Western Balkans Scientific Collaboration's Sixth Assembly
The German National Academy of Sciences, Leopoldina, has taken a proactive role in providing science-based policy advice for the annual summits of Heads of State and Government of the G7 and G20 countries. The academy, which represents the German scientific community in the international academy dialogue, recently collaborated with the Polish Academy of Sciences to develop a "10 Point Plan" to control the coronavirus pandemic in the Western Balkans.
The plan, developed during the 6th Joint Science Conference of the Western Balkans Process, outlines short-, mid-, and long-term measures for the next two years to control and contain the pandemic. It emphasizes the need for increased vaccination efforts in the Western Balkan countries, recommending a higher number of vaccines and accelerated vaccination.
The plan also calls for more humanitarian aid from the European Union (EU) as a sign of European solidarity. It suggests that the EU funds mobilized for the recovery and resilience of the Western Balkans should be primarily used to create an efficient healthcare system, achieve climate neutrality, and digitalize education, public administration, industry, and healthcare.
Investments in education and science (research and innovation) in the Balkans are a crucial aspect of the plan. The aim is to stop the "brain drain" from South East Europe and foster a knowledge-based economy in the region. The plan recommends the establishment of the Western Balkans Research Fund as a new funding instrument in the EU's Horizon Europe framework programme.
The plan further proposes pan-European standards for travel and mobility in testing and forgery-proof use of the EU Digital COVID Certificate. This is aimed at facilitating safe travel within Europe while ensuring the integrity of the certificates.
The Leopoldina, founded in 1652 and appointed the National Academy of Sciences of Germany in 2008, combines expertise from almost all research areas. The academy has over 1,600 members from more than 30 countries. Lucian Brujan, the Senior Officer, Department International Relations and Speaker of the Berlin Process Joint Science Conference, and Caroline Wichmann, the Head of the Press and Public Relations Department, are key figures in the development and implementation of the plan.
For more information, contact Lucian Brujan (email protected) or Caroline Wichmann (email). The Leopoldina can also be followed on Twitter at @leopoldina.
The Western Balkans Research Fund is part of the Western Balkans Science Initiative. However, the name of the foundation proposed for support in connection with the "10 Point Plan to Control the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Western Balkan Countries" under the Horizon Europe Framework Program is not explicitly mentioned in the available search results.
The Western Balkans Process is a joint initiative of 16 European countries and the European Commission, supporting the efforts to integrate the region into the European Union and foster regional cooperation. The plan underscores the importance of this cooperation in addressing the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and in building a more resilient and sustainable future for the Western Balkans.
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