The Standing Working Group (SWG) on Regional Rural Development successfully had an Organised Session accepted and presented at the XVIII EAAE Congress, which took place in Bonn, Germany, from 26–29 August 2025. The session, entitled “Western Balkan Agriculture and Rural Areas Towards EU Integration”, was chaired by Professor Aleksandra Martinovska Stojcheska (Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, North Macedonia) and Mr. Boban Ilic (SWG).
The acceptance of this session was a notable achievement, considering that only 56% of Organised Session proposals were approved. This recognition highlights both the quality of the proposal and the growing relevance of the Western Balkan perspective in European debates on agriculture and rural development.
The session gathered a distinguished group of researchers who presented on key themes shaping the future of agriculture and rural areas in the Western Balkans. Presentations included:
- How is the Agricultural and Rural Policy in the Western Balkans Navigating the Agri-food Sector towards EU Integration? by Ana Kotevska, Aleksandra Martinovska Stojcheska, and Emil Erjavec.
- What is the Current State-of-affairs, Role and Prospect of Young Farmers in the Western Balkan Context? by Emelj Tuna.
- Is Rural Women’s Empowerment in the Western Balkans Making Progress? Challenges and Opportunities by Edvin Zhllima.
- Enhancing Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems in the Western Balkans: A prerequisite for sustainable development? by Ana Simonovska and Tilman Reinhardt
- How is Climate Change Impacting the Western Balkans, and What are the Sectoral and Socioeconomic Adaptive Capacities? by Željko Vaško.
These contributions provided valuable insights into policy alignment with EU frameworks, generational renewal, gender equality, innovation systems, and climate change adaptation. The discussions during the session underscored both the opportunities and challenges faced by the region on its path toward EU integration.
SWG’s participation in this high-level scientific event reinforced the visibility of the Western Balkans within the European agricultural economics community and created a platform for knowledge exchange and dialogue with leading experts and policymakers.
This activity was implemented as part of the APD SEE Project.
