EU support is not abstract — it is seen on the streets of Western Balkan cities, in the businesses that are developing, in the opportunities that are opening up to young people.

The two-day event “Creative HUB”, organized by WeBalkans in Belgrade at the end of April, became a meeting point for journalists, communicators, entrepreneurs and EU representatives from across the region. Committed to economic development, the HUB is part of the EU with YOU campaign and brought together participants from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia around a single question: how to make EU support visible, concrete and for the benefit of citizens?

Marie Brancaleone from the Directorate-General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood reminded participants that the EU accession process is, at its core, a transformation process that affects everyday life — from the air people breathe to the markets where they place their products. Raluca Costache, programme manager WeBalkans, and Selena Tasić, public diplomacy manager, then presented the EU with YOU campaign as a link between regional reforms and the citizens whose lives these reforms aim to improve.

From research labs to global markets

The morning “Lightning Talk” was presented by Oskar Marko, Director of the Center for Information Technology at the Biosense Institute from Serbia. His message was clear: the opportunities offered by the EU yield results when institutions know how to use them. Biosense has developed the practice of using Horizon Europe grants for innovations in agriculture that are important for farmers across the region — proof that the path from EU funding to real impact is shorter than often thought.

Three conversations, one message

The thematic panels that followed presented the economic landscape of the Western Balkans from three different perspectives. In the session supported by the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF), moderated by Filip Lukić from N1, six speakers explained how this mechanism has mobilised nearly €9 billion and supported over 600,000 businesses across the region. Benedykt Klimowski from the European Commission summed it up simply: “When your local bank offers you a better deal, the EU is behind it.”

Edina Hadžić, founder of Bosnian sustainable fashion brand Sugar on Top, highlighted the advantage of a smaller market: “You have to be honest about where you are. It’s all about real transparency.” On the other hand, Tina Mihajlović, co-founder of Serbian solar AI startup Solarise Technologies, spoke about the gap between technical knowledge and market readiness, and the role of mentoring in bridging it.

The EBRD-supported panel was moderated by Aleksandra Vukosavljević, Director for Financial Institutions for the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe. The discussion focused on green and competitive small and medium-sized enterprises. The conclusion was clear: sustainability is no longer a choice, but a necessity dictated by market demands, rising energy costs and access to finance. ESG standards are today a key factor in the decision-making of banks and investors. Given that SMEs account for 98–99% of companies in the region, their alignment with EU standards, while competing in larger markets, is at the heart of economic development.

The third panel, with the participation of EU Delegations from the region and moderated by Marie Brancaleone, addressed the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans as a framework for economic transformation. Representatives from the six economies discussed what the next phase of integration will look like in practice.

The messages we sent

The first day concluded with a discussion that clearly highlighted the purpose of the event. Journalists Greta Topjana from Albania and Višnja Višnjić Milić from Serbia, together with the team of WeBalkans, gave a summary and talked about how stories about the EU travel and where they get lost. The main message was that financial programs and instruments exist, but are not used enough due to fragmented communication and lack of visibility. Closing this gap was precisely the goal of the Creative Hub.

Day two: from policymaking to communication

The second day was dedicated to content production. The EU with YOU campaign was presented by Samra Lučkin, after which other team members WeBalkans — Arian Rexhepi, Vullnet Gacaferri, and Stanislava Marojević — worked with the participants in groups to transform the discussion into concrete content: social media posts, photos, short statements, and interviews with participants. Plans were also drawn up for videos and journalistic stories to be published in the coming weeks.

In parallel, the network WeBalkans enabled participants to present their work and find partners for regional cooperation.

The results of this work will continue to live beyond the event itself — on the platforms of WeBalkans, partner channels and social networks, where a new generation of Western Balkan citizens meets the EU as a partner in everyday life.

I AM WITH YOU

The Belgrade Creative Hub is the first event in a series of activities that WeBalkans, as part of the EU with YOU campaign, is planning across the region. EU with YOU is a regional public diplomacy campaign that connects EU support in the Western Balkans with the people, businesses and communities who will experience this transformation. More stories and activities from this campaign will be published on the digital communication channels of WeBalkanes in the coming weeks.