X-KIC project on Circular Economy in Western Balkans
Overview
The Cross-KIC Western Balkans project was led by EIT Climate-KIC together with six other EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs). It aimed to strengthen EIT presence and outreach in the region and to use the circular economy as a way to boost the economy, support the recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and build innovation capacity and knowledge-sharing.
SmartUp was the local partner for North Macedonia, in partnership with CENTAR ZA CIRKULARNU EKONOMIJU CIREKON d.o.o., and led the country work. Using the Climate-KIC methodology, we mapped circular economy actions and stakeholders, visualized the ecosystem, held a sensemaking session with stakeholders identified in the mapping, ran two policy co-creation sessions and presented the resulting opportunities to the KICs, laying the groundwork for sustainable development in the country and the region.
The challenge
There was a need to systematically map and analyze circular economy actions across multiple sectors, such as waste management, sustainable agriculture, and renewable energy, to understand existing gaps and opportunities.
Ensuring cohesive policy alignment and fostering cross-sector collaboration were essential to support circular economy initiatives effectively.
Engaging diverse stakeholders from the public, private, academic, and civil society sectors, and building awareness about the circular economy, required targeted efforts to encourage active participation and dialogue.
Activities and methods
Stakeholder and ecosystem mapping: we mapped 82 circular economy actions in North Macedonia through desk research, platforms and community groups, a project list shared by the City of Skopje, and interviews where a project's relevance was unclear. Each action was described by actor, funding scheme, priority area and status. Over half were projects and a quarter were completed, while policies and networks were barely represented.
Data visualization: the mapping became an interactive PowerBI dashboard, with a Google form so stakeholders can add their own projects and keep the database current. Three Kumu maps showed how actors, priority areas, actions and funding schemes connect, and which actors could act as integrators in the system.
Sensemaking: in June 2021 a session with stakeholders identified in the mapping reviewed the data and showed what was still missing. Follow-up interviews with stakeholders filled the gaps before the dataset was finalized.
Policy co-creation: two online sessions brought together participants from the private and public sectors, academia, civil society and international agencies. The first, in July 2021 with 19 participants, was an open discussion on what is known about the system, policy and awareness. The second, in August 2021 with 13 participants, was more structured and focused on sectoral challenges, current organizational practices, future roles and opportunities.
Meeting with the KICs: the findings were turned into opportunities for each KIC, with potential local partners, and presented to the KICs in September 2021, together with recommendations for new initiatives for each KIC and across KICs.
Impact and learning
Circular economy activity in North Macedonia is real but disconnected: most of it is project-based, with little shared data and few incentives to scale.
The mapping showed that over half of the 82 actions were projects, only a quarter were completed, and policies and networks were barely represented. Local actors need a shared database and a coordinating entity to connect their work, and financial incentives that make circular practices worthwhile for their bottom line.
The recommended path is to strengthen the local ecosystem first, then build regional relationships. The synergies already visible at regional level are mainly in data gathering, data sharing and policy alignment.
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