knowledge ecosystems.

We Are Ready to Start with Autumn Learning and Knowledge Sharing

Autumn is perfect for new beginnings and settling back into a learning and knowledge sharing routine again. Let words by our director Jana Repanšek be an invitation and motivation to join us for new learning opportunities either online or at our premises in Ljubljana.

Enhancing Technical Skills in Macroeconomic Modeling for Improved Economic Assessments

Macroeconomic models are an essential part of a policymaker’s toolkit. The online course on Macroeconomic Modeling for Open Economies 2 allowed participants to learn how to enhance the integration of financial frictions and non-linear effects in DSGE models as well as how to assess the effects of unconventional monetary policy on the economy. Participants also used DSGE models to estimate and forecast the impact of policy measures on the economy. We are happy to share Ms. Knarik Ayvazyan’s (Central Bank of Armenia) experience of joining this online course.

CEF Course Helps Develop Just-in-Time Skills in Modeling Methodology

Our recent course on Macroeconomic Modeling for Open Economies 2 addressed dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) models and their use in impact analysis. The course looked into the complexities of DSGE models, such as non-linearities and the optimal policy mix, and built on the skills and methods addressed in the first part of the course in 2021. We were happy to talk to Ms. Marija Drenkovska about her experience and personal learning takeaways from these two online courses. Ms. Drenkovska attended both courses and found the content very relevant to her work at Banka Slovenije, where she is involved in developing and implementing macroprudential policy measures and assessing their transmission and impact on the economy.

Raising Awareness of How to Estimate the Impact of Structural Reforms

Collected story portrays personal learning experience of Marko Bjelica from the Montenegrin Ministry of Economic Development with attending the online course “Beyond Fiscal Implications of Structural Reforms”. It captures Mr. Bjelica’s thoughts on what values from both a personal and professional perspective the course brought him. The course was delivered as part of the EU funded “Strengthening Line Ministries’ Capacities to Assess Fiscal Implications of Structural Reforms” (FISR) project.

Using Macroeconomic Modelling for Better Understanding of Policy Measures

Our recent online course on Macroeconomic Modelling for Open Economies allowed participants to learn how to use simple DSGE models of their national economies to estimate the impact of policy measures and changes in key macroeconomic variables. We were happy to talk to Mr. Eglent Kika, Head of Medium-Term Forecasting Unit at the Bank of Albania, about his experience and personal learning takeaways from this online course.

Strengthening Analytical Capacities for Measuring Tax Gap

SEE tax officials working at the ministries of finance and tax administrations in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia recently joined an online course, which addressed the complexity of the tax gap and its measurement. This was an annual event that we delivered together with the International Monetary Fund experts as part of our longstanding partnership and shared capacity development endeavors in the SEE region. The course was delivered online from October 19 to November 6, 2020. After successful completion of the course, we talked with Muhamed Hasani from the Tax Administration of Kosovo and Aleksandra Škara from the Tax Administration of Montenegro, and Nataša Arsić from Tax Administration of Serbia about the value of peer learning opportunities that put forward a discussion on how tax gap analysis can be used in modern tax administration, and how to use it to help understand the informal economy.

CEF - An Effective Platform for Knowledge Sharing

Ms. Peprone Margaryants from the Statistics Department at the Central Bank of Armenia shares her reflections on her learning experience at the CEF. She joined her peer colleagues from across SEE to discuss ways to improve the compilation and dissemination of high-quality monetary and financial statistics (MFS), harmonized with the latest international and European statistical standards.