ABOUT THE PROJECT

Bruegel’s project aimed to enhance the economic and social integration of Western Balkan countries with the EU by focusing on two key areas: early participation in the European Semester to improve policy coordination and domestic reforms, and a comparative analysis of the two association agreements the EU has with candidate countries — the Stabilisation and Association Agreements (SAAs) with the WB and Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreements (DCFTAs) with Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova to identify best practices for EU integration. The findings have been shared with strategic stakeholders and the public through a public event in Brussels discussing EU enlargement strategy and the position of Western Balkan countries.

LOCAL IMPACT

At the local level, the project intends to inform policy reforms on economic and social growth, enhancing coordination with EU policies to help Western Balkan countries implement effective domestic reforms.

REGIONAL IMPACT

By identifying and implementing best practices from SAAs and DCFTAs, the project identifies for stakeholders’ paths of smoother integration processes for the entire region. The project outcomes, which includes research and advocacy, contributes to the alignment of the Western Balkans’ strategic priorities with those of the EU, facilitating a more cohesive regional approach to common challenges.

PROGRESS TO DATE

The project is completed.  The public hybrid event “How should Western Balkan countries seize the opportunity of the EU’s new growth plan?” organized on 29 November, 2023  brought together a panel of cross-sectoral, cross-regional high-level speakers who presented and debated the New Growth Plan for  the Western Balkans.  The event was followed by over 250 people, with over 40 in-person attendees.

The project included the publication of two written outputs which were published on the Bruegel website and shared with key stakeholders in Brussels.

The analysis “The benefits of bringing the Western Balkans into the European Semester?” provides a quick overview of the European Semester.

Meanwhile,  the Working Paper “The rocky road to EU accession for Western Balkan countries: obstacles and lessons from the Eastern Partnership”  assesses differences between the WB countries and the Eastern Partnership countries for EU accession, and suggests ways to strengthen the SAAs for the WB region. The paper highlights that economic issues in the Western Balkans need addressing, with nuanced conditionality for EU market integration and funding, prioritization of non-tariff barrier eradication, and stronger EU investment to counter geopolitical influences. Governance should also enhance civil society’s role, and existing SAA frameworks should be pragmatically used to address their shortcomings.