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Digital Agenda for the Western Balkans: Commissioner Gabriel visits Serbia

Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, Mariya Gabriel, visited Serbia for a number of meetings to discuss the implementation of the Digital Agenda for the Western Balkans. The EU fully supports the region's transition into a digital economy as this will greatly benefit citizens by providing more jobs, better services and faster economic growth. The EU also wants to further cooperate with the government of Serbia on the implementation of the roadmap for lowering roaming tariffs, as part of the Digital Agenda.

Photo of Commissioner Gabriel with Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić

Commissioner Gabriel with Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić

Commissioner Gabriel met with Prime Minister Ana Brnabić, Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications Rasim Ljajić, and Director of Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communication and Postal Services (RETEL) Vladica Tintor. She also visited several projects including the EU-funded BioSense Institute which is a front-runner in researching ICT solutions for agricultural challenges.

The Digital Agenda for the Western Balkans is a joint effort of the six Western Balkans partners and the European Commission. They commit to:

  • invest in broadband connectivity: €30million in EU grants will be made available to deploy broadband infrastructure in the region;
  • increase cybersecurity, trust and digitalization of industry;
  • strengthen the digital economy and society;
  • boost research and innovation.

The Digital Agenda is one of the flagships of the EU strategy for the Western Balkans. The region will be able to show progress made on digital actions at the next digital summit in Belgrade in April 2019.

For more information

Gabriel: Serbia plays important role in the region in digitalisation domain

Press Release: EU-Western Balkans summit

Factsheet: EU-Western Balkans boosting digital connectivity