ANALYSIS REGIONAL AND GLOBAL ORDER ROLE OF REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND INITIATIVES TOWARDS ACCELERATION OF THE WESTERN BALKANS’ EUROPEAN INTEGRATION Regional cooperation is a fundamental and crucial instrument that guides the Western Balkan Six(WB6) into a culture of dialog and comprehension in the spirit of the European model of building peace, reconciliation, economic growth and sustainable development. Despite the European Union's nancial and technical support, what clearly drives the Western Balkans' internal fragility are economic gures, high levels of youth unemployment, migration, widespread corruption, and a lack of a strong democratic system. Antonela Dhimolea March 2023 In this context, the cohesion provided by regional organizations and initiatives should be considered an indispensable sound mechanism towards a better future for the WB region. 1

FRIEDRICH-EBERT-STIFTUNG- VRAPIMI ME PENGESA REGIONAL AND GLOBAL ORDER ROLE OF REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND INITIATIVES TOWARDS ACCELERATION OF THE WESTERN BALKANS’ EUROPEAN INTEGRATION 2

At the beginning of the 21st century, the European Union (EU) offered the Western Balkans the bright dream of eventually joining the union. In that period, reliance on a united Europe was strong and hopes were high, but within a decade the EU vision became quite deceptive and unreachable for the six Western Balkan countries(WB6). Hence, European membership of the Western Balkans (WB) is still in process and after Croatia's EU accession in 2013, there was like progress and encouragement regarding the enlargement in public perception. Therefore, the long path of the EU accession process with the WB has generated a new set of challenges, not only for the countries involved but also for the EU itself. Recently, the WB and EU are facing old and modern challenges in view of the new geopolitical and regional circumstances. However, the EU enlargement to the WB6 still remains a top priority for the union, and in this context, the EU High Representative Federica Mogherini stated in 2018:"The Western Balkans are part of Europe: we share the same history, the same geography, the same cultural heritage and the same opportunities and challenges today and in the future”. This constructive approach was encouraging and promising to Western Balkans countries. As a matter of fact, to accelerate the enlargement process as well as demonstrate its strong political will towards the EU enlargement, the EU has established a range of regional organizations and initiatives and has adopted a strategy called“A credible enlargement perspective for and enhanced EU engagement with the Western Balkans". The strategy has de ned the prospective route of the WB6 towards European Union by introducing 6 new initiatives: rule of law, security and migration, socioeconomic development, transport and energy community, digital agenda, reconciliation, and good and friendly relations. The strategy highlights that EU integration is an objective and merit-based process which depends on tangible outcomes achieved by each individual country. Besides this scope, the strategy will also serve the European Union to be prepared to welcome new members once they have met respective preconditions. With this in mind, political leaders and citizens from the Western Balkans now have the important task of overcoming obstacles and building a prosperous future, namely their countries' full EU membership. There is no other alternative; thus, EU accession should be realistic and achievable in the near future. The EU should maintain this view, because without the WB6, the union's mission would not be fully completed, and Europe would not be a stable and secure area. In this respect, a strong economic and political steadiness, as well as healthy democratic systems in the WB countries remain important criteria towards the EU integration process. Consequently, various regional organizations and initiatives have been established, aiming at the acceleration of the EU integration process as well as the bolstering of overall regional cooperation. ROLE OF REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND INITIATIVES IN INCLUSIVE REGIONAL COOPERATION Regional cooperation is a fundamental and crucial instrument that guides the WB6 into a culture of dialog and comprehension in the spirit of the European model of building peace, reconciliation, economic growth and sustainable development. Obviously, all standards promoted by the EU through its enlargement process are valid and a remarkable asset for the future of the Western Balkans. To that regard, the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) is an appropriate mechanism through which the EU endorses political and economic reforms in the WB with nancial and technical assistance. For the period 2007-2013, IPA had a budget of€11.5 billion, while IPA II allocated€12.8 billion for the period 2014-2020, and IPA III's budget is€14,162 billion for the period 2021-2027. Despite the European Union's nancial and technical support, what clearly drives the Western Balkans' internal fragility are economic gures, high levels of youth unemployment, migration, widespread corruption, and a 3

