The Trieste Summit offered the opportunity to build on the achievements of previous Summits – Berlin (28 August 2014), Vienna (27 August 2015), Paris (4 July 2016) – and to progress further in several areas of cooperation, in particular in the connectivity agenda, which is and will remain the core element of the process, and in the regional integration process. The Summit recalled the need to provide appropriate responses to global challenges and confirmed the importance of strengthening reforms on the rule of law, fundamental rights, economic development and competitiveness in order to deliver results to citizens.(...)

Science

EU Member States and leaders of the region decided to start the process of establishing the Western Balkans Research Foundation as a self-governing international institution, following the proposal made by the 3^rd joint Science Conference of the Western Balkans Process, held in June 2017, in Paris. They welcomed the willingness of the Italian Government to host the Foundation in Trieste. The Foundation is intended to award personal grants to junior scientists willing to build up excellent research teams and labs and groups in the Balkans, and support mobility with European counterparts in order to better link EU research with the Western Balkans. Participants mandated a Group of scientists and envoys to study the project’s financial and technical feasibility and negotiate all necessary arrangements by the next Western Balkans Summit.

Participants further welcomed the concept of an Expert Group initiated by the Joint Science conference for the elaboration of the Western Balkans Action Plan for Smart Growth and urged relevant actors from academia, universities, business and civil society as well as international financial institutions to engage in this undertaking. Appreciation was expressed for the European Commission’s efforts in research and innovation as well as science and knowledge services through Horizon 2020 – the EU Research and Innovation Programme open to the Western Balkans, and through its Joint Research Centre’s initiatives.

Participants welcomed the announcement made by Italy to hold the next Joint Science conference of the Western Balkans Process in Rome in 2018 and expressed their gratitude to the German Academy Leopoldina for its continued efforts in supporting the cooperation of scientists.

Please find attached the full declaration of the Trieste Summit below.

Source and further information: Western Balkans Process – Joint Science Conference