The objective of the meeting is to present progress achieved so far in preparations of the upcoming Western Balkans Digital Summit 2018. The participants will exchange plans, work on the draft concept for the four platforms, discuss youth and civil society in digitalisation, and hear presentations on preliminary results of the Study on Digital Transformation of the Western Balkans 6 plus Slovenia and Croatia by the Institute of Economics, Zagreb, all in the framework of the Digital Summit. 

The Digital Western Balkans Six Plus (WB6+) Initiative aims to unlock access to the digital economy by integrating the region into the pan-European digital market. This requires future-proof digitisation strategies, an updated regulatory environment, improved broadband infrastructure and access and digital literacy. It is stipulated by the Multi-Annual Action Plan (MAP) for the Regional Economic Area (REA), endorsed by the region's leaders at the Western Balkans Summit in Trieste this year.

The meeting will gather representatives of the WB6 governments in charge of Digital Integration, the European Commission's Directorates-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR), for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT), German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, German Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations, representatives from industry, chambers of commerce and many other partners.