Programme -

Registration of Participants/Media

Welcome Speech

Jora Zeneli

Speaker

Albin Kurti

Speaker

Prime Minister of Kosovo

Belinda Balluku

Speaker

Deputy Prime Minister of Albania

Stefan Schnorr

Speaker

State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport

Artane Rizvanolli

Speaker

Minister of Economy Kosovo

Olivér Várhelyi

Speaker

European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement (video record)

Mariya Gabriel

Speaker

European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth (video record)

Roberto Viola

Speaker

Director General of DG CONNECT (video record)

Majlinda Bregu

Speaker

Regional Cooperation Council (video record)

Press Conference

Albin Kurti

Speaker

Prime Minister of Kosovo

Stefan Schnorr

Speaker

State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport

Artane Rizvanolli

Speaker

Minister of Economy Kosovo

Digital Skills

Roberto Santolamazza

Keynote speaker

Director of T2I - Technology Transfer and Innovation Venice

Veronika Tasic Vusurovic

Moderator

Founder at Woozdom

Gabriela Kostovska Bogoeska

Panelist

President of Board at Youth Entrepreneurial Service

Ivan Lupic

Panelist

Director of ICTT Solutions for Industry and Society at Ericsson Nikola Tesla

Valentina Radulovic

Panelist

CEO at DigitalBee Edu

Zana Tabaku

Panelist

CEO at Appdec

Digital Skills

Joseph Freidhoff

Keynote speaker

Vice President at Michigan Virtual

Antigona Uka

Moderator

Executive Director at KCDE

Alessandro Brolpito

Panelist

Senior Human Capital Development Expert - Digital Skills and Learning at European Training Foundation

Dukagjin Pupovci

Panelist

Deputy Minister at Ministry of Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation in Kosovo

Georgi Dimitrov

Panelist

Head of Unit Digital Education at the European Commission

Ivelina Borisova

Panelist

Acting Regional Education Adviser UNICEF

Ruta Zarnauskaite

Panelist

Head of Unit ‘Horizon Europe Association’, DG Research and Innovation, European Commission

Digital Skills

Time: 15:45 – 16:15 *Awards ceremony of competitions

Digital Skills

Georgi Dimitrov

Keynote speaker

DG EAC, European Commission (TBC)

Redzep Ali Cupi

Panelist

Director, Roma Education Fund

Petrica Dulgheru

Panelist

Roma Entrepreneurship Development Initiative

Leontina Sandu

Panelist

DG DIGIT, European Commission (TBC)

Valentina Taseva

Panelist

Semos Education, one of the WB Women Entrepreneurs of the Year (TBC)

Nikola Ristic

Panelist

CEO of DP Media (TBC)

Marius Jitea

Facilitator

Digital Skills

Anastas Mishev

Chair

Southeast Europe regional coordinator, GEANT

Fjolla Restelica Ahmeti

Panelists

Head of Project Implementation Unit of KODE Project, implementing KREN

Goran Skvarc

Panelist

CEO Advisor at CARNET

Tryfon Chiotis

Panelist

Head of he GEANT Project Management Office

Digital Economy

Marijana Petrovic

Moderator

SME Policy Index Project Manager

Karim Dahou

Panelist

Deputy Director, OECD Global Relations and Co-operation Directorate

Rozeta Hajdari

Panelist

Minister of Trade, Industry and Entrepreneurship, Kosovo

Vassilis Maragos

Panelist

Head of Unit for Kosovo, DG NEAR, European Commission

Zef Dedaj

Panelist

Acting General Director, Kosovo Investment and Enterprise Support Agency (KIESA)

Anita Richter

Panelist

Acting Head of OECD South East Europe Division

Overview of Immersive Technologies

Austin Grossman

Panelist

Narrative & Game Designer, QXR Studios

Elena Piech

Panelist

Blockchain Strategist, QXR Studios

Digital Economy

From Startup to Scale Up

Paths and metrics to success workshop with Roberto Santolamazza, Director of T2I – Technology

Digital Economy

Opportunities for Nearshoring in the Western Balkans in the Telecommunication and IT-Sector for the German Business Delegation

Trust and security

Ramsés Gallego

Speaker

International Chief Technology Officer, CyberRes at Micro Focus

Blerta Shabani Kroiter

Speaker

Cybersecurity Specialist, Raiffeisen Bank International (Austria)

Teuta Hyseni

Speaker

Senior Security Engineer at Microsoft

DIGITAL ECONOMY

Tatjana Shterjova

Western Balkans 6 Chamber Investment Forum - Secretary General

Malgorzata Nikowska

European Commission, DG CONNECT A4 Digital transformation of Industrial Ecosystems - Head of Unit

