On 18 November the CEI- Executive Secretariat participated in the high-level Balkan Economic Forum ”For a brighter future” in Skopje North Macedonia.
The event – gathering academics, students, media and other figures of the public and private sector - focused on the development and implementation of innovative strategies and creative solutions to the current economic challenges facing the Balkan countries to stimulate economic growth which, in turn, should strengthen regional cooperation, peace and security.
Welcoming statements were delivered by Ms. Dubravka Suica, Vice-President of the European Commission; Mr. Olivér Várhelyi, European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement; H.E. Dr. Georg Woutsas, Austrian Ambassador, North Macedonia; and Mr. Fatmir Bytyqi, Deputy President of the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia, in charge of economic affairs.
DSG Zsuzsanna Kiraly who virtually contributed to the discussions of Panel 1 on “regional economic cooperation – myth or reality” highlighted that the membership of the CEI covered a broad portion of Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe and the broad area extending from the Baltic to the Adriatic-Ionian and the Black seas, comprised both EU and non-EU countries. She added that this mixed composition represented an added value of our organisation, i.e., the know-how transfer and sharing of experiences between EU and non-EU countries..
Balkan energy prospects for faster energy transition; financing development and regional cooperation; reskilling and upskilling of the Balkan labor force; and policy making innovations in the Balkans were the other topics of discussion of the event.
The Balkan Economic Forum (BEF) is independent of any national government, political party or any other vested interest. It operates with an inclusive approach that respects universal human rights and recognises the potential of every individual to actively contribute to the achievement of tangible economic development for the social welfare of a region.