JRC Conference and Workshop Report: The way forward for the Eurocodes implementation in the Balkans

On 10th and 11th of October 2018, the workshop "The way forward for the Eurocodes implementation in the Balkans" took place in Tirana, Albania. The workshop was organized by the JRC within the Enlargement and Integration Action and was hosted by the General Directorate of Standardization of Albania. Approximately 100 participants (policy-makers, National Authorities & National Standards Bodies representatives, academics and practitioners) attended this two-day Eurocodes workshop. Lecturers and participants came from 12 different EU Member States (MS) and 8 non-EU Balkans countries (Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey). Distinguished experts gave presentations and participated in the round table discussions including CEN-CENELEC Director for Market Perspectives and Innovation, the Immediate Past Chairman of CEN/Technical Committee 250 (CEN/TC250) "Structural Eurocodes" and many CEN/TC250 experts actively involved in the development of the Eurocodes and also currently working on the 2nd Generation of the Eurocodes. The workshop was the first of a new series of Eurocodes dissemination and training activities in the Balkan region. It was an opportunity to collect and share the experience of EU Member States in the Eurocodes implementation in the national regulatory system through the presentation of case studies.