FRIEDRICH-EBERT-STIFTUNG-WESTERN BALKANS’ EUROPEAN INTEGRATION ROLE IN REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS lack of a strong democratic system. To smooth these challenges and advance the integration process, the EU in cooperation with the South-East European countries, have established about 54 regional organizations and initiatives in different areas of cooperation, such as in security, trade and economy, society, culture and mobility, energy and transport, connectivity, migration, etc. In this context, the cohesion provided by regional organizations and initiatives should be considered an indispensable sound mechanism towards an optimistic and better future for the WB region. Regional organizations and initiatives are speci cally concentrated on 6 main pillars: political cooperation; mobility; culture and education; good governance; connectivity, investment and trade, as well as security and migration. In these terms, most regional organizations and initiatives have a similar structure; a mission, a written statute and rules of procedure, as well as a secretariat, website and headquarters. The distribution of these organizations is as follows: Bosnia and Herzegovina hosts 9 regional organizations*, Albania 2, North Macedonia 3, Serbia 3 and Montenegro 2(with a new initiative to be added this year- the Regional Cyber Security Center). According to the rules of procedure, new membership in regional organizations or initiatives is based on the consensus of all the parties. On the other hand, the statutes do not stipulate suspension or exclusion of a member state. In this context, the suspension of Belarus from the Central European Initiative(CEI) last May, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, was a necessary decision taken by all CEI members but the appropriate steps leading to the decision were not drawn in the initiative's rules of procedure. Considering the new geopolitical challenges, adjusting this handicap should clearly be considered in view of respect for rules of procedures of regional organizations and initiatives. Following the implementation of the Brussels agreement, facilitated by the European Union, Kosovo has joined a range of regional organizations and initiatives under the condition that its denomination would be marked with an asterisk and footnote in all documents pertaining to organizations. In this regard, in order to encourage a successful regional cooperation and regional economic integration, the EU and other Western Balkans countries should support Kosovo to extend its representation in regional organizations and initiatives, as well as host a secretariat in Pristina. In the framework of cooperation within regional organizations, there have been recent positive dynamics in the overall friendly relations between the Western Balkan countries. For example, in order to ful ll respective obligations derived from regional organizations in the eld of security and migration, EU members and WB6 are working together on responding to current common threats such as; transnational organized crime, management of migration ows, outcomes of Russia's war against Ukraine, energy security as well as terrorism and violent extremism. In this regard, in the eld of migration and security, WB6 are cooperating in the framework of the Migration, Asylum, Refugees Regional Initiative(MARRI), while WB6 and SEE countries are cooperating in the context of the Police Cooperation Convention for South East Europe(PCC SEE), Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative (RAI), and the Southeast European Law Enforcement Centre(SELEC), etc. Likewise, FRONTEX operations expanded in the Western Balkans are demonstrating a good vibe of cooperation between the EU and WB6. Furthermore, WB6 and EU are also cooperating on migration through the EU action plan on the Western Balkans, adopted during the EU-WB Tirana Summit. The EU has rmly supported its Western Balkan partners with more than€100 million in nancial and humanitarian aid, while also providing relevant expertise on the ground regarding migration issues. This has resulted in a number of conventions, agreements