On October 7, Riinvest Institute launched the second converge2eu Kosovo Country Report in Prishtina, on the margins of the Berlin Process Civil Society and Think Tank Forum.

The event opened with opening speeches from Alban Hashani, Executive Director of Riinvest Institute, Lura Limani, Team Leader at Open Society Foundations | Western Balkans, and H.E. Ragnar A., Ambassador of Ireland to Hungary and Kosovo.

Visar Vokrri, Programme Director at Riinvest Institute, presented the report's key findings, highlighting that Kosovo’s overall well-being reached 54.5% of the EU average in 2025, with digitalisation emerging as the strongest-performing area, while significant gaps persist in education, health, environmental, and infrastructure. The report assesses Kosovo’s convergence across eight key dimensions of well-being, providing an evidence-based perspective on the country's progress towards EU living standards and identifying areas where further policy action is needed.

The presentation was followed by a panel discussion, “Closing the Gap – Kosovo’s Path towards EU Convergence,” moderated by Branimir Jovanovic (The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (wiiw)), with contributions from Jeton Mehmeti, Deputy Minister of Industry, Entrepreneurship, Trade and Innovation, Boguslaw Gertruda from the European Union Office in Kosovo, and Agon Maliqi, Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council.

The discussion explored Kosovo’s convergence challenges, the importance of strengthening institutional capacities and economic competitiveness, and the role of EU in accelerating reforms. Particular attention was given to the need for evidence-based policies, stronger regional and European integration, and reforms that translate economic progress into tangible improvements in citizens’ living standards.