col-xs-12

col-sm-12

col-md-1

col-lg-1

col-xs-12

col-sm-12

col-md-8

col-lg-8

jcrtitle

Economic Governance

jcrpagetitle

Economic Governance

jcrdescription

Under this thematic area, the Vienna Development and Knowledge Center supports institutional strengthening by facilitating knowledge exchange on national and regional competition policy, market regulation, investment ecosystems, and public sector governance.

jcrtags

wbg:regions/europe-and-central-asia

content-type

brief

content-date

June 24, 2026

col-xs-12

col-sm-12

col-md-3

col-lg-3

sec-spacing

section-none

sec-spacing-bottom

section-xlarge

col-xs-12

col-sm-12

col-md-1

col-lg-1

col-xs-12

col-sm-12

col-md-7

col-lg-7

add-style
lp-body-content

Strong and well functioning market institutions are fundamental to effective economic governance, underpinning growth, productivity, and job creation. They shape incentives for investment, support efficient financial intermediation, and foster innovation and firm dynamism, particularly in sectors essential to green and digital transitions.

Under this thematic area, the Center supports institutional strengthening by facilitating knowledge exchange, applied learning, and communities of practice on national and regional competition policy, market regulation, investment ecosystems, and public sector governance.

Activities

Boosting Corporate Governance for Stronger State-Owned Enterprises

https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/vienna-development-knowledge-center/brief/boosting-corporate-governance-for-stronger-state-owned-enterprises

VDKC Strengthening Climate Adaptation

State-owned enterprises (SOEs) are central to delivering public services, advancing policy goals, and shaping fiscal outcomes across Europe and Central Asia. Stronger corporate governance, risk management, and peer learning are helping governments across the region improve SOE performance, transparency, and accountability while addressing persistent reform challenges.

mini-card

Taxing Carbon for Growth and Resilience in Europe and Central Asia

https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/vienna-development-knowledge-center/brief/taxing-carbon-for-growth-and-resilience-in-europe-and-central-asia

VDKC CBAM workshop

Across ECA, governments are navigating tightening fiscal space, productivity decline, and exposure to energy price shocks. From 2026, the European Union Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) will apply a carbon price to selected imports. Regional stakeholders convened to discuss carbon tax design, CBAM implications, and the institutional requirements for implementation based on shared regional experiences.

mini-card

How Digital Payments Are Reshaping Financial Life Across Europe and Central Asia

https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/vienna-development-knowledge-center/brief/paying-into-the-future-how-digital-payments-are-reshaping-financial-life-across-europe-and-central-asia

VDKC SEPA

Digital payments are transforming financial life — expanding access, lowering costs, and enabling faster, safer transactions. While adoption has grown, challenges remain due to skills, connectivity, and infrastructure gaps. SEPA integration and fast payment systems are helping countries across Europe and Central Asia cut cross‑border costs, and deepen regional financial integration.

mini-card

Reconciling State Aid with Competition for Fair, Effective Industrial Policy

https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/vienna-development-knowledge-center/brief/reconciling-state-aid-with-competition-for-fair-effective-industrial-policy

Vienna DKC State Aid family

How to build industrial policies that harness public financial support to boost key economic areas, while maintaining a level playing field and avoiding market distortions? Competition and state aid officials from Europe and Central Asia exchanged experience on how to design effective industrial policy using state aid as a tool to foster competitiveness and stability, while avoiding negative impacts.

mini-card

Harnessing Development Banks for Inclusive Growth and Fairer Markets

https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/vienna-development-knowledge-center/brief/harnessing-development-banks-for-inclusive-growth-and-fairer-markets

VDKC Raicevic NDBs

National development banks (NDBs) have an impressive calling card: they can drive inclusive economic growth, support innovation and infrastructure essential to sustainable development, and catalyze transformative solutions for addressing market failures. But fully realizing their potential requires strong governance, clear mandates – and more.

mini-card

Turning State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Into Climate Champions

https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/vienna-development-knowledge-center/brief/kick-off-workshop-turning-state-owned-enterprises-into-climate-champions

Vienna CFRR Launch 2025

A quarter of the world’s largest companies are state-owned. Often, SOEs have a hefty carbon footprint, accounting for 30 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and 45 percent of emissions in non-European Union countries in ECA. How can SOEs’ role in climate mitigation, adaptation and resilience be strengthened?

mini-card

Regional Competition Network to Boost Western Balkan Cooperation

https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/vienna-development-knowledge-center/brief/new-regional-competition-network-to-boost-western-balkan-cooperation

Vienna DKC NDBs fam

Strengthening competition oversight is crucial for productivity and economic growth in the Western Balkans. Yet, gaps in enforcement and cooperation still limit progress. A new network of competition authorities in the Western Balkans aims to shift that dynamic, building on the successful experience of the European Competition Network.

mini-card