Lina Konstantinopoulou

Eurochambres - Policy Director

Pranvera Kastrati

Regional Cooperation Council - Coordinator of Common Regional Market & Senior Expert on Economic and Digital Connectivity

Zdravko ILIC

CEFTA – Senior Technical Expert on Trade in Services

Péter Koleszár

Senior ICT Consultant of the HCCI

Gerhard Laga

Servicemanagement and ICT at Austrian Economic Chamber

Simun Buzov

Croatian Chamber of Economy

Cahit Ceren

Industry & SME Policy Manager at the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB)

David Gielen

Product Owner IHK Digital

Luca Filippi

Deputy Secretary General and Head of Administrative Services Department at Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Crafts and Agriculture of Bolzano

Registration

Lukas Mandl

Speaker

Member of the European Parliament

Mark Bowman

Speaker

Vice President for Policy, and Partnerships at the EBRD

Infrastructure & Services Connectivity

Jan Dröge

Keynote speaker

Team Leader BCO Network

Nicole Klingen

Moderator

Practice Manager, Digital Development Global Practice at The World Bank

Artane Rizvanolli

Panelist

Minister of Economy Kosovo

Admirim Aliti

Panelist

Minister of Information Society and Administration, North Macedonia

Marash Dukaj

Panelist

Minister of Public Administration Montenegro

Enkelejda Muçaj

Panelist

Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Albania

Digital Economy

Tomi Ilijas

Moderator

CEO and Founder at Arctur

Agron Gashi

Panelist

Head of Micro Enterprise Segment Raiffeisen Bank Kosovo

Bernhard Fabianek

Panelist

Senior Expert, DG Research and Innovation, European Commission

Rubén Carrandi Cortina

Panelist

Senior Project Leader at EBN

Zoran Stančič

Panelist

Hors Classe Adviser, DG CONNECT

Infrastructure & Services Connectivity

Kujtim Tali

Keynote speaker

CEO at 3CIS

Mark Vasić

Moderator

Head of International Regulatory Affairs at Deutsche Telecom

Eric Murell

Panelist

Ecosystem Development at Open Network Foundation

Nives Sandri

Panelist

CT Head and Board Member at Nokia Siemens Networks Zagreb

Rok Prešeren

Panelist

Director of the Network and ICT Services Department, Telekom Slovenia

Vlora Rexhepi

Panelist

Head of Standardization at Hardt Hyperloop

Digital Economy

George Dimitrov

Keynote speaker

Member of the Board of Directors of Evrotrust Technologies

Driton Hapçiu

Moderator

Co-founder and Executive Director at RECURA Financials

Eriola Bibolli

Panelist

General Manager at ProCredit Bank Kosovo

Eugenio Marengo

Panelist

Global Head of Processing Centre at QUIPU

Fabian Bahr

Panelist

Director Berlin Office at Giesecke+Devrient

Mergim Cahani

Panelist

Founder & CEO at Gjirafa

Digital Economy

Mor Rubinstein

Keynote speaker

Data Strategist

Maja Handjiska Trendafilova

Moderator

ReSPA Director

Lejla Sadiku

Moderator

Innovation team leader, UNDP

Blerta Thaçi

Panelist

Executive Director at Open Data Kosovo

Bojana Bajic

Panelist

Head of IT department, Ministry of Finance Montenegro

Thomas Kunert

Panelist

Senior Director Public Services, Customer Advisory MEE, SAP

Trust & Security

Justin Novak

Keynote speaker

Senior Security Operations Researcher at Software Engineering Institute

Ramsés Gallego

Moderator

International Chief Technology Officer,
 CyberRes at Micro Focus

Andreas Mitrakas

Panelist

Head of Unit, Market Certification and Standardization at ENISA

Dušan Polović

Panelist

Director General, E-Governance and Information Security, Ministry of Public Administration, Montenegro

Ludmyla Rabchynska

Panelist

Former Deputy Minister at Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine

Lulezon Jagxhiu

Panelist

Advisor to Prime Minister of Kosovo

Digital Economy

Jeta Zagragja

Moderator

CEO & Founder - AnchorzUp

Arjola Abazaj

Panelist

Managing Director at Accenture Song Italy

Darko Disoski

Panelist

Product Manager at MM Disoski

Gerton Bejo

Panelist

CeO at Vatra Agency

Urska Starc Peceny

Panelist

Chief Innovation Officer and Lead of Tourism 4.0 Department

Trust & Security

Sabine Zwaenepoel

Keynote speaker

Team Leader at Centre of Thematic Expertise on Crisis, and Security - Senior Expert at European Commission

Nick Thijs

Moderator

Senior Policy Advisor on Public Administration Reform & Service Delivery with OECD – SIGMA

