ABOUT US
The Western Balkans Regional and Local Economic Development Forum – FoRLED is part of an open working process, launched in 2016, following a fact-finding mission and a series of meetings, Open Lectures and City Conferences with European Academy of Regions in the cities of Tirana, Elbasan, Berat and Vlora, hosted by CRLDS.
The forum is a continuous process, which culminates annually with an event at the Western Balkans level. National and regional forums, local events and training activities are an integral part of this process.
The forum is a platform for dialogue on key issues in this area. It will analyse how our approach to regional and local development stands as an operational and strategic approach to harmonizing development policies at the Western Balkans with European ones and to prepare our countries for full EU accession and integration. Its potential stems from the involvement of a large number of senior executives at different levels of government (community, national, regional and local level) as well as researchers, experts, the private sector, the academic world, civil society and others. They will work together to stimulate policies for sustainable regional and local economic development to reach their final implementation on the ground.
The forum has a multidisciplinary approach and intends to bring together, every year, scholars from abroad range of disciplines including anthropology, demography, economics, law, psychology, sociology, geography, development studies, innovation, health sciences, political science, international relations and other related disciplines with a focus on regional economic development. Inter- disciplinary research and comparative perspectives are particularly encouraged.
WESTERN BALKANS FORUM STATES
Albania (hosting country) – Bosnia/Herzegovina – North Macedonia – Kosovo – Montenegro – Serbia.
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WHAT WE DO
FoRLED promotes an international dialogue and shares experiences on Regional and Local Economic Development. It provides the opportunity to transform a regional alliance of actors engaged in the Western Balkans in concrete partnerships at the WB+, national, regional and local level.
During the previous editions of FoRLED, we had the participation of lecturers, panelists and speakers from the European Academy of the Regions, from the Committee of Economy and Social Affairs, from the Committee of the Regions, from OECD, CPMR, Environment Europe, Economic Institute of Zagreb, University of Padua, Tito Majonescu University of Bucharest, World Wide University of Economics of Sofia, Free University of Brussels, University of Oxford, University of Tetova, Faculty of Economics of the University of Skopje, From Lega ambiente Puglia, CNVP, University Ismail Qemali of Vlora, Agriculture University of Tirana, the City of Dublin, Environment Agency Austria, The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies, from CNVP, European LEADER Association for Rural, Athens University of Economics and Business & Technical University of Denmark, President EAERE, Albanian Found of Development, Green Foundation of Kosovo, Municipality of Tirana, associations from the 6 countries of the Western Balkans, representatives of local authorities, governments representatives as well as from the private sector and the media, etc.
The official languages of the forum are English with translation in Albanian.
History
The 1st Forum for Regional and Local Economic Development – FoRLED 2016 held in the Hall of Vlora City, on 14 October 2016. The first edition: FoRLED 2016, was supported by the Municipality of Vlora, CRLDS and the Government of Flanders.
For more see activities in the rubric: FoRLED 2016.
The 2nd Forum for Western Balkans Regional and Local Economic Development Forum – FoRLED 2017 held in premises of University Ismail Qemali of Vlora, Albania, from 30 November to 2 December 2017. The 2nd edition of FoRLED 2017 was supported by the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure in Albania and the Flemish Government as well as a number of local and international partners.
For more see activities in the rubric: FoRLED 2017.
The 3rd Western Balkans Regional and Local Economic Development Forum – FoRLED 2018, was a three-day event on regional and local economic development policies in the Western Balkans, held on 19-21 November 2018 in the Hotel Vlora International in the City of Vlora. organized by CRLDS Albania, in partnership with the European Academy of Regions, the University Ismail Qemali of Vlora, the Regional Council of Vlora, including relevant regional and international stakeholders.
For more see activities in the rubric: FoRLED 2018.
The fourth edition of FoRLED, scheduled to be held on December 2-6, 2019, was postponed to December 2021 due to the earthquake of November 26, 2019, as well as due to compliance with the rules of the covid-19 pandemic during 2020. The 4th edition of the Regional and Local Economic Development Forum in Western Balkans+ – FoRLED 2021 held on 8 -10 December 2021 in the Culture Palace of the City of Vlora, organized by CRLDS Albania, in partnership with the Albanian Association of Regions, the Ismail Qemali University of Vlora, the Regional Council of Vlora, Municipality of Vlora, including relevant regional and international stakeholders.
For more see activities in the rubric: FoRLED 2021
The 5th Forum on Regional and Local Economic Development in Western Balkans+ – FoRLED 2023 was a three-day event on regional and local economic development policies in the Western Balkans, held on 12-15 December 2023 in the hall of the Hotel Kraal in the City of Vlora. organized by CRLDS Albania, in partnership with the European Academy of Regions, the University Ismail Qemali of Vlora, the Regional Council of Vlora as well the Project EU4Green including relevant regional and international stakeholders,
For more see activities in the rubric: FoRLED 2023
PARTICIPANTS
Participation in the Forum is open to public officials on different levels: local, regional, and national level, in Western Balkan Bodies and Institutions, in the EU, international organizations, diplomats, entrepreneurs and organizations of entrepreneurs, the public and private regional development agencies, academics, experts and civil society from different countries as well as other interested persons on the themes of Regional and Local Economic Development.