The Western Balkans Platform on Education and Training was launched on 7 March 2012. It is the latest EU initiative for enhanced policy dialogue and regional cooperation in the Western Balkans. Its objectives are to help to prepare better our partners in this region for their eventual participation in the EU's policy cooperation framework, the Open Method of Coordination, to enhance their participation in EU programmes and to assist their reform efforts in the area of education and training. The Platform is also an opportunity for discussing issues of common interest among the participants, of sharing good practice and for identifying priorities and needs for further support. One of the highest priorities identified by the Ministries of Education last year was the training of teachers, and EU support was requested on this topic.^In response to this, the EU commissioned a study to map the situation of how teachers are educated and trained in that part of Europe, as comprehensive information on the subject is scarce. The objectives of this study were to look at the key policies, programmes, qualifications systems, quality assurance mechanisms, induction and mentoring programmes, continuing professional development and other aspects of teacher education and training in each country, but also to compare them across the region. The results of this study are provided in individual country reports and a synthesis report comparing the strengths, weaknesses and good practices in the region. These reports will feed the policy dialogue of the Western Balkans Platform on Education and Training and will hopefully contribute to the on-going national reforms.^The main results of the study will be presented, and experiences shared, in a regional seminar organised by the European Commission, under the Western Balkans Platform, in Ohrid in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, on 19-20 November 2013. Teachers are among the most influential people in each individual's life. We can all remember those who inspired us, pushed us and guided us. The importance of a teacher's work cannot be overstated. It is directly linked to the quality of basic education provision, the development of key competences and it also impacts the quality of education at higher levels. That is why I am very pleased that the EU could contribute with this study to the policy dialogue on teacher education and training in the Western Balkans.