The Berlin Process Ministerial Forum on Creative Economy officially opened on Thursday in the coastal city of Herceg Novi.
As this year’s chair of the Berlin Process, Montenegro is hosting cultural ministers, regional delegates, and European officials to discuss how creative industries can drive sustainable economic development, boost youth employment, and enhance regional competitiveness across the Western Balkans.
The forum serves as a direct continuation of the policy dialogue launched in 2025 under the UK’s chairmanship of the Berlin Process. This year’s summit is organized by the Ministry of Culture and Media of Montenegro in close partnership with the British Council.
Shifting from Cheap Labor to High-Value Ideas
During a key ministerial panel chaired by Stephen Stenning, Director of Culture at the British Council, Amer Kapetanović, Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), delivered a strong message regarding the economic future of the region.
He argued that the Western Balkans must pivot away from traditional, low-cost labor models to achieve global relevance:
“The Western Balkans cannot be competitive on the global stage by relying solely on cheap labor. We must compete with our ideas, authenticity, digital skills, culture, experiences, and identity. Creative industries are not marginal cultural activities. They create jobs, increase exports, attract visitors, strengthen the region’s reputation, and give young people a reason to stay and build their future here. Creativity is not an ornament. Creativity is a driver of competitiveness.”
Kapetanović noted that while the region possesses an abundance of raw talent, it suffers from severe systemic shortcomings:
- The Structural Deficit: “We do not lack creativity, but we lack a system. We have talented people, but we lack the conditions for their development.”
- The Scaling Problem: “We have the stories, but we lack the platforms to turn those stories into sustainable economic value.”
- Strength in Numbers: He emphasized that while individual Western Balkan nations are too small to compete globally on their own, a unified regional approach can create the scale necessary for creative businesses to thrive.
Integrating Creativity into European Growth Plans
The RCC Secretary General called for creative industries to be integrated directly into major economic frameworks, including the Common Regional Market, the EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, and broader regional competitiveness agendas.
Because the creative economy simultaneously intersects with services, exports, tourism, technological innovation, small business development, and regional branding, Kapetanović concluded that its proper place is “at the heart of the competitiveness agenda, not on the margins.” He tasked regional governments with building the infrastructure, securing necessary market conditions, and opening access to wider international markets.
Key Leadership in Attendance
The forum’s opening remarks featured a prominent lineup of regional and international stakeholders:
- Tamara Vujović — Minister of Culture and Media of Montenegro
- Dawn McKen — British Ambassador to Montenegro
- Marko Gošović — Director-General of the Directorate for the Development of Creative Industries at the Montenegrin Ministry of Culture
- Clare Sears Wood — Western Balkans Director at the British Council
- Iain Bennett — Founder of the specialized consulting firm Fifth Sector
