WeBER project is implemented by Think for Europe (TEN) members who come from 6 Western Balkans partner organisations. Find their position within the project and short bios below.
Milena Lazarević, Team Leader
Milena is Programme Director of the European Policy Centre- CEP, in charge of the overall programmatic strategy of CEP as well as developing and managing the quality assurance system and processes within the organisation. In terms of thematic focus, she is primarily responsible for the Good Governance and Europe&us programme areas. Milena is a proven expert in the fields of public administration reform, regional development and local economic development, with consultancy engagements including SIGMA/OECD, ReSPA and the World Bank. In 2014-2015, in addition to her work at CEP, she acted as the special adviser to the Serbian Deputy Prime Minister in charge of public administration reform. Prior to co-founding CEP, Milena served for six years in the Serbian civil service, as adviser for public administration reform and administrative capacities for EU accession in the EU Integration Office of the Serbian Government (SEIO) and in the Serbian Ministry of Public Administration. As a Soros scholar, she obtained her BA degree in European Studies and International Relations at the American University in Bulgaria (AUBG), after which she obtained an advanced MA degree in European studies at the College of Europe, on a King Baudouin Foundation scholarship. She later also graduated from the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia and obtained an MA in European Administrative Law at the Law Faculty of the Belgrade University. She speaks fluently English, French, Italian and Bulgarian and has basic knowledge of German. She is married and mother of two children.
Jovana Knežević, Project Manager
Jovana is a Project Manager with experience in managing projects thematically related to the Good Governance programme area. From 2015 to 2018, she was engaged at a regional EU-funded WeBER project, where her main responsibilities included planning, implementing and monitoring project activities, as well as coordinating the work of the regional WeBER Platform and the National Public Administration Reform Working Group in Serbia. She is currently leading the second component of the USAID-funded “Constituencies for judicial reform in Serbia” project and is in charge of project resource and activity coordination, monitoring and reporting. In addition to project management, Jovana has extensive experience in event management and excellent communication skills. She acquired her bachelor degree in International Relations at the Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Belgrade. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Project Management at the Faculty of Organizational Sciences, University of Belgrade. Jovana is an alumna of the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) programme through which she received scholarship of the US State Department and finished a year of high school education in California, USA. Jovana is also alumna of the III generation of the Public Policy Academy within the Libertarian club Libek, as well as a participant of the Youth School of Activism within the Social Responsibility Initiative. Jovana is particularly interested in multi-project management and implementation of software tools in project management. She seeks to further refine and gain practice in implementing PM2 Project Management Methodology. She is fluent in English and strives to improve her knowledge of German. She joined the European Policy Centre in July 2015, following a two-month-long internship.
Miloš Đinđić, Lead Researcher
Miloš graduated from the Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Belgrade, where he continued his Master studies in political institutions and institutionalist theory. He studied European Union institutions and procedures as well as project cycle management as participant in the Leadership Development Programme, jointly organised by the College of Europe and the European Fund for the Balkans, as well as in the FutureLab Europe programme of the civil society organisations gathered around European Alliance for Democratic Citizenship. He completed several internships in domestic and foreign organisations, including the Belgrade Center for Security Policy, Political Academy of the Austrian People’s Party and National Democratic Institute and worked as an associate on the project administered by the European Fund for the Balkans. He is alumni member of the Belgrade Open School, XVI generation of students at the Department of Advanced Undergraduate Studies. He joined the CEP team in March 2012 as project assistant, then continung at the position of researcher. Speaks English and German.
Marko Sošić, Researcher
Marko Sošić is a researcher at Institute Alternative. He graduated at the University of Montenegro, Faculty of Political Science, and has a masters degree in Policy Studies at the University of Edinburgh, UK. He has authored a number of research and monitoring reports in the area of public administration reform, dealing primarily with transparency and accountability of public spending.In the first WeBER project, Marko contributed as a public finance management expert.
Julijana Karai
Researcher
Julijana Karai, Researcher
Julijana Karai is EPI’s Assembly Member. She holds a MA in Policy and Governance of the European Integration in South-Eastern Europe from the University of Bologna. She has been working in the Secretariat for European Affairs of the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia in the field of Political Criteria, specifically on issues related to democracy and rule of law, public administration reform, decentralisation and fight against corruption and in the Ministry of Information Society and Administration.
