Representatives of Public Employment Services (PES) from Serbia, which hosted the event, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, together with EU and local Western Balkans Six (WB6) experts gathered in Belgrade, Serbia, on 15–16 September 2026 for the PES Benchlearning 2026 Peer Review Workshop, organised within the framework of the Employment and Social Affairs Platform (ESAP 3) project of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC).

The two-day event focused on peer review sessions covering key areas of the PES Benchlearning process and provided an opportunity for representatives of WB6 PES to exchange good practices, experiences and transferable solutions.

Opening the event, Ms Ratka Babic, Team Leader of RCC ESAP 3, welcomed the participants and presented the objectives of the workshop and its key activities. The overall goal of the workshop was to support the continued organisational development and performance of PES, with a particular focus on the exchange of practices in the areas of central-local coordination within PES, digital transformation and job brokerage.

Ms Adrijana Cicović, Head of the Department for Projects and International Cooperation at PES Serbia, welcomed the participants and expressed her appreciation for the opportunity for PES Serbia to host the event. Ms Cicović highlighted the value of exchanging experiences with peers, as well as sharing knowledge and good practices among WB6 PES institutions.

The first day consisted of three peer review sessions covering central-local coordination within PES, digital transformation and job brokerage. The sessions were interactive and provided participants with an opportunity to exchange experiences and practices in different areas of PES work. The discussions were facilitated by EU and local WB6 experts, together with the ESAP 3 team.

The second day was dedicated to a field visit to a local PES Serbia branch office in Belgrade, followed by the identification and sharing of good practices from each of the participating WB6 PES.

During the field visit, participants learned about the host PES's approach to operational coordination, digitalisation, communication with the employer community, as well as key processes and workflows. The workshop concluded with a session presenting the findings and recommendations of the PES Benchlearning team of local experts. Key transferable practices were identified for each participating WB6 PES, along with potential new activities that could further improve the delivery and functioning of employment services.

The 2026 PES Benchlearning cycle will continue with an additional peer review workshop 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 working with WB6 PES to strengthen their organisational capacity, effectiveness and performance through structured mutual learning, peer exchange and evidence-based performance improvement.