Andrijana Gavrilović

Panelist

Head of Diplomatic and Policy Reporting at DiploFoundation

Chablise Stoner

Panelist

Head of Engagement, Cyber Strategy and Engagement Team|Cyber Policy Department |Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

Dave Fortier

Panelist

Founder and President at One World Strong Foundation

Merle Maigre

Panelist

Senior Expert on Cyber Security at e-Governance Academy

Digital Economy

Mariyan Marinov

Participant

Sofia Tech Park

Mehlike Kocabas

Participant

Kocaeli Techpark

Stephen Taylor

Participant

Area Science Park

Tanja Kožuh

Participant

Primorski Tehnoloski Technology Park CEO

Vera Scuderi

Participant

PoliHub Milano

Muhamed Rexhepi

Participant

Advisor at Innovation and Training Park (ITP) Prizren

Digital Economy

Donjeta Sahatçiu

Panelist

Deputy Mayor of the host city of Prishtina

Erol Özgüner

Panelist

Head of IT Department of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and B40 Network Smart Cities and Digital Transformation Working Group

Zorica Bilic

Panelist

Country Coordinator from GIZ Open Regional Funds for South East Europe - Modernisation of Municipal Services and Information Technology Department from the city of Rijeka, Croatia

Digital Economy

Digital Economy

Nina Angelovska

Panelist

President eCommerce Association (North Macedonia)

Elira Demiraj

Panelist

General Director for Economic Development and Employment within the Ministry for Finance and Economy (Albania)

Vjosa Shala Sahiti

Panelist

Company Nerdy Creative (Kosovo)

Tatjana Vujisić

Panelist

Head of Department for Customs Procedures, Sector for Customs Affairs, Revenue and Customs Administration (Montenegro)

Zdravko Ilic

Moderator

CEFTA Secretariat

Infrastructure & Services Connectivity

Jan Dröge

Moderator

Team Leader BCO Network

Agim Kukaj

Panelist

Head of ICT Department and Project Director of KODE Project– Ministry of Economy - Kosovo

Borjan Simic

Panelist

Communications Advisor at Ministry of Communications and Transport, Bosnia and Herzegovina (TBC)

Dimitar Bukovalov

Panelist

Head of Communication Department, Ministry of Information Society and Administration North Macedonia (TBC)

Henri Haxhiraj

Panelist

Head of Strategic Business Development at atene KOM

Irena Malolli

Panelist

Director of Telecommunications and Post Strategy Development, Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy Albania (TBC)

Milan Dobrijevic

Panelist

State Secretary at Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications Serbia (TBC)

Viktor Berishaj

Participant

head of CIRT team of Montenegro (TBC)

Digital Economy

Simon Floeth

Moderator

ITP / GIZ

Argjira Kadrijaj

Panelist

Procredit Bank Kosovo

Veton Xhelili

Panelist

Cacttus Education

Sinisa Marcic

Panelist

RCC

Luftar Braha

Panelist

ALT

Zirije Hasani

Panelist

University of Prizren

Digital Economy

INNOVATION, TECHNOLOGY and TRANSFORMATION

2030 workshop with Dr. Hamsa Thota, Founder and President of Innovation Business Development Inc

Participatory Workshop

Discussion & hands-on practice with AR and motion capture

DIGITAL ECONOMY

Muhamer Nuridini

Kosovo Chamber of Commerce

Tijana Kolakovic

Center for Digital Transformation Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia

Johannes Heidecker

Advisor to the Prime Minister of North Macedonia

Stevo Serafimov

Economic Chamber of North Macedonia

Blagoj Hristov

Economic Chamber of North Macedonia

Ognjen Borovina

Foreign Trade Chamber of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Accelerating digital skills through industry engagement

This panel shall address the role of the industry and workplace in accelerating opportunities for youth engagement in the ICT sector and development of their digital skills as the ICT Industry of the region is seen as one of the key driving forces of contemporary economic competitiveness which can contribute to positive spillovers to other economic as well as societal sectors as well as to a large variety of innovative approaches. Specific emphasis has been given to regulatory, political and education frameworks. However, the most booming sector of industry is faced with a lack of qualified professionals although many students of the region have been focusing on ICT skills in their academic education.

Keynote speaker:

Roberto Santolamazza, Director of T2I – Technology Transfer and Innovation Venice

 

Moderator:

Veronika Tasic Vusurovic, Founder at Woozdom

 

Panelists:

Gabriela Kostovska Bogoeska, President of Board at Youth Entrepreneurial Service

Ivan Lupic, Director of ICTT Solutions for Industry and Society at Ericsson Nikola Tesla

Valentina Radulovic, CEO at DigitalBee Edu

Zana Tabaku, CEO at Appdec

Embracing Digital Education: Reform and Practice

Digital education has come as a result of adapting to the rapid changes in technological environment and the way our children and students learn today. Preparing for effective use of digital education, requires significant investments in legal and technological infrastructure, system reforms, as well as a shift of pedagogical practices to optimize learning through digital modalities. Therefore, this panel shall address the importance of digital learning, equity in access to technology, and showcase examples that embrace digital education and facilitate these efforts.

