Last month, during the European Research & Innovation days, ministers from the Western Balkans discussed their priorities and their need to be “considered as one region when considering economic development” (Ms. Florensa Haxhi).
Despite not being a part of the European Union, Albania, Serbia, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Kosovo can access EU grants and face similar challenges.
Regions should take more importance during Horizon Europe, and the European Commission hopes to reduce the gap between Western Europe and Southern/Eastern Europe, the latest receiving only a small fraction of what Western Europe receives from ERC grants.
Source: The European Commission