Center for Enhanced Training in Finance (CEF)

Center for Enhanced Training in Finance (CEF) is a leading regional capacity building institute located in Ljubljana, Slovenia. This center was established in 2001 within the framework of Stability Pact for the South-Eastern Europe by Government of the Republic of Slovenia at the initiative of the Ministry of Finance of Slovenia and in close cooperation with other Ministries of Finance of the former Yugoslavia and Albania. CEF became an international organization in 2015, having completed 14 very successful years as a regional institution. Change of status facilitates the employment of international staff and strengthens cooperation with CEF partner institutions.

Its mission is to promote awareness of international standards and best practices in public finance and banking management by organizing special training events, stimulating exchange of knowledge and research results, as well as provision of technical support.

Center helps to develop potential in people, organizations and states in general, conducting a series of activities aimed at:

- training;

- regional cooperation.

Center conducts high-quality educational activities (working groups, seminars, specialized trainings and certification programs) based on a deep understanding of regional educational needs. Once the Center has identified such needs, its staff ensures that both their form and content are properly reflected and that lectures and discussions are fully interactive and experience-based.

Center for Enhanced Training in Finance has developed or is participating in a number of regional projects in order to stimulate regional cooperation in the South-Eastern Europe. Center also supports regional dialogues at the ministerial and technical levels.

CEF supports the capacity building process in 12 Member States: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and Turkey.

CEF membership is open to any state or international organization interested in promoting knowledge sharing, providing technical support on public finance management, central banks and other areas of public administration.

CEF is included in the List of Official International Development Assistance Organizations, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). At its session on 21-22 June 2017, the working group of the Committee on Financing for Development of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) adopted suggested amendments to Annex 2: List of International Organizations Providing Official OECD Development Assistance (ODA). Slovenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs initiated inclusion of CEF in the list of international organizations eligible for ODA and successfully justified the application.

Center is headed by Jana Repanšek.

STS has been cooperating with Center for Enhanced Training in Finance since the end of 2013. During this period, about 80 employees of the STS and its territorial bodies participated in more than 30 CEF events on the following topics:

- effective audits of taxpayers,

- work with large taxpayers,

- counteraction to VAT fraud,

- combating tax evasion and minimization of tax liabilities,

- modern approaches to compliance with tax legislation,

- principles of transfer pricing, methods and recent developments,

- improving skills for processes management of the tax administrations’ reformation,

- increasing level of compliance with VAT legislation,

- counteraction against the shadow economy,

- management of effective activities in tax administration,

- change management in tax administration;

- analysis of economic efficiency of tax expenditures and other measures to increase revenues;

- income prognostication;

- transfer pricing.