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. The dialogue is based on the partners’ medium-term Economic Reform Programmes (ERPs), submitted annually, and the assessments prepared by the Commission and the European Central Bank.

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: Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers and Bakirci, K., Publications Office of the European Union, 2022.

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).

Branislav, S., European Parliament, 2023.

Following the backsliding in democratic standards that occurred after the unsuccessful coup of 2016 and the Council of the European Union's June 2018 decision ruling out the opening of any new EU accession negotiation chapters, accession talks with Türkiye are frozen. The disputes in the eastern Mediterranean that involved some Member States, as well as the military engagement of Türkiye in Syria, provided additional tensions in relations with the EU in 2019 and 2020. In February 2020, the Commission did not mention Türkiye in its communication on the accession process setting out its new enlargement methodology. Since December 2020, a relative reduction in tension in the eastern Mediterranean has allowed the EU to re-engage with Ankara on important areas of cooperation, including modernisation of the customs union, in line with the 2016 EU-Türkiye statement, despite no advances on this specific issue.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs, EU candidate countries’ & potential candidates’ economic quarterly (CCEQ) – Western Balkans & Türkiye. 2nd quarter 2025, Publications Office of the European Union, 2025-, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2765/5658153

The Western Balkans’ annual economic growth slowed markedly in the first quarter of 2025. The region’s real GDP growth moderated to 2.3% y-o-y in Q1-2025 from 3.3% in the preceding quarter. All economies recorded lower growth than in the previous three months, with Serbia, the largest economy in the region, experiencing the steepest slowdown in output growth (from 3.3% to 2.0%). Still, GDP growth reached or exceeded 3% in North Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo.

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 Commission, Joint Research Centre and Türker, M., Publications Office of the European Union, 2023.

The TR33 SDG Monitoring and Evaluation Report sheds light on the relationship between the TR33 Regional perspective and sustainable development goal by utilising regional data. It explainsthe progress and challenges the region faces in achieving the SDGs. The report includes recommendations for future improvements in terms of regional data platforms. It offers a comprehensive analysis of the TR33 Region's performance in critical areas related to sustainable development, including economic growth, social inclusion, environmental sustainability, and governance. THis report will help policymakers, stakeholders and researchers gain a deeper understanding of the TR33 Region's specific context and identify areas for targeted interventions and policy adjustments. It has the potential to be a vital tool for monitoring and evaluating the region's progress towards sustainable development, ultimately guiding decision-making processes for a more prosperous and inclusive future in the TR33 Region. The TR33 SDG Monitoring and Evaluation Report analyses 83 indicators offered by JRC and additional indicators to monitor and evaluate data used to measure the TR33 Region 2030 Agenda. The data sources are international, national and regional in origin.

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. The annual country reports assess progress achieved in advancing the necessary political and economic reforms as well as the legal transformation in line with the EU accession criteria.

Bechev, D., European Union Institute for Security Studies, 2023.

As a result of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Ankara now perceives the Black Sea region as a much less stable and predictable environment. Türkiye has voted alongside the West in the UN resolutions condemning Russia’s actions, and provided Ukraine with arms, but refrained from joining Western sanctions against Moscow. Ankara is trying to play a delicate balancing act. It seeks to maintain equidistance from Russia and the West to assert its strategic autonomy while exploiting Russia’s current weakness to project influence in the Black Sea region and beyond. The EU should identify areas where cooperation with Türkiye is both possible and desirable, particularly in the context of the future reconstruction of Ukraine.

SWD(2024) 696 final.

Communication on EU enlargement policy.