The meeting saw the organisation of four roundtable discussions on research, innovation, smart specialisation strategies, education and culture, and other topic of high interest but it mostly focused on the development of the Western Balkans Agenda on Innovation, Research, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport.

Programme

09:10 - 09:30 WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION

• Themis Christophidou, Director General, DG EAC
• Signe Ratso, Deputy Director General, DG R&I
• Bernard Magenhann, Deputy Director General, DG JRC
• Genoveva Ruiz Calavera, Director, DG NEAR

09:30 - 10:30 1ST MINISTERIAL ROUND TABLE ON CULTURE

• Chair: Tamas Szucs, Director, DG EAC
• Keynote: Walter Zampieri, Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency
• Statements by the Ministers of Culture of the Western Balkans

10:30 - 10:35 KEYNOTE ETF - HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT

• Cesare Onestini, Director European Training Foundation

10:35 - 11:35 2ND MINISTERIAL ROUND TABLE ON EDUCATION

• Chair: Antoaneta Angelova-Krasteva, Director, DG EAC
• Keynote: Vanessa Debiais-Sainton, Head of Unit, DG EAC
• Statements by the Ministers of Education of the Western Balkans

11:35 - 11:40 KEYNOTE TUBITAK

• Hasan Mandal, President, TUBITAK

11:40 - 11:45 KEYNOTE EUREKA

• Margarete Schramböck, Austrian Federal Minister for Digital and Economic Affairs (video message)

11:45 - 12:45 3RD MINISTERIAL ROUND TABLE ON RESEARCH & INNOVATION

• Chair: Jean-Eric Paquet, Director General, DG R&I
• Keynote: Simon Schmitz, International Service Facility of the EC
• Statements by the Ministers of Research and Innovation of the Western Balkans

12:45 - 12:55 KEYNOTE

• Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth

12:55 - 13:05 KEYNOTE

• Thomas Rachel, German EU Council Presidency, Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of Education and Research

13:05 - 13:30 DISCUSSION

Chairs:

• Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth
• Thomas Rachel, German EU Council Presidency, Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of Education and Research

Statements by the Ministers of Culture, Education, Research and Innovation of the Western Balkans

13:30 - 14:30 OFFLINE LUNCH BREAK
14:30 - 14:40 OECD PRESENTATION

• Richard Li, Analyst, Directorate for Education and Skills, OECD

14:40 - 15:10 SUPPORTING INNOVATION IN THE WESTERN BALKANS

 Chair: Colin Wolfe, Head of Western Balkans Regional Cooperation and Programmes, DG NEAR

• EUROPEAN INVESTMENT BANK
  Matteo Rivellini, Head of Division, Operations in Slovenia, Croatia and Western Balkans, EIB
• EUROPEAN BANK OF RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT
  Zsuzsanna Hargitai, Director, EBRD
• INNOVATION INCUBATOR PRESENTATION
  Martin Mössler, ESA IAP Ambassador, ESA Business Incubation Centre Austria

15:10 - 15:15 KEYNOTE REGIONAL COOPERATION COUNCIL

• Majlinda Bregu, Secretary General, Regional Cooperation Council

15:15 - 16:15 4TH MINISTERIAL ROUND TABLE ON INNOVATION AND S3 STRATEGIES

• Chair: Stephen Quest, Director General, DG JRC
• Keynote: Alessandro Rainoldi, Head of Unit, DG JRC
• Statements by the Ministers of Research and Innovation of the Western Balkans

16:15 - 16:30 CLOSING

• Stephen Quest, Director General, DG JRC

_____

The Western Balkans Platforms on Education and Training & Research and Innovation play a central role in stimulating, monitoring and supporting the cooperation in research, education and innovation between the European Union Member States, the Western Balkans and other Associated Countries to Horizon 2020 and beyond. The annual Platforms’ Ministerial meetings allow identifying common priorities, discussing latest policy and reforming measures, and decide on topics for regional cooperation with EU assistance.

The Western Balkans Ministries responsible for Education and Training & Research and Innovation, as well as those covering Culture, Sports and Youth, and those dealing with Smart Specialisation Strategies fully endorse this initiative of the European Commission, considering it a forum of utmost importance for the accession and integration of the region to the European Research Area and to the European Education Area.