Keynote speaker:

Joseph Freidhoff, Vice President at Michigan Virtual

 

Moderator:

Antigona Uka, Executive Director at KCDE

                                               

Panelists:

Alessandro Brolpito, Senior Human Capital Development Expert – Digital Skills and Learning at European Training Foundation

Dukagjin Pupovci, Deputy Minister at Ministry of Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation in Kosovo

Georgi Dimitrov, Head of Unit Digital Education at the European Commission

Ivelina Borisova, Acting Regional Education Adviser UNICEF        

Ruta Zarnauskaite, Head of Unit ‘Horizon Europe Association’, DG Research and Innovation, European Commission

Digital and Inclusive Made Compatible

Event: Digital and Inclusive Made Compatible

 

13.00

Introductory remarks 

Regional Cooperation Council introduces the panel and presents participants

 

13.05

Keynote speech

Mr. Georgi Dimitrov, DG EAC, European Commission (TBC)

 

13.15

Discussion

Very often, mainstreaming agendas, including the digital agenda, are not defined in a way to be all-inclusive. Knowing the challenges, the involvement of the various social groups in promoting, shaping and implementing these agendas will assist the relevant authorities to tailor policies that will include all and be beneficial for all, including Roma, women and youth. The panel will focus on how to address the specific needs of the different social groups in the field of entrepreneurship, digital skills, digital education, etc., while it also aims to present success stories from the region on the benefits of digitalization.

 

  • Digital Education, Redzep Ali Cupi, Roma Education Fund
  • Digital Entrepreneurship, Petrica Dulgheru, Roma Entrepreneurship Development Initiative
  • Impact of digitalisation of public administration for vulnerable groups, Leontina Sandu, DG DIGIT, European Commission (TBC)
  • Digital skills for Women Entrepreneurs, Valentina Taseva, Semos Education, one of the WB Women Entrepreneurs of the Year (TBC)
  • Enabling use of digital skills on Media campaign on Youth Guarantee, Nikola Ristic, DP Media

 

Facilitated by Marius Jitea

 

14.20-14.30

Conclusions and next steps by Regional Cooperation Council

Key to enabling Digital Excellence in the region: (N)RENs

What is a NREN and what these can do for the youth?

Chair: Anastas Mishev, Southeast Europe regional coordinator, GEANT

Panelists:

Fjolla Restelica Ahmeti, Head of Project Implementation Unit of KODE Project, implementing KREN

Goran Skvarc, CEO Advisor at CARNET

Tryfon Chiotis, Head of the GEANT Project Management Office

Host: GEANT

SME Policy Index 2022: Western Balkans and Turkey Publication Launch Meeting

The objective of this meeting will be to present and discuss the key SME Policy Index 2022 assessment findings for Kosovo. To this end the meeting will bring together policymakers from Kosovo who contributed to the assessment, OECD and international experts, as well as representatives from the European Commission.

16:00-16:30 SIGN-IN TO THE MEETING
16:30-16:50 OPENING REMARKS
Moderator:
Ms.Marijana Petrovic, SME Policy Index Project Manager
Mr. Karim Dahou, Deputy Director, OECD Global Relations and Co-operation Directorate
Ms. Rozeta Hajdari, Minister of Trade, Industry and Entrepreneurship, Kosovo
Mr. Vassilis Maragos, Head of Unit for Kosovo, DG NEAR, European Commission
16:50-17:35 PRESENTATION OF ASSESSMENT KEY FINDINGS
The SME Policy Index 2022 main findings and recommendations for further improvement will be presented. The session will also zoom in on several areas most relevant for future progress in SME policy making, and provide the related OECD and EU good practices. Presentation by the OECD South East Europe Division Questions and answers
17:35-17:50 ZOOM-IN: GOOD PRACTICES FOR DRIVING FORWARD DIGITAL GOVERNMENT REFORMS
Experts from the OECD Open and Innovative Government Division will present good practices from OECD countries in developing effective institutional and policy frameworks for digital government. Focus will be given to how these good practices can apply to Kosovo. Presentation by the OECD Open and Innovative Government Division Questions and answers
17:50-18:00 CLOSING REMARKS
Mr. Zef Dedaj, Acting General Director, Kosovo Investment and Enterprise Support Agency (KIESA)
Ms. Anita Richter, Acting Head of OECD South East Europe Division

Storytelling with Immersive Technologies Workshop

Host: UNDP & Manifesta14

Event: Storytelling with Immersive Technologies

Place: Centre for Narrative Practice, former Hivzi Sylejmani Library

 

New digital technologies are unlocking the power and potential of storytelling by opening up more inclusive and networked ways of information sharing. Virtual and augmented reality have presented numerous possibilities for changing the way we do journalism, activism, marketing, and different forms of entertainment through its immersive powers. The groundbreaking transmedia QXR studios is leading a 2-day workshop session ‘Storytelling with Immersive Technologies’, covering the ways spatial technologies can be used for storytelling. The event is open to all tech enthusiasts, creatives, multimedia and entertainment professionals, journalists, designers, activists and more.