and protocols of cooperation signed and implemented in the eld of security and migration. However, with the rise in numbers of irregular crossing attempts in 2022, more concrete actions should be undertaken. In addition, two Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) missions(EUFOR Althea and EULEX Kosovo) still operate in the region. The Western Balkans are additionally participating in EU CSDP missions throughout the world. Moreover, the EU and WB are working together in institutions like Europol, Eurojust, the Radicalization Awareness Network(RAN), and the Western Balkans Counter-terrorism Initiative(WBCTi). In order to provide security and rule of law, the EU is providing more than€31 million for counter-terrorism and projects on countering violent extremism in the region, through IPA's nancial support and under the framework of the Western Balkans Integrative Internal Security Governance. Improving connectivity and trade within the Western Balkans, as well as between the Western Balkans and the European Union, remains an important element that would bring clear bene ts for the region’s economies and citizens. The Western Balkans has made the connectivity agenda one of its highest priorities, with a special emphasis on the preparation and nancing of concrete 5 *including those under the umbrella of RCC 5 4

regional infrastructure investment projects, but also on the implementation of technical standards and soft measures such as simplifying border crossing procedures, railway reforms, information systems, road safety and maintenance schemes. In this context, the WB6 and EU are cooperating under the Berlin Process, Western Balkans Investment Framework, WB6 Chamber Investment Forum, Regional Cooperation Council, Environment and Climate Regional Accession Network Energy Com Energy Community, Electronic South Eastern Europe Initiative Mediterranean, Regional Environmental Center, Sava Comm, South East Europe Transport Observatory, Regional Rural Development Standing Working Group, Regional Working Group on Environment Competitiveness, Central European Free Trade Agreement, South East Europe Investment Committee, etc. To speed up the EU integration process of the Western Balkans, the European Commission adopted the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region(EUSAIR) in 2014- a macro-regional strategy for the Adriatic-Ionian area. It was jointly developed by the Commission and the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative(AII) members and stakeholders, who agreed to work together on four pillars: sustainable tourism, environmental quality, blue growth and connectivity in the Mediterranean region. In the light of the new challenges in the AII region, during its AII-EUSAIR Chairmanship in Of ce, in the period May 2021-June 2022, Albania launched the review of the EUSAIR strategy. In the meantime, the Regional Cooperation Council(RCC) has drafted the SEE 2030 Strategy, which intends to improve citizens' living conditions in the region and accelerate the EU integration process. It is in the process of implementation by the WB6 and SEE countries. As a new regional initiative, the Berlin Process is also fostering the European integration perspective as well as overall cooperation between the WB6. In this respect, RCC and Central European Free Trade Agreement(CEFTA) are engaged in implementing the Berlin Process' Common Regional Market(CRM), while the South-East Europe Transport Observatory(SEETO) remains an important tool in the process of transport system development in the region, concentrated on infrastructure development and soft/horizontal measures as an integrated part of the transport system. In this context, in cooperation with the European Commission, SEETO has developed a multiannual Strategic Working Program and a set of horizontal measures to be further implemented. The Western Balkans Investment Framework(WBIF) is another joint initiative by the WB, EU, nancial organizations, donors and bene ciaries, aimed at increasing cooperation in the eld of investments for the socioeconomic development of the region and acceleration of the European integration process for the Western Balkans. The initiative is also part of the implementation of the EU Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans. In this respect, the EU Economic and Investment Plan aims to hasten a green and digital transition as well as further regional cooperation, by attracting public and private investments. It is backed by the Western Balkan Guarantee Facility, which could mobilize up to€20 billion. In this perspective, investments will only be viable if Western Balkans accelerate the necessary reforms, including