The conference entitled “Consolidating Civil Society Involvement in the Economic and Investment Plan: The Way Forward”, was organized on April 15, 2024 at Europe House Skopje.
This was the second in the series of country events organized by Association ESTIMA, as a partner organization in the context of the regional initiative “Connected we Can: Strengthening WB6 CSO’s Agency in the Economic and Investment Plan (EIP),” implemented in the framework of the SMART Balkans project, supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with co-financing from the TCT Secretariat.
Bringing together representatives of civil society organizations, policy makers, academia, experts, donors and IFIs a first-hand account of their work was proved along with insights into the identified challenges and opportunities for further improving and mainstreaming the inclusion of civil society in the EIP, in particular through infrastructure policy and projects.
The event aim was to present the key findings of our regional study on the State of Play of Specialized Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and Think Tanks in the region, as a basis to open a debate on the role of citizens and civil society in infrastructure project cycle management (PCM).
Moreover, the event focused on a landmark flagship initiative for the region – Connecting East to West and delve into the practical implementation of the rail and road along Corridor 8, specifically the section connecting North Macedonia with Bulgaria.”