Julijana was a TEMPUS trainer for Continuing Education in European Affairs with the certificate from the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium and junior researcher in the Regional IPA Project “Strengthening National Integrity Systems in the Western Balkans and Turkey and tracking developments of anti-corruption efforts”. She has been a project manager in the EU funded project “Civic Participation for Local Democracy”, under IPA Civil Society Facility and Media Programme 2014-2015 and a consultant in the UNDP Project “Developing innovative solutions for better access to local services”.
Alban Dafa, Researcher
Alban’s work focuses on public administration reform, security sector reform, and EU accession. Before joining IDM, he served in the Albanian Naval Force as a patrol boat commander, navigator, and junior hydrographer. During his time in the Albanian navy, he was engaged in NATO standardization programs and in efforts to expand the scope and capacities of the Albanian Hydrographic Service. Alban graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2011 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science (concentrating in International Relations). In 2016, he graduated from the University of Exeter with a Master of Arts in Politics and International Relations of the Middle East. Alban’s interests include social movements, organizational reform and culture, and Albanian foreign and security policy. He is a keen reader of the scholarship on International Relations theory, Great Power politics, and Middle East politics.
Renata Bajrami, Researcher
Renata Bajrami is a Research Fellow at Group for Legal and Political Studies (GLPS), a policy think-tank based in Prishtina. Her primary area of research focuses on rule of law and the sector’s reform process in Kosovo. Presently, she holds the position of country researcher for Kosovo under the regional WeBER project.
Renata graduated in Law from the University of Prishtina, Faculty of Law, and was honored as a distinguished student of the Law School. She is currently pursuing her Master’s studies at the University of Prishtina. Renata was engaged as a Legal Officer in the private sector with a focus on Commercial Law. Renata served also as a Legal Advisor and Legal Associate in the private sector serving parallelly as a Legal Researcher at SENSE Cyber Research Center with a focus on Cyber Security and Data Protection for almost four years. Renata during the course of her studies was engaged in Kosovo Customs in the Sector of Representations, Sector for Advice and Procedures, and Reviewing Decisions Sector, as well as in the Ombudsperson Institution of Kosovo within the Children’s Rights Department providing here with the vast experience in the administrative procedures and state institutions interaction.
Renata has attended several courses, trainings, and clinics, including the clinic “UNHCR and the International Refugee Law” organized by UNHCR, the “Criminal Law Clinic” organized by USAID – Justice Matters Activity in Kosovo, training “Education on Justice” organized by Infinite Academy, also she attended a summer school on Transitional Justice organized by Humanitarian Law Center Kosovo, and other activities organized by other entities.
Renata is a proficient user of Albanian (native) and English language, and a basic user of the Turkish language.
Anesa Omeragić, Communication Coordinator
As a Communication Coordinator, Anesa is helping in spreading WeBER’s key messages to all target groups. Her obligations include direct and indirect communication with the media, event organisation, preparation of press releases, media invitations, all communication related to the event organisation, etc. Her duties also include managing WeBER website – writing reports on WeBER events and activities, designing a graphic, visual, and textual content on WeBER’s website, including quarterly newsletters and printed publications, as well as managing social media profiles and communication through these networks. Anesa has graduated from the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Political Science. She holds a BA with honours in Political Science – International Affairs and she obtained the MA with honours in Political Science at the same Faculty. During her undergraduate studies, she interned at Belgrade Centre for Security Policy and in the office of the Protector of Citizens of the Republic of Serbia (Ombudsman). She is an alumna of XXIII generation of the educational programme Future Studies of Belgrade Open School, an alumna of the II generation of Human Rights Defenders School organized by Civil Rights Defenders, and an alumna of the II generation of Libertarian club – LIBEK’s Public Policy Academy. She completed the courses Applied Rhetorics and Debate course at the Faculty of Political Sciences. Anesa joined the European Policy Centre (CEP) team in February 2017 as an Events and Communication Assistant. She works as Coordinator from January 2019. She speaks English fluently and has a working knowledge of German.
