18 May, 2026
DAY 1 of the 11th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Adriatic-Ionian Region saw a number of highly executed panels on a wide range of decisive topics for the EUSAIR region.
Mr Bekim Sali, Minister of European Affairs, and host of the 11th EUSAIR Forum from North Macedonia, stated that the Forum confirms regional cooperation as a strategic tool for strengthening stability, connectivity, resilience, and the European integration of the Western Balkans.
It officially kicked off with a panel on Tools for EUSAIR integration, hosted by the UN Office for Project Services and DG REGIO, where the session explored how territorial development tools and place‑based approaches strengthen EUSAIR governance and support more coherent cross‑border cooperation, through concrete practices and flagship initiatives. Radica Koceva emphasized that »territorial strategies are based on partnership, principles and inclusiveness, meaning that all stakeholders at local levels have been included in the definition of the priorities”.
The EUSAIR Youth Council Meeting of Members was an important meet-up that saw council members revise current plans, past achievements and share their feedback on current happenings, to upkeep their fast-paced stride forward. Even Bojan Kordalov later said “Young people are the future AND the present”.
The final morning panel on AI as a tool in citizen-centred public services shared how AI is a dual prospect for the EUSAIR: On one hand, it is an accelerant for institutional modernisation and macroregional convergence, or it can be an amplifier of existing asymmetries and public trust. Erika Piirmets underlined that mindfulness is key in adopting AI, due to a direct correlation between input and output: “Trash in, trash out. What are you doing with AI? Why are you adopting this? What are you trying to achieve with this?” AI’s transformative potential was examined across EUSAIR’s all five Pillars and needs to always place citizen satisfaction and institutional accountability at the front and centre.
A panel on smart tools for biodiversity and sustainable land use, by the EUSAIR Presidency of North Macedonia and EUSAIR Youth Council placed an emphasis on AI’s potential in strengthening environmental quality and protecting terrestrial ecosystems in the Adriatic-Ionian region. AI could offer opportunities through data-driven monitoring and smarter land management, and its solutions could contribute to biodiversity protection, climate resilience, and sustainable regional development, however hidden environmental costs exist. Lejla Hadžijusufović from the EUSAIR Youth Council summed it up nicely, stating that “using AI shortens our time but it also shortens our planet’s time“.
The opening day concluded with a session that emphasized the macroregional importance of investing in youth, highlighting the acute challenge of outflow of young people that undermines economic recovery, social cohesion and national labour markets, and examining the misalignment between existing educational, vocational and skills-building programmes, and expected realities of the up-and-coming generations entering the labour market.
Panellists highlighted the importance of inclusivity, sustainability, and investing in future generations, all through a lense of moral high ground for the local populations and our planet.
See what we have in store for you tomorrow!
