European University Institute, Jelena Džankić, J. D., Kotevska, B. and Mokrá, L., The (geo)politics of democracy in wider Europe, Jelena Džankić, J. D.(editor), Kotevska, B.(editor) and Mokrá, L.(editor), European University Institute, 2025, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2870/8404095

The global geopolitical planes have shifted with the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine and the war in Gaza. These geopolitical shifts have revealed how intimately connected democracy is to geopolitics, and how vulnerable are nascent and transitional democratic societies to external influence. This book looks at the interplay between the European Union (EU) enlargement and democratic development, and how it has been affected by the political, economic and cultural influences of undemocratic third actors. The first part of the book zooms in on these actors in the six Western Balkan states (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia). The second part of the book complements the country studies with thematic insights from specific areas on entanglement between democracy and geopolitical interests and influences. The third, final, part of the book reflects on previous enlargements, highlighting how important it is to prevent transitional experiences that enable the rise of illiberal forces.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs, 2025 Economic Reform Programmes of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Türkiye – The Commission’s overview & country assessments, Publications Office of the European Union, 2025, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2765/7660998

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 Annual Economic and Financial Dialogue with Regional Partners aims to prepare these (potential) candidates for EU membership for their future participation in the multilateral surveillance in place for EU Member States, also by strengthening their institutional and analytical capacities.

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, 2022.

The Factsheets of Basic figures on Western Balkans and Turkey presents series of basic statistical data for five candidate countries and two potential candidates and compares them with EU data. The candidate countries, at the time of writing, were: Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, Serbia and Turkey, while the potential candidates were Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo. 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, Pal, R., Revoltella, D., Ferrazzi, M., Kolev, A. et al., Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe (CESEE) – Bank lending survey – Second half of 2024, Revoltella, D.(editor) and Ferrazzi, M.(editor), European Investment Bank, 2024, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2867/8412657

Publication metadata
The Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe (CESEE) Bank Lending Survey was developed in the context of the Vienna Initiative 2.0 and has been endorsed by the various participating institutions as an instrument for: monitoring cross-border banking activities and deleveraging in the region; better understanding the determinants and constraints of credit growth; gaining insights into the business strategies and market expectations of cross-border banks.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers, I. Chopin and C. Germaine, Publications Office of the European Union, 2023.

More than 20 years ago, a major and unprecedented development occurred in the European Union with the adoption in 2000 of two pieces of EU legislation in the field of anti-discrimination: the Racial Equality Directive (2000/43/EC) and the Employment Equality Directive (2000/78/EC). The transposition and implementation of these legal provisions into the national legal systems of the 27 Member States is described in a series of annually updated country reports produced by the European network of legal experts in gender equality and non-discrimination. In addition, the network also includes candidate countries (Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Türkiye) and the EEA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway), as well as the United Kingdom, which exited the EU on 31 January 2020.

In order to address the diversity of country and territory codes and names used in the EU institutions, the European Commission has developed a corporate code list of countries and territories that covers the different use cases its services have.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers and Krstic, I., Publications Office of the European Union, 2022.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers and Krstic, I., Publications Office of the European Union, 2022.

The Republic of Serbia is a constitutional multi-party parliamentary democracy. The multi-party National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia was established in 1991. The 12th legislature commenced its work on 3 August 2020 and is notable for the fact that the ruling party – the Serbian Progressive Party – has a supermajority of seats in the Parliament (due to a boycott by several opposition parties), which shapes and influences current parliamentary work in Serbia.

European Committee of the Regions: Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs, Aleszko-Lessels, O., Bieliei, S., Dragouni, O., Gliniecka, M. et al., Division of powers – Multi-level governance structures in the EU enlargement countries, European Committee of the Regions, 2025, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2863/7448081

Institutional decentralisation is crucial for the health of democratic societies, as it cultivates effective local leadership and enables the resolution of local issues by empowering decision-makers at the level closest to the citizen. This study provides an overview of the institutional decentralisation levels in the EU Enlargement countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo*, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye, and Ukraine).

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

The growth performance of the Western Balkan region improved in the third quarter of 2023. On average, the region’s real GDP growth accelerated to 3.1% y-o-y from 2% in the second quarter as all economies except Montenegro recorded a higher pace of expansion than in the previous three months. GDP growth accelerated the most in Serbia, the largest economy of the region, where it rose to 3.6% y-o-y from 1.6% in the second quarter.

European Training Foundation, Bardak, U., Hogarth, T., Fratalia, C. and Thorpe, E., From skills anticipation to skills action – Collection of articles to understand skills demand in EU neighbouring countries, Bardak, U.(editor), Hogarth, T.(editor), Fratalia, C.(editor) and Thorpe, E.(editor), European Training Foundation, 2025.

The world is undergoing a period of profound change, driven by rapid technological change and digitalisation, climate change, globalisation and demographic shifts. These forces are reshaping economies and labour markets globally, albeit at different speeds. This transformation brings uncertainty, but also significant opportunities and risks that countries must manage to build more inclusive, greener, and more prosperous societies. To build more inclusive, greener, and more prosperous societies, countries must be able to manage this change effectively. In this context, understanding how labour markets and skills demand are evolving is more important than ever. Evidence on these changes is essential for designing skills development systems that can respond to future needs and improve the match between the demand for and the support of skills. To support this goal, the European Training Foundation (ETF) established the Skills Lab Network of Experts in 2021. The network is a voluntary knowledge community that promotes a culture of skills anticipation and matching in ETF partner countries. It brings together researchers, experts, and practitioners from transition and developing countries, EU Member States, and other international contexts.

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

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. It grounds the monitoring of gender equality and provides a powerful policymaking tool that enables achievements to be measured across main policy areas. It allows for initial comparisons to be made within the region of the Western Balkans and with the EU, stimulating exchanges and fostering motivation to apply more effective policy solutions and speed up processes that lead to greater gender equality.

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

The factsheets of Labour market statistics on candidate countries and potential candidates presents series of statistical data on different aspects of the labour market 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.

European University Institute and Milutinovic, I., Publications Office of the European Union, 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.

European Parliament: Directorate-General for External Policies of the Union, Koops, J. A., Costea, S., Pelosi, G., Rishko, V. et al., Parliaments in the EU enlargement process – Strengthening capacities of accession country parliaments under the evolving enlargement methodology, Publications Office of the European Union, 2025, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2861/8484865

This study explores the role and enhancement of parliamentary capacities in the European Union (EU) enlargement process, focusing on the EU’s evolving accession methodology and its emphasis on the ‘fundamentals’ approach. It examines the European Commission’s criteria for ‘functioning democratic institutions’ in accession countries and evaluates the effectiveness of support measures from EU institutions, Member States, and international organisations.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs, Progress towards meeting the economic criteria for EU accession – The EU Commission’s 2024 assessments, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2765/742649

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, Türkiye and Ukraine.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, Publications Office of the European Union, 2022.

Serbia is working on a host of promising research and innovation projects as part of its European path. Regional cooperation and collaboration amongst researchers to further build capacity in R&I is part of the process. The Western Balkans are gaining momentum in research, technological development and innovation.