Vaska Ristovska
Project Officer
Vaska Ristovska, Project Officer
Vaska Ristovska has joined EPI in October 2014 as an administrative officer.Since then she has handled the financial and administrative management of several projects including: Institutional and core functioning grant for organisational operation of EPI, as well as development of the programme activities of the Institute; Financial and administrative support to the – (In)equality in social protection:multi-level analysis of intersectionality in social assistance provision – comparative study, Performance Audit and Policy Evaluation: On the Same or Parallel Tracks?, Equitable Ethnic Representation in the State Administration – USAID Civil Society Project, Urgent Reform Priorities Monitor, Combating barriers for exit: Macedonian Roma at the borders, Western Balkans Enabling Project for Civil Society Monitoring of Public Administration Reform and Fostering Sustainable Reintegration of Roma Returnees in Macedonia. Apart from the daily activities that ensure the smooth implementation of the projects, she also ensures the smooth management and the communication with project team and project partners. Vaska Ristovska has a University degree – Faculty of Ethnology, University “St. Cyril and Methodius” Macedonia.
Iliada Korçari
Project Officer
Iliada Korcari, Project Officer
Iliada Korçari is a researcher and project coordinator at the Institute for Democracy and Mediation, Tirana, where she focusses on governance, public administration reform and security. Her main research interests are nationalism, statebuilding and political theory. She has worked in the public administration cultural policy sector for several years; was engaged as a freelance researcher in different research projects and has been teaching seminars of Nationalism and Identity at the Political Sciences Department of the University of Tirana, from 2015 onwards. She has a double-major in Political Sciences and Public Relations and Communication and has graduated in Political Theory, MSc. and Russian and East European Studies, MSc., being a holder of many scholarships. She is a proficient user of Albanian (native) and English, researches in Italian, Spanish and French and is a basic user of German and Bulgarian.
Zvonimira Jakić
Project Officer
Zvonimira Jakić, Project Officer
Agon Ziberi
Project Officer
Agon Ziberi, Project Officer
Dragana Jaćimović, Project officer
Dragana Jaćimović graduated at Faculty of Political science in Podgorica, specialist studies at the International relation department. For the Government-funded Internship Programme, she chose Institute Alternative, where she started working in January 2018. She worked as a research associate for projects related to public administration reform, in particular to public finance management and public procurement.
Ina Shënplaku
Project officer
Ina Shënplaku, Project officer
Ina Shënplaku holds a MSc degree in Public Law from the Faculty of Law, University of Tirana, and a BA degree in Law from the Faculty of Law, University of Tirana. She joined the IDM team in the role of the Project Officer. Ina has worked as an innovation and project expert at AIDA, contributing to and assisting the needs of Startups, Youth, and young entrepreneurs, several project proposals, and serving as administrative support. She has a keen interest in innovation, young entrepreneurship, and start-ups, and she has worked as a European junior expert on startups and SMEs.
Languages: Albanian (native); English (fluently); Italian (fluently); Chinese (basic).
Blina Zhubi
Project officer
Blina Zhubi, Project officer
Ms. Blina Zhubi is a Project Coordinator at GLPS. In general, her work focuses on coordinating activities and initiatives run by the organization. Currently, she is the country project officer of WeBER regional project for Kosovo.
Blina has a Bachelor’s degree in Banking and Finance and Master’s in Management from AAB College. During her Bachelor’s degree studies, Blina had the opportunity to participate in a summer school at Ljubljana University. During her Master’ studies she won a scholarship to study for a semester at Lodz University in Poland, where she focused on management and marketing. Blina has a diverse professional background, having gained experience in the banking sector, as well as in communication and digital marketing with local and international organizations. Also, she has an academic background in human design. In 2019, Blina was recognized for her contribution in the field of economics and was awarded the “New Economist “award from Central Bank of Kosovo.
Adela Kula
Project officer
Adela Kula, Project officer
Adela is a highly qualified professional with expertise in public administration, civil society, and academia. She holds a Level 3 Certificate in Learning and Development from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), UK, and the Institute of Public Administration, Ireland, with distinction. Adela has a Bachelor’s degree in Law and a Master of Science in Public Law from the University of Tirana, Albania, awarded with a Golden Medal.
She has extensive experience in the Public Administration of Albania, including roles in the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Education and Sports, and Albanian School of Public Administration. She has demonstrated exceptional skills in managing diverse programs and projects and has a deep understanding of the country’s public sector landscape. Adela is a seasoned professional in the civil society sector, with a successful track record of project management, fundraising, and networking. In addition, she delivers expertise in areas such as rule of law, local government & decentralization, learning & development, monitoring, public consultation, and public legal education. She has conducted comprehensive research, legal analysis, and has been involved in drafting national-level policies, guidelines and legal articles.
