8th Ministerial Meeting of the Western Balkans Platform on Education and Training

The 8th Western Balkans Platform meeting was organized in Belgrade, on 3rd and 4th June 2019. It was opened by Tibor Navracsics, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport. During the first day Ministers were invited to discuss the main topic of Early Childhood Education and Care, as well as to review the ongoing reforms and developments in their respective educational systems.

The second day, opened by H.E. Sem Fabrizi, Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Serbia, among other, focused on the presentation of the results of the Torino Process by the European Training Foundation (ETF), the implementation modalities of TIMS and PIRLS in the Western Balkans, the presentation of the Western Balkans regional PISA study by the OECD representative and the presentation of SELFIE, an online tool for school to assist them in conducting self-assessment on learning in the digital age.

As an important benchmark in regional cooperation, the issue of recognition of academic qualifications was discussed. Following the meetings of the Working Group facilitated by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and the Education Reform Initiative of South Eastern Europe (ERISEE) under the Regional Economic Area (REA), the Ministers were invited to give their opinions on the Draft Declaration on Recognition of Academic Qualifications in the Western Balkans. All the ministerial delegations showed support for this initiative and reiterated their commitment to improving the process of recognition of qualifications in the region.

The Declaration will be presented during the Sixth annual Berlin Process Summit in Poznań in July 2019.