reforms in the area of rule of law and the ght against corruption. The European Commission has unveiled a substantial€3.2 billion investment package to support 21 projects on transport, digital development, climate, and energy connectivity in the Western Balkans. This is the rst major package of projects under the EU Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans. The EU goal for the near future is to prepare up to€30 billion in investments, as a combination of grants, preferential loans and guarantees through the EIP, in order to close the development gap between the European Union and the region, as well as support the postpandemic economic recovery in the WB6. Additionally, being the biggest donor in the Western Balkans, the EU is supporting the establishment of a Regional Electricity Market. In North Macedonia it will support a photovoltaic solar project that would supply energy to the region and EU grids. This is part of the region and Europe’s green transition, and it is expected to help the environment and economies of the Western Balkans. At the same time, construction of the strategically important eastern part of the"Corridor 8" railway started in December 2022. It extends between North Macedonia and Bulgaria, in the section Kumanovo- Beljakovce- Kriva Palanka. In line with the objectives de ned in the EU Green Agenda for the Western Balkans, Albania is developing strategic projects to generate green and sustainable energy and transport, with the aim of connecting the region to the European Ten-T Network. Albania's Skavica Hydropower Plant will allow the export of renewable energy to the entire region. Additionally, the country's building of gas interconnections will contribute to the region’s green transition and to the stability of the electric grids. A railway corridor from the Port of Durres will connect Albania to 5

FRIEDRICH-EBERT-STIFTUNG- WESTERN BALKANS’ EUROPEAN INTEGRATION ROLE IN REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS North Macedonia and Bulgaria and improve multi-modal connections with Italy. Furthermore, the Australian-British Rio Tinto company, currently operating in the region, has announced an investment of$2.4 billion to develop lithium extraction in Serbia, aiming to serve the industry in Serbia, North Macedonia, Albania, and elsewhere in Europe and the region. In the meantime, EU-funded projects like the gas inter-connector between Serbia and Bulgaria aim at improving Serbia’s energy security. Related to this, Corridor V is a key transport infrastructure project in Bosnia and Herzegovina, aiming at improving connections between Mostar and Sarajevo and further north to Budapest. Montenegro, on the other hand, was awarded an additional€40 million in non-repayable grants from the European Union for three new infrastructure projects to improve water facilities, education and roads. The Energy Support Package for the Western Balkans consists of€1 billion in EU grants, aiming to assist the immediate effects of energy crisis and build resilience in the short to medium term. The rst half of the package consists of€500 million in budget support to alleviate the economic and social impact on families and SMEs, and support energy transition and security in the region. The second half of the package consists of€500 million to advance energy diversi cation, renewable energy generation and gas and electricity interconnections through the Western Balkans Investment Framework(WBIF). The most recent and concrete outcomes of regional cooperation in the eld of connectivity, energy and trade are: signing of the Transport Community Treaty(TCT); lifting of roaming tariffs within the WB; reduction of roaming tariffs between the EU and the WB; Green Lanes between WB facilitated by the cooperation between CEFTA, RCC and TCT; as well as projects in various areas completed in the framework of the WBIF. Another achievement was the establishment of Green Lanes between the WB and the EU. In this regard, the customs administrations of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Montenegro signed a Memorandum of Understanding on December 9th, 2022, aiming to enhance the CEFTA-TCT Green Lanes with the European Union. The initiative started in July 2022 with the establishment of the electronic exchange of data between North Macedonia and Greece, and continued in September 2022 with the establishment of Blue Lanes between Albania, Montenegro and Italy as part of the Mediterranean connectivity. The signing enabled the speeding up of customs procedures and other formalities at border crossing points, as the system connects the customs administrations of the Western Balkans and the European