The President of the Economic Chamber, Branko Azeski, and Vice President Prof. Dr. Marjan Bojadjiev have significantly intensified the Chamber’s international activities over the past several months, once again confirming one of the Chamber’s strategic objectives—the development of regional cooperation.

Such engagement is particularly important at a time when uncertainty surrounding geopolitical developments, the challenges faced by the European Union, and the position of the Balkan countries continue to persist, further exacerbated by the energy crisis. In such circumstances, companies increasingly turn to business associations and seek joint solutions to emerging challenges.

In recent days, as part of regional activities, Azeski and Bojadjiev participated in two major regional conferences held in Zagreb and Belgrade.

At the international conference Society and Technology 2026, the 30^th anniversary edition of the event held in Zagreb, the President of the Economic Chamber delivered an address at the opening ceremony. The ECNM was one of the co-organizers together with the Croatian Chamber of Economy, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia and the Chamber of Craft and Small Business of Slovenia, the Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Primorska (Slovenia) and Styria (Austria), as well as Alma Mater Europaea University from Maribor. The opening ceremony also featured an address by Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković. The conference was held under the title “Technology and Media as a Transformative Force of Economic Development in the Context of Contemporary Global Trends.”

The following day, another international conference took place in Belgrade, organized by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia in cooperation with Confindustria Eastern Europe and with the support of the Italian Embassy in Belgrade. The conference focused on energy, infrastructure, and industrial security in the Western Balkans and was attended by both President Azeski and Vice President Bojadjiev. The event was also attended by Serbian Prime Minister Đuro Macut.

The conference, which focused on the Western Balkans as a transit energy and infrastructure corridor, aimed to open a strategic dialogue on creating an integrated energy and infrastructure platform linking the Baltic, Adriatic, Black Sea, and Central Asia regions. At the conclusion of the conference, bilateral meetings were held among business representatives from Italy, Croatia, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Romania, Hungary, Greece, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Serbia.

Prior to participating in these conferences, President Azeski and Vice President Bojadjiev also carried out bilateral activities with chambers of commerce from across the region.

At the same time, chamber-related activities were conducted in Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, and Austria.

A common conclusion emerging from all meetings and appearances held throughout the region and among the member countries of the Western Balkans Six Chamber Investment Forum (WB6 CIF) is that the ECNM is increasingly becoming an indispensable actor in all Balkan initiatives, enjoying considerable respect and influence as a chamber organization.