Partners hold meeting within the SA GOVERNANCE project

Representatives of the Directorate for Management of EU Pre-Accession Funds of the Ministry of Finance and the Directorate for Coordination of EU Financial Assistance of the Ministry of European Affairs, together with representatives of the Apulia and Molise regions from Italy and the State Agency for Strategic Programming and Aid Coordination from Albania, participated in the meetings held from 17 to 19 November 2025 within the strategic project SA GOVERNANCE. The meetings included the mid-term monitoring of project implementation and the fifth partnership meeting, accompanied by detailed presentations of completed activities and plans for the upcoming period.

On behalf of Montenegro, Directors General Velibor Damjanović and Bojan Vujović welcomed the participants, expressed their gratitude to the partner institutions for their cooperation to date, and emphasized the importance of the financial support provided through this strategic project. Representatives of the partner institutions from Italy, Vito Bavaro and Michele Petracca, as well as the representative of Albania, Arber Qystria, expressed their satisfaction with the project’s progress and reaffirmed the importance of continuous exchange of experience and joint efforts in the modernization of public administration.

During the meetings, the partners discussed the progress of the project under the Interreg IPA South Adriatic 2021–2027 Programme, with particular focus on improving digital public services and strengthening the administrative capacities of institutions across the three partner countries. Activities implemented during the previous period were presented, including training programmes, study visits, and the development of new digital solutions that contribute to a more efficient and transparent public administration.

Special attention was dedicated to the pilot solution developed by the Ministry of Finance – the Information System for IPA III fund management, which represents an important step forward in improving the processes of programming, monitoring, and reporting. Additionally, the multifunctional HUB developed by the Apulia Region was presented as a central platform for training, knowledge exchange, and networking among institutions involved in the project.

Furthermore, the partners reviewed the communication activities carried out to date, as well as the plans for 2026, with a particular focus on strengthening visibility and preparing a joint communication campaign across digital platforms.

It was concluded that the SA GOVERNANCE project significantly contributes to strengthening cross-border cooperation and modernizing public administrations in the South Adriatic region through digital transformation, the exchange of best practices, and strong partnerships between institutions in Italy, Albania, and Montenegro.