Background information

The Western Balkans Platforms on Research and Innovation & Education and Training, as well as the newly launched one on Culture3, play a central role in stimulating, monitoring and supporting the cooperation in research, innovation, education and cultural and creative policies and programmes between the EU Member States, the European Commission (EC) and the WB.
Their scope is to hold meetings at thematic and ministerial level to facilitate the regional interaction as well as the interaction between the WB, the EC, the EU Member States, the Candidates, Potential Candidate and other states associated to the EU Framework Programmes and other stakeholders

The Platforms are strategic bodies to deal with European, multilateral and regional issues of research, innovation, education and cultural policies in and with the WB. They also act as an information exchange forum where the latest developments in a given field are presented, discussed and best practices exchanged.
Platform members are the EU Member States, the Candidates and Potential Candidates, those associated to the EU Framework Programmes, and the EC. The Platforms’ Meetings are co-chaired by a representative of the EC, of the EU Council Presidency and of the Western Balkans (following a rotating principle). The level of participation is up to the governments, who nominate delegates committed to WB issues (participation should depend on the agenda and topics). The EC further delegates senior officials from the involved Services. In addition to these delegates, the Platforms are open, ex officio, to the participation of representatives of its EU-funded Secretariat. They are finally open, upon invitation of the EU and WB co-chairs, to the participation of representatives from other organisations and stakeholder as well as experts on a case-by-case basis.

Final Agenda
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For any further information on the WB SP meeting in Skopje, please contact: pecarz@zsi.at

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