This report is one of the series of publications which addresses different aspects of private sector development in non-OECD regions, focusing on the six SEE economies: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo^*, Montenegro, and Serbia. It provides recommendations at the national, regional and sector level to support these six countries in improving their investment climate, enhancing competitiveness and entrepreneurship, raising living standards and alleviating poverty.

There have been areas of noteworthy progress since the latest edition of this report in 2016. During this period the six assessed SEE economies have adopted strategies to improve the overall standard of education, acted to remove technical barriers to trade and taken steps to establish better financing mechanisms for small and medium-sized enterprises. Further efforts are underway to expand broadband services and close the digital divide, tackle inefficiencies in the energy and agriculture sectors, and address demographic challenges posed by long-term unemployment. Notwithstanding these important gains, still considerable challenges remain for these economies as they continue their journey towards structural reform.

The second edition of Competitiveness in South East Europe: A Policy Outlook seeks to complement the existing regional initiatives by resolving competitive challenges as the basis for stronger, more inclusive and more sustainable economic growth. The report seeks to help policy makers by:

• providing a comprehensive assessment of economic competitiveness in the region across 17 policy dimensions, and
• proposing actionable policy recommendations based on international and OECD good practice.

Greater economic competitiveness – driven by productivity gains – is needed to unlock the SEE economies’ potential. In view of these objectives the report offers key findings on a range of socio-economic challenges, including how current policies can be improved to support economic governance reform and how policy makers can draw on regional experience to tailor solutions that better serve local communities. Thus, we strongly recommend this report for everyone interested in deepening his / her knowledge about the main economic developments and challenges in the SEE region. You can access the publication on the following link.