European Commission: Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

Economic governance is a key aspect of the EU enlargement process, mirroring efforts in the EU to strengthen economic policy coordination and multilateral surveillance under the European Semester. The Economic and Financial Dialogue between the EU and the enlargement countries aims to prepare the latter for their future participation in the multilateral surveillance in the EU, also by strengthening their institutional and analytical capacities. The dialogue is based on medium-term Economic and Reform Programmes (ERPs) submitted annually by each candidate country and potential candidate. Since 2015, the dialogue has provided jointly agreed and targeted policy guidance for the partner countries on macro-fiscal and structural reforms.

European Commission: Joint Research Centre, Bongiardo, D., Chiaramello, D., Dara, A., Cortinovis, R. et al., Atlas of migration 2024, Bongiardo, D.(editor), Dara, A.(editor), Crespi, I.(editor) and Sofos, I.(editor), Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

The Atlas of Migration is more than just a publication—it is a testament to the power of data and rigorous analysis in illuminating the multifaceted nature of migratory movements. The 2024 edition of the Atlas continues to serve as a vital tool for policymakers, researchers and the public at large, offering a wealth of data to cut through the confusion and misinformation that often surrounds the discourse on migration. The Atlas provides the latest harmonised and validated data on migration for the 27 EU Member States and for 171 countries and territories around the world. It brings together data from many reliable sources, such as Eurostat, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, the World Bank and many others. This year’s thematic chapter of the Atlas delves into the nuanced motivations behind migration, moving beyond simplified narratives in favour of a more comprehensive view that acknowledges the diverse and often overlapping reasons that propel individuals to move.

European Commission: Eurostat, Publications Office of the European Union, 2023.

The Factsheets of Basic figures on candidate countries and potential candidates present a series of basic statistical data for ten candidate countries and potential candidates and compares them with EU data. The candidate countries at the time of writing are: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, the Republic of Moldova, North Macedonia, Albania, Serbia, Türkiye and Ukraine. Kosovo and Georgia are potential candidates. With data up to and including the year 2021, this publication presents indicators from various domains such as demography, education, labour market, inflation, trade, GDP, energy, etc.

European Investment Bank, Revoltella, D., Pal, R., Ferrazzi, M., Kolev, A. et al., European Investment Bank, 2024.

Publication metadata
The CESEE Bank Lending Survey is a unique instrument developed in the context of the Vienna Initiative to monitor cross-border banking activities and deleveraging in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. It serves to better understand the determinants/constraints influencing credit growth in the region and to gain forward-looking insights into the strategies of cross-border banks and market expectations regarding local financial conditions. This report presents the results of the EIB CESEE Bank Lending survey at the regional and single country levels.

16707/23, Council of the European Union, 12 December 2023.

The Council has approved conclusions on enlargement for the six Western Balkans partners, Türkiye and – for the first time - Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia. The document is also available in French.and German.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

The eGovernment Benchmark monitors the digitalisation of public services in Europe. The digital transformation of our societies and our public services in particular is driven by government policies enabling digital technologies to flourish. As we approach the 2030 milestone set by the European Commission’s Digital Decade policy programme, it becomes increasingly crucial for European nations to prioritise the development of resilient and sovereign digital infrastructures capable of upholding European values, while navigating the challenges of our era. This edition of the eGovernment Benchmark not only assesses the digital transformation of governments in 2022 and 2023 but also reflects on broader trends observed over the past four years. As we near the end of the current methodology cycle, it provides valuable insights and best practices for all those interested in eGovernment.

European Institute for Gender Equality and Babovic, M., Publications Office of the European Union, 2023.

The Gender Equality Index of the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) is the main tool to monitor and measure progress in achieving gender equality. It allows us to check how gender equality policies and other related EU policies affect the state of play of gender equality in the European Union. Since 2016, with EIGE’s support, the Gender Equality Index has been gradually introduced among the EU candidate countries and potential candidates. Introducing the Gender Equality Index in the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia) represents a breakthrough in monitoring gender equality in the region for several reasons.

European Investment Bank, European Investment Bank, 2023.

This report assesses the impact of the intermediated lending of the European Investment Bank (EIB) on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Western Balkans, with a particular focus on employment. The EIB plays a central role in the financing of SMEs and mid-caps in the Western Balkans (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia), where firms’ access to bank-lending finance is low compared to EU standards. With the aim of spurring firms’ growth, the EIB channels liquidity through financial intermediaries on favourable conditions, such as providing lower interest rates or longer tenure.

European University Institute, Micevski, I. and Trpevska, S., European University Institute, 2024.

The Media Pluralism Monitor (MPM) is a research tool that is designed to identify potential risks to media pluralism in the Member States of the European Union and in Candidate Countries. This narrative report has been produced on the basis of the implementation of the MPM that was carried out in 2023. The implementation was conducted in 27 EU Member States, as well as in Albania, Montenegro, The Republic of North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey. This year a part of the MPM has also been piloted in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Moldova. This project, under a preparatory action of the European Parliament, was supported by a grant awarded by the European Commission to the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (CMPF) at the European University Institute.

European Commission, Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, 2023.

The EU acknowledged the European perspective for all Western Balkan partners at the Thessaloniki European Council in June 2003. The Republic of North Macedonia (hereinafter ‘North Macedonia’) applied for EU membership in March 2004. In December 2005, it was granted candidate status by the European Council. The first Political Intergovernmental Conference on accession negotiations was held in July 2022. The Commission immediately after launched the analytical examination of North Macedonia’s alignment to EU acquis (screening), which is progressing smoothly.

SWD(2023) 693 final, European Commission, Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, 2023.

The first intergovernmental conference on accession negotiations with North Macedonia took place in July 2022. At the same time, the first step in the accession negotiations process was taken with the launch of the analytical examination of the EU acquis, the ‘screening’. This has progressed smoothly. North Macedonia continued to implement the Stabilisation and Association Agreement and the joint bodies under the agreement met at regular intervals.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs, Publications Office of the European Union, 2023.

In this Institutional Paper the Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs brings together into a single document the economic chapters of the European Commission's country reports for the ten enlargement countries Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine. The annual country reports assess progress achieved in the Western Balkan countries and Turkey in advancing the necessary political and economic reforms as well as the legal transformation in line with the EU accession criteria.

European Commission: Joint Research Centre, Radovanovic, N., Lazarov, D., Arizankovska, J., Majstoroska, J. et al., Publications Office of the European Union, 2022.

North Macedonia launched the Smart Specialisation process in 2018 with the main goal of identifying priority areas in terms of economic, innovation and scientific potential for implementing targeted action for further economic development. By enforcing its innovation policy with the Smart Specialisation concept, it looks to boost its economic transformation efforts and enhance its competitiveness in a sustainable manner. The process has been undertaken with strong political commitment by national authorities and the devotion of the nominated inter-institutional Smart Specialisation working group composed of representatives of the government, relevant ministries and the academic community. The Joint Research Centre is continuously providing technical assistance to these efforts.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

The study ‘Strengthening the resilience of EU border regions: Mapping risks & crisis management tools and identifying gaps’ was conducted from January 2023 to March 2024 to assist the European Commission in enhancing capacities for disaster and risk management (DRM) in cross-border regions. The assignment encompassed identifying the primary risks faced by territories in cross-border areas and mapping existing agreements, tools, and institutional processes facilitating risk management by border authorities. Additionally, it involved extensive consultations with stakeholders at EU, national, and regional levels. Ten case studies were prepared to highlight effective practices in Disaster Risk Management within cross-border territories.