Methodology
This policy brief presents recommendations for regional-level public administrations in Western Balkan countries, which aim at maximising the use of IPA III funds through the support of bioeconomy-related projects. The recommendations draw from the knowledge generated in the context of the activities, which have been implemented in the frame of the BE-Rural project in North Macedonia, specifically the preparation of the Bioeconomy
Development Roadmap for the Strumica Region, as well as other accompanying activities, such as the analysis of the bioeconomy potential of the region and the analysis and elaboration of small-scale bio-based business models.

The collaboration with regional stakeholders, who actively participated in the project activities, provided additional insights, as they helped to develop an understanding of the conditions and challenges faced by public administrations and businesses in the use of IPA support. Although the recommendations have been developed with knowledge from the Strumica region in North Macedonia, they target public administrations in regions throughout the Western Balkans.