Union. In the eld of mobility, at the Berlin Process Summit on November 3rd, 2022, the leaders of the WB6 signed an agreement on the free movement of citizens using only identity cards, as well as an agreement on mutual recognition of university degrees and professional quali cations. In this context, the EU is encouraging the Western Balkan countries to speed up the rati cation of the 3 signed agreements. The establishment of the Youth Cooperation Of ce(RYCO) is considered as yet another great achievement in the framework of the Berlin Process. The European Union has supported RYCO through its"Enhancing Youth Cooperation and Youth Exchange in the WB6" project to create a more suitable environment and new opportunities for young people to travel and explore the WB countries, and cooperate on shared projects in the eld of culture, sports, environment, etc. Another important regional initiative in the eld of mobility, youth, and culture is the Western Balkan Fund (WBF). EFFICIENCY OF REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS Removing trade barriers, encouraging cooperation between business communities, attracting the attention of potential investors, and promoting exchange between young people would strongly contribute to improving a positive opinion of the EU on the Western Balkans. A lack of perspective and hope to join the European Union would, on the other hand, create a power vacuum that risks being lled by some other powers, possibly Chinese or Russian in uence. Populist nationalism, soft authoritarianism, and intolerant policies could be even more dangerous in exploiting social insecurities and economic imbalances if the integration process were to be prolonged beyond limits. However, the current engagement of the EU in the Western Balkans, recon rmed in the Tirana Declaration following the EU-WB Summit, gives some hope towards an acceleration of the integration process as well as the mitigation of Euro-sceptic perceptions in the region. Therefore, following the goals drawn in the declaration, the EU-WB cooperation needs some concrete and promising achievements towards full EU membership. Despite the EU's good intentions in establishing various regional organizations and initiatives to accelerate the European integration process in the Western Balkans, the large number of these organizations does not necessarily indicate a successful and bene cial regional cooperation. Speci cally speaking, there are 10 regional organizations and 6

initiatives that operate in the area of connectivity, investment and trade, 14 in the area of mobility, education and culture, 5 in the area of good governance, 14 in the area of security and migration, etc. Some regional organizations and initiatives are funded by the EU in cooperation with the Western Balkans, while some are funded only by the WB countries, which regularly pay annual nancial contributions to maintain their budgets. Such contributions do not always bring concrete bene ts to Western Balkans countries. For example, Albania, Serbia and North Macedonia are part of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation(BSEC), contributing about€60,000 annually, but they do not participate in the BSEC projects and usually are not able to attend meetings of the organization's working groups because there is a lack of interest by government ministries towards BSEC activities and projects since these member states are not part of the Black Sea area. As a result, the remaining bene t from BSEC is the opportunity to employ one national representative to the secretariat of the organization. Keeping this example in mind, besides nancial obligations, disadvantages stemming from the large number of regional organizations and initiatives include: lack of human and nancial resources to attend all relevant activities; lack of interest to participate in activities of regional organizations and initiatives operating in the same area; lack of interest to assume leadership of regional organizations and initiatives, in particular chairmanship of organizations bene ts from which are considered little; as well as lack of human resources in the WB public administrations to appoint national coordinators to each regional organization and initiative. However, some regional organizations and initiatives are truly ef cient for regional cooperation: WBIF, CEFTA, RCC, TCT, RYCO, SEECP, EUSAIR, WBF, MARRI, PCC SEE, etc. In this context, the Berlin Process through its initiatives like the Common Regional Market, Green Agenda, Economic Investment Plan, and Green Lanes remains the most important and indispensable regional mechanism to accelerate the European integration process and foster regional