The EU has a strong political and economic influence in Western Balkans and the European Commission Country Reports remain a key tool in the region’s EU accession process.
Gender mainstreaming of the EC Country Reports for the Western Balkans is steadily improving, but progress is uneven. Most reports now include official recommendations pertaining to gender equality issues in the section on fundamental rights and in different acquis chapters. However, the criteria for removing recommendations remain unclear. For instance, the Montenegro report went from six recommendations in 2022 to one in 2023, despite limited progress in addressing the gender equality recommendations.
Take a look at Kvinna till Kvinna’s “Gender analysis of the 2023 European Commission country reports for the Western Balkans”— download the analysis in English (pdf) »