"The trend of production and use of healthy food has focused the researchers’ attention on characterization of the phenolic profile of foods consumed in everyday diet. Fruits and fruit products are known to possess beneficial effects on health due to a wide variety of natural polyphenols and consequently a great antioxidant potential. Western Balkan Countries are predominantly agricultural with great potential for production of healthy food with authentic origin and specified health promoting composition. In order to ensure efficient and appropriate development of food production and food quality characterization in R. Macedonia and Serbia, according to EU standards and practice, a project for upgrading the research capacity in food quality control is proposed here. Along with the reinforcement of the research capacities for food characterization by obtaining suitable equipment (liquid chromatographs with appropriate detection systems), improvement of the human potential is foreseen by hiring young researchers and their training in the respective fields. With joint efforts of the researchers from R. Macedonia, Serbia and Bulgaria, on one side, and the renown EU research groups from Spain and France, on the other, methodology for characterization of antioxidant substances in fruits, juices and wines is going to be developed and applied. A regional network involved in research of various aspects of antioxidants in foods aimed towards providing the necessary knowledge, tools and methods for development of high quality, consumer-acceptable foods will be established. In that sense, the human and material resources from these institutions will be mobilised by obtaining modern equipment, exchange of know-how, training of research personnel in EU research centres, dissemination of the results and promotion of the new reinforced potential of the scientific community in the Western Balkan Countries for future high quality research incorporated in the European Research Area."