ERI SEE and ETF support to quality assurance in the WB region and Moldova
In 2025, the Education Reform Initiative of South Eastern Europe (ERI SEE) continued close cooperation with the European Training Foundation (ETF) in supporting quality assurance in education systems across the Western Balkans and Moldova. ETF contributes to ERI SEE activities through expert input, analytical support, and policy dialogue, and participates as a member of the Advisory Board in ERI SEE initiatives related to quality assurance and vocational education and training.
On 25 November 2025, ERI SEE and ETF held a working meeting in Belgrade, bringing together representatives of both institutions. The meeting served as a strategic exchange on ongoing and planned activities related to quality assurance in pre-university education, external evaluation of VET, and system-level QA reforms in the Western Balkans and Moldova.
Both organisations presented their current regional initiatives and strategic priorities, with discussions highlighting strong complementarities between ERI SEE’s regional cooperation mandate and ETF’s analytical and expert support to education and training systems. Particular attention was given to identifying concrete areas for future cooperation, including continued expert support, analytical inputs, and joint activities aimed at strengthening quality assurance frameworks and evidence-based policymaking in the region.
As part of its broader support to quality assurance reforms, ETF develops analytical tools aligned with EU quality standards, supporting evidence-based policymaking and the strengthening of QA frameworks in education systems. This analytical support also includes assessments of specific system components relevant to quality assurance, such as work-based learning in vocational education and training. Available assessments include:
- Work-based learning in Albania – An assessment per EU quality standards
- Work-based learning in Kosovo[1] – An assessment per EU quality standards
- Work-based learning in Montenegro – An assessment per EU quality standardss
- Work-based learning in North Macedonia – An assessment per EU quality standards
- Work-based learning in Serbia – An assessment per EU quality standards
On 17 December 2025, ETF contributed to the regional online meeting “Future Directions and Planning of Regional QA Cooperation”, organised by ERI SEE. Mr Mounir Baati, Senior Human Capital Development Expert at ETF, presented key European developments related to quality assurance in education, contributing to discussions on current challenges and future regional cooperation.
Through continued dialogue, expert engagement, and analytical support, ETF remains an important partner of ERI SEE in strengthening quality assurance systems in education across the Western Balkans and Moldova.
Through structured dialogue, expert input, and analytical tools such as the WBL assessments, ETF continues to provide substantive support to ERI SEE and national institutions in strengthening quality assurance and reform processes across the Western Balkans and Moldova.
[1] * This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNCSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo* declaration of independence.
