International conference,  Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 24-25 February 2010

On 24 and 25 February 2010, the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Secretariat organized a two-day international conference “Western Balkans in 2020 – Overcoming the Economic Crisis and Developing Competitive Economies”, that also marked the 2nd anniversary of the organization.

The conference aimed to review the impact on the Western Balkan countries of the global economic crisis, assess the different policy actions taken, and examine the ways to strengthen the long-term competitiveness of the region’s economies.

The event was opened by Hido Biscevic, RCC Secretary General; Eduard Kukan, Chairman of the Delegation for Relations with Countries of South East Europe, European Parliament; Javier Martin, Assistant Deputy Director General, Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and Elisabeth Hagen, Executive Director, Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies.

The meeting brought together senior policy officials and key experts from the Western Balkans academia, the European Commission and international financial institutions, as well as representatives of the relevant think tanks from the EU member countries.

Concluding remarks are available in English (HERE) and Serbian (HERE).

Opening remarks by the RCC Secretary General, Hido Biscevic, at this event are available HERE. 

Conference Agenda is available HERE.

Information note about this event is available HERE.

Media Advisory is available HERE.

Presentations:

The views expressed in the presentations below belong solely to the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Regional Cooperation Council and its Secretariat. The RCC Secretariat is not responsible for the content of the presentations

Introductory:  Outlook Global Crisis in the Western Balkans – Impact to Date and Outlook

• Fikret Čaušević, Member of the Governing Board, Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Vladimir Gligorov, Staff Economist, Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies
• Ales Gnamus, Researcher, European Commission, Joint Research Centre – IPTS, Seville

Panel 1: Crisis Response in the Western Balkans and EU and IFIs Assistance

• Massimo Cingolani, Deputy Head of the Western Balkans division, European Investment Bank
• Giulio Moreno, Head of office in Bosnia and Herzegovina, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
• Daniel Daianu, Professor of economics, National School of Political Studies and Public Administration, Bucharest

Panel 2: Sources of Regional Competitiveness – Sectoral, SMEs, Innovation, Labour Market

• Alistair Nolan, Head, OECD Investment Compact for South East Europe
• Vlastimir Matejić, Professor, European Centre for Peace and Development, Belgrade
• Aleksandar Kovačević, Senior Visiting Research Fellow, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies

Panel 3: Increased Regional Integration and the Role of EU Accession: During and After the Crisis

• Renata Vitez, Director, CEFTA 2006 Secretariat, Brussels
• Višnja Samardžija, Head of EID, Institute for International Relations, Zagreb
• Milica Uvalić, Professor, Universita degli Studi di Perugia
• Predrag Bjelić, Professor, Faculty of Economics, University of Belgrade

Panl 4: Conclusions and Recommendations

• Blaž Golob, Director, Centre for eGovernance Development in SEE