Today, a Workshop on Strategic communication framework related to the EU assistance / IPA III communication and visibility took place at the Training Centre of the Ministry of European Affairs (MEA). The event was organised as part of the EU-funded project "Support for Policy Reform, Accession and Effectiveness (SUPRAE)", implemented by a consortium led by GOPA-PACE. Participants included representatives from IPA and the public relations departments of institutions involved in the sectoral operational programmes under the IPA III Programme.

The Workshop was opened by Evgenija Serafimovska - Kirkovski, NIPAC Office, Head of Sector at MEA, Elena Presilska, Special Advisor in the Cabinet of MEA Murtezani, Alexandar Melamed, Team Leader for Communications and Press at the Delegation of the European Union to North Macedonia and Mojca Grošelj, Team Leader of the SUPRAE Project. The workshop’s trainer was Bojan Kordalov, a senior expert in communication and visibility, engaged within the EU Project "SUPRAE".

The primary objective of the Workshop was to enhance participants’ knowledge and skills in effectively raising public awareness about the EU’s financial assistance to North Macedonia, particularly through the IPA III Programme. The focus was on fostering trust, promoting transparency and increasing the visibility of EU integration processes and the EU-funded projects, as well as a contributing to the fight against misinformation and disinformation concerning North Macedonia’s EU accession process.

During this Workshop, participants were introduced to two key communication documents: the draft Strategic Communication Framework (SCF) related to the EU assistance and the draft Strategic Communication Action Plan (SCAP) related to the IPA III Programme. These strategic documents were also developed as part of the SUPRAE Project’s sub-component on "Communication on country policies, EU accession and EU assistance". Their purpose is to ensure that communication activities are effective, coherent, and aligned with EU financial mechanisms, while incorporating systems for monitoring, evaluation, and regular updates.