As the WB six countries keep a slow pace of reforms, coupled with the EU Member States’ lack of consensus on granting membership to the WB6 in the near future, there are ongoing efforts to maintain and invigorate the reform process. The phased accession, which has been widely discussed and accepted by regional actors primarily at the Berlin Process and similar forums, suggests that the Western Balkans can become part of the EU’s institutional framework ahead of their full membership in the Union.

The policy brief discusses integration of WB6 countries into the EU Agency for Cybersecurity. It consists of three sections. The first section provides a background on ENISA, the second discusses the state of play of cybersecurity in each WB6 country, and the final section puts forward a list of reform priorities that need to be pursued for phased accession of WB6 countries into ENISA.