 

DAY 1: Overview of Immersive Technologies

21 September 2022

 

17:30 – 17:45 Reception

 

17:45 – 18:00 Opening Remarks

Catherine Nichols, Creative Mediator, Manifesta 14

Maria Suokko, Resident Representative, UNDP Kosovo

18:00 – 18:45 Presentation

Austin Grossman, Narrative & Game Designer, QXR Studios

Elena Piech, Blockchain Strategist, QXR Studios

18:45 – 19:00 Coffee/Tea Break

 

19:00 – 20:30 Hands-on practice

 

20:30 – 21:00 Networking

 

DAY 2: Participatory Workshop

22 September 2022

 

17:30 – 18:00 Reception

18:00 – 19:30 Discussion & hands-on practice with AR and motion capture

 

19:00 – 19:15 Coffee/Tea Break

 

19:15 – 20:30 Discussion & hands-on practice with AR and motion capture

 

20:30 – 21:00 Networking

Reception for German Business Delegation - Opportunities for Nearshoring in the Western Balkans in the Telecommunication and IT-Sector for the German Business Delegation

Host: AHK

Inspiring Talks

Speaker: Ramsés Gallego, International Chief Technology Officer, CyberRes at Micro Focus

Topic: Cyber – war and the critical condition the world is going through.

Speaker: Blerta Shabani Kreuter, Cybersecurity Specialist, Raiffeisen Bank International (Austria)

Topic: Cybersecurity in Financial Sector/Banking

Speaker: Teuta Hyseni, Senior Security Engineer at Microsoft

Topic: An ambitious young Enthusiast to a Role Model Security Engineer at Microsoft

EU – WB6 DIGITAL SERVICES ACADEMY

In order to meet the needs of their members, Chambers of Commerce in Western Balkans constantly follow market changes in order to improve the skills of their employees and provide best support to the local businesses.

Western Balkans 6 Chamber Investment Forum (WB6 CIF), with the support of European Commission1 and in cooperation with Eurochambres, organizes the Academy on joint challenges for business in the region, with specific focus on European accession perspective and topics of interest for regional cooperation.

In order to strengthen the role that the Chambers of Commerce play as business support providers to local businesses on important matters regarding SME competitiveness, the Action will support exchanges of best practices developed by the Chambers of Commerce in the EU member states and with relevant experts for different services, focusing on digitalized services as a tool and service for companies/customers. The goal of the event is to inspire new positive change and improve environment for doing business.

Day 1 Tuesday, September 20th 2022

by 18:00h – arrival of all participants and check in (Brezovica Hotel & SPA)

 

19:00 – 21:00 Joint networking event and dinner for all participants

Day 2 – Wednesday, September 21st 2022

Sessions are held in the KADARE hall, Brezovica Hotel & SPA

9:00 10:00 Opening remarks

  • Tatjana Shterjova DUSHKOVSKA, Western Balkans 6 Chamber Investment Forum – Secretary General
  • Malgorzata NIKOWSKA, European Commission, DG CONNECT A4 Digital transformation of Industrial Ecosystems – Head of Unit
  • Lina KONSTANTINOPOULOU, Eurochambres – Policy Director
  • Pranvera KASTRATI, Regional Cooperation Council – Coordinator of Common Regional Market & Senior Expert on Economic and Digital Connectivity
  • Zdravko ILIC, CEFTA – Senior Technical Expert on Trade in Services

10:00 16:30 Topic: EU and WB6 chambers digital services Moderator: Professor Mirdaim Axhami10:00 11:30 Session 1

  • „Presentation of the Modern Enterprises’ Programme“, Mr Péter KOLESZÁR, Senior ICT Consultant of the HCCI
  • “Best of the digital Services of the Federal Austrian Economic Chamber”, Mr Gerhard LAGA, Servicemanagement and ICT at Austrian Economic Chamber (WKO)

11:30 12:00 Coffee break

12:00 13:30 Session 2

  • „Digital Chamber“ , Mr Simun BUZOV, Croatian Chamber of Economy
  • “Digitalisation Projects of TOBB”, Mr Cahit CEREN, Industry & SME Policy Manager at the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB)

