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The 2026 in-person meeting of the Western Balkans Steering Platform on Research and Innovation will be held in Budapest on 23 April 2026. The event is upon invitation only and restricted to members of the Western Balkans Steering Platform. The event provides an opportunity to discuss the latest policy developments, priorities, and opportunities for cooperation. It will also include a preparatory session for the upcoming Ministerial Meeting, scheduled to take place in October 2026.
Draft Agenda (to be confirmed)
| 09:00 – 09:05 | Welcome remarks by host country Ferenc Nagy-Rebek, Hungarian Ministry for Innovation and Technology (tbc) |
| 09:05 – 09:15 | Opening remarks of Meeting of the Western Balkans Steering Platform on Research and Innovation Mina Stareva, Deputy Head of Unit ‘International cooperation – Europe and Americas’, European Commission, DG R&I, chair |
| 09:15 – 09:35 | Western Balkans Agenda: Updates from European Commission on priorities and objectives in Research and Innovation with the Western Balkans DG R&I, DG JRC (tbc), DG ENEST (tbc) report on latest R&I developments (approx. 5 – 10 min each) Discussion and Q&A |
| 09:35 – 09:45 | Presentation of the R&I POLICY SUPPORT FOR ENLARGEMENT COUNTRIES project (POLICY ENLARGE) Bela Kardon, POLICY ENLARGE Coordinator Q&A |
| 09:45 – 10:45 | Western Balkans Agenda: R&I Developments in the Western Balkans – Part 1 Western Balkans’ progress reports from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo[1] (15 min each) General discussion and exchange |
| 10:45 – 11:15 | Coffee break |
| 11:15 – 12:30 | Western Balkans Agenda: R&I Developments in the Western Balkans – Part 2 Western Balkans’ progress reports from Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia (15 min each) General discussion and exchange |
| 12:30 – 14:00 | Networking lunch |
| 14:00 – 15:30 | Preparing the Western Balkans Steering Platform Ministerial Meeting October 2026 Mina Stareva, Deputy Head of Unit ‘International cooperation – Europe and Americas’, European Commission, DG R&I, chair Désirée Pecarz, Secretariat of the WB Platforms by POLICY ENLARGE, ZSI |
| 15:30 – 15:40 | Closing remarks Mina Stareva, Deputy Head of Unit ‘International cooperation – Europe and Americas’, European Commission, DG R&I, chair |
| 15:40 – 15:45 | Family photo |
| 15:45 – 16:45 | Open Discussion & Networking Reception |
[1] This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.