Adela is an ‘Associate Member’ of the CIPD and member of the International Young Naturefriends. She represented Albania at Europeers meetings in Poland and Estonia and actively volunteers in her community. Additionally, she took the lead in translating the e-learning course “Defending Human Rights in the Age of Artificial Intelligence”, a joint SALTO PI, UNESCO, and UNITAR project. Adela is fluent in English, proficient in Italian, and has a basic understanding of Spanish and Portugese.
Angel Mojsovski
Research Assistant
Angel Mojsovski, Research Assistant
Angel has been doing the research for PAR Monitor 2017/2018 and is co-author of the National PAR Monitor for North Macedonia, conducting in-depth analysis of the PAR reform in North Macedonia and presenting the findings on numerous stakeholder meetings and events. In addition to being part of the research team of WeBER, Angel has worked as a researcher on several projects focused on human rights and minority rights, with a particular focus on social rights. He has five years of experience in conducting fieldwork research, working extensively with groups in vulnerable situations, such as Roma returnees and social protection beneficiaries, conducting field research, advocating with stakeholders and preparing analyses on diverse topics in this field. Angel holds a BA in political sciences from the Faculty of Law “Iustinianus Primus”, University “Ss. Cyril and Methodius” (Macedonia).
Ana Đurnić, Research Assistant
Ana Đurnić is a researcher at Institute Alternative. She graduated International Relations at Faculty of Political Science in Podgorica, Montenegro. She is primarily responsible for project coordination and research in the Public Finance Management – Public Procurement, accountability and preventive part of the fight against corruption. Ana is a member of the Government’s Working Group for Negotiation Chapter 5 – Public Procurement.Ana was also a member of the research team of the first WeBER project.
Haris Ćutahija, Research Assistant
Haris Ćutahija graduated from the Faculty of Political Sciences at University of Sarajevo where he also gained MA degree in political science – European integration. He also holds professional qualification degree in political management from the New Bulgarian University. Has extensive experience in managing and working on various projects ranging from the European integration to youth activism and culture. He is columnist on several internet portals as well as a political analyst. He has joined the Foreign Policy Initiative BH team in March 2020 as a researcher.
Aurora Mullatahiri
Aurora studied Law at the University of Prishtina “Hasan Prishtina”. Her work is mainly focused on project coordination for rule of law, human rights, environmental policies and their adoption with the Acquis legislation. She is currently engaged in WeBER 2.0 as a research assistant, as well as with monitoring the implementation of the National Plan for the Implementation of the Stabilization and Association Agreement for Kosovo.
Previously she was involved as an intern at the Basic Court of Prishtina, within the framework of the GLPS Internship Program funded by US State Department – Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). Before joining GLPS in October 2019, Aurora worked as a reporter for Regional Youth Cooperation, for Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES), and prior to that she was working as a part time media officer for Kosovo Advocacy and Development Centre (KADC), focusing mainly on the implementation of Tobacco Control Law in Kosovo. She is a FES Political Academy alumni, and voluntarily engages in British Parliamentary formal debates as a judge and debater.
Milica Škorić, Research Assistant
Milica joined the CEP team in June 2021 as a junior researcher. She has many years of experience in the civil sector, as a project assistant, external associate, team leader, and activist. She worked on projects supported of USAID, SIDA, FOD, HBS, BFPE, BOS, and others. Milica is currently on PhD studies at the Faculty of Political Sciences (University of Belgrade), where she completed basic studies in politology and master studies in Public Administration, Local Self-Government, and Public Policies. During her studies, she was a teaching associate in the subject of Public government and an intern in the Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veterans, and Social Affairs in the sector for anti-discrimination policies and gender equality. Milica completed a number of trainings about social organization and digital marketing. She is also the author of several scientific papers in the field of civil service and public agencies. She speaks English.
Sava Mitrovic
Research Assistant
Sava Mitrovic, Research Assistant
Stefan Radojcic
Project Assistant
Stefan Radojcic, Project Assistant
Stefan joined the CEP team in January 2022 as a project assistant. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree at the Department of Political Science at the Faculty of Political Science in Belgrade. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Democracy and democratization at the same faculty. During his studies, he attended numerous workshops, seminars and training courses, and participated in conducting two public opinion polls. He is an alumnus of CRTA, Libek, and IFDT. He is the co-author of a study on the provision of public services during a pandemic. His fields of interest include political theory, qualitative and quantitative research of democracy, macroeconomics and pop culture of the 2000s. He speaks English and is currently learning German.