CCIS Launches the First Balkan Negotiation Academy – BNA

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia (CCIS) has launched the first Balkan Negotiation Academy (Balkan Negotiation Academy – BNA), a specialized and practice-oriented program designed for business leaders and decision-makers from the public and private sectors. The program aims to strengthen negotiation capacities within institutions and companies, while enhancing cooperation and trust across the region and Europe.

The program is based on the innovative Highly Reliable Negotiation Framework (HRNF) methodology, enabling participants to improve their ability to manage complex and international negotiations, develop reliable negotiation processes and decision-making under pressure, acquire practical tools applicable immediately in their work, and become part of a regional and European professional network, namely the European Negotiation Association (ENEA).

“The program is intended for directors, managers, entrepreneurs, public sector representatives, and professionals involved in business, public-private, and cross-border initiatives,” said Mirjana Kovačević, Head of the CCIS Center for Education, Dual Education, and Educational Policies. She added that the program consists of six modules delivered in 21 teaching hours in English.

Over the past years, the Western Balkans region, and Serbia in particular, has made significant progress in political and economic reforms and in strengthening relations with the European Union, Kovačević explained. The further success of this process, she noted, largely depends on the development of cross-border cooperation and the strengthening of economic ties between companies, public institutions, and other stakeholders.

“That is precisely why this program was designed as a concrete contribution to enhancing negotiation capacities, cooperation, and trust in the region and the broader European context,” she emphasized.

The program is delivered by a team of distinguished international experts with extensive relevant experience and recognized professional credentials. The team is led by Francesco Marchi, Director of Negotiation Expertise at the Paris-based consultancy ALTERNEGO, specializing in complex negotiations and conflict resolution.

Francesco Marchi previously led the “Negotiators of Europe” program at ESSEC’s IRENE Institute and, as head of a European consortium, trained European Commission teams, including the Brexit Task Force and several Directorates-General. He is a certified mediator (CEDR, London) and lecturer in international negotiations at Sciences Po, INSP, the College of Europe, and the Sorbonne. He is also the founder and president of the European Negotiation Association (ENEA).

Photo: Boban Ristić