The Western Balkans Steering Platforms (SP) on Culture, Education and Training as well as Research and Innovation held their meetings in Skopje, North Macedonia, from 3-5 June 2024.
The event brought together senior government officials and key stakeholders from the European Commission, Western Balkan economies, and other relevant organisations to discuss the latest developments and priorities in these critical areas for the region's future growth and prosperity, integration in the European Research Area, the importance of knowledge valorisation, as well as to prepare the ground for the next Western Balkans Ministerial Meeting to take place on 29 September to 01 October 2024.
The different sessions were co-chaired by the European Commission, North Macedonia and Hungary, as the incoming EU Council Presidency.
A joint session was dedicated to the preparation of the upcoming Ministerial Meeting in Skopje in autumn 2024; an important milestone in the implementation of the Western Balkans Agenda. The Ministerial meeting will celebrate the achievements and progress made in innovation, research, education, culture, youth, and sport, as well as set the path for the continuation of the agenda's successful implementation and the further integration of the region into relevant European efforts.
Participants discussed on the results of the recently published respective ERA Reports and monitoring efforts at the dedicated workshop on Western Balkans European Research Area (ERA).
The POLICY ANSWERS project, which has been instrumental in supporting the platforms' work throughout the process, will facilitate the next SP meeting (online) on 4 September 2024, aimed at finalising the preparations for the Ministerial Meeting.
The meeting in Skopje highlighted the continued commitment of the European Commission and the Western Balkans to advancing culture, education, training, research and innovation in the region.
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Details
- Publication date
- 10 June 2024
- Author
- Directorate-General for Research and Innovation