In Focus: CEF - Looking Back and Planning for the Future

In 2012, the global economic and financial crisis was a continuing challenge for the CEF as well as our members and partners. The region had less access to funding, even as the demand for capacity development continued to rise. Remaining successful has required a great deal of innovation and hard work.

The CEF helps develop the capacities of individuals and institutions with a wide range of activities in learning and regional cooperation. We share knowledge and experience in public financial management and central banking through workshops, seminars, tailored trainings, certification programs, and conferences, and we are actively engaged in a growing number of regional programs. In 2012 we increased our offerings in people and process management, with workshops on presentation and written communication skills. In our view, soft skills are often as important as technical knowledge and play a critical role in successful change management.

Understanding learning needs across our region and beyond remains essential to developing high-quality programs. In 2012, we conducted a major needs assessment of how countries in the Western Balkans and Turkey assess the fiscal impact of structural reforms. Through case studies and a seminar co-sponsored by Montenegro’s Ministry of Finance we identified capacity gaps and policy coordination issues, which we will begin addressing in 2013 through Strategic Planning and Budgeting, a series of learning events funded by the European Commission. We see this as the beginning of a long-term engagement that will require additional donor support in 2014 and beyond.

We have established successful cooperation with multilateral and bilateral agencies, knowledge institutions, and peer organizations and we are always looking to expand partnerships. Partners draw upon our knowledge of the region’s needs to leverage their resources, and cooperating with the CEF helps expand the reach and impact of their efforts. Partners, in turn, contribute top-quality expertise to our programs.

To read more about the CEF 2012 developments, please see the CEF Annual Report 2012. If you are interested in participating in the CEF's learning activities, please see our offers in the 2014 Catalog on Learning and Regional Cooperation in SEE.

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