🔛 On 12 and 13 November in Sarajevo, our economist Marija Basheska participated in the regional conference “Think SMART: Rethinking the Old-School Funding Approach,” dedicated to rethinking funding models and strengthening the role of the civil sector in the Western Balkans.
Her participation in the conference was an excellent opportunity to exchange practices, hear diverse perspectives, and strengthen regional cooperation.
#civilsociety #RegionalCooperation #WesternBalkans
We participated in the regional discussion “Promoting the Green Industrial Future of the Western Balkans,” held on November 3 in Tirana.
Blagica Petreski shared the event’s concluding insights.
After the energy crisis, the topic of energy transition has increasingly taken on an economic dimension — it is no longer just an environmental issue, but also one of competitiveness, industrial restructuring, and long-term economic resilience of countries in the region. 🌱⚙️
Our key message:
“We should not wait for the next crisis to accelerate change; we need to institutionalize adaptability.”
The event was organized by Instituti GAP and the Open Society Foundations – Western Balkans, with participation from leading researchers, policymakers, and representatives of organizations from across the Western Balkans.
Our colleague Marija Basheska is participating in the conference “Structural Changes in the Western Balkans Region”, held from October 27 to 29 in Tirana, organized by the Aspen Institute Germany.
The conference brings together experts, researchers, and policymakers from across the region and Europe to discuss structural transformations in the areas of the labour market, digitalization, energy, and migration in the Western Balkans.
Meeting of the WEBecon Network held within the World Bank’s Second Macro-Peer Learning Event
Finance Think organized a meeting with representatives from public institutions, experts, and the business community on the topic “Just Energy Transition: What Are the Benefits and What Are the Risks.”
Key conclusions:
Economic benefits through savings in household electricity costs and increased competitiveness of companies.
Cleaner and healthier environment through greater use of renewable energy sources.
Coordination and commitment in policy implementation are crucial for a successful and fair transition.
Supported by: OSF Western Balkans, Open Society Foundations, and Instituti GAP.
It cannot be said that larger “municipalities always have greater capacity – there are also examples of small municipalities with good planning and discipline. The main problem is often the internal capacity for planning and phased implementation, as many municipalities start numerous projects but do not complete them.
Today, in Bitola, we discussed the benefits and risks of the #energytransition with community representatives: stakeholders and workers from REK Bitola, local NGOs, business, and the academic community.
With this, we are launching our action for a #justtransition in the energy sector, with a focus on the affected regions.
We are carrying out this action together with our partners from WEBecon Network and Instituti GAP from Kosovo, with the support of Open Society Foundations Western Balkans.
Skopje Office – Open Society Foundations Western Balkans, Prishtina Office – Open Society Foundations Western Balkans.
#justtransition #energyeconomics #upskilling #financethink #gapinstitute #webecon
