mid discussions of energy security, climate adaptation and long-term investment, the Western Balkans 2030 conference revealed one domain where the region can move not just quickly, but decisively: digitalisation. Unlike heavy infrastructure or complex energy projects, digital transformation offers a rare combination of speed, affordability and high visibility. It is the closest thing the region has to an accelerant — and, judging by the panel, it is finally being recognised as such.
North Macedonia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Ivan Stoilković, framed digitalisation as a political priority rather than a technical upgrade. In his view, aligning digital systems across the region is not simply desirable — it is central to European integration. A digitally connected Western Balkans is a region that can speak the same administrative language as the EU long before formal accession is complete.
Finland’s Ambassador Niklas Lindqvist brought a striking comparison to the table. With 85% of the population already using digital public services, Finland surpassed EU targets by designing systems rooted in people’s needs rather than institutional convenience. The lesson was unmistakable: trust is not an afterthought. It must be engineered from the start.
The Western Balkans’ own proof of concept came from Serbia. NALED’s Jelena Bojović presented the mobile registration system for seasonal agricultural workers — a model that succeeded because it was built to solve a real problem, not to satisfy a theoretical benchmark.
After transforming a previously cumbersome process, it is now being replicated in North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In a region often criticised for slow adoption, this was a rare and powerful example of fast, scalable digital reform.
Technology, however, is only as effective as those who use it. MTEL Montenegro’s CEO, Zoran Milovanović, emphasised the pace at which digital tools evolve and the corresponding need for societies to maintain a learning curve. Without continuous education, digitalisation becomes performative — a change in software rather than a change in capacity. From the business-support landscape, SME Hub Director Aleksandar Goračinov argued that transformation begins with leadership, not platforms. Tools can modernise processes, but only mindsets can modernise organisations.
Looking ahead, the perspective offered by Dražen Višnjić of the ICT Agency of Republika Srpska expanded the horizon. Artificial intelligence, robotics, advanced electronics, medical technologies and new energy systems represent sectors where the region cannot afford its traditional hesitation. The question is no longer whether the Western Balkans will join these industries, but whether it will do so early enough to shape them.
Digitalisation is the region’s most immediate and achievable pathway to competitiveness. It compresses distance, reduces friction, strengthens governance, unlocks growth and connects institutions that have long operated in parallel. More than anything, it offers a chance to turn aspiration into measurable progress.
In a decade defined by deadlines and diminishing patience, it may well be the Western Balkans’ fastest route from intention to impact.