economic integration. Therefore, the Western Balkans countries should believe in a credible EU enlargement perspective while maintaining a continued dedication toward strengthening the pro-active and constructive role in regional cooperation and good and neighborly relations, which are signi cant pillars of the EU integration process. On the other hand, the EU should be more engaged in the Western Balkan region, and in this respect, it should deepen the cooperation with region in order to encourage each country to advancing the implementation of necessary reforms in public administration, judiciary, ght against corruption and organized crime, protection of human rights, including rights of persons belonging to minorities and property rights. It has to be stressed that for the rst time the declaration of the Tirana EU-WB Summit mentioned another condition for integration:“the separation of powers in the Western Balkan societies”. This has become another challenge the WB6 will have to face. Due to the new geopolitical circumstances, it may be the time for the EU to consider a new strategy for the Western Balkans to counter the impact of Russia's war against Ukraine in the Western Balkans area. The fragility of WB economies is badly affected by current global threats. Therefore, in this new reality the EU would better tolerate some preconditions regarding the EU integration process, and thus help speed up the integration of new members in order to avoid the presumed undesirable in uences of other powers in the region. The nal and tangible objective of a new Western Balkan strategy should be the full integration of 18 million WB citizens into the huge European family, and not the preparation for future EU membership or the successful completion of regional economic integration. Therefore, EU policies should show goodwill and comprehension to convey this vital message to Western Balkans citizens, who deserve to be European citizens in the near future and enjoy a better life in accordance with EU standards. 76

FRIEDRICH-EBERT-STIFTUNG- WESTERN BALKANS’ EUROPEAN INTEGRATION ROLE IN REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS GLOSSARY OF THE ABBREVIATIONS Abbreviations of the regional organisations and initiatives All Adriatic-Ionian Initiative CBC Cross-Border Cooperation Programmes CEI- Central European Initiative COSAP-Conference of the European Integration ‘Parliamentary Committees of States Participating in the Stabilisation and Association Process TCP Transnational Cooperation Programmes Regional Cooperation Council SEECP- South East European Cooperation Process SEECP PA-SEECP Parliamentary Assembly Connectivity PABSEC-Parliamentary Assembly of Black Sea Economic Cooperation ECRAN-Environment and Climate Regional Accession Network Energy Com Energy Community e-SEE-Electronic South Eastern Europe Initiative REC-Regional Environmental Centre Sava Comm.- Sava Commission SEETO-South East Europe Transport Observatory SWG-RRD Regional Rural Development Standing Working Group in SEE WGE*-Regional Working Group on Environment Competitiveness BSEC-Black Sea Economic Council CEFTA-Central European Free Trade Agreement SEECEL-South East European Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning SEEIC*-South East Europe Investment Committee WBC-RTI-Steering Platform for Research for the Western Balkans TFCS* RCC-Task Force on Culture and Society WB EDIF-Western Balkans Enterprise Development and Innovation Facility WBF-Western Balkans Fund RYCO-Regional Youth Cooperation Of ce WBIF-Western Balkans Investment Framework WB6 CIF-Western Balkans Chamber Investment Forum WISE-Western Balkans Research and Innovation Centre Skills and mobility BC SDN-Balkan Civil Society Network CPESSEC-Centre of Public Employment Services EN PES-European Network of Public Employment Services SEEIST-South East European International Institute Sustainable Technologies ERI SEE-Education Reform Initiative of South Eastern Europe ESAP-Employment and Social Affairs Platform JWGMRPQ*-Joint Working Group on Mutual Recognition of Professional Quali cations MARRI-Migration, Asylum, Refugees Regional Initiative RYCO-Regional Youth Exchange Of ce SEEHN-South Eastern Europe Health Network SAWG*-Social Agenda 2020 Regional Working Group WBPET-Western Balkans Platform on Education and Training Good governance(public administration, anticorruption and justice) NALAS-Network of Associations of Local Authorities of South East Europe NISPA Network of Institutes and Schools of Public Administration RAI-Regional Anti-corruption Initiative ReSPA-Regional School of Public Administration SEELS South East European Law School Network WGJ*-Regional Working Group on Justice