Digital Agency for Western Balkans Launches in Sofia

Periskopi

25 June 2018, 18:27(8 years ago)

The digital agenda for the Western Balkans has today started works in Sofia, along the 2018 Digital Assembly, which is a political event organised by the European Communication Directorate General for Networks, Communication and Communication Technology of the Bulgarian Council of the European Union (BE). This event has gathered more than 1,000 parties [...]

This event has gathered more than 1,000 interested parties, and policymakers to discuss EU digital policy, including recent technological implications and developments, and at the same time providing opportunities for honest and focused discussions in the future.

The WB Digital Agent focuses on lowering the cost of romingu, establishing broadcasters, developing e-government, electronic procurement, e-Health and digital skills, raising capacities in digital trust and security, in parallel with efforts to increase industrial digitalisation, approval, implementation of legal acts.

The Regional Co-operation Council (RCC) will play a crucial role in implementing the Digital Agency for the Western Balkans.

Goran Svilanovic, Secretary General RCC moderated the starting session, Marija Gabriel, EU Commissioner for Economics and Digital Society and the invited ministers of six Western Balkan countries as responsible for digital integration: Ismir Jusko, Minister of Communications and Transport of Bosnia and Herzegovina; Besim Beqaj, Minister of Innovation and Intervention of Kosovo *; Damjan Mancevski, Minister of Information Society and Management of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; Dorina Cinari, Albania's Deputy Infrastructure Minister; Dejan Abazovic, State Secretary at the Ministry of Public Administration of Montenegro, and Tatyana Matic, Secretary of State at Serbia's Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunication.

Commissioner Gabriel expressed his satisfaction with the Western Balkans' involvement in European digital research, saying he expects the region to seize the opportunity and prepare for rapid change in the digital era, bringing equality into society within the EU.

During the digital Agency's modernisation of the Western Balkans, Secretary General Svilanovic told of the results of the surveys conducted indicating the individual readiness of the Western Balkan Economic Bank through responsible ministers' questions, repeating their importance taking place on the <x1->with the digital global trends, especially in light of the commitments made by its leaders in the Multi-Annuity Action Plan in the Regional Economic Zone <x0 at the Tries Summit last summer, where Digital integration has a key role and is one of four dimensions of development.

Being involved in digital developments of the “art situation in the EU is an extremely valuable opportunity for the Western Balkans, providing partners with clear guidelines and support for the road ahead of the EU. The region has chosen for modern, living, open, progressive and competitive societies, and this is exactly the door that digital agenda opens for the Western Balkans “, Svilanovic concluded.