The seventh Western Balkans Digital Summit (WBDS) opened in Skopje on Thursday, co-organised by the Government of North Macedonia and the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), reaffirming the region’s push for digital transformation, stronger cooperation and closer alignment with the European Union.
RCC Secretary General Amer Kapetanović, in his keynote remarks, pointed to progress made so far and set out priorities for the future. “Digitalisation is not just a goal, it is a transformative force. The success of our ‘Roam Like at Home’ regime shows what the region can achieve when working together. Now we must take the next steps: building interoperable digital ID wallets, advancing trust services, aligning with the EU’s digital frameworks, and ensuring that youth and businesses have the tools to thrive in the digital age,” he said.
North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, opening the summit, stressed that investment in digitalisation was vital for the region’s prosperity and stability. “Once people begin to see tangible results from digital transformation, confidence grows and momentum follows, creating a cycle that drives further progress and innovation,” Mickoski said.
Other speakers included Renate Nikolay, Deputy Director-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology at the European Commission; Tomas Lamanauskas, Deputy Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU); Thomas Jarzombek, Parliamentary State Secretary at Germany’s Federal Ministry for Digitalisation and Government Modernisation; and Svyatoslav Senyuta, Regional Leader for Government Solutions at Visa. They emphasised the role of regional cooperation, EU alignment and public-private partnerships in driving the digital agenda forward.
Later on Thursday, Danijela Gačević, Head of Programme Department at the RCC, will moderate a ministerial panel titled “Digital by Default – Making Public Services Work for Everyone”, featuring ministers and senior officials from across the Western Balkans, including Albania’s Economy and Innovation Minister Delina Ibrahimaj, Montenegro’s Public Administration Minister Marash Dukaj, North Macedonia’s Digital Transformation Minister Stefan Andonovski, Serbia’s State Secretary for Information and Technology Slaviša Antić, Kosovo’s Deputy Economy Minister Getoar Mjeku, and Almir Badnjević, Director of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s IDDEEA.
Over the two-day event, policymakers, experts, businesses and innovators from the Western Balkans, the EU and beyond will discuss topics including digital public services, e-wallets, interoperability, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, e-services and skills development.
The WBDS is organised under the framework of the Common Regional Market Action Plan and the EU Growth Plan, and co-funded by the European Union.