Policy Dialogue on Aligning Priorities in the Western Balkans - Vision 2030 - Digital, Green and Health Pathways

The EU project POLICY ANSWERS, funded under Horizon Europe, brought together key stakeholders and European experts; 100 participants from 19 European countries and Western Balkans economies at the “Policy Dialogue on Aligning Priorities in the Western Balkans – Vision 2030 – Digital/Green/Health Pathways” on 23-15 September in Sarajevo.

This Policy Dialogue was was the kick-off event for the EU-Western Balkans Policy Dialogue Stakeholder Platform providing an excellent opportunity to foster dialogue and collaboration among policy makers and the science communities, building bridges between national and regional priorities and EU priorities, thus supporting the inclusion of the Western Balkans in relevant EU initiatives and platforms.

Ministries from the Western Balkans and 9 European Partnerships initiatives discussed on future cooperation.

The conference showcased the substantial impact of policy dialogue when key stakeholders and experts, as well as representatives from the European Commission and governments come together. Crucial aspects of policy making and implementation as well as stakeholder engagement were in the centre of interest when looking into achievements and gaps in priority alignment in the region, with a specific focus on transformative topics of Digital Transformation, Green Deal, and Healthy Societies.

Two stakeholder workshops on Research Infrastructures, co-organised with the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and Researchers’ Mobility were part of the WB Policy Dialogue.  

The importance of Research Infrastructures for the Western Balkans and their use for research as catalysts for economic growth as well as a pilot mobility scheme for early-stage researchers were discussed by the regional experts, based on a first concept of a future regional mobility scheme.