It takes two to tango

Human rights and gender equality are at the heart of the EU accession process — as part of the ‘fundamentals’ that determine the pace of negotiations for candidate countries. The European Commission (EC) country reports for the Western Balkans are the primary policy tool for the EU to assess and influence progress towards meeting the accession criteria in the respective countries. EU Candidate countries need to align with the European Union (EU) acquis on gender equality, a well-developed body of legislation, standards and principles that constitute the foundation of the EU. For this reason, the inclusion of specific gender perspectives across the reports is crucial, as is the assessment of progress or regress in a certain area and the inclusion of specific recommendations.

Download the publication in English (pdf)