13:30 15:00 Networking lunch 15:00 16:30 Session 3

  • „eUZweb – The digital solution for certificates of origin and foreign trade documents of the German CCIs“, Mr David GIELEN, Product Owner IHK Digital
  • „e-Invoicing: the best practice of the Chamber of commerce of Bolzano-Bozen“, Mr Luca FILIPPI, Deputy Secretary General and Head of Administrative Services Department at Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Crafts and Agriculture of Bolzano

19:00-21:00 Joint networking event and dinner

Day 3 – Thursday, September 22nd 2022

Sessions are held in the KADARE hall, Brezovica Hotel & SPA Room 1

10:00 14:30 Topic: EU and WB6 chambers digital services Moderator: Professor Mirdaim Axhami10:00 11:30 Session 1

  • „Presentation of the Centre for Digital Transformation for SMEs“, Mr Muhamer NURIDINI Kosovo Chamber of Commerce
  • „Presentation of the Center for Digital Transformation”, Ms Tijana KOLAKOVIC, Center for Digital Transformation Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia

11:30 12:00 Coffee break

  • “West Balkan digital Bazar: technical possibilities to integrate into European supply chains”, Mr Johannes HEIDECKER – Advisor to the Prime Minister of North Macedonia
  • „Digital services of Economic Chamber of North Macedonia”, Mr Stevo SERAFIMOV and Mr Blagoj HRISTOV Economic Chamber of North Macedonia
  • „Digital transformation and role of chambers of commerce“, Mr Ognjen BOROVINA Foreign Trade Chamber of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Moderator – Wrap up and conclusions

15:10 – 16:10 Networking lunch

19:00 – 21:00 Joint networking event and dinner

Day 4 – Friday, September 23rd 2022

Departure of all participants and end of the Academy

2nd Day Official Opening Speeches

Speaker: LUKAS MANDL, Member of the European Parliament

Topic: Digital Diplomacy-promoting linkages to WB6 and EU


Speaker: MARK BOWMAN, Vice President for Policy, and Partnerships at the EBRD

Topic: Digital Priorities within the Bank’s Strategy 2021-2023

How to bring cutting edge infrastructure to the Western Balkans?

The panel shall address the regulatory environment and funding opportunities that are needed to help accelerating deployment of cutting-edge technologies such as fiber, Open RAN and 5G. Looking at the regulatory environment the focus should be on the need of (de-) regulation and the potential of speeding up and digitally transforming administration / approval procedures.

Keynote speaker:

Jan Dröge, Team Leader BCO Network

 

Moderator:

Nicole Klingen, Practice Manager, Digital Development Global Practice at The World Bank

 

Panelists:            

Artane Rizvanolli, Minister of Economy Kosovo

Admirim Aliti, Minister of Information Society and Administration North Macedonia

Marash Dukaj, Minister of Public Administration Montenegro

Enkelejda Muçaj, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Albania

Investment sources for Digital Economy

The latest developments, challenges, circumstances and doing business environment is rapidly evolving. The format of Investment s and business appraisals methodology is switching to a more healthy, more digital, more global, environment-friendly, and always covering cross-sectorial result-oriented indicators. It is due to worldwide assumptions, impacted by a very local risk, with a fully manageable mitigation programming system. The Financial investment interests and the potential sources are tremendously concerned to multi-dimensional sectors, manufacturing, transport, services, e-business, software engineering, infrastructure, security, and know-how transfer.  The proposed cases to be discussed bring some reflections from several experiences.

Moderator:

Tomi Ilijas, CEO and Founder at Arctur

 

Panelists:

Agron Gashi, Head of Micro Enterprise Segment Raiffeisen Bank Kosovo

Bernhard Fabianek, Senior Expert, DG Research and Innovation, European Commission

Rubén Carrandi Cortina, Senior Project Leader at EBN

Zoran Stančič, Hors Classe Adviser, DG CONNECT

How cutting-edge infrastructure can promote innovation and development in the region

The development of innovative services and solutions is vital for the economic growth and prosperity of the Western Balkans. The foundation for this development are modern/state-of-the-art infrastructures, e.g., FTTH, 5G, and Edge clouds. Experts from Industry and Governments will share experiences and best practices in this panel on how to push innovation and infrastructure and discuss how innovative approaches can impact the WB6-economies and which necessary preconditions need to be fulfilled.

