The covid pandemic continues to keep societies on their toes. Unlike previous major crises, it is indeed global and affects almost all areas, branches and sectors. 

It has "exposed the dark side of globalisation" and at the same time "proven the great importance of international cooperation" as the Bulgarian political scientist Ivan Krastev writes.

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But how should things proceed now, as societies gradually return to "normality"? 

What are the necessary steps to be better prepared for the future, to bring the economies back on a sustainable growth path and to protect and preserve civil freedoms? 

What is the importance of research and development, digitization and innovations? Have the media sufficiently fulfilled their information and control function during the crisis? To what extent are they also subject to structural change?

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The Smart City Festival 2021 provided answers to these questions.

New thinking and creativity are now just as much in demand as innovative political strategies and a renaissance of market-based competition.

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As the leading smart city event in the Western Balkans, the event took place as a one-and-a-half-day online event, as it did last year.
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SCF21 brought together international experts from business, science and politics as well as regional stakeholders and decision-makers.