The project “converge2eu” is a three-year initiative implemented by the Institute for Development and Innovation in partnership with the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (wiiw) and Think Europe from Ljubljana, who are also the project coordinators.
The project also brings together local partners from the Western Balkans in order to ensure a better understanding of the local context and to strengthen regional cooperation. The project is supported by the Open Society Foundations – Western Balkans (OSF-WB).
The EU accession process has practically come to a halt since Croatia’s accession in 2013. The Western Balkans countries have missed the opportunity to benefit from the transformative impact of the EU accession process, which was clearly visible among the countries of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe that joined the EU between 2004 and 2013.
As a result, the gap between the Western Balkans and the new EU member states has widened significantly in economic, institutional, and social terms over the past two decades. The lack of a credible enlargement process has had damaging economic, political, and social consequences, including accelerated migration, insufficient regional cooperation, and reduced potential for the region.
The main objective of the “converge2eu” project is to monitor and enhance the process of economic, social, and institutional convergence of the Western Balkans countries towards the standard of living in the European Union through five key activities. The first activity involves the establishment and regular updating of databases and a convergence index for all Western Balkans countries
With the support and cooperation of partners from across the Western Balkans, the project foresees the development of an interactive online platform (dashboard) designed to clearly and intuitively present the progress of each country in the process of alignment and integration with the European Union.
How many years will it take for Serbia and the Western Balkans to reach the standard of living of the European Union?
Based on the development of several scenarios of regional integration into the EU – from maintaining the current state to immediate accession – the project will analyse the implications of these scenarios.
In addition, every year, analyses of regional convergence and policy recommendations will be prepared. The results and recommendations will be promoted and advocated at the regional level, within EU member states, and at the EU institutional level, in coordination with relevant events such as the Berlin Process.
As the local partner, the Institute for Development and Innovation will be responsible for all project-related activities in the Republic of Serbia, including both the research and advocacy components, which involve communication with decision-makers, international institutions, the business sector, and the media.
The Institute’s goal, through the implementation of the project “converge2eu”, is to establish a comprehensive research and advocacy framework for monitoring socio-economic development indicators in Serbia in comparison with those in the EU. Special emphasis will be placed on evidence-based advocacy, particularly due to the lack of similar data – which was one of the conclusions of the 2023 Berlin Process Summit of Western Balkans leaders held in Tirana.
The Institute for Development and Innovation, together with the project coordinators – the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (wiiw) and Think Europe – as well as regional partners from the Western Balkans, will implement the project until the end of 2027.
