At the opening of the Fourth International Forum – International Forum for Creative Industries titled “Innovation and Creativity as Capital in the Creative Economy”, held in Skopje, Ivana Zečević, representing the Serbia Creates platform, spoke about the Creative Industries Network of the Western Balkans and emphasized the importance of regional cooperation in the field of creative industries, as well as promoting the region on a global level.

“Supporting the development of creative industries in Serbia over the past six years, which is how long the Serbia Createsplatform has existed, we have identified the biggest challenges for further sector growth to be the lack of physical spaces for our creatives, the need to build a cohesive creative ecosystem, and a stronger breakthrough into international markets. That is why we began developing the first center for creative industries in Serbia – Ložionica – and launched an initiative for regional cooperation with similar initiatives and centers from the region in the field of creative industries. This very platform for cooperation – the Regional Creative Network, which we launched together – will undoubtedly contribute to the development of this sector in the region, and facilitate the exchange of ideas, knowledge, and projects,” stated Ivana Zečević on behalf of the Serbia Creates platform of the Government of the Republic of Serbia.

The fourth forum is also the second activity of the Creative Industries Network of the Western Balkans, which brings together creative spaces, organizations, and initiatives from across the region. It was established at the initiative of Ložionica and Serbia Creates in June in Belgrade, when the first meeting was held.

During the forum, the second official meeting of the network’s partners – UMPACI, Banja Luka Grad, and Serbia Creates– took place, dedicated to planning future activities and joint initiatives.

The Creative Industries Network Western Balkans is supported by UNESCO through the “Culture and Creativity for the Western Balkans” (CC4WBs) project, funded by the European Union, which aims to foster dialogue in the Western Balkans by strengthening the cultural and creative sectors to increase socio-economic impact.