During one of the discussion panels at the Vienna Economic Forum, participants expressed their willingness to assist universities in the member countries.

Stéphane Straub, the World Bank’s Chief Economist for Infrastructure, stated that the institution he represents is interested in supporting universities in the Vienna Economic Forum member countries.

Straub shared this commitment to aid universities while speaking on the panel titled “Economic Development in the Region from the Adriatic to the Black Sea as Part of the European and Global Economy.”

In the same panel discussion, Christoph Denk, Managing Director for Policy Strategy and Implementation at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), also highlighted the need to support universities.

The Vienna Economic Forum has been promoting regional economic cooperation since its founding in 2004. Its member states include Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Kosova, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Slovenia, Albania, Turkey, and Ukraine.

This year’s 21st edition of the Forum also saw the participation of the Rector of the University of Prishtina, Arben Hajrullahu. Discussions in several panels focused on the responsibilities of the economy and politics in ensuring a secure European future and on economic cooperation, which is now more crucial than ever.

In late October, at a conference organized by the Ministry of Trade and Industry with the support of the Austrian project “Enabling Income Generation for the Poor” (EnInGeP), Rector Hajrullahu spoke about the necessity of connecting the private economy and labor market with university education, as well as harnessing student creativity and energy.