Another People to People regional meeting was held in Tirana by Tasco 3, on March 30-31, 2023 with the theme “EU membership negotiation process: Exchange of experience between CSOs from Montenegro and Serbia with CSOs from Albania and North Macedonia”.

The meeting served as an opportunity for representatives from civil society organisations and institutions in 4 countries of the Western Balkans (Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia) to exchange knowledge and good practices on the engagement of civil society in the negotiation process. for EU membership.

Albania and North Macedonia have already started the negotiation process, while Montenegro and Serbia have been following this process for several years. During the meeting, representatives from NPOs and institutions from Serbia and Montenegro shared in dedicated panels their experiences on the progress of the process, State-NO cooperation
platforms and the problems encountered. The meeting also served as a networking event, for establishing cooperation between CSOs and institutions from the participating countries and other exchanges in the future on issues related to European integration and the inherent involvement of civil society in this process.

The event was greeted by Mrs. Lenka Vitkova, Head of the Governance and Human Rights Section at the EU Delegation in Albania and Mrs. Oriana Arapi, Director of the Department of Policies and European Integration in the Prime Minister. The speakers emphasized the importance of the moment, especially for Albania and North Macedonia, which have just started the negotiation process, and the role and contribution that civil society must play in every step of this process.

Ms. Ariola Agolli, Program Director, Partners Albania and Manager of the National Resource Center for Civil Society in Albania, part of the opening panel of the event focused on the structures and mechanisms of cooperation established in Albania as well as the need for more transparency from the institutions. and increasing their efficiency. She emphasized once again the role of Partners Albania in the development of the enabling environment for civil society as well as in strengthening the capacities of NGOs in a number of directions, including European integration and the role of NPOs in the process, as part of the service program of the Resource Center.