The inaugural BBinar (short for Bridge-Building Webinar) took place on 30 November 2021 and focused on social spending in times of Covid-19 in the Western Balkan region. Members of the Eastern European Social Policy Network (EESPN), European Centre colleagues, and a wider audience participate in these BBinars in order to exchange at a practical level about common challenges and progress on different social policy areas.
Mihail Arandarenko (University of Belgrade) gave an introductory input on social spending in Serbia. Veronica Sandu (European Centre) took a comparative look on social spending in the Western Balkan Region. Amira Ramhorst (Regional Cooperation Council) and Rahel Kahlert (European Centre) presented the status quo of the Western Balkan region regarding the European Pillar of Social Rights, building on the recently published country reports and the cross-country overview report. A highlight was the showcasing of the newly developed interactive Social Scoreboard that allows for a comparative perspective. Download the document to know more.
This BBinar fostered a lively discussion on the impact of social assistance programmes in the Western Balkan region and concluded with ideas how to overcome challenges exacerbated by the Covid-19 crisis.
The next BBinar will take place in February 2022 and will focus on social policies in the Eastern Partnership region. Please stay tuned for the exact time and topic!
