The Regional School for Political Development is a non-formal educational and practice-oriented program that promotes lifelong learning and leadership development for young people from Croatia, North Macedonia, and Serbia, It is designed to strengthen democracy, responsible public engagement, and active citizenship, demand transparency, and create more accountable public institution.
The School was first launched under an Erasmus+ project focused on green public policies and successfully completed its initial cycle in August 2025. That project itself grew out of the long-standing cooperation and shared commitment of the three partner organisations to democratization, cross-sector dialogue, and cross-border collaboration.
With new support from the U.S. Department of State (the U.S. Embassy in Croatia) through the project The NextGen Transparency, the School continues independently and enters a new phase with a clear mission:
to fight corruption, promote transparency, and advance open government.
The Foundation BFPE for a Responsible Society (BFPE) is a nonprofit organization founded in 2003, with the aim of contributing to the continuous development of policies and practices of responsible society, with a focus on the development of leadership and citizen participation in democratic processes.
The idea of establishing BFPE was conceived by Sonja Licht, the president and founder, during her participation at a conference at the Central European University in Budapest, where she met Elena Nemirovskaya, the founder of the Moscow School of Political Studies, back in 1992.
BFPE’s vision is a well-developed Serbia, based on democratic values and principles, with responsible social and political elites working for the benefit of all citizens. In order to achieve this vision BFPE actively works in four key pillars: political education and improving capacities, fostering social dialogue, sustainable development goals, and international, regional and multilateral cooperation in the context of European integration. BFPE’s key values are culture of dialogue, professionalism, solidarity, responsibility, consistency, collaboration.
Academy for Political Development (Croatian: APR – Akademija za politički razvoj – APR), founded in 2004, is the biggest national intersectoral network of people with different political views and backgrounds, exceptional in their fields, willing to publicly contribute to the development of society. Academy is a Croatian CSO that operates under the auspices of the Council of Europe, as a part of the Network of Schools of Political Studies.
The Academy’s vision is to contribute to the quality of political processes in Croatia by providing political education to young leaders and by motivating them to participate in public affairs. Our mission is to develop a democratic political culture and promote dialogue and cooperation among future leaders.
APD alumni community includes more than 500 members – among them MPs, ministers, NGO activists, businessmen, media experts, public servants, artists, and scientists – strengthening cooperation among Croatian, regional, and international stakeholders and promoting a culture of dialogue and openness to different views in the society.
The Center for Research and Policy Making is a non-governmental, non-profit think tank that has been at the forefront of efforts to improve policy-making processes and strengthen democratic institutions in the country. Our primary aim is to promote good governance, sustainable development, and social cohesion, aligning with the principles of the European Union. To achieve this, CRPM focuses on research, policy analysis, advocacy and capacity building.
Our mission is to drive positive change and improve the quality of life in Macedonia and the SEE region by conducting comprehensive, in-depth research and advocating for inclusive, gender-equal and sustainable policies. We are committed to fostering a culture of informed decision-making and encouraging constructive dialogue among all stakeholders.
The School of Public Policy “Mother Teresa” is CRPM’s teaching arm which is part of a network of Schools of political studies organized in cooperation with the Council of Europe. Since its inception, and refashioning in 2011, the School of Public Policy trains future generations of Macedonian political, economic, social and cultural leaders and policy makers.