Keynote speaker:

Kujtim Tali, CEO at 3CIS

 

Moderator:

Mark Vasić, Head of International Regulatory Affairs at Deutsche Telecom

Panelists:

Eric Murrell, Ecosystem Development at Open Network Foundation

Nives Sandri, CT Head and Board Member at Nokia Siemens Networks Zagreb

Rok Prešeren, Director of the Network and ICT Services Department, Telekom Slovenia

Vlora Rexhepi, Head of Standardization at Hardt Hyperloop

Cashless society and e-commerce

Digitalization, e-governance, e-business and e-commerce are making the difference of living, education, working, investment, prosperity and globalization. The traditional businesses are more than ever linked to the ICT and Digital sector, while it is the same, the ICT and Digital sector is becoming closer and closer to traditional businesses too. This is heavily contributing to the consolidation of the new societal mindset of going to an e-life. The cashless society is heavily related to e-governance, e-banking, e-business and then, making the citizens think and behave e-commerce wise.

Keynote Speaker:

George Dimitrov, Member of the Board of Directors of Evrotrust Technologies

 

Moderator:

Driton Hapçiu, Co-founder at RECURA Financials & CACTTUS group of ICT Companies

 

Panelists:

Eriola Bibolli, General Manager at ProCredit Bank Kosovo

Eugenio Marengo, Global Head of Processing Centre at QUIPU

Fabian Bahr, Director Berlin Office at Giesecke+Devrient

Mergim Cahani, Founder & CEO at Gjirafa

The Use of Data in Digital Economy

Data tells important stories about our country. We should treat it with more respect. Data increasingly powers innovation, and it needs to be used for the public good, while individual privacy is protected. Data’s increasing value as an economic resource requires a new way of thinking. Strict privacy protections are needed to make socially valuable data available for the public good. 

Keynote Speaker:

Mor Rubinstein, Data Strategist

 

Moderators:

Maja Handjiska Trendafilova, ReSPA Director

Lejla Sadiku, Innovation team leader, UNDP 

Panelists:

Blerta Thaçi, Executive Director at Open Data Kosovo

Bojana Bajic, Head of IT department, Ministry of Finance Montenegro

Thomas Kunert, Senior Director Public Services, Customer Advisory MEE, SAP

Regional approach to build a resilient cyber eco-system

Cyber Resilience is continuous access to personal and business data, even in an era of unprecedented cyber threats. 

Keynote speaker:

Justin Novak, Senior Security Operations Researcher at Software Engineering Institute

Moderator:

Ramsés Gallego, International Chief Technology Officer, CyberRes at Micro Focus

Panelists:

Andreas Mitrakas, Head of Unit, Market Certification and Standardization at ENISA 

Dušan Polović, Director General, E-Governance and Information Security, Ministry of Public Administration, Montenegro

Ludmyla Rabchynska, Former Deputy Minister at Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine

Lulëzon Jagxhiu, Advisor to Prime Minister of Kosovo

Digital marketing, the fueler of creator economy

There are over 200 million creators globally, who use their influence, creativity, or skills to monetize their audience. Only in 2021, the global influencer market was valued at a record $13.8 billion. In an increasingly digital economy, marketers are turning to influencers and digital content creators to solve their two greatest challenges: creating content that keeps pace with the rapid changes in culture and personalizing content and communication with their customers. The creator economy is profoundly changing the interaction between customer and brand, as customers continue to depend each time more on influencer recommendations to make purchases.

Moderator:

Jeta Zagragja, CEO & Founder – AnchorzUp

 

Panelists:

Arjola Abazaj, Managing Director at Accenture Song Italy

Darko Disoski, Product Manager at MM Disoski

Gerton Bejo, CeO at Vatra Agency

Urska Starc Peceny, Chief Innovation Officer and Lead of Tourism 4.0 Department

The future forecast in the domain of cyber security threats

Keep an eye on these cyber trends. Supply chain attacks, AI-based spear phishing, and hybrid work – the cyber threat landscape remains tense. 

Keynote speaker:

Sabine Zwaenepoel, Team Leader at Centre of Thematic Expertise on Crisis, and Security – Senior Expert at European Commission

 

Moderator:

Nick Thijs, Senior Policy Advisor on Public Administration Reform & Service Delivery with OECD – SIGMA

 

Panelists:

Andrijana Gavrilović, Head of Diplomatic and Policy Reporting at DiploFoundation

Chablise Stoner, Head of Engagement, Cyber Strategy and Engagement Team|Cyber Policy Department |Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

Dave Fortier, Founder and President at One World Strong Foundation

Merle Maigre, Senior Expert on Cyber Security at e-Governance Academy

Tech Parks Roundtable - Know-how transfer, sharing good practices and lesson-learned

Participants:

Mariyan Marinov, Sofia Tech Park

Mehlike Kocabas, Kocaeli Techpark

Stephen Taylor, Area Science Park

Tanja Kožuh, Primorski Tehnoloski Technology Park CEO

Vera Scuderi, PoliHub Milano

Muhamed Rexhepi, Advisor at Innovation and Training Park (ITP) Prizren

Smart cities and digital transformation of the Local Governments

Event: Smart cities and digital transformation of the Local Governments

Host and Moderator: NALAS

Donjeta SahatciuDeputy Mayor of the host city of Prishtina,

Erol ÖzgünerHead of IT Department of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and B40 Network Smart Cities and Digital Transformation Working Group,

Zorica BilicCountry Coordinator from GIZ Open Regional Funds for South East Europe – Modernisation of Municipal Services and Information Technology Department from the city of Rijeka, Croatia.

