4-5 October 2023, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Given the importance of the Digital Agenda for the Western Balkans, especially in light of the Western Balkans' economies joining the Digital Europe Programme during the 2^nd European Union-Western Balkans Regulatory Dialogue (June 2023), this year's WB6 Digital Summit, the largest regional digital event on cooperation in the field of digital transformation addressed the transformative role of digitalisation and various challenges and the latest developments in the realm of, digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, public sector innovation, digital skills enhancement, interoperability, GovTech, future-ready government, gender digital divide, green and smart cities, as well as fostering an environment conducive to the growth of tech startups. The WB6 Digital Summit is the region's largest and most significant digital event, attracting stakeholders committed to digital transformation, including representatives from ReSPA.

During the summit, ReSPA participated in two panels, emphasising the critical importance of regional cooperation and investment in enhancing the digital skills of public servants as essential prerequisites for governments to be "future-ready."

Director Handjiska-Trendafilova underlined ReSPA’s regional approach in utilising multifaceted tools to empower public servants with comprehensive digital skills. “This is essential for them to navigate today's rapidly evolving digital landscape effectively, improve service delivery, promote innovation, and ensure a responsive, efficient, and citizen-centric public sector" highlighted Handjiska-Trendafilova in the panel titled "Digital skills in the public sector in the Western Balkans," which brought together experts and professionals in the field Snežana Abramović, Head of the Research Centre, NAPA (Belgrade), Thomas Prorok, Managing Director of KDZ, associate member of NALAS, Larisa Halilović, Leadership Development Consultant (Sarajevo), Alessandro Brolpito, Senior Human Capital Development Expert - Digital Skills and Learning, ETF and Sarah Delporte, ITU Office for Europe, moderated by Milena Jocić-Tanasković, Expert on Digital Connectivity, RCC

Bojana Bajić, the Public Policies Innovations and Digitalization officer at ReSPA emphasised that "future-ready" governments should adopt the "digital-by-default" principle to accelerate digital transformation and secure strong political support for the digitalisation of society. Bajić also highlighted the importance of enhancing the legal and regulatory framework to support digital transformation, including the adoption of Digitization-Ready Legislation Principles as guidelines to facilitate digital transformation use of emerging technologies and stressed the significance of measuring and monitoring strategic goals to track progress, identify areas for improvement, and make data-driven decisions in driving the digital transformation journey forward, particularly in terms of data-sharing roles and interoperability.