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Supporting the EU integration process of Western Balkan countries by enabling better tracking of reforms in the area of functioning of democratic institutions

From December 2022 until August 2023, European Policy Centre (CEP – Belgrade) implemented a project called “Supporting the EU integration process of Western Balkan countries by enabling better tracking of reforms in the area of functioning of democratic institutions”.

The European Commission’s (EC) annual reports on the state of play of reforms in negotiating chapters for all candidates and potential candidates are one of the main sources for evaluating these countries’ commitment to the EU integration process. As such, these reports are the basis for the Council’s decision to open clusters or close chapters. Yet, in practice, there is an increasingly evident rift between these two EU institutions. In fact, the acquired feedback from member states clearly showcases a notable level of mistrust when it comes to EC’s approach to monitoring and assessment. Similarly, CSOs from the region have also actively called for the EC’s findings to become more precise and to the point, that is, to become objective, accurate, impartial, and comparable.

The project aimed to support the EU integration process of the Western Balkan (WB) countries by enabling better tracking of reforms in the area of the functioning of democratic institutions. A team of researchers will map and analyse key elements of the European Commission’s (EC) reports on six Western Balkan countries in the sub-area of the functioning of democratic institutions. CEP’s innovative approach entailed: 1. development of a comparative policy product on improving the consistency of the EC’s assessments in the area of functioning of democratic institutions, 2. creation of methodology for quantified assessment of the existing level of preparedness in the aforementioned area; 3. Implementation of the methodology which will result in clear assessments for the countries in question. Additionally, this project ensured regional ownership over the new approach through cooperation and involvement of regional experts and their significant contribution. The project activities focused on advocacy and dissemination of key findings, messages and recommendations provided in the aforementioned policy products.

Contact person: Branko Birač, Project Manager (branko.birac@cep.org.rs)