Since academic year 2020/21, UMB opens a set of its courses to all students of the EMERGE alliance. This year, the course MACROECONOMICS: a CEE PERSPECTIVE, respecting the challenge-based learning principles, was proposed for the first time. Students were not only focusing on the theoretcial concepts, but were also motivated to apply the theory in the real economic context of the CEE countries. During the semester, the students developed their essays focusing of viral topics (cost-of-living crisis, inflation expectation, beyond GDP measurement, youth unemmployment etc.). The final versions of the essays were presented in January 2023 to the international team of discussants (Prof. Marcel Smolka from EUF and dr. Zaneta Lacova from UMB). Cooperation at the level of the students assessment represents another important step towards quality standards settlement and provision within the EMERGE alliance.