Fighting crime PCC SEE-Police Cooperation Convention for South East Europe SEEPAG-South East European Prosecutors Advisory Group SELEC Southeast European Law Enforcement Centre SEPCA- Southeast Europe Police Chiefs Association Security A-5 U. S. – Adriatic Charter CVE-FTF Platform*-Regional Platform for Countering Radicalisation and Violent Extremism Leading to Terrorism and Foreign Terrorist Fighters in SEE DPPI SEE- Disaster Preparedness and Prevention Initiative for South Eastern Europe EADRCC- Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre RACVIAC- Centre for Security Cooperation RHP-Regional Housing Programme SEDM- Southeast European Defence Ministerial Process SEEMIC*-South East European Military Intelligence Chiefs Forum SEENSA*-South East European National Security Authorities Forum SEESAC- South Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons* OTHER ABBREVIATIONS EIP-Economic and Investment Plan CSDP-Common Security and Defence Policy EUFOR-European Union Force in BiH EUROPOL-European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation EUROJUST-European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation EULEX-European Union Force in Kosovo FRONTEX-European Border and Coast Guard Agency Western Balkans Counterterorrism Initiative(WBCTi). IPA- Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance BiH-Bosnia and Hercegovina RO-Regional Organisations WB-Western Balkans SEE-South East Europe 8

TABLE OF REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS& INITIATIVES No Regional Organisations& Initiatives Albania Bosnia and North Kosovo Montenegro Serbia Herzegovina Macedonia Political cooperation 1 RCC-Regional Cooperation Council++++++ 2 CEI-Central European Initiative+++++ 3 AII-Adriatic Ionian Initiative+++++ 4 BSEC-Black Sea Economic+++ Cooperation 5 SEECP-South East Europe++++++ Cooperation Pact 6 Berlin Process++++++ 7 COSAP-Conference of the+++++ European Integration Parliamentary Committees of States Participating in the Stabilization and Association Process TCP Transnational Cooperation Programs 8 SEECP PA SEECP-Parliamentary++++++ Assembly Connectivity 9 PABSEC-Parliamentary Assembly+++ of Black Sea Economic Cooperation Connectivity 10 Energy Com.(AT)++++++ 11 e-SEE++++++ 12 SEETO- South East Europe++++++ Transport Observatory 13 TCT-Transport Community Treaty++++++ 14 SWG-RRD- Regional Rural++++++ Development Standing Working Group 15 WGE* Regional Working Group on++++++ Environment Trade and Investment 16 CEFTA(BE) Central European Free++++++ Trade Agreement 17 SEECEL(HR) South East European++++++ Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning 18 SEEIC* South East Europe+++ x++ Investment Committee 19 WBIF-Western Balkan Investment++++++ Framework 20 WB6 CIF-WB6 Chamber Investment++++++ Forum Mobility, Education and Culture 21 ERI SEE-Education Reform+++ x++ Initiative of South Eastern Europe 9

FRIEDRICH-EBERT-STIFTUNG- WESTERN BALKANS’ EUROPEAN INTEGRATION ROLE IN REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS 22 JWGMRPQ*- Joint Working Group++++++ on Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications 23 SAWG*- Social Agenda 2020++++++ Regional Working Group 24 TFCS*-RCC Task Force on Culture++++++ and Society 25 WBF-Western Balkan Fund++++++ 26 RYCO-Regional Youth Cooperation++++++ Office 27 CPESSEC-Centre of Public++++ Employment Service 28 SEEHN- South Eastern Europe+++++ Health Network 29 SEEIST-South East European++++++ International Institute Sustainable Technologies 30 WBPET- Western Balkans Platform++++ on Education and Training Good governance(public administration, anti-corruption and justice) 31 BC SDN-Balkan Civil Society++++++ Network 32 WISE-Western Balkans Research++++++ and Innovation Centre Skills and mobility 33 WB EDIF- Western Balkans++++++ Enterprise Development and Innovation Facility 34 ECRAN-Environment and Climate++++++ Regional Accession Network Energy Com Energy Community 35 REC-Regional Environmental+++++ Centre^{international status} Good Governance 36 NALAS- Network of Associations of++++++ Local Authorities of South East Europe 37 ReSPA- Regional School of Public++++++ Administration 38 RAI- Regional Anti-Corruption+++ x++ Initiative 39 WGJ*- Regional Working Group on++++++ Justice 40 RHP- Regional Housing Programme+++ Security Cooperation and Migration 41 RACVIAC(HR)- Centre for+++ x++ Security Cooperation ^{International status} 10

