Fighting Corruption in the Western Balkans as part of the EU’s Enlargement Reprioritisation

From December 2024 until November 2025, European Policy Centre (CEP – Belgrade) is implementing a project called “Fighting Corruption in the Western Balkans as part of the EU’s Enlargement Reprioritisation”.

Corruption is a persistent and deeply rooted issue in all Western Balkan (WB) countries, demanding comprehensive solutions supported by strong political will, international pressure, and active involvement from civil society organizations (CSOs). The EU has recognized anti-corruption as a key priority for all candidate countries and has introduced several mechanisms to track progress and improve governance. These include annual country reports, rule of law assessments, and the New Growth Plan. As the EU expands its financial engagement in the region, ensuring robust oversight and accountability becomes increasingly vital.

The project aims to support the Western Balkan’s (WB) EU integration process by contributing to their fight against corruption, in light of the enlargement reprioritization. As part of the project, a team of researchers will develop three key issue papers on: 1) Enhancing the Role of EU Investigative Agencies such as OLAF and EPPO in the WB; 2) Lex Specialis and International Treaties as Instruments for Avoiding Transparent Public Procurement in the WB; 3) Comparative Analysis of Anti-corruption Measures in the Reform Agendas of WB countries. Additionally, this project ensured regional ownership and EU ownership over the anti-corruption proposals through cooperation and involvement of regional and Italian experts and their significant contribution. The project activities focus on advocacy and dissemination of key findings, messages and recommendations provided in the aforementioned policy products.

The project’s expected impact is to strengthen the fight against corruption in the Western Balkans, which is essential for advancing their EU integration process. Additionally, the project will assist the EU in improving financial oversight and accountability, particularly in managing EU pre-accession funds. In the long term, the project aims to raise awareness among policymakers, civil society, and the general public about the benefits of stronger anti-corruption mechanisms. This heightened awareness will foster greater political commitment to anti-corruption reforms. Ultimately, the project is expected to contribute to a more transparent and accountable governance structure in the WB, bringing these countries closer to EU membership. Finally, the project will also empower think tanks by fostering collaboration between the Western Balkans and Italy, creating vital connections on the critical and sensitive issue of anti-corruption.