On September 16, 2024, at Hotel Hollywood in Sarajevo, within the SMARTLABOR project, CREDI hosted a pivotal event focused on equipping the Western Balkans’ agri-food sector with essential digital skills. The event, organized in partnership with regional stakeholders, offered a platform for discussing the integration of the region’s agri-food sector with the European Union, as well as identifying opportunities for digital transformation.
The event officially commenced with a Consortia Meet-up, introducing project members and invited stakeholders, and outlining the project’s goals and objectives.
A key session followed, titled “S3 Strategies and EU Integration: How the Western Balkans’ Agro-Food Sector Can Overcome Challenges?”, which delved into the obstacles faced by the sector in aligning with the EU’s standards. Experts shared insights on how the region can leverage smart specialization strategies to address these challenges.
Discussions resumed with a session on Regional Best Practices and Experiences. This segment featured participants from Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, and Serbia, who shared their experiences in digitalization in the Agri-food sector with an emphasis on collaboration and regional success stories. Insights from the national workshops were also integrated into this session, offering a comprehensive overview of best practices. In addition to regional partners, representatives from the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Sarajevo (UNSA) and GIZ, an organization working regionally on development projects, also actively participated in the discussions and shared their experiences.
The event concluded with a Way Forward session, where strategic recommendations for consortia members were outlined, along with an agreement on the methodology for engaging different stakeholders in the project’s future implementation.
The organizer of the event stated that this event is a crucial step towards enhancing skills in the agri-food sector, as only through joint efforts can we meet the challenges of the future.
This event marked a significant step in fostering regional cooperation and innovation in the agri-food sector, focusing on digitalization and ensuring that the Western Balkans remains competitive and aligned with EU standards.
The event was organized with the support of the SMART Balkans project.
