Commissioner Gabriel attends the Ministerial Meeting of the Western Balkans Steering Platforms on Culture, Research and Innovation, Education and Training

On 27 and 28 June, the Ministerial Meeting of the Western Balkans Platforms on Culture, on Research and Innovation, and on Education and Training, will take place in Tirana, Albania, with participation of the respective ministers of the Western Balkans. Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Mariya Gabriel, will attend the Ministerial Meetings, which will be co-chaired by the European Commission, the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union, and the Albanian Ministries of Culture, Education and Sports.

The Western Balkans Agenda on Innovation, Research, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport has set the Western Balkans on a solid path towards closer cooperation in those policy areas. The Ministerial Meeting represents a key event in the joint effort to maintain the political momentum triggered by the launch of the Agenda at the Brdo Summit last October. The first Western Balkans Ministerial Platform on Culture will be officially launched on 27 June, followed by Ministerial Platform meetings on Research and Innovation, and Education and Training, on 28 June. The JRC Science for Policy Report “Status of Environment and Climate in the Western Balkans”, a baseline element for the Western Balkans Green Deal, will also be presented on 28 June. Key topics to be discussed during the three Ministerial Meetings include cultural heritage, academia-business cooperation as a driver of innovation, and learning for environmental sustainability.

Invitations to the public events of the ministerial meetings will follow in the coming days.