Today, Strategers Institute hosted another edition of the Strategers Discussion Series, bringing together representatives of European and international institutions, national fiscal, monetary and financial institutions, government, academia and think tanks to discuss how the EU accession process can accelerate the economic convergence of the Western Balkans.

The discussion focused on a central question for the region: How can EU accession translate into higher productivity, stronger institutions, greater investment and improved living standards?

The exchange addressed how EU funds, national resources, international financial institutions and private capital can be better aligned with structural reforms and measurable results, as well as the institutional, financial and demographic constraints that continue to slow convergence. Participants also discussed which reforms and investments should be prioritised and how the post-2027 European financing framework can better support the region’s long-term transformation.

The discussion was informed by the new Strategers Institute Policy Brief, “From Accession to Convergence: Financing the European Future of the Western Balkans,” which highlights the need to move beyond measuring success primarily through financial commitments and absorption towards completed reforms, functioning investments, productive private-sector growth and measurable convergence outcomes.

We were pleased to exchange perspectives with Lilyana Pavlova, former Vice-President of the European Investment Bank (EIB); stefano ellero, EU Delegation in North Macedonia; Armen Grigoryan, UNDP; Faton Sulejmani and Simona Kovachevska-Stefanova, IMF; Academician Abdylmenaf Bexheti, Fiscal Council; Sultanija Bojceva Terzijan, National Bank; Maja Stevkova Sterieva, Macedonian Banking Association; Suzana Peneva, Ministry of Finance; Evgenija Serafimovska-Kirkovski, Ministry for European Affairs; Dr. Aleksandra Nakjeva Ruzhin, PhD, Fiscal Policy and PFM Expert and WBG Consultant; Nina Fiti Nedelkovska, Strategers Institute Counselor and former Country Representative at the World Bank Board of Directors; Biljana Butlevska, Director of Strategers Institute; and Prof. Dr. Fatmir Besimi, President of the Board of Strategers Institute.

Thank you to all participants for a substantive and forward-looking exchange and for contributing different institutional perspectives to a shared challenge for the region.

EU accession should not only be about joining the Union—it should also be about converging with it: translating integration into stronger institutions, higher productivity, sustainable investment and tangible improvements in living standards across the Western Balkans.

#Strategers #StrategersDiscussionSeries #WesternBalkans #EUEnlargement