On 27-28 June, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Mariya Gabriel represented the Commission at the Ministerial Meeting of the Western Balkans’ Platforms on Culture, Research and Innovation, and Education and Training, which took place in Tirana, Albania. 

The Meeting represented a key moment to take stock of the joint efforts triggered by the Western Balkans Agenda on Innovation, Research, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, as well as to discuss the progress on its implementation. It is a good moment to communicate on its main initiatives and their specific impact.

Commissioner Gabriel said: "I am glad to announce the launch of the Western Balkans Ministerial Platform on Culture. It will further strengthen cooperation between the EU and the region and contribute to its integration into the EU. Today, I also launch a new Enhanced Partnership with the Western Balkans under the Erasmus+ programme. This Partnership will give education organisations and institutions in the Western Balkans not associated to the programme the possibility to take part in important strategic actions starting with the European Universities initiative as of 2023, on equal footing with organisations from EU Member States and third countries associated to the programme. ”

Ministerial meeting on Culture
The Ministerial Meeting on Culture was the first one ever to be organised with the Western Balkans. Commissioner Gabriel exchanged with culture ministers of the region about the role of youth in the promotion and protection of cultural heritage, which plays an important role in our societies, our communities and in international relations. 

The Commissioner officially launched the Western Balkans Ministerial Platform on Culture. She called on the culture ministers to “take full advantage of these meetings to work jointly together with a view to develop cooperation between the EU and the Western Balkans and to contribute to the integration of the Western Balkans in the EU”. 

Science for Policy Report “Status of Environment and Climate in the Western Balkans”
The JRC report presented on the occasion of the Western Balkans Ministerial Meeting in Tirana, Albania, looked at the status of the environment and the climate in the region.

The authors warn that air quality in the Western Balkans is still critically poor, despite fine particular matter concentrations showing decreasing annual trends in some parts of the region. All partner countries in the region, where reliable data is available, exceed, on average, the daily maximum limit in particulate matter that is 10 micrometres or smaller in diameter. 

This has dire consequences. Alone particulate matter, which is smaller than 2.5 micrometres (PM2.5), caused 28,400 premature deaths in the Western Balkans in 2019, the report shows. While mortality rates attributed to this pollutant were cut back by 16 % in the EU compared to 2012, they went up by 30% in the Western Balkans. 

Diseases associated with pollution, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, lower respiratory airway infections, diabetes mellitus type 2, ischemic heart disease, or stroke and are likely to become even more prevalent in the Western Balkans, if no further action is taken.

Although lagging in implementation, the region did have some success in adopting the “Environment and Climate Change” chapter of the EU body of rights and obligations known as the acquis communautaire.  This chapter is the largest of the 35 in total, comprising 200 legislative acts. 

Adopting the EU acquis is an obligation for countries under the “Stabilisation and Association Agreement” process and it is mandatory for joining the EU.

Adoption levels for environmental and climate legislation now range between 47% and 76% among the Western Balkans partners, an upswing from 21-31% in 2019. 

Ministerial Meeting on Research and Innovation
The Western Balkans Agenda has triggered an additional €150 million of funding for innovation for the next four years. The forthcoming European Innovation Agenda will further contribute to nurturing a supportive environment for industry-academia cooperation and start-ups.   

Commissioner Gabriel called for “a stronger pan-European integration of research and innovation capacities. Linking academia, industry and SMEs will require different types of skills from actors in management of ecosystems, networks, business models and user experience”. 

Closer cooperation on Horizon Europe Missions – underlining that three cities from the Western Balkans are part of the Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities efforts - was highlighted in the Ministerial roundtable. The Commissioner encouraged other cites from the region to learn from these examples and to share best practice to joint work on a clean and green future for our youth. 

The Western Balkans research and innovation ministers reconfirmed the commitment made by the leaders at the Brdo EU-Western Balkans Summit in 2021 to promote scientific excellence and help prevent brain drain.  

Ministerial Meeting on Education and Training
Commissioner Gabriel announced the launch of a new Enhanced Partnership with the Western Balkans under the Erasmus+ programme giving education organisations and institutions in the Western Balkans not associated to the programme the possibility to take part in important strategic actions. She highlighted that “extending the access to such flagship actions to all Western Balkan partners will further strengthen the cooperation with the region”.

Ministers discussed learning for environmental sustainability during the Ministerial Round Table, and the Commissioner underlined the importance of integrating teaching and learning for environmental sustainability into education and training systems. The Commissioner is looking forward to the continued cooperation between the EU and the Western Balkans through the EU working groups, in the Education for Climate Coalition and through the Erasmus+ programme to further advance on implementing sustainability across the education and training systems. 

Background
The Western Balkans Agenda on Innovation, Research, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, launched in October 2021 at the Brdo EU Summit and announced in the Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans, which the Commission presented in October 2020 with a substantial investment package mobilising up to 9 billion euros of funding for the region. It follows the launch of the Digital Agenda for the Western Balkans in June 2018, which aims to support the transition of the region into a digital economy and bring faster economic growth, more jobs and better services.

This year is the 19th anniversary of the European Council’s conclusions of the EU-Western Balkans Summit held on 21 June 2003 in Thessaloniki, which created the foundations for the ongoing relations between the European Union and the Western Balkans. The Research and Innovation Steering Platform also celebrates its 15th anniversary; the Education and Training Platform is having its 10th anniversary; and the Platform on Culture has just been established. 

For more information
International cooperation with the Western Balkans
EU-Western Balkans Summit - Brdo Declaration
Status of environment and climate in the Western Balkans

FROMM Stephanie (EAC) Stephanie.RHOMBERG@ec.europa.eu, DG EAC
SELARU Bogdan Traian (RTD) Bogdan-Traian.SELARU@ec.europa.eu, DG RTD
SZABO Zsolt (JRC-EXT) Zsolt.SZABO1@ext.ec.europa.eu, DG JRC