PRESPA Institute is an independent think tank based in Skopje, North Macedonia, dedicated to the study, research and analysis of International Affairs and Foreign Policy, as well as European Affairs and Europeanization. The institute strives to promote knowledge on the current state of affairs in North Macedonia and the Western Balkans, and to participate in the debate and the generation of ideas at the European Level.
The Institute has a young and dynamic team of highly-qualified and experienced analysts and a wide-ranging network of associated experts. It also counts on the participation of outstanding figures from public life linked to International Affairs and Foreign Policy, as well as European Affairs and Europeanization, the economic and business communities, public administration and the academic, cultural and social sectors.
Created as an association of citizens, by a group of convinced Europeans, the PRESPA Institute’s organizational structure balances public and private interests and fosters the exchange of ideas in a plural and independent environment, providing the scope for diverse political and social outlooks. Its highest governing body is its Executive Board, gathering not only members of the association, but also other prominent figures from the public life in North Macedonia.
The Institute’s work appears in the form of a wide variety of publications and reports, as well as in the forms of public events organized as training sessions, courses, seminars, workshops, round tables, etc. PRESPA Institute’s research is structured along thematic and geographical lines.
THE NAME
The name, PRESPA Institute comes from the Prespa Accord, or Final Agreement for the settlement of the differences as described in the United Nations Security Council Resolutions 817 (1993) and 845 (1993), the termination of the Interim Accord of 1995, and the establishment of a Strategic Partnership between the Parties, signed on June 17, 2018 in the village of Psarades, Greece, the meaning it has for North Macedonia and the policies that the institute will focus on, as well as their impact on our country, the Western Balkans and wider in Europe.
THE TEAM
The team of the PRESPA Institute is composed by a group of convinced Europeans who all together have more than half a century of experience in International Affairs and Foreign Policy, and European Affairs and Europeanization, public policy development, research, monitoring and advocacy, training and capacity building, communications, financial and project management, as well as civil society and civil society development.
THE VISION
In-depth research leading to new ideas for problem-solving and new policies at the local, national and regional level.
THE MISSION
A dynamic group of analysts and researchers conducting in-depth research on International and European Affairs influencing decision-making processes and actions, and contributing to the Europeanization of North Macedonia and the Western Balkans.
OBJECTIVES AND MEANS
The objectives of PRESPA Institute are:
- To be an independent research centre, without partisan agenda, capable of influencing thinking and political action from within its local reality;
- To be a useful point of reference in Skopje, North Macedonia and the Western Balkans for people, institutions, and companies that work in the field or who are interested in it, and a point of reference in terms of research, documentation and publications specialized in International Affairs and Foreign Policy, European Affairs and Europeanization;
- To be an influential actor in the development of the international action of local governments, the Government of North Macedonia and those of the countries of the Western Balkans, and of the European Union;
- To be an organization connected at regional and European level – with other leading institutes in the field, as well as an organization that participates in the debate at the European Level as source of respected knowledge and opinion;
- To be an instrument of international action and a tool for dissemination of information on public policies affecting ordinary citizens, thus contributing to democracy, security, stability, freedom, and solidarity across the Western Balkans.
PRESPA Institute shall attain its objectives by means of:
- Researching, analysing and proposing alternative solutions, based on data from the relevant fields of action, as well as establishing various databases through its research or documentation;
- Facilitating the development of evidence-based public policies and the understanding of international actions cooperation, as well as by creation of an enabling environment for civil society development and networking with other civil society organization aimed at developing civil society and regional cooperation;
- Organizing and delivering training sessions, courses, seminars, workshops, round tables and other forms of instruction, as well as campaigns, promotions and other forms of action.