EU Enlargement

The EU's enlargement policy deals with the countries currently aspiring to become members of the European Union.

Smart Specialisation strategies are an expression of sound innovation policies and as such are of interest not only to EU member states, but also to non-EU countries willing to improve their innovation ecosystems. To support participatory and evidence-based processes in the EU Neighbourhood countries, the S3 Platform developed a pilot project that supports the early preparatory phases of the development of research and innovation strategies for smart specialisation in one EU enlargement country - Serbia.

As of 2018, the remaining five Western Balkan economies have joined Serbia in developing smart specialisation strategies. The information on the status quo of smart specialisation processes in all Western Balkan economies can be found on the links to the economies in the menu below. 

Latest news

News article |
Bosnia and Herzegovina keeps working closely with the JRC on Smart Specialisation

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) together with the Directorate of Economic Planning of Bosnia and Herzegovina organized an S3 awareness-raising event within the implementation of the project Support to Smart Specialisation in the Enlargement and Neighbourhood region. The initiative took place in...

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Events

EVENT |
Conference “Implementation of Smart Specialisation in Montenegro”
In 2019, Montenegro became the first country from the EU enlargement and neighbourhood region to adopt the Smart Specialisation strategy and receive positive assessment by the European Commission. Subsequently, the country launched the implementation phase, receiving further support by the...
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Publications

PUBLICATION |
The identification of priority domains in Kosovo. A mapping exercise

This study supports a first identification of the economic and productive domains that might be considered in the selection of the priority areas for a Smart Specialisation Strategy in Kosovo. It includes both a quantitative and a qualitative analysis that identify a number of industries and...

HOLLANDERS, Hugo; REXHËBEQAJ, Valmira; GERUSSI, Elisa
PUBLICATION |
The identification of Smart Specialisation priority domains in Albania. A mapping exercise

Smart Specialisation is one of the flagship initiatives of the Western Balkan Agenda on Research, Innovation, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport. It is also included in other EU policy documents regarding the region, such as the 2021 Communication on EU Enlargement Policy and the Economic and...

FABBRI Emanuele; GERUSSI Elisa; HOLLANDERS Hugo; SINJARI Isida
PUBLICATION |
Analysis of Value Chains in the Western Balkan Economies - Enriching the Potential for Regional Cooperation in Priority Areas

Western Balkan economies have committed to develop Smart Specialisation Strategies to facilitate knowledge-based transformation of their economies. This effort has been supported by the European Commission, in particular the Joint Research Centre, the Directorate General for Neighbourhood and...

MATUSIAK Monika; RADOVANOVIC Nikola; RAKHMATULLIN Ruslan; STEHRER Robert; BERAHA Isidora; BERRER Helmut; BOCH Michael; DJURICIN Sonja; GRASER Georg; JOVANOVIC Branimir; KORPAR Niko; LJUMOVIC Isidora; MARJANOVIC Darko
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