How fast are the Western Balkans converging to EU living standards?

01  December 2025    2:00 pm CET

How far are the Western Balkan countries from the EU in terms of living standards? Are they making progress, and how long might it take for them to close the gap? Will EU accession accelerate this process, and what can domestic policymakers do to speed it up? These are some of the questions we will address at this event, which will present our converge2eu project.

In cooperation with:
  

Venue

wiiw Seminar Room
Souterrain
Rahlgasse 3
1060 Wien

Registration

Description

converge2eu measures how the six Western Balkan economies compare with the EU across eight key areas of daily life – economy, social affairs, health, education, environment, governance, digitalisation and infrastructure – and whether they are catching up. It also estimates how long it might take them to reach the EU average in these areas under different scenarios for EU accession. The project brings together a comprehensive dataset, an interactive dashboard and analytical tools that help assess the likely pace of convergence under different scenarios.

The project is coordinated together with Think Europe and implemented with six local partners, one from each of the Western Balkan economies. It is supported by the Open Society Foundations – Western Balkans.

Agenda:

14:00–14:30: Opening and welcome words

Welcome: Richard Grieveson (wiiw), Deputy Director

Opening Speeches:

Andi Dobrushi – Director, Open Society Foundations – Western Balkans

H.E. Claudia Plakolm, Federal Minister for Europe, Integration and Family of Austria (tbc)

Barbara Kremžar, deputy Ambassador of Republic of Slovenia to Austria (tbc)

14:30-15:00: Presentation of the converge2eu project

Branimir Jovanović (wiiw) – What do the numbers say?

Sabina Lange (Think Europe) – How should policy makers in WB6 and EU use the project?

 

15:00 – 16:00: Panel discussion with Q&A

Moderator: Richard Grieveson (wiiw), Deputy Director

Panelists:

Valbona Zeneli – Nonresident Senior Fellow, Europe Center & Transatlantic Security Initiative, Atlantic Council Atlantic Council

Matteo Bonomi – Senior Fellow, Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI)

Adnan Ćerimagić – Senior Analyst for the Western Balkans, European Stability Initiative (ESI)

Branimir Jovanović (wiiw), Economist covering the Western Balkans

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