Citizens First Conferences
The Citizens First Conferences are a series of regional and national events focusing on citizens and civil society as partners and contributors in the design and monitoring of public administration reforms (PAR) in the Western Balkans, within the context of the region’s EU integration path. The conferences aim to strengthen and broaden dialogue on the development and implementation of inclusive and transparent PAR policies that genuinely respond to citizens’ needs. We believe that motivating governments to change requires strengthening bottom-up demand for better administration in the region—complementing the top-down requirements of the EU accession process and contributing to the sustainability of reforms for the benefit of citizens.
The Fourth Regional Citizens First Conference will be one of the central events of the WeBER 3.0 project, bringing together key stakeholders from across the PAR community in the Western Balkans. The cornerstone of the programme will be the presentation and discussion of the Regional and National PAR Monitor results. The Conference will also showcase good practices and “champions” of reform from across the region, stimulating peer learning and exchange. In addition, the programme will explore citizen engagement, citizen-centred approaches, and the use of design thinking and innovative methodologies to improve public service delivery.
The Conference will take place in Belgrade on 10–11 June 2026.
Third WeBER Regional “Citizens First” Conference
Belgrade, 8-9 November 2022 – “As WeBER, we have matured as of 2015 in the sense that we realised that as CSOs, we cannot speak without the voice of citizens. We drew a precious lesson from citizens’ consultations. We could be much more persuasive, and a bottom-up pressure could be [...]
Citizens First: Second Regional WeBER Conference
25th – 26th of February 2021 – Second Regional Conference Citizens First was held on the 25th and 26th of February. The conference was held in a hybrid format, with speakers from Serbia attending live, while speakers from the region and Europe joined online. The conference was physically attended [...]
Citizens First: CEP Belgrade hosts the 1st WeBER Regional Conference
The conference “Citizens First: Civil Society Demands for Better Administration in the Western Balkans” brought together more than 60 speakers and over 130 participants from the Western Balkan region and the EU.
National Citizens First Conferences
National Conference “Citizens First” Held in Skopje
Skopje, 17 December 2025 The National Conference “Citizens First”, organised by the European Policy Institute (EPI), brought together representatives of institutions, local self-government, civil society and donors to discuss how to make public services more efficient, transparent and truly citizen-oriented. The conference was organised within the WeBER 3.0 project, funded by the European Union and co-funded by the Austrian Development Agency. It showcased concrete results of projects supported through the WeBER small grants scheme, highlighting innovative solutions in [...]
National Conference “Citizens First” Held in Pristina
Pristina, 3 December 2025 The National Conference “Towards Citizen-Oriented Public Services in Kosovo”, organised by the Group for Legal and Political Studies (GLPS), brought together representatives of public institutions, experts and civil society organisations to discuss progress, challenges and future steps in improving public service delivery in Kosovo. The conference was organised within the framework of the WeBER 3.0 project, and focused on strengthening transparency, efficiency and citizen engagement in public administration reform, with a particular emphasis on [...]
National Conference “Citizens First” Held in Podgorica
Podgorica, 30 October 2025 The National Conference “Citizens First”, organised in Podgorica, brought together representatives of public institutions, civil society organisations, experts and the business community to discuss the state of digitalisation and citizen-oriented public services in Montenegro. Held within the framework of the WeBER 3.0 project, the conference focused on progress, challenges and future priorities in public administration reform, with particular attention to digital services, interoperability and citizen participation. Digitalisation: Progress Without Impact? The conference opened with [...]
