CDI Workshop Bridging Data Gaps- Advancing Transparency in EIP projects

The Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF) is a joint initiative of the EU, financial institutions,
bilateral donors and beneficiaries, aimed at enhancing harmonization and cooperation in investments
for the socio-economic development of the region, and contributing to the European perspective of the
Western Balkans.
WBIF is the main vehicle for the implementation of the EU’s ambitious Economic and Investment Plan
for the Western Balkans. As such, it has also a crucial role in the outreach, transparency and
accountability of EU financial support to South East European (SEE6) countries. WBIF website is the
main and most reliable source of information on EU-supported strategic infrastructure projects in SEE6.
However, an assessment from specialized SEE6 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) has identified many
issues in the way WBIF stores and makes its data available, mostly due to non-incorporation of modern
technological developments and data science advances. The lack of a proper dataset, absence of
machine-readable information or overwhelming of data representation in PDF or in embedded files are
not analysis-friendly, require significant pre-processing and do not allow the usage of this resource for
complex research purposes.
Differently to the WBIF, International Financial Institutions (IFIs) provide more possibilities for data
sharing and retrieval, making it easier to analyze information and track different EU co-funded projects.
The way those IFIs present their information can be used as a benchmark. This should be even easier as
those IFIs are WBIF members.
The goal of the workshop is to share and validate with the academic community and specialized think
tanks the results of CDI research, take their feedback, discuss potential improvements, explore ways in
which government websites may also benefit from this debate, and come up with practical
recommendations.