42 PCC SEE- Police Cooperation+++++ Convention for South East Europe 43 SEENSA*- South East European++++++ National Security Authorities Forum 44 SELEC(RO)- Southeast European+++ x++ Law Enforcement Centre 45 SEESAC- South Eastern and Eastern++++++ Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons 46 CVE-FTF*- Regional Platform for++++++ Countering Radicalization and Violent Extremism leading to Terrorism and Foreign Terrorist Fighters 47 MARRI- Migration, Asylum,++++++ Refugees Regional Initiative 48 SEEPAG-South East European+++++ Prosecutors Advisory Group 49 A-5 U. S. – Adriatic Charter^+++++ {international status} 50 DPPI SEE- Disaster Preparedness+++++ and Prevention Initiative for South Eastern Europe 51 CBC Cross-Border Cooperation++++++ Programme 52 SEDM-Southeast European Defense+++++ Ministerial Process 53 SEEMIC* South East European+++++ Military Intelligence Chiefs Forum 54 EADRCC- Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre ^{international status} Note  *Initiatives under the RCC  +=member, x=observer  ^ Regional organizations with international status 11

FRIEDRICH-EBERT-STIFTUNG- WESTERN BALKANS’ EUROPEAN INTEGRATION ROLE IN REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS HEADQUARTERS OF Regional organization Albania RCC-Regional Cooperation Council RAI- Regional Anticorruption Initiative e-SEE SEEIC*-South East Europe Investment Committee TFCS*-RCC Task Force on Culture and Society JWGMRPQ*- Joint Working Group on Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications SAWG*- Social Agenda 2020 Regional Working Group SEEMIC*- South East European Military Intelligence Chiefs Forum SEENSA*- South East European National Security Authorities Forum CVE-FTF*- Regional Platform for Countering Radicalization and Violent Extremism leading to Terrorism and Foreign Terrorist Fighters SEETO- South East Europe Transport Observatory SEESAC- South Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons TCT-Treaty of Community of Transport MARRI- Migration, Asylum, Refugees Regional Initiative SEEHN- South Eastern Europe Health Network SWG-RRD- Regional Rural Development Standing Working Group WBF-Western Balkan Fund S REGIONAL Bosnia and Herzegovina S S S S S S S S S ORGANISATIONS IN North Kosovo Macedonia S S S WB6 Montenegro Serbia S S S 12

RYCO-Regional Youth S Cooperation Office ReSPA- Regional School of S Public Administration SEEIST-South East European S International Institute Sustainable Technologies Note  S= Secretariat 13

ABOUT THE AUTHOR IMPRINT Antonela Dhimolea, is the senior diplomat/ Minister Councilor in the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania. She holds a Master’s Degree in Diplomacy from the University of Malta and has completed studies and training courses in international relations and diplomacy at“La Sapienza” University, the US George Marshall European center for security studies, as well as Diplomatic Academies of Croatia, Poland, India, Montenegro and Egypt. She also holds a certi cate of the Harvard University(HKS) “On US political Institutions; Congress, Presidency, Courts and Bureaucracy”. She is an expert in the regional cooperation and Asian issues. Foundation“Friedrich Ebert”| St.“Kajo Kara li”, Nd. 14, Entrance 2, 1st Floor| Tirana| Albania Responsible: Michael Weichert| Director of the“Friedrich Ebert” Foundation Tel:+355 4 22 509 86/ 733 06 https://tirana.fes.de/ Publications of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung may not be used for commercial reasons without the written approval of FES. The opinions, conclusions and recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily re ect those of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung or organizations for which the authors work. The opinions expressed in this paper represent the authors’ points of view which are not necessarily shared by the Albanian Authorities. 14

IMPRINT ROLE OF REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND INITIATIVES TOWARDS ACCELERATION OF THE WESTERN BALKANS’ EUROPEAN INTEGRATION The Western Balkans countries should believe in a credible EU enlargement perspective while maintaining a continued dedication toward strengthening the pro-active and constructive role in regional cooperation and good and neighborly relations, which are signi cant pillars of the EU integration process.The current engagement of the EU in the Western Balkans, recon rmed in the Tirana Declaration following the EU-WB Summit, gives some hope towards an acceleration of the integration process as well as the mitigation of Euro-sceptic perceptions in the region.Despite the EU's good intentions in establishing various regional organizations and initiatives to accelerate the European integration process in the Western Balkans, the large number of these organizations does not necessarily indicate a successful and bene cial regional cooperation. Further information on the topic can be found here: https://www.tirana.fes.de/publications/ 7