Sarajevo - The Employment and Social Affairs Platform (ESAP 3) project of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) launched the third Western Balkan Six (WB6) PES Benchlearning cycle, at an event gathering representatives of the Public Employment Services (PES) from the WB6, together with European Union (EU) and local experts, held on Jahorina on 3-4 June 2026.

The two-day event marked the start of a new cycle of structured mutual learning and performance improvement aimed at strengthening the capacities of WB6 PES and supporting their alignment with the practices and standards of the EU PES Network.

Opening the event, Ratka Babic, Team Leader of RCC ESAP 3, presented the objectives of the exercise and the key activities planned for the 2026 cycle. The overall goal of the initiative is to enhance PES organisational development and performance through benchmarking, self-assessment, peer review and the exchange of good practices.

Cristian Raileanu, Human Capital Development Expert at the European Training Foundation (ETF), presented the role of skills intelligence in strengthening PES performance and highlighted ETF activities supporting labour market transformation and skills development.

Natalija Ziminiene, Senior Expert at ICON-Institut and Team Leader of the WB6 PES Benchlearning exercise, introduced the WB6 PES Benchlearning methodology, that was agreed by all participants at the event. The ICON team also presented the implementation roadmap and thematic priorities for the new cycle, followed by discussions with PES representatives.

Participants also heard from Jurij Snoj, Head of the General Affairs Service at the Employment Service of Slovenia, who shared Slovenia’s experience from four EU PES Benchlearning cycles, highlighting the importance of quality management, self-assessment, peer learning and implementation of recommendations.

The second day focused on training local experts who will support WB6 PES throughout the exercise. Training sessions covered PES self-assessments, quantitative benchmarking and data collection, as well as peer reviews, reporting and mutual learning.

The 2026 PES Benchlearning cycle will continue through a series of self-assessments, peer review activities and regional exchanges, culminating in individual PES assessment reports, a regional comparative report and a study visit to an advanced EU PES. Through ESAP 3, the RCC remains committed to supporting WB6 PES in strengthening their effectiveness, service quality and performance through evidence-based learning and regional cooperation.