This report brings together the insights of leading experts on security and European integration to assess the state of regional cooperation in the Western Balkans and propose a forward-looking agenda.

Published under the Advancing Regional Security Cooperation in the Western Balkans (ASCEND-WB6) project, within the IGNITA initiative and supported by the Open Society Foundations – Western Balkans, the report is designed to provoke a deeper, more consequential conversation on what it means to build meaningful security collaboration in an era marked by volatility and unpredictability.

The central argument is straightforward: no single Western Balkan country, regardless of its NATO status or progress on EU accession, can meet the scale and complexity of contemporary threats alone.

Drawing on examples from joint law enforcement operations, EU integration frameworks, the Berlin Process, and civil society initiatives, this report maps both the achievements and shortcomings of current cooperation efforts. It also underscores the broader geopolitical stakes: the Western Balkans is not simply a region in transition – it is a proving ground for the EU’s credibility as a security actor and for the democratic agency of its aspiring members.

The objective is to help shift the narrative – from one of conditionality and compliance to one of co-responsibility and solidarity. Regional security is a public good. It must be produced collectively, anchored in mutual trust, institutional interoperability, and a shared vision for the region’s role in Europe’s evolving security order. This report is a contribution to that effort.

The views and opinions expressed in this publication are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of any affiliated institution or organization.

Supported by the Open Society Foundations – Western Balkans, this research is part of the Advancing Regional Security Cooperation in the Western Balkans (ASCEND-WB6) project, which seeks to achieve two interconnected goals: enhancing regional security cooperation and driving the integration of the Western Balkans Six (WB6) into the European Union’s security and rule of law frameworks.

ACSEND-WB6 project is implemented under the IGNITA initiative that serves as a regional collaboration platform for civil society organizations addressing regional cooperation and EU integration.