DW: Western Balkans still at critical point, Serbia, major obstacle to Kosovo's membership

The Western Balkans remain in a critical position, despite the reforms and progress being made in the framework of the European Union accession process. The German institute, “Aspen”, which has at the center of its work also the support to the countries of the Balkan region on the path towards the EU, highlighted a number of challenges in its latest report

“Structural Change in the Western Balkans.” According to this report, “some countries continue to lag behind, hampered by political fragmentation, governance deficiencies, or stalled reform agendas.”

"The six Western Balkan countries face a persistent pattern in which weak rule of law, politicized state institutions, and limited administrative capacity undermine policy implementation and 'erode' public trust," the report says.

This pattern, according to the report, is accompanied by "continuous disinformation campaigns, originating both from domestic actors seeking short-term political advantage, and from external actors aiming to weaken democratic stability and erode support for harmonization with the EU."

"brain drain"

“The region’s population is shrinking and talent is increasingly moving away.” This is how the latest report by the Aspen Institute describes the phenomenon of “brain drain” from the region. Demographic movements are viewed with concern, as they directly affect the modernization of the economy, which in the region lacks people and therefore their skills, adaptability and a sustainable future.

"What was once seen as temporary migration has become a structural problem, as young and skilled workers leave in search of opportunities, while an aging population and low labor force participation hurt the domestic workforce," the report says.

The six Western Balkan countries, Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, fall far below EU standards in the “Skills” cluster, reflecting persistent mismatches between educational outcomes and labor market needs.

“Across the region, employers report shortages of skilled workers even as educational attainment increases,” say Aspen experts. Low wages compared to EU countries, limited career opportunities, and access to the European labor market are among the most important factors. The returns of skilled workers who leave are extremely limited.

Albania, "gaps in cybersecurity"

In the process towards EU membership, Albania and Montenegro are considered the leaders of the region, due to the reforms undertaken. One of the areas where concrete steps are highlighted by Albania is the modernization of digital infrastructure, through platforms such as e-Albania, which, according to the report, centralizes public services. “However, cyber vulnerabilities are acute, as was shown in the cases of cyber attacks in 2022, cases attributed to Iran, which damaged state systems and highlighted gaps in data protection.”

The report mentions the adoption of the National Cybersecurity Strategy 2020-2025, and the alignment with the General Data Protection Regulation.

"However, challenges persist in terms of media freedom, political pressure on journalists and the institutional independence of the Data Protection Commissioner. EU support and cyber cooperation with NATO have improved Albania's digital readiness, but capacity-building needs remain high."

Serbia, a major obstacle to Kosovo's membership

According to the Aspen Institute, Kosovo is considered a potential candidate for membership in the European Union. But although it has made progress in several areas, the country still faces major obstacles, the most important of which is the normalization of relations with Serbia. The same argument applies to Serbia.

"Serbia has been negotiating EU membership since 2014, but progress remains limited, with concerns over rule of law reform, media freedom, foreign policy harmonisation and the normalisation of relations with Kosovo continuing to slow the pace of negotiations," the report states.

The EU's internal and external challenges

For its part, enlargement in the European Union finds itself caught between the crossroads of the geostrategic situation created by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and domestic skepticism about whether the new states will properly adapt to the union's rules.

While some member states see institutional consolidation as a precondition for the admission of new member states, others argue that the enlargement process itself can act as a catalyst for institutional modernization. As a result, the EU has sought to translate its strategic goal into a fully predictable process.