ERI SEE and ETF Hold Working Meeting in Belgrade to Strengthen Regional Cooperation
On 25 November 2025, a working meeting between the Education Reform Initiative of South Eastern Europe (ERI SEE) and the European Training Foundation (ETF) was held in Belgrade, bringing together senior representatives from both institutions to explore avenues for deepened collaboration.
The ERI SEE Secretariat was represented by Ms Sandra Brkanović, Director of ERI SEE, accompanied by Ms Ivana Živadinović, Project Coordinator and Ms Marina Papović, Project Coordinator. The ETF delegation included Mr Gordon Purvis, Human Capital Development Expert, joined by Mr Mihaylo Milovanovitch, Senior Human Capital Development Expert.
During the meeting, both organisations presented their ongoing activities, current regional initiatives, and the strategic priorities guiding their work. The exchange highlighted strong synergies between ERI SEE’s regional reform agenda and ETF’s long-standing engagement in supporting pre-university education across the Western Balkans.
Special attention was devoted to outlining concrete opportunities for future cooperation. Both institutions expressed a clear interest in continuing joint efforts and further strengthening their partnership to the mutual benefit of their constituencies.
The discussion identified several priority areas for future collaboration, including:
- Modernisation of vocational education and training (VET) and support to ongoing reform processes in the Western Balkans
- Quality assurance in pre-university education, with a particular focus on external evaluation of VET and the implications of VET-related PISA testing
- Greening of VET systems, including green skills development and the greening of curricula
- Support to evidence-based policymaking through the development of regional and national analytical studies
The meeting reaffirmed the shared commitment of ERI SEE and ETF to contributing to high-quality, relevant, and future-oriented education and training systems in the region.
