The Digital Transformation of the Western Balkans Must Bring Concrete Benefits to Citizens

Amer Kapetanović, Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), said that the results of regional cooperation must be measured by concrete benefits for citizens, highlighting digital connectivity, cross-border electronic services, digital wallets and the development of artificial intelligence as key priorities. He noted that data roaming prices under the roaming declaration between the European Union and the Western Balkans are now significantly below the agreed ceiling, but stressed that free roaming with the EU has not yet been established. Renate Nikolay, Deputy Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology, said that digitalisation, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity are crucial to the development of the economy and society, stressing the importance of cooperation between the European Union and the Western Balkan countries in building a secure and reliable digital environment. She noted that the European Union has established the first comprehensive legal framework for artificial intelligence—the Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act)—alongside additional initiatives aimed at fostering innovation and strengthening Europe’s capabilities in this field. Speaking about specific projects, she recalled that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced two new AI factory antennas during her visit to the region last year, in North Macedonia and Serbia. She also stressed that the European Union, together with its partners, is financing projects to build and improve digital connectivity in the region and with the EU, with the aim of strengthening the capacities, expertise and resilience of the Western Balkan countries.