![\"\"](\"https:\/\/euronews.al\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1057.jpeg\")
\nFrom research laboratories to global markets<\/strong><\/p>\n
The morning \u201clightning talk\u201d was delivered by Oskar Marko, Director of the Information Technology Centre at the Biosense Institute in Serbia. His message was clear: the opportunities offered by the EU deliver results when institutions know how to use them. Biosense has developed the practice of using Horizon Europe grants for agricultural innovations important to farmers across the region \u2014 proof that the path from EU funding to real impact is shorter than often assumed.<\/p>\n
The thematic panels that followed presented the economic landscape of the Western Balkans from three different perspectives. In the session supported by the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF), moderated by Filip Luki\u0107 from N1, six speakers explained how this mechanism has mobilized nearly 9 billion euros and supported more than 600,000 businesses across the region. Benedykt Klimowski from the European Commission summed it up simply: \u201cWhen your local bank offers you a better deal, EU support stands behind it.\u201d<\/p>\n Edina Had\u017ei\u0107, founder of the Bosnian sustainable fashion brand \u201cSugar on Top,\u201d highlighted the advantage of being in a smaller market: \u201cYou have to be honest about where you are. Everything is about real transparency.\u201d Meanwhile, Tina Mihajlovi\u0107, co-founder of the Serbian artificial intelligence startup in solar energy, Solarise Technologies, spoke about the gap between technical knowledge and market readiness, as well as the role of mentorship in bridging it.<\/p>\n The panel supported by the EBRD was moderated by Aleksandra Vukosavljevi\u0107, Director for Financial Institutions for the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe. The discussion focused on green and competitive small and medium-sized enterprises. The conclusion was clear: sustainability is no longer a choice, but a necessity driven by market demands, rising energy costs, and access to financing. ESG standards are now a key factor in the decision-making of banks and investors. Since SMEs account for 98\u201399% of companies in the region, aligning them with EU standards while competing in larger markets is at the heart of economic development.<\/p>\n The third panel, featuring representatives of EU Delegations from across the region and moderated by Marie Brancaleone, addressed the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans as a framework for economic transformation. Representatives from all six economies discussed what the next phase of integration will look like in practice.<\/p>\n The first day concluded with a discussion that clearly emphasized the purpose of the event. Journalists Greta Topjana from Albania and Vi\u0161nja Vi\u0161nji\u0107 Mili\u0107 from Serbia, together with the WeBalkans team, provided a summary and spoke about how stories about the EU travel and where they get lost. The key message was that programmes and financial instruments exist, but are not sufficiently utilized due to fragmented communication and lack of visibility. Bridging precisely this gap was the goal of the Creative Hub.<\/p>\n Day two: from policymaking to communication<\/strong><\/p>\n The second day was dedicated to content production. The EU with YOU campaign was presented by Samra Lu\u010dkin, after which other members of the WeBalkans team \u2014 Arian Rexhepi, Vullnet Gacaferri, and Stanislava Marojevi\u0107 \u2014 worked with participants in groups to transform the discussion into concrete content: social media posts, photographs, short statements, and interviews with participants. Plans were also developed for videos and journalistic stories that will be published in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n At the same time, the WeBalkans network enabled participants to present their work and find partners for regional cooperation.<\/p>\n The results of this work will continue to live beyond the event itself \u2014 on WeBalkans platforms, partner channels, and social media networks, where a new generation of Western Balkan citizens encounters the EU as a partner in everyday life.<\/p>\n EU with YOU<\/strong><\/p>\n The Belgrade Creative Hub is the first event in a series of activities that WeBalkans, within the framework of the EU with YOU campaign, is planning across the region. EU with YOU is a regional public diplomacy campaign that connects EU support in the Western Balkans with the people, businesses, and communities that will experience this transformation. More stories and activities from this campaign will be published on WeBalkans\u2019 digital communication channels in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n EU support is not abstract \u2014 it can be seen in the streets of Western Balkan cities, in growing businesses, and in the opportunities opening up for young people. The two-day \u201cCreative HUB\u201d event, organized by WeBalkans in Belgrade at the end of April, became a meeting point for journalists, communicators, entrepreneurs, and EU representatives […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":84552,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[153,1803],"tags":[150,243,151],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/euronews.al\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1058.jpeg\")
\nThree discussions, one message<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/euronews.al\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1059.jpeg\")
\nThe messages we conveyed<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/euronews.al\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1060.jpeg\")
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