Launched: February 2025
The challenge
The Western Balkans have a rich cultural heritage but, because the region has faced significant change since the late 20th century, the social and economic benefits of the region’s creative and cultural industries have been limited.
In recent years, the European Commission has helped the region’s economy to grow through efforts like the ‘Growth Plan for the Western Balkans’, which launched in November 2023 to accelerate socio-economic convergence.
The Growth Plan followed the ‘Economic and Investment plan for the Western Balkans 2021–2027’, which aims to stimulate investment and support projects focusing on sustainable connectivity, human capital, competitiveness, inclusive growth, and the twin transition.
The cultural and creative industries have an important role to play in revitalising the region’s economy. However, the region faces several challenges for the development of these sectors, including a lack of specialised training and educational programmes to train up the workforce, limited access to funding, and a lack of reliable data showing the impact of these industries. Additionally, skills acquired in the cultural and creative industries may not always be formally recognised or valued in other sectors.
Addressing these challenges requires coordination between governments, cultural institutions, society and the private sector.
The ambition
The Regional Skills Partnership for the Western Balkans aims to create an environment where creative industries can thrive, providing tools for people to improve their creative skills and celebrate the region’s diverse cultures, traditions, arts, music, literature and cuisine.
Creative industries provide platforms for critical dialogue and reflection on past experiences, aiding the transformation of societies and promoting democratic values by fostering freedom of expression, innovation, and cultural diversity.
The Partnership recognises that continued reforms, investment in infrastructure and human skills, and regional cooperation are essential for achieving sustained regional economic growth and stability.
To create this environment, the Partnership will adopt a new systematic approach that enables collaboration between institutions, businesses, trade unions, associations, and public and private entities in the Western Balkans and neighbouring countries to bring about economic and social development.
The commitments
The Partnership is dedicated to investing in the Western Balkans’ creative and cultural industries.
The Partnership will promote skills and jobs for sustainable business in line with the EU Sustainable Business Taxonomy, while improving recognition of the sector’s potential to boost economic growth and innovation. It will enhance digital, green and communication skills in industry, conduct capacity-building sessions and identify the local economy’s needs and resources.
The Partnership will also create training paths for young people and highlight successful collaborations in the creative and cultural industries with education, tourism, and regional development sectors. It will expand local networks and provide analyses and policy recommendations related to the industry, economy, education, regional development and tourism.
The impact
The Partnership has set key activities as indicators to ensure its impact will enhance inter-regional collaboration.
One activity is to establish an ‘Operational HUB’ as a creative and collaborative incubator to facilitate training programmes, incubate innovative projects, and expand regional networking initiatives through partnerships with local organisations and European networks.
The Partnership will also organise 10 upskilling opportunities in digital, green, and communications, involve 30 organisations (including 10 faculties and schools), support 15 projects to secure EU funding, and participate in five events for knowledge transfer and dissemination.
Learn more about the Regional Skills Partnership for the Western Balkans Region.