The road towards a regional eCommerce market – achievements and the way forward

Event: Towards a regional eCommerce market – achievements and the way forward

Host: CEFTA Secretariat & GIZ
Moderation: Zdravko Ilic, CEFTA Secretariat

Within the CEFTA region eCommerce is one of the fasted growing business sectors generating more than 1 billion euro with fast paced growth. On average already 10% of goods and services are purchased online today. However, compared to other markets like the EU the full economic potential is still untapped. For most companies regional eCommerce is still not a common business practice as deviating regulations generate additional cost and risks. The challenges mentioned most are different rules, high fees and difficult procedures for customs clearance, missing payment options or the cost of processing returns. Also, the missing trust and a lack of digital literacy of consumers are still hindering factors.

To address those challenges the region has adopted the CEFTA E-commerce Roadmap. GIZ supports the development of the sector within the project EU4Business: Support to Regional on behalf of the European Union and the German Government. In the last two years, the work has yielded in three key CEFTA decisions seeking to harmonize the regulatory frameworks in the areas of consumer protection, parcel delivery or geo-blocking which are ready for adoption on a regional level. For customs procedures main challenges have been identified. In addition, the establishment of business associations dedicated to eCommerce is supported to allow a better representation of the interests of the players in the markets in political decision making at national and regional level and to increase the trust of consumer in online sales.

Within the panel representatives from the public and private sector will discuss the status quo of eCommerce in the region from different perspectives. They will have a closer look at the recent achievement and will discuss important next steps to address still existing challenges.



Panelists:
▪ Nina Angelovska, President Macedonian E-Commerce Association (North Macedonia)
▪ Elira Demiraj – General Director for Economic Development and Employment within
the Ministry for Finance and Economy (Albania)
▪ Vjosa Shala Sahiti (Company Nerdy Creative) (Kosovo)
▪ Tatjana Vujisić – Head of Department for Customs Procedures, Sector for Customs
Affairs, Revenue and Customs Administration (Montenegro)

Broadband Competence Offices - Regional Roundtable

Moderator: Jan Dröge, Team Leader BCO Network

 

Panelists:

Agim Kukaj, Head of ICT Department and Project Director of KODE Project– Ministry of Economy – Kosovo

Borjan Simic, Communications Advisor at Ministry of Communications and Transport, Bosnia and Herzegovina (TBC)

Dimitar Bukovalov, Head of Communication Department, Ministry of Information Society and Administration North Macedonia (TBC)

Henri Haxhiraj, Head of Strategic Business Development at atene KOM

Irena Malolli, Director of Telecommunications and Post Strategy Development, Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy Albania (TBC)

Milan Dobrijevic, State Secretary at Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications Serbia (TBC)

Viktor Berishaj, head of CIRT team of Montenegro (TBC)

Create and register an “Digital Innovation Hub” into the European Market

Event: Create and register an “Digital Innovation Hub” into the European Market
Host: GIZ 

Why are Digital Innovation Hubs so high on the EU’s list of priorities and how the Western Balkans can benefit from this trend? 

A brief introduction to the ITP Prizren’s Digital transformation Center and its registration as Digital Innovation Hub – with an emphasis on niche services designed to support the local business community – is followed by a discussion on how such consortia can help businesses boost their competitive edge and profitability.

 

Digital Summit Agenda DIH side event

  1. Opening  – Simon Floeth (ITP/GIZ)
  2. Digital Innovation Hubs: the EU
    vision – Simon Floeth (ITP/GIZ)
  3. Presentation of DIH Prizren – Simon Floeth (ITP/GIZ)
  4. DIH Prizren Services
    • Argjira Kadrijaj (Procredit Bank
      Kosovo)
    • Veton Xhelili (Cacttus
      Education)
    • Sinisa Marcic (RCC)
    • Luftar Braha (ALT)
    • Zirije Hasani (University of
      Prizren)
  5. Closing Meeting  – Simon Floeth (ITP/GIZ)


    The moderator of this meeting will be Simon Floeth.

Primary target groups:

  • Micro business & ITC Startups
  • SMEs
  • Public Administrations

Secondary targets:

  • Mid-caps
  • European Digital Innovation Hubs
  • Investors & financing Institutions