Policy brief: Making the EU and member state policy towards the Western Balkans socio-economically more sustainable

01/05/2023

The European Union is supporting the political, economic and social reforms in the six countries of the Western Balkans as part of the enlargement process. The latest policy brief published in the framework of the WB2EU project argues that social and economic development in the region must be promoted in a sustainable way. Furthermore, the social dimension of enlargement policy must be strengthened. In particular, labour migration between the Western Balkans and the EU is a double-edged sword. In order to support long-term socio-economic development in the region, circular migration in particular should be promoted to ensure the re-transfer of socio-economic capital. Moreover, a credible accession perspective is fundamental for the socio-economic development perspective in the WB6 countries.

The WB2EU project aims to build a network of renowned think tanks, do-tanks, universities, higher education institutes and policy centres from the Western Balkans, neighbouring countries and EU member states, which will be crucial for the enlargement process and the Europeanisation of the region in the coming years. The WB2EU project is co-funded by the European Commission through its Erasmus